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Thanks to laptops and smartphones, human beings are able to stay connected to the Internet more often that ever before.
And yet, there are still some notable dead spots, particularly in cars, buses, and trains. Anyone with a daily commute can speak to lapses in coverage on the subway or when going through a tunnel.
But the Internet of Things is looking to change all that and keep people connected at every moment of every day. Connected cars, buses, trains, and even planes will allow people to have a stable Internet connection at almost all times.
And the transformation won't stop there, as the IoT will make transportation itself more efficient and help us get from place to place more quickly.
Below, we've outlined the ways that the "Internet of Transportation" will create the new era of connected transportation and change how we travel.
What is Connected Transportation?
Quite simply, connected transportation involves outfitting vehicles with Wi-Fi or other sensors to enable Internet connectivity during travel. The connected car is probably the most prevalent example of this, but we'll get into that in a later section.
Many cities have begun smart transportation initiatives to optimize their public transportation routes, create safer roads, reduce infrastructure costs, and alleviate traffic congestion as more people move into cities.
Paris, for example, launched an electric-car sharing program called Autolib in 2011 that uses sensors inside the connected vehicles to track them by GPS. And drivers can use the car's dashboard to reserve public parking spaces in the city.
Programs such as this make use of connected vehicles to gather valuable data on how drivers operate their cars and where they travel, and smart cities use this data to better plan their roads.
IoT for Public Transportation
Connected cars are all well and good, but what about the millions of people who commute on buses and trains each day, or fly frequently on airplanes? The IoT has them covered, as well.
Major players in this space such as Delta, JetBlue, Amtrak, and Greyhound have already started to understand the value of IoT connectivity. Sensors inside of planes, for example, help maintenance workers more easily secure the aircraft and make sure that the planes comply with FAA guidelines. And multiple plane, train, and bus companies have started making Wi-Fi available in their vehicles in order to enhance the customer experience.
Smart Buses
Autonomous buses are on the rise thanks to artificial intelligence advancements. In 2019 DeepBlue debuted the Smart Panda Bus - an AI driving bus with features ranging from AutoPilot to an Intelligent Escape Emergency Handling System.
In 2020 Optio3 jumped on the smart bus bandwagon with their announcement of an integrated Microsoft Azure IoT and Optio3 remote operations monitoring solution to commercial transportation. According to Markets Insider, the focus of the solution is on serving the aftermarket tractor, trailer, truck, bus, van, and motor coach market of existing fleet vehicles.
IoT for Cars
In the last few years, connected cars or smart cars have surged in popularity thanks to the IoT. Today, car companies are connecting their vehicles in two manners: embedded and tethered. Embedded cars employ a built-in antenna and chipset, while tethered connections make use of hardware to let drivers connect to their cars through their smartphones.
On top of this, app integration is becoming more and more standard in the car of today. Google Maps and other navigation systems have started to replace built-in GPS systems in dashboards. Apps such as GasBuddy show the driver where he or she can locate the cheapest fuel in their area. And music apps such as Spotify have started to away the need for traditional and satellite radio.
For more details on the connected car, click here.
The Road Ahead
The Internet of Things will change the way that we travel, whether it's across the country on a plane or from home to work on a bus. But that is just one area of our everyday lives that the IoT will radically change.
Business Insider Intelligence's Internet of Things research report details the components that make up the IoT ecosystem while identifying key trends in the connected devices sector.
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