4 Ways Big Data Creates A Smarter Transportation Industry
The transportation sector is on the brink of a paradigm shift thanks to big data. Smarter transportation will result in operational efficiency, improved end-to-end customer experiences, reduced fuel consumption and increased flexibility. Logistics companies are already working hard to use sensor data in trucks to optimise routing and decrease fuel consumption. American logistics company US Xpress has installed almost 1.000 sensors in each truck to monitor where the trucks drive, how fast it drives, how often it breaks, when maintenance is required and even the capabilities of the driver. But there are many more opportunities for the transportation industry instead of just saving on fuel.
Consolidating shipments and streamlining freight movement for large logistics can enable same-day regional delivery. Knowing exactly which products are where allows companies like Amazon to deliver the right product at the right time to the right customer within 24 hours or even on the same day. Removing supply-chain waste and analysing transaction-level product details will ensure efficient transportation of freight.
Using satellite navigation and sensors, trucks, aeroplanes or ships can be tracked in real-time. You can optimise the routing trucks, planes or vessels need to take using public data such as road conditions, traffic jams, weather conditions, delivery addresses, the location of gas stations (in the cases of trucks) etc. Whenever a change in address comes in from the head office, the driver or captain can receive it in real-time. The system automatically calculates and optimises the ideal and cheapest new routing to the new destination.
Sensors in trucks, ships or aeroplanes can also give real-time information about how the truck, ship or plane is performing, how fast it is going, how long it is on the go, how long it is standing still etc. With all this data, combined with sensors that monitor the health of the engine and equipment, you can predict errors and maintenance, without loosing too much time. It is even possible to automatically book maintenance at the location that requires the least downtime for the transportation company, while the engineer instantly knows what the problem is and how it can be solved.
Large logistic organisations can have hundreds or thousands of trucks. If their usage is not optimised, a company can lose a lot of money. With sensor data, it becomes known where all trucks are at any moment in time, what their inventory is as well as their destination. This information can help the transportation company to optimise its fleet and increase efficiency.
