IIT-Madras launches integrated database on infra projects

Indian Institute of Technology-Madras on Wednesday launched an Integrated Database on Infrastructure Projects (IDIP), a data platform aimed at enhancing the efficiency of infrastructure development and enable effective decision-making among different stakeholders involved in the sector.

The platform was launched at the 15th World Conference on Transport Research conference held at IIT Bombay in a special session on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in Indian Transport Sector. It can be accessed at www.idip.co.in.

The platform was released by G Raghuram, Director, Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru, in the presence of A Thillai Rajan of IIT Madras, and Swapnil Garg, Associate Professor, Indian Institute of Management, Indore and Co-ordinator of PPPINDIANET.

The initial focus of IDIP will be on the road sector, which has received the highest private investment among all infrastructure sectors. The PPP programme in the road sector in India is the largest in the world.

The platform includes data coverage across the project life cycle comprising development, construction and operation phases. Over 50 different parameters are tracked for the projects and data was curated and validated from multiple sources.

The platform covers almost all the PPP road projects awarded so far, including those awarded by the state governments. The database would be enriched with the NHAI EPC projects shortly, and is the source that provides the financial performance data of the Special Purpose Vehicles.

In addition to roads, other sectors such as railways, ports, and airports would also be included in the platform shortly. In the next phase, the coverage of IDIP would also encompass other infrastructure sectors such as power, transmission, water supply, sanitation and solid waste management, the release said.