Cohesive
Harness the Power of Your Data to Enable a New Vision for Multimodal Transportation
This article first appeared in the Future Transport-News magazine, Issue 1 2023.
Passenger and freight activity will more than double within the next 25 years, based on current data projections and macro trends.
Such projected growth is suggestive of demographics, urbanisation and social and economic progress. This increase will result in a significant growth in energy demand and carbon emissions. These challenges are compounded by economic pressures, resource constraints and competition between and combinations of various modes of transportation ranging from user-friendly bicycles to high-speed transit systems. This need for change and smart mobility must be viewed not only through the lens of new capital projects but also by making more efficient use of the existing transport infrastructure already in place.
If we want a future of hope for society, that is sustainable, reliable, and efficient, we must develop transportation systems that optimise operational performance while also being kind to our natural built environment. We must be radically harnessing data capabilities and making full use of connected infrastructure opportunities.
The reality is that this transformation is already happening and gaining momentum. Cohesive already enables customers to operate different outcome-driven business models that support both our economic, social and natural built environments. The promise of a future with shared digital twins, connected networks and artificial intelligence is already creating a seismic shift that will put transportation users at the heart of the decision-making process.
Rennie Chadwick, Director of our Transport Business sets out how Cohesive enables integrated and intelligent transport networks which pervasively measure operational performance and monitor the health of physical assets.
My first engagement with the railways was back in 2000, when I worked with Railtrack as it was known then, to develop their Structures Condition Marking Index. The primary objective was to transform a subjective and qualitative assessment into a consistent, objective one, with a quantitative output. As a result, digital photographs and a relational database for inspection findings transformed Railtrack’s bridge inspection procedure.
