Real-time Big Data, setting the standard for traffic congestion analytics

Real-time Big Data means the streaming, continuous integration of high volume, high velocity data from all sources to all destinations,  coupled with powerful in-memory analytics. It’s a paradigm shift from conventional store and process systems that’s playing well here at the Intelligent Transportation Systems and Solutions World Congress here in Vienna. With Intelligent Transportation now encompassing telematics, wireless telecommunications and M2M, it’s not surprising that the ‘Internet of Things’ is a recurring theme.

Interestingly, from our perspective as a technology company, this is also one of Gartner’s top 10 technology trends for 2013, and the focus of the keynote at our other event activity this week at the Gartner ITxpo in Orlando.The single largest issue being discussed is how to deliver continuous, real-time information when the existing legacy systems are unable to scale. This hasn’t been an issue in the past, but the huge increase in sensor and telematics data is starting to cause pain, even for the largest of organizations.

However, the traveler experience is also a hot topic.  From our perspective, it’s about how real-time, accurate and reliable information can generate a positive commuter and traveler experience.  We presented on the “Optimising the Customer Experience” track, bringing our experience from other industries, of optimizing the consumer experience. In particular, we brought our experience of combining structure and unstructured data, using semantic streaming to combine Twitter sentiment with sensor data to more accurate detect. Of course, access and use of the information is also key, and the need to integrate traveler information with social media. The presentation is available here, or click to play on the embedded link above.