The transportation industry is in a constant state of evolution, compelled by the ever-increasing need for efficiency, safety, and passenger satisfaction.
Like many people-centric industries, transportation is facing challenges due to rising costs, staff shortages and evolving passenger demands. The drive to improve safety, traveller satisfaction, and operational efficiency are elements that push transport providers to find new ways to improve their services and offerings. The key to success in this dynamic field lies in harnessing revolutionizing technologies such as edge computing, an innovative yet proven technology that optimises data processing, to provide efficient, safe, and attractive services.
Understanding the Transportation Landscape
To appreciate the benefits of edge computing in transportation, it is essential to grasp the multifaceted nature of the industry. The transportation network is of course not only about vehicles, but also a multitude of other elements such as stops, tram and train lines, ticket machines, traffic signals, all of which serve as critical points in the transportation business. Thanks to edge computing, all of these key areas can be equipped with sensors, data processing capabilities and connectivity, thereby providing actionable insights to improve communication, security and passenger services. A sudden problem can cause delays throughout the network and quickly become costly. Edge computing can highlight the problem right away, limiting any damage.
Furthermore, in this intricate landscape, it is fundamental not to forget stakeholders’ needs. To understand this better, we will look in more detail at the main stakeholders in this industry.
Passengers:
Modern travellers are looking for a more complete and tailored experience, and not just a means of transport from point A to point B. Passengers usually carry a smartphone in their pocket and expect access to features like real-time updates on routes, schedules, and disruptions, to ensure their journey is as smooth as possible. Getting timely notifications about specific events or issues during their ride allows passengers to stay informed and secure throughout their journey, ensuring them a more comfortable ride.
For an even more enjoyable experience, passengers appreciate on-board entertainment that can be seamlessly provided during transits.
Another aspect that is valued by passengers and which improves their journey experience is the convenience of digital ticketing solutions, which simplify the process of buying and using tickets.
Drivers:
Drivers’ primary responsibility is safety, while ensuring a punctual service. This requires them to have easy cockpit access to consolidated dashboards and alerts, allowing fast examination of key metrics needed for optimal driving.
For safety reasons, drivers require data presented in a format that is easy to understand, and that does not distract them from their main driving activity. This is why prompt notifications about critical events, affecting both passengers and crew, are fundamental features. For this support to work, it is important to have high quality data to feed into the system.
Service providers and operators:
Transportation service providers and vehicle operators need data to optimise operations, manage resources, and ensure passengers’ well-being. This includes vehicle location, performance, passenger volumes, punctuality, embark/disembark timings, issue detection, and risk assessment. This data enhances service reliability, informs planning, and improves passenger safety. Companies like tpg in Geneva are already leveraging data gathered by sensors along the network via their Open Data Portal. This wealth of published data provides transparency to users and informs the operator’s decision making.
Exceptional event detection and real-time notifications are crucial for an effective response. However, protecting confidential data from hacking is essential, and this is why implementing cybersecurity measures is of fundamental importance, as is respecting data privacy laws.
Enhancing the IT infrastructure behind public transportation to deliver more efficient and safe services is a big challenge. Nuvla.io, the innovative infrastructure of SixSq, an Ekinops company, reduces complexity and can be implemented alongside existing systems to respond to needs of the transport landscape and stakeholders alike.
A Comprehensive Suite of Edge Applications
Nuvla.io provides a marketplace, offering a diverse suite of containerised edge applications that seamlessly integrate into the transportation ecosystem. These applications can be packaged as tailored bouquets of apps, catering to a wide range of needs. These apps can be selected from the marketplace, but also from the customers own portfolio of apps, or third party. Here is an example of a bouquet of apps:
- Publicity and Media: Engaging passengers with relevant content and advertisements, enhancing the travel experience.
- Video Analytics: Enhancing security and providing valuable insights for both safety and operational efficiency, while respecting privacy.
- Accounting: Streamlining financial processes and ensuring transparent financial management.
- Statistics (GDPR Compliant): Providing key and actionable metrics on vehicle and passenger statistics, behavior, and patterns, while protecting data privacy, a critical consideration in today’s digital age.
- Data Fusion (at Cockpit level): Providing consolidated information for drivers, allowing for more informed decision-making.
- Cybersecurity: Delivering sustained protection systems against cyberattacks while protecting the network and data from theft, damage, or unauthorized access, safeguarding digital assets.
Nuvla.io’s portfolio includes solutions like Parquery for GDPR video analytics, Kadiska for digital experience monitoring, AI EdgeLabs for cyber defense, and private apps for ticket distribution and media publicity, among others. We are also working with partners such as Spinetix for data fusion and display. This versatile ecosystem empowers transportation companies to tailor their offerings to meet their specific requirements.
Nuvla.io is spearheading innovation in the transportation industry with its edge computing solutions. By meeting the diverse needs of passengers, drivers, and operators, and by addressing industry challenges, these solutions are poised to transform the transportation sector. With a bouquet of versatile applications and a robust infrastructure, the future of transportation is not just efficient, it is smart, secure, and passenger-centric. Finally, transport companies can integrate Nuvla.io simply and efficiently, without risk, in order to generate incremental value, while saving costs.
