Using technology to address transportation challenges
By 2050 more than 6 billion people—about 70 percent of the population—will live in urban areas. That’s according to our CityNext white paper, which notes that “the world is undergoing an urban renaissance as people are moving to cities in ever greater numbers to build better lives.” With this march toward greater urbanization, new challenges emerge, especially related to transportation: strains on roads and public transportation networks, long commutes, pollution and wasted energy.
Microsoft CityNext is working with our partners to deliver intelligent solutions for civic leaders to solve these significant transportation issues. We believe technology can be used to reduce congestion and energy use, get commuters home faster and, ultimately, build stronger economies. That’s why we’re launching a U.S. CityNext state and local government transportation practice to focus on innovative partner solutions that leverage Internet of Things and cloud technologies to help smart, sustainable cities address their biggest transportation issues.
Here are three examples of how Microsoft partners are helping solve today’s pressing urban transportation challenges:
Cubic Transportation Systems delivers integrated systems for transportation and traffic management, including tools for travelers to choose the smartest and easiest way to travel and pay for their journeys, and enabling transportation authorities and agencies to manage demand across the entire transportation network—all in real-time. Their planned NextCity prototype transportation app will tell you the fastest way to get around your city—and then offer you deals on transportation options that will help reduce congestion. You can learn more about their proposed app that does everything you’d ever want it to do in this recent FastCompany.com article. We also feature Cubic Transportation Systems in this CityNext video.
MuniRent
, one of our Microsoft BizSpark partners, is helping public agencies find and reserve idle equipment through their web-based tool. From my days working for the city of Philadelphia, there are certain departments that have overlapping responsibilities and requirements for heavy transportation machinery, such as dump trucks and front-end loaders. With MuniRent, city employees can schedule and share this expensive machinery, avoiding the need to purchase and maintain redundant equipment that may be used periodically or seasonally. It’s a solution that MuniRent says empowers collaborative government, cutting costs, increasing utilization and improving efficiency. We think it’s a great example of how cities can reduce investments in purchasing and maintaining expensive machines yet still ensure access when needed.
iOmniscient is doing some really interesting video analytics work to make cities safer, smarter and more efficient. Their iQ Road & Traffic solution can fulfill each city department’s specific requirements while operating as a single integrated system so that, when an incident occurs, information is quickly disseminated to all concerned. For example: an accident is detected at a road junction between a tram and a person. The video of that accident is automatically sent to the nearest police vehicle and ambulance, leading to a prompt response. Additionally, the system analyzes the accident and all near-misses over the past month, providing the management team with insights to mitigate the problem, such as a trigger to shut down power to the tram. Finally, using big data analysis, correlating patterns between weather and other data can reveal possible root causes of the accident, leading to future operational efficiency. Having implemented their patented technologies in 45 countries around the world (several of which have standardized on them), iOmniscient’s systems are considered some of the most advanced video-based systems for safer cities.
It’s an exciting time to work in the transportation space and I’m looking forward to joining with these and other partners to help cities use technology to address the significant challenges—and opportunities—that come with sustained urban growth!
Have questions or comments on the blog post? Connect with Jeff Friedman on Twitter and follow Microsoft CityNext on Twitter for news, trends, and smart city solutions.
Jeff Friedman, Director of Modern Government, Microsoft
Jeff Friedman is Microsoft’s Director of Modern Government in the State and Local Government Solutions Group. He was most recently the Co-Director and Co-Founder of the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics for Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter. Previously, Friedman was the Manager of Civic Innovation & Participation in the Mayor’s Office. He led various initiatives to make city government (and urban governance generally) more open, participatory, transparent, entrepreneurial, and innovative. Previously, Friedman was Chief of Staff to the Chief Technology Officer in the Division of Technology, and before that he was Deputy Director of Performance Management/Implementation Manager for Philly311 in the Managing Director’s Office. Prior to joining city government, Friedman consulted to state, local, and county governments across the nation at Public Financial Management, a national consultancy. He earned his undergraduate and law degrees from Temple University.
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