How big data can shorten your commute

With the ever-growing proliferation of sensors and connected devices, cities can now access a treasure trove of data to help them better understand how people move throughout the day; helping planners design improved road systems, more efficient and reliable public transit, and cities where lanes clogged with idling vehicles could become a thing of the past.

Earlier this year, the 2016 TomTom Traffic Index revealed that commuters in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal can expect to spend nearly 30 per cent more time in their cars due to congestion, which amounts to more than 125 hours of extra travel time per year.

Michael Cihra, the vicepresident of Internet of Things at Telus, says that cities can now use insights derived from huge sets of anonymous data, called “big data,” to ease traffic congestion and shorten daily commutes.

“Most traffic lights today are based on systems that don’t have any intelligence or any capabilities to be proactive based on actual traffic requirements,” says Cihra. “But big data can change that.”

Data analytics can be used to optimize traffic light sequences based on real-time traffic flow and eventually eliminate the need to drive around looking for a parking space. This solution could be significant, as it’s been estimated that up to 30 per cent of urban traffic congestion is caused by drivers looking for parking. Sensors will soon make it possible to find and reserve a parking space using an app. San Francisco has implemented such a service with SFpark, North America’s largest smart-parking pilot project. Road sensors and upgraded meters allow drivers to find empty spaces via their mobile devices.

On a larger scale, anonymized mass-movement patterns can help governments make better-informed decisions when planning new roads and infrastructure. In Daily commutes could get faster and easier thanks to big data. Newark, U.K., city councillors were struggling with a gridlock problem that had become so severe it was hurting the local economy, so they enlisted the help of mobile carrier Telefónica. By analyzing de-identified and aggregated data from cellular towers, they uncovered the root causes of the congestion: more than half of the traffic in the city was long-distance commuters heading much further east. Armed with real-world evidence, the city is now working with Highways England and the minister of transport to develop a long-term solution.

Last year, the city of Toronto launched its big data innovation team to work with researchers at local universities and partner with third-party data providers to find ways to make it easier for people to travel throughout the city. “Big data helps us better understand the dynamics of how people move around cities and allows agencies to make more informed decisions. In government, info and data is very important; people expect us to use as much as possible,” says big data innovation team lead, Jesse Coleman.

When collecting data from consumers, an imperative for both users and providers is safeguarding people’s privacy. Following privacy best practices, the data being used by the big data innovation team is anonymized to remove all personal information. “We don’t want personally identifiable information; we want to understand traffic patterns, and you don’t need personal information to do that,” says Coleman.

Coleman and his team also see big potential for big data when it comes to public transit, and are currently working with the TTC to improve Toronto’s streetcar service. In both Los Angeles and New York City, the transit systems have been equipped with sensors to monitor things like speed, braking, arrival times and number of passengers. This data is collected and analyzed to optimize routes, predict maintenance issues before they cause a breakdown and help the cities modify traffic rules — for example, adding or removing turning restrictions on busy streets or creating dedicated bus lanes.

As more data sources come online and data sets grow bigger, transportation options will become more efficient, accessible and reliable. Optimizing transit routes, avoiding traffic and even ensuring you’ll have a parking space when you reach your destination will be as simple as opening an app or sending a text message.

According to Telus’s Cihra, big data’s greatest impact on our daily lives could very well come in the area of transportation.

“Transportation is a significant quality-of-life issue. When we think about what adds the most stress to our days, it’s the long commutes, the gridlock and the unexpected delays that make us late for our morning meetings, or getting home to our families at the end of the day,” he says. “As cities harness the power of big data to make transportation smarter, we have an opportunity to reclaim huge amounts of time that we would have otherwise spent in traffic. It’s going to have a tremendous impact on our lives.”