Atkins, one of the world’s most respected design, engineering and project management consultancies, has signed a global partnership agreement with Inrix, a world leader in connected car services and transportation analytics.

Bringing together the expertise of designers, engineers and planners with data-driven insights into the way people travel will help reduce congestion and improve air quality in cities globally, a statement said.

This agreement means Atkins’ engineers and project managers will have access to Inrix XD Traffic, which delivers accurate real-time traffic information across five million miles (eight million kilometres) of road in over 47 countries; Inrix Roadway Analytics, which offers quick and easy access to in-depth roadway performance analysis and visualisations; and Inrix Trips, which provides accurate insights to better understand the movement of people and the journeys they take, it said.

With predicted global infrastructure investment set to reach $3.3 trillion annually across transportation, power, water, and telecommunications systems, the need for using insight derived from a variety of data sources is critical for creating smart and future proofed cities. These new data streams and insights from Inrix will equip Atkins with the ability to improve masterplanning, influence the design phase of transport modelling and meet the demands of new intelligent mobility opportunities, the statement continued.

Lee Woodcock, global product director for intelligent mobility, Atkins, commented: “This is a big step forward for our business. From new smart highways enabling connected and autonomous vehicles, to designing the latest masterplans – we are now able to provide a hybrid of our people’s expertise combined with the rich data insights from Inrix. By fusing the two together, we provide a globally progressive offering into the intelligent mobility and infrastructure sector.”

Scott Sedlik, general manager, global public sector, Inrix, added: “Atkins recognises there is a growing need for tools to identify trends when planning, monitoring, assessing and communicating the performance of transportation networks. This partnership enables Atkins’ project teams to carry out ground breaking analysis that will not only improve urban mobility but also help drive cost efficiencies for their clients.”

Atkins has already been applying Inrix data on several projects including:  
• In Colorado, North America, Inrix data has been providing insight into the need for operational improvements on state highways, understanding how to relieve traffic congestion and prioritise the implementation of traffic control technology;
• Also in Colorado, on the United States Highway 85 (US 85), Inrix data is being used to measure before and after travel times;  
• Inrix data is supporting Atkins to evaluate existing traffic conditions in several planning and environmental linkage (PEL) studies in Colorado. - TradeArabia News Service