Page 41 - Big Data Analytics for Connected Vehicles and Smart Cities

22 Big Data Analytics for Connected Vehicles and Smart Cities Questions to Be Addressed 23

How Do I Optimize the Efficiency of My Transportation System?

This is a system-wide question since a transportation system is comprised of
multiple modes—private car, transit, freight, airlines, and potentially, ferries.
The question has multiple subcomponents, including what is the current ef-
ficiency level of each mode of transportation? and what is the current efficiency
level of all modes combined? This question would probably be asked in terms of
overall origin to destination times for travelers using multiple modes.

How Are Transportation Assets Performing and How Can They Be Managed Better?
Transportation assets consist of infrastructure such as asphalt, concrete, and
steel, along with the telecommunications networks and devices used for data
collection and control. Examples of the former include roads and bridges, while
the latter includes dynamic message signs, fiber-optic networks, and roadside,
infrastructure-based sensors such as traffic speed and flow measurement de-
vices. This question highlights the need to have an accurate inventory of in-
frastructure and devices. The question regarding type and location of existing
assets then leads to a further question on desired performance levels for infra-
structure and devices.
How Do We Optimize Current and Future Expenditures on Operations and Capital?

A typical approach to defining budgets and work programs for transportation
expenditures is to take the amount spent in previous years and add a percentage
for future years. While this has been effective, we can do a lot better by asking
questions such as, What were the effects of previous investments? What will the
effects of my future investments be? This leads to questions such as “To achieve
a 1% shift of modal split in favor of transit, what investment should be made
and when?”

What Impact Will Connected and Autonomous Vehicles Have on the Transportation
System?
The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that connected vehicles may
be able to reduce 70–80% of nonimpaired crashes in the United States [2]. It
can be expected that autonomous vehicles will take this even further by com-
pletely removing driver risk. Asking this question leads to a lot more questions
about what the impact of connected and autonomous vehicles is likely to be on
various aspects of transportation. These aspects include fleet management, tran-
sit systems, electronic toll collection systems, and the development of mobility
as a service (MaaS). MaaS involves providing a portfolio of public and private
services as options to travelers. These include things like Uber, taxi services, and
transit services, enabling travelers to choose the best option for the trip and the
circumstances.