Abstract-Developed countries have lead the way in the implementation of Intelligent Transport Systems, with the objectives of improving safety, efficiency, and environmental impact of transport. With the developing world entering the fray, the questions are: Is ITS in its current form relevant to the developing world? These regions face challenges that are different to that of the developed world, and are unique in their own ways. Many of the regions are evolving novel and innovative solutions to deliver on ITS objectives. In this paper we explore the informal public transport sector in SubSaharan Africa, which is in many ways unique to that of the developing world. We highlight some of the unique aspects, and highlight the dire safety and efficiency challenges that the sector faces. Mindful of the regional limitations, we introduce and discuss novel ITS solutions, which can be used to address these challenges. We also share some of the initial results observed through initial experimentation with one of the solutions.

Abstract-The informal transport industry in Sub-Saharan Africa is notoriously dangerous, leading to many fatalities annually. This paper presents an innovative way of monitoring driver behaviour, in real-time, by taking into account road design standards, vehicle dynamics, and passenger comfort. Two models are presented that each combines acceleration and speed data into an erratic driving detection algorithm. The first model is developed though the evaluation of empirical results taken from trips in a minibus taxi, and subjectively gauging recklessness from a passenger's perspective. The second model presents a novel use of commonly used civil engineering principles, used in road design. Evaluation of the models, using actual minibus data, demonstrates that both successfully detect reckless driving, but the second model proves to be simpler and less processor intensive.

Abstract-The Minibus public transportation sector and road safety remains a significant challenge in Africa. We propose a low cost system to monitor the taxi industry and encourage safe driving. A low cost capacitive proximity sensor for seat occupancy detection based on the loading mode capacitive sensing technique is designed. The capacitive sensor uses a single electrode to detect an occupant. We use ZigBee modules for a dynamic wireless system integration where sensors can be added or removed without modifications. A mathematical model of the capacitive sensor is developed and we determine the capacitance on the sensor's electrode. The occupied capacitance is double the unoccupied capacitance. Our results show that the proposed capacitive sensor can distinguish clearly between an unoccupied and occupied seat.

In this paper, we describe an inexpensive and easy to deploy docking solution in passive charging docks for autonomous mobile robots. The objective is to achieve long-term autonomous robots within an experiment test-bed. We propose to combine the use of QR codes as landmarks and Infrared distance sensors. The relative size of the lateral edges of the visual pattern is used to position the robot in relation with the dock. Infrared distance sensors are then used to perform different approaching strategies depending on the distance. Experiments show that the proposed solution is fully operational and robust. Not to rely exclusively on visual pattern recognition avoids potential errors induced by camera calibration. Additionally, as a positive side effect, the use of Infrared sensors allows the robot to avoid obstacles while docking. The finality of such an approach is to integrate these robots into the FIT IoT Lab experimental testbed which allows any experimenter to book wireless resources such as wireless sensors remotely and to test their own code. Wifibots holding wireless sensors will be integrated as additional reservable resources of the platform to enlarge the set of possible experimentations with mobile entities.