Smart cities and connected cars are two powerful concepts but they cannot exist without each other, according to INRIX.
Speaking at a recent seminar in Taipei, Takayuki Odawara, VP and GM for APAC at INRIX, explained how the company views the surge of information that is generated by a sophisticated moving vehicle.
“Smart cities cannot live without data coming from connected cars,” Odawara said. “So connected cars and smart cities are something that go hand in hand, coexist and are complimentary.”
INRIX delivers smart technology, data and analytics to help improve urban mobility. The company leverages vehicle connectivity, advanced parking management, data for city planning and traffic flow optimization to make a safer and more convenient environment for people to get to where they want to go.
“Currently we are offering a variety of services, but traffic has been our main core technology,” Odawara said. “Plus parking, and personal driver services and analytics for smart cities.”
He elaborated further on what connected cars can do. Parking is an example, especially in developed economies. Some reports suggest that about 30 percent of traffic in the US is created by drivers trying to find space to park.
The second challenge and perhaps more crucial aspect when it comes to driving is safety. Odawara said that in Europe 30 percent of accidents are caused by something related to weather. “Could be a storm, ice on the street, heavy rain. So this is a big challenge for everyone.”
INRIX’s road weather solution informs drivers about the precipitation, visibility and other similar conditions before they encounter dangerous circumstances on the road. The company gathers data from a variety of sources such as connected vehicles and their sensors as well as atmospheric data and provides drivers with accurate information about road conditions.