RAC has turned to Microsoft to boost the scale of its telematics platform and to create new data services.
The motoring organisation is adopting Microsoft Azure and Azure IoT hub so that it can store and process large amounts of data in-real time, and to turn the data into new services for its customers.
The RAC said that it has to deal with data and statistics from more than two and a half million roadside events per year and is looking to deal with more data due to the growth of telematics and connected car technologies.
RAC Telematics MD Nick Walker said: “Telematics is well known for generating huge amounts of data which, if not processed into meaningful services, just causes our
customers headaches. Customers need solutions in the form of alerts and advice on specific data points.
“Our work with Microsoft and the use of its Azure services will give us both the secure environment and the scalability to process telematics data in real-time and provide meaningful insights to drivers and fleet managers about their vehicles.”
The MD went on to say that it is no longer good enough to simply report raw engine fault codes, drivers need to know which codes will affect vehicle performance and what actions need to be taken.
“When scaled across hundreds of thousands of vehicles with simultaneous live data streams, it requires huge amounts of data and processing capability wrapped in a secure and reliable environment. This is why we have chosen to partner with Microsoft,” Walker said.
Microsoft’s GM for marketing and operations in the UK, Nicola Hodson, said that the move to Azure combined with ingesting data through the Azure IoT Hub will give the RAC enhanced capabilities to process and analyse large amounts of data into real-time insights.
The RAC doesn’t say what data driven new services it will be launching but it does say that they will be revealed in the coming months.
