In terms of geographical size, the transportation network managed by the state of New South Wales in Sydney is one of the biggest anywhere in the world. Consisting of roads, suburban rail connections, the Sydney Metro, buses and ferries, it serves millions of passengers on a daily basis. As you can imagine, the task of managing such a network effectively is a difficult one, which makes it an ideal example to use when discussing the potential for efficiency improvements that the Cloud has to offer transportation networks in Australia and across the world.
5 ways cloud solutions can lead to efficiency improvements in transportation
By looking at the example offered by Sydney, which uses cloud services and cloud backup in Australia, we can identify 5 clear ways in which cloud computing has the potential to deliver efficiency improvements for transportation network managers:
- Big data capabilities – The ability to store and process vast quantities of data is priceless as far as major transportation networks are concerned. With so many passengers using their services daily, the amount of data they need to store can be staggering. Big Data solutions, which thrive on the environment provided by cloud computing, make it possible to collect, store and curate the large volumes of data that are collected by Sydney and other city transportation networks.
- Machine learning – Big Data and machine learning (ML) are old partners: without a large volume of data to feed on, ML software cannot perform the functions for which it was created. With a cloud platform, however, it is possible to fully utilise ML software in a way that has not been practical before. Sydney is currently using these capabilities to predict passenger numbers across their network. As the software becomes more knowledgeable, it is able to make more accurate predictions.
- Highly responsive mobile apps – With the superior connectivity offered by major cloud platforms, it is possible to develop highly responsive mobile apps that can be accessed by millions of users. Sydney is using such apps to allow passengers to check the status of trains, buses and other public transport. Thanks to the high-speed connections involved, status updates are available in near real time.
- Native support for small, ad-hoc teams – The ability to quickly bring new computing resources online, together with the ability to create new identities and groups in an instant, makes cloud platforms ideal for organisations that need to support small, ad-hoc project teams on a regular basis. Sydney, along with other transportation networks, is able to develop, test and release new applications much faster in the Cloud.
- Scalable resources – Major cloud platforms give their customers the ability to scale computing resources up and down as demand for storage and services fluctuates. The Sydney transportation network uses this feature to ensure their customer mobile apps always have access to adequate resources no matter how busy it may be at any given time. Scalability can also be used to ensure that the network is never paying for capacity that it doesn’t actually need.
These are just a few examples of how a cloud computing solution may help a transportation network to make significant efficiency improvements. As the technology matures and more organisations migrate their legacy systems, there are likely to be many more examples that are adopted by networks across the globe.
