Transport

Business Analytics

Transport is increasingly about using real-time data to monitor traffic volumes, flows and journey times. When you consider all of the vehicle movements that happen every day, and our increasing ability to track those movements, you can see that the era of big data for transport has arrived.

Statistical analysis plays a vitally important part in transport policy, planning and infrastructure maintenance. New road schemes and signals can have impacts on travel patterns that are hard to predict; and planning public transport that serves community needs while remaining profitable is a growing challenge.

Every Mode of Transport

The scope for statistical analysis covers just about every mode of transport: the efficient loading and routing of container ships and trucks, air traffic control, and even making sure that Boris Bikes and similar schemes have bicycles where they are likely to be needed.

Public Transport

As well as helping organisations harness real-time data, we advise public bodies and transport providers on survey design and interpretation, modelling vehicle usage and scheduling, and help create processes to analyse available data to predict maintenance requirements and to optimise routing.

Statistical analysis in the transport sector:

  • Efficient timetabling and routing – modelling the effects of route changes and traffic.
  • Analysing real-time data on traffic flows and congestion, for example to predict bus arrival times.
  • Analysing the effects of scheduling and waiting times on customer satisfaction and how this is influenced by information availability and format.
  • Optimising track and road maintenance programmes and modelling the effects of weather and climate.
  • Predicting the impact of road schemes on traffic volumes and patterns.