I believe at this very moment our industry is facing an important tipping point. Each year a disturbingly high number of people are killed on our roads. Traffic and congestion are getting worse, and the effects on the environment are substantial. The big question is, how are we going to use technology to solve these issues?
Historically, transportation technology providers have focused on delivering boxes, gadgets, and software, and delivering these technologies to the government who owned and operated the surface transportation network. But that is all about to change.
Everything connected to Everything
Over 220 million people in the United States are using smartphones, and this virtually unlimited access to information and connectivity will profoundly affect traffic and transportation. The next few years will increasingly see a connection between motorists (via their smartphones) and the transportation infrastructure. These innovations will help cities save lives, improve traffic, drive commerce and help the environment.
The future of transportation will be electric, autonomous, and connected. The ability for a city’s infrastructure to communicate with connected vehicles and smartphone apps will be essential to deliver value to the citizens in the very near future. This technology exists today and is already making the roads safer. For cites who want to focus on delivering services using shared infrastructure like smartphone and cell networks, as opposed to the traditional approach of city owned/asset managed infrastructure, the benefits are immediate.
Applied Information is proud to be at the forefront of this evolution with TravelSafely. The TravelSafely system connects a city’s infrastructure including intersections, school beacons, fire trucks, buses to motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians. The app provides audible warnings, so motorists are aware of dangerous traffic situations while keeping their eyes on the road. We’ve successfully deployed this connected vehicle technology in Atlanta and Marietta, GA, Tuscaloosa, AL, and in more than 10 other cities.
Our role as a company is to drive innovation and aggressively enable these connections of Everything connected to Everything. Connected vehicle innovations will shape the next decade of transportation technology, and our focus is to positively impact the future. The time is now.
Visit travelsafelyapp.com/how-it-works to see all of this in action.
Until next time…
Bryan Mulligan
