Reflections on the ITS World Congress and the world at present

Just so happened, presently, with some time made available due to the recent circuit breaker measures introduced by Singapore as a nation in an effort to control and contain the effect of COVID19, was there some time for pondering and taking stock of life lived thus far. I thought about the spontaneity of this present article, but decided to cast procrastination aside and to really take a moment to put down some quick thoughts, to see how far the world has come, humanity has come, and each and every one of us, not just limited to that of those in this event that I happened to have that chance to take and play a part in, comes all to perspective. Really, for how far humanity comes, we really have the chance to look it from a myriad of perspectives, lenses if you may deem. There is always hope, that mankind prevails and triumphs over adversity, as always it has been, should decisive action be taken. Such as that of the COVID19 situation, such as that for personal responsibility and much more indeed.

Well, it all started for myself, on a fine afternoon, in a circular that my engineering school had sent out when I was just a freshman in college. Happened to be doing up a p-set on maths and it was, to be honest, not the most exciting thing ever. I was wondering, well, definitely this seems like a really great opportunity to be exposed to such a wide field and practicing experts and industry partners, and definitely what one could do for himself! And from then on, it was a journey down to more things in life, down the pipeline for myself, in terms of building up cherished relationships with many student delegates and friends all across the world, mentors, networks and life lessons to boot as takeaways from this event.

We had a great itinerary planned out for us, to plenty of places to understand the role of transport, that plays such a crucial role in terms of how Singapore and the world at large operates, and how transport functions with AI aided systems in place. With the evolving COVID19 situation, countless jobs related to the aviation industry, needless to say, came to a screeching halt. Disruption is rampant. Flights out currently from a single terminal in Singapore for the whole day, as of the present, is a < 20 flights from observations of the flip-boards indicative of the day's departures from the terminal. What comes to mind is, how can we further leverage AI and tech in a sense realistically, when it comes to keeping essential operations going , such that essential flights for current and future for such crucial situations can be made with higher efficacy and continued to be? Universally synchronised flight biodatas of passengers between airports, and computing "flight risk" for flyers if they were to fly perchance?

We had as well, a great sharing session down at the LTA (Land Transport Authority) for seeing how gantry pricing systems work, and how transport lanes and traffic can be segregated to manageable parts and how disruptions of all forms could be dealt with in speed and in real time. After all, with all the gripes we have with transportation at their finest, it is on the flip side, a great deal to be able to commute safely and that is a luxury to some that they can't afford in some parts of the world, come to think of it.

And here comes showtime! A pitch cobbled together with people who didn't know each other previously, a test of teamwork and task delegation, a game of strengths and leveraging on them, while covering for weakness through collaboration. It was a blast for the presentation, come to think back on it, where I had school academic commitments for midterms ongoing concurrently, where I had to be there for the event for a full day at Suntec and to go back to school to deal with papers and revisions afterwards. I would always remember what a mentor for the programme said to me on giving my all for what I decided to be right or wrong, and not to waver if I made up my mind on it. Do what has to be done! He says. Thankfully, all was well, and pulled it off with the team for the presentation which I was unsure of I could make it due to the clashes of schedule that abruptly happens sometimes. It's akin to taking into stride what COVID19 has for us all in our daily schedules and routines, and it boils down to how we manage it while it is a influencing factor here to stay for the present, can we emerge more resilient a person from challenges, as one man, as a society, as mankind.

And lastly, to the bunch of youth leaders out there, who filled in that form, who were strangers who bonded together over the days to come for a ideaton for the best idea to how transportation can be improved to make it more accessible for those who face challenges in the usage of them: it was a noble cause, an effort to make transport accessible for all, irregardless of condition, dependent on intent. While creativity, methods and presentations differ, but for sure everyone seems to be enjoying themselves, and while at that, coming up with impressive solutions that either addressed ways at working on pre-existing gaps that are in the process of improvement, or even highlighting new concerns to the judiciary panel sitting in for the evaluation.

I'm sure that all of you guys are doing well in the respective areas of your lives, and while catching up with some of them post-event, taking stock of those experiences that moulded us pre and post event, we can all agree that such programmes whereby industry partners, such as Continental, LTA, QI, and others including, shed that much needed light for the students who are a part to play for the future this area of expertise, was beneficial. Good times will pass, and become memories, and while they fade away slowly in the background towards oblivion, what really matters is the impact made, contributions given back, to pass the baton forward while we can, and I'm sure of it that my peers and all shall look back at this facet of our lives to heart. I sincerely wish my dear friends, acquaintances, and those out there to be safe, and stay safe with your loved ones from the current situation out there. Good times don't last , but on the bright side, so do bad times too!

Best wishes and stay great, as always!

Jameson