Transportation AnalyticsDriving efficiency, reducing congestion, getting people where they need to
go faster.
Transportation—the effective movement of people and things—has long been critical to economies and qualities of life worldwide. Inefficiencies cost money, increase pollution-causing emissions and take time away from people’s lives. The problem is, the supply of transportation infrastructure grows more slowly than demand. Cars can be built more quickly than roads. Cities grow faster than highways can be expanded. Even if there were a limitless supply of money and personnel for road construction, many areas are already built out. That is why the transportation industry is turning to business analytics to find smarter ways to use the resources that exist, reduce congestion, and improve the travel experience. Just think of how monumental the impact would be if every person could get where he or she needed to go, or find a parking spot, five minutes faster each day.
Clearly, organizations that put to use their existing data are the ones that can uncover new ways to operate more efficiently and sustainably, and improve the quality of life for the people they serve.
Understanding the Trends
The transportation industry is no newcomer to the world of business analytics or the collection of data, but, until recently, the data sources were not connected. Transit executives could determine how many people took a bus or train on any given day, but didn’t know anything about the individual rider. Was this a regular route? Did he or she also drive a car on occasion? They didn’t have access to this type of information that could help improve route design or increase ridership levels. Each form of transportation operated within a standalone system, which made it difficult toachieve a big picture view.
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