Traffic and transportation systems are becoming more complex year on year. City planners and government bodies require data collection processes to monitor, analyse, and model trends in the transport industry.
Research indicates that there were more than 500 million traffic surveillance cameras across the world in 2017. The number of surveillance cameras is said to double every two years to keep up with data collection demands.
Traffic data and surveys reflect the state of transportation systems in large communities. Data collection systems collect information about the number of vehicles on the road, journey times, traffic congestion, and various other types of data that can be used to improve the efficiency of transportation systems.
The number of vehicles on the road at certain times of the day can inform engineers about where to invest in infrastructure projects and roads. All the information being gathered indicates how important a particular road is for road users.
Data collection services work tirelessly to track and record transport behaviour at regular intervals to ensure that public transport services and other road users can reach their destination in a safe and timely manner.
Advanced systems can present interactive data and analysis reports on the state of existing traffic conditions. Data can be used to find problematic areas affecting transport, and advanced software models can model changes in the transport network. For example, mapping new construction projects and the effect of road closures.
Various government organisations and businesses can use this data to make more informed decisions about infrastructure projects, and relevant political representatives can then better inform the public about the traffic situation.
Traditional methods of collecting traffic data have been used for decades, but this can often be costly as it requires a lot of manpower to sustain. However, traditional traffic surveys and methods of recording traffic data are slowly being replaced by advanced software and hardware systems. Collecting data about traffic and road conditions has never been easier.
