Technology Record - Issue 22: Autumn 2021

112 www. t e c h n o l o g y r e c o r d . c om V ehicles are becoming connected, and a vast amount of data is accessible to original equipment manufacturers (OEM). This can provide detail on every aspect of their main- tenance, location and behaviour, and help them to significantly improve their own operations. But there are a huge variety of other possible applications for this data, too, ranging from more effective fleet management solutions to new, intel- ligent transportation systems. Such applications are only achievable in partnership with other stakeholders, so to fully realise the transformative potential of these services, OEMs will need to begin sharing their data to some degree. “The concept of data sharing between organ- isations doesn’t necessarily mean it’s shared for free, and it certainly doesn’t mean it’s open data,” says John Stenlake, director of vehicle innovation and mobility for automotive, mobility & trans- portation industry at Microsoft. “But broadly speaking, integrated mobility systems can’t be achieved without the movement of data between parties to enable multiple actors to be coordi- nated. There’s a lot of data that could be usefully shared, and it’s important that this is done in a consistent, coherent and affordable way.” Information is becoming an asset that can be exchanged by OEMs to drive innovation. Using the advanced insights that can now be extracted from a vehicle’s data, companies can pivot their offerings into building smart mobility services. These produce new streams of revenue and have BY A L E X SM I TH Microsoft’s John Stenlake explains why emerging mobility services have the potential to create transformational change in automotive and transportation, and how they can be enabled Transforming F E ATUR E transportation