State & Local Government Policy, Business and Technology

Mind the Data Gap

Data-Smart City Solutions: Managing London’s transport infrastructure is no easy task, but a successful city requires well-run transportation. Each day, residents take 24 million journeys on underground trains and six million commuters ride one of 8,500 buses. Waterloo station alone serves 100 million passengers each year. With a population projected to rise by 2.35 million between 2014 and 2041, London, like many other cities worldwide, must expand capacity to meet the burgeoning demand.

The transportation that powers the city depends on back-office data on journey planning, status, disruption, construction, timetables, embarkation points, routes, lines, and fares. The huge demands placed on services and infrastructure requires holistic thinking about the network. The complex system comprises underground trains, aboveground trains, buses, bikes, boats, and even a gondola. Transport for London (TfL), the agency responsible for all public transit in London, is demonstrating how cities can use data to optimize their transport systems, making travel smarter and more efficient in an effort to improve the quality of service delivered to Londoners.

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