IIT-M launches database on infra projects

Launching the Integrated Database on Infrastructure Projects (IDIP), the data platform developed by IIT-M would enable effective decision-making among different stakeholders involved in the infrastructure sector.

The initial focus will be on the road sector, which has received the highest private investment among all infrastructure sectors.

Salient features of the IDIP platform include data coverage across the project life cycle-comprising of the development, construction and operation phases. Close to 50 different parameters are tracked for the projects and data is curated and validated from multiple sources.

IDIP is reportedly the only source that provides the financial performance data of Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs). Querying and visual analytics and search features of the platform facilitate ease of analysis and decision making.

The platform covers almost all the PPP road projects awarded so far, including those awarded by the State governments. The database is expected to be loaded with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) projects shortly.

In addition to roads, other transportation sectors such as railways, ports, and airports would also be included in the platform in the near future.

In the next phase, the coverage of IDIP would also encompass other sectors of infrastructure such as power, transmission, water supply, sanitation and solid waste management.

Technical expertise for the development was contributed by faculty members from multiple institutions.

Highlighting the unique points of the database, principal investigator of the project, Prof A. Thillai Rajan from the Department of Management Studies in the institution said, “Availability of high quality and reliable data has been biggest bugbear in the Indian infrastructure development”.

“Availability of various facilities would provide a big impetus for research in infrastructure and promote evidence-based decision making among policy makers, funding agencies, and developers”, he added.