Big data can keep traffic flowing, says INRIX's Graham Bradley

Real-time data from connected cars can help transport authorities to swiftly make informed decisions to alleviate congestion, believes Graham Bradley, senior director & UK country manager at traffic data experts Inrix.

“The Office of National Statistics estimates that the UK population will reach 70 million by 2027 and this rise, combined with a growing UK economy and falling levels of unemployment, will only lead to more people taking to the roads, commuting into cities for work,” he says. 

One way of combatting this is through infrastructure improvements, but this comes at a cost, believes Bradley. “Transport authorities need to think ‘smart’ and seriously consider additional sustainable solutions to remedy the urban mobility problem and get Britain moving again. And this is where big data can play an important role.”

He says that smart solutions, employing real-time traffic data derived from connected devices, are being considered by governments as the long-term answer to the congestion problem. This adds weight to a prediction by research firm Gartner’s that a quarter of billion connected cars will be on the roads by 2020. “By gathering the billions of data points from these connected cars every day, we can start to build a more accurate picture of what is happening on the roads at any given time,” says Bradley. “Armed with this data, transport authorities are able to detect extraordinary traffic queues faster, issue earlier warnings of congestion and make informed decisions more quickly to resolve these issues before they grow. Drivers, too, can have access to real-time information about congestion hotspots and the re-routing options available to them.” 

Solving the congestion problem relies on linking the connected car to smart cities applications to “harness the power of real-time insight and predictive analytics”, he points out. “In this way we can build robust intelligence into Britain’s transportation networks. There can be little doubt that big data is crucial to the future of driving. Embracing it will significantly improve the way people travel to and around the UK’s cities.”

Graham Bradley will be speaking at Smarter Travel LIVE!