Automotive Analytics

Driving in the Cloud

The term Big Data is commonly used to describe the
ever increasing abundance of information being
gathered, stored, and analysed in todays world.
Whilst this explanation provides some insight into the
meaning behind the popular buzzword, Big Data is
truly defined by its characteristics, and what stands it
apart from historic data analytics.
DEFINING BIG DATA
We often associate the 4 Vs with Big Data, although
more accurately this is really the 5 Vs, as we shall
see.
Volume refers to the vast quantity of data now being
accumulated each second, and stored for future use.
It has been calculated that the volume of data created
since the beginning of time, up until 2008, will soon
be generated every minute. This means Zettabytes of
data. A study at the beginning of 2014 noted that we
are now accumulating data at the rate of 2.4GB per
second.
This is hard to comprehend, but a good visualisation is
to imagine a truck turning up at your house every
hour and unloading 8640 1TB external backup drives
into your home. This reoccurs each hour, with none
removed, and this allows some understanding of the
volume of data we refer to.
Velocity is the speed at which this data is created,
mined and moved around. Think social media, and in-
memory analytics for rapid interrogation and recall of
information for strategic benefit.
Variety is what differentiates this data mining from
standard analytics. We are now not only storing text,
but images, video, and all manner of unstructured
data. This data cannot be indexed through standard
methods and common database practice. A new
approach to index and recall is required to handle the
unstructured data.
Currently the volume split of data being created each
day is thought to equate to around 20% structured, or
classic data we are used to dealing with in tables, and

80% unstructured - images, video, social commentary,

etc.
Veracity is the integrity of the data stored, and how it
is used. A key point to keep in mind when analysing
data is that social content is most often opinion and
conjecture, not hard unequivocal facts.
Value is the 5th V. Whenever we perform data
analytics, the key driver must be to generate, add, or
present value in what we are doing.
AUTOMOTIVE: VEHICLE ANALYTICS
The automotive sector is one where the
implementation of sophisticated analytics was almost
inevitable. Whilst engineering practices have
advanced, and the technology within our cars has
been steadily improving, there have been no major
advances over the past 100 years when it comes to
maintenance of the vehicle.
For the most part this still operates on a system where
a driver takes their car to the dealer when there is a
suspected problem. The dealer analyses the car,
determines the problem, and then fixes it. A computer
now does a lot of analysis, but it is still dependent on
a system where a fault must first occur.
With technology advancing at the paces we are now
seeing, this is no longer good enough we as
consumers demand more.

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VEHICLE DATA MONITORING

Sensors are everywhere, and we encounter them all
the time, but are now so used to them that they blend
into our everyday life without direct impact or
interference. They monitor doors to allow automatic
opening, they measure and control air temperature,
they save us energy through dimming and switching
off lighting when there are no occupants in a room.
Sensors are already embedded into our lives.
Within a typical modern car, there are hundreds of
sensors, and within some of the more advanced cars
the sensors total thousands, on par with that of early
Boeing 737 aircraft.
What we must remember is that these sensors are,
for the most part, generating structured data. That is
prescribed information based upon a known state or
expected or permitted outcome. For example a sensor
monitoring the health of a headlight bulb will know
that it is reporting whether the bulb is working or not.
If it is not working, it cannot report that the reason is
because a stone came through the glass and took out
the bulb.
If you think of most components of a car, and use
physics to boil things down to their most base
principles, the sensors are all reporting known
potential outcomes. This is even true of systems that
we are in awe of on recent luxury cars such as variable
speed based on traffic avoidance.
The sensors in this scenario are reporting current
speed, distance between vehicles, and closure rate, to
make corrections to the speed of our vehicle and
maintain the safe gap.
When different sensor data is brought together, we
achieve swarm intelligence, as together they help to
interpret scenarios and events being experienced by
the vehicle and its occupants in order to understand
causality and resultant impact.

So how can this data and the many thousands of

sensors advance the motoring industry, and how can
the consumers experience in this sector evolve into
what is expected in a modern technology focussed
world?
We can now store this incredible volume of data, we
can harness it through advanced analytics, and when
combined with the evolution of telecommunications,
3G, 4G, 5G and so forth, we have a way of letting
others access the data.
This breaks the cycle of user reporting problem and
opens the doors to proactive intervention.
PRE-EMPTIVE MAINTENANCE
With sensors collecting data on the wear status of
crucial components of the car such as brake pads,
discs, fuel filters, we can now proactively monitor the
status of the vehicle. This data is fed back to the
dealership where steps can be taken to notify the
owner should wear reach the point that mandates
some action be taken.
Taking this to the next level, algorithms can monitor
patterns across vehicles to identify potential issues on
a range, or model, before actual problems present
themselves. This is where we truly start to see the
power of data analytics. Engineers can analyse how
components wear and interact when placed in real
driving conditions.
Currently manufacturers perform thousands of miles
of testing in artificial environments, and on test
tracks, but nothing can reflect the true value of real
world road experience spanning all geographic
locations within which these cars are to be sold.
The knowledge the manufacturers can build based on
these data feeds is extraordinary, and starting to
become a reality now. Several vendors are getting
involved in this space, including BMW, Audi, and
Toyota.
The interesting wild card in the group is Tesla. With
their all-electric cars they have certain advantages and
an edge over their combustion engine counterparts.
They are already starting to capitalise on this through
proactive overnight maintenance of their vehicles at
peoples homes.

To give an example, where the engineers are receiving

data streams about handling and motor response,
they are able to gather this data, simulate changes,
and then if deemed necessary, push a patch to the

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vehicles. Because the vehicles are connected by Wi-Fi

to our homes, subject to agreement, this means
patches to fix and improve our cars handling,
performance, and economy, can be downloaded to
the vehicle overnight.
This is utilising Big Data analytics to improve a product
that is already in use, and is a good example of what
the market is referring to as Innofusion, or the
melding of different innovative technologies and
scientific disciplines to harmoniously improve a
process, action or known experience.
But maintenance is not the only aspect of the
automotive industry to benefit from Big Data, as other
areas start to realise the power of the consumer
crowd, and their voices in several areas of the
industry.
CONSUMER LED DESIGN
This is an area where we are seeing an explosion
through sites such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo, with
the crowd dictating the design or end product.
Coupled with the power of data analytics, trawling
unstructured data across forums and social media
sites, you can begin to create consumer targeted
manufacturing.
Audi have been doing this for some time now, and
started with crowd sourced input into the design of
their audio systems within their cars. When they
update the in-car entertainment strategy, they look to
the forums and invite input into what is important to
the drivers of their cars when it comes to audio
entertainment. Audi have successfully done this now
for several generations of audio equipment.
But it doesnt end there. Many manufacturing
industries are constantly scouring social commentary
and major forums for information and views on their
products, and the automotive sector is starting to
leverage this power. The idea of harnessing the power
of collective design is a very real and powerful
marketing and design tool, often heralded as The
Crowd as the designer or Crowd as the architect.
Whilst this may not be 100% accurate, and the degree
of input taken in can vary from company to company,
any manufacturer of consumer based devices and
products that does not tap into this pool of ideas is
orchestrating their own demise.
So with Big Data contributing to not only the design of
our future vehicles, but the pre-emptive maintenance
of tomorrows cars, we are beginning to see a more

seamless integration of services across the present

automotive sector - a synergy across all the required
independent building blocks that make up our daily
experience as car owners and drivers.
INTEGRATED SERVICES
With the dealer networks now able to keep a closer
eye on the cars operations, and pre-empt potential
problems or risks, closer ties can be made to recovery
operations, insurance companies, and other
important participants in the car ownership chain. We
are moving closer to the point where recovery trucks
could be en-route to your predicted breakdown
location before the breakdown occurs.
This sounds a little bit too much like the film Minority
Report, but why not? Imagine a time when a red light
flashes on your dashboard, the engine stops and you
pull over on a country road. Within a minute you
receive a call to inform you that all is in hand, and a
recovery truck is already en-route with a firm ETA.
Back at the dealership, they have already run
diagnostics on the data, identified the failed
components, and an order for the parts is in progress.
You are picked up by the truck, and taken home.
Meanwhile the dealer contacts you to confirm that
your car is en-route to the dealer, and will be ready
for collection by a provided data.
This sounds great, if not a little sci-fi, and potentially
a little big brother, but this is nearer to a reality than
you may think. Several components of this vision are
already in place, with manufacturers beginning to look
at partnerships and closer ties with insurance
companies and repair organisations, to steadily move
us towards a more seamless ownership chain.
DATA SECURITY
With all of this data being stored and recalled for
analysis, there must be assurances of anonymity for
the users providing this data. The crucial importance
of lessons learned so far cannot be forgotten.
How this anonymity is maintained and adhered to by
the corporations presents several dilemmas from
commitment to enforcement. This is an area of data
gathering and analytics that needs serious discussion,
as current data protections legislation is not fit for our
rapidly accelerating and globally connected world.
Big Data is an important part of our evolution, but
care is needed to ensure that data analytics does not
betray our privacy for corporate gains.

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