Skip to main content

Adding intelligence to transportation

Restarting city transportation systems following a natural disaster can take time. The impact of a storm cannot be predicted, but transportation systems and fleets of vehicles with embedded intelligence can provide the knowledge needed to get up and running faster. Machine to machine (M2M) technology can help collect and process information to better monitor and manage transportation systems on an ongoing basis. In the event of a disaster, technology could provide cities with critical data about bridges, r
November 6, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Restarting city transportation systems following a natural disaster can take time. The impact of a storm cannot be predicted, but transportation systems and fleets of vehicles with embedded intelligence can provide the knowledge needed to get up and running faster.

Machine to machine (M2M) technology can help collect and process information to better monitor and manage transportation systems on an ongoing basis. In the event of a disaster, technology could provide cities with critical data about bridges, roads, rail, and other public transit systems, alerting leaders where action needs to be taken.

According to a recent report, technology can go even further, providing passengers with information about delays. A recent report suggests the penetration of on-board computer units with GPS and wireless communication in buses and trams will increase. With a smartphone, travelers can receive instant information about the expected arrival time of the public-transit system.

The report, from 6817 Global Information, says the use of technology in buses and trams will increase from 40 per cent in 2011 to 56.1 per cent in 2016. Also, as a whole, ITS is expected to grow at an annual rate of 15%, reaching US$1.9 billion by 2016 in Europe alone.

ITS is also likely to see a some growth in the United States as well.  MAP-21 (Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century) provides funds for states to develop and implement an asset-management plan and grants to accelerate the use of ITS.

Aside from developments in the public sector, the private commercial vehicle telematics market is also set to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 9.09 per cent from 2011 to 2015, according to Global Information.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • App to give real-time estimate of bus arrival time
    March 7, 2013
    Florida’s Hillsborough Area Rapid Transit Authority (HART) is testing a smartphone application that would inform passengers in real time when buses will arrive. The OneBusAway pilot project is part of HART’s ongoing effort to provide bus information on mobile devices, officials said. The system would allow users to enter a numeric code for their bus stop and receive information on the length of time before the bus reaches them. A HART survey found that more than half of 400 respondents indicated real-time i
  • Iteris adds MAP21 to performance measurement software
    June 2, 2015
    Iteris has announced it has added MAP-21 (Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century) features to the robust iPeMS performance measurement software platform, designed to help agencies meet forthcoming performance reporting requirements of the transportation legislation. The module supports the National Performance Management Research Data Set (NPMRDS) that is provided free to states and Metropolitan Planning Organisations (MPOs). Iteris’ iPeMS platform provides cloud-based hosting of processed NPMRDS
  • Dubai metro - the world's longest automated rail system
    July 31, 2012
    David Crawford reviews the recent opening of Dubai's Red Line. The US$7.6bn Dubai Metro, the Phase I Red Line of which started partial operation in September 2009, will be the world's longest driverless rail system on its planned completion in 2011. With a total length of some 75km, it will then overtake the 68.7km Vancouver SkyTrain and be able to carry over 1.2 million passengers on a typical day.
  • Connecting people and mobility
    February 3, 2012
    Stéphane Petti, Business Development Manager - Automotive, at Orange Business Services' International M2M Center, says that the ITS industry can no longer afford to ignore the telecommunications industry's role in connecting people and mobility services. To telephone companies (telcos), the Machine-to-Machine (M2M) sector is nothing new. Worldwide, they have been focusing considerable attention on M2M in all its sub-segments for several years now. It is the migration of M2M from fixed to wireless connectivi