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198 Big Data Analytics for Connected Vehicles and Smart Cities Practical Applications and Concepts for Transportation Data Analytics 199

Decision Support for Bus Acquisition

This concept entails the application of analytics to develop a decision-support
tool for bus acquisition. The concept considers the prevailing traffic conditions
encountered by buses as they service their bus routes and provides decision
support to identify the optimum timing for the acquisition of new buses. The
concept was developed in cooperation with a large suburban bus operator, but
it has not yet been put into practice.
Each of these concepts is described in more detail in the following sections.

10.5 Freeway Speed Variability Analysis

The analysis of speed variability on freeways is an important subject that can
yield significant insight into the operational efficiency of the facility. This fol-
lowing section explains how analytics can be applied to this important subject.

Overview

Not every highway has the appropriate sensors installed to allow traffic speeds
to be determined. However, several private companies have invested in the
ability to collect probe data from both vehicle fleets and individuals using the
appropriate smart phone app. With the application of suitable software, it is
possible to take fleet data and individual data as a sample, extrapolate it, and
combine it to provide a comprehensive speed data set across a city. While the
data is based on a sample, it allows for the creation of a comprehensive data set
for an entire citywide area. Making use of this data source, an evaluation was
conducted on the effects of variable speed limit (VSLs) on a major freeway in
the United States.
The problem addressed relates to understand the effects of applying VSLs
to a major urban freeway. Conventional approaches may support the level of
detail analysis required to identify specific effects. The objective of the VSL
implementation was to address dramatic speed reductions within slowdowns
or bottlenecks, caused by recurring or nonrecurring congestion. The work was
implemented as a proof of concept in cooperation with the U.S. Department of
Transportation. Over the course of discussions with the Department of Trans-
portation, interest was identified in the use of big data and data analytics for
transportation. It was also identified that the data science and data analytics
world represents a separate community from the world of the transportation
professional. To create a bridge between these two specialized and very impor-
tant communities, it was decided that a proof-of-concept exercise would be
conducted centered on an evaluation of the state DOT’s VSL project.
VSL is a concept that has been adopted in many parts of the world but
is relatively new to the United States. The quantification of customer service,