TCA expands telematics capacity and moves closer to potential real-time data availability
Transport Certification Australia (TCA) – the centre of excellence within Austroads responsible for providing assurance in the use of telematics and other vehicle-based technologies – is undertaking a significant expansion of its telematics data capacity.
Through its administration of the National Telematics Framework, TCA helps Australian and New Zealand transport agencies collect data that enable improved road outcomes.
A key element of the National Telematics Framework – which is globally recognised as an international standard (ISO15638) – is the assurance TCA provides by assessing and recognising providers of telematics services, as well as suppliers of hardware, against performance-based technology specifications. Amongst other things, this enables data to be collected across different providers and suppliers in a standardised and reliable way.
Consistent with its public purpose remit, TCA provides an independent function in collecting, protecting and reporting on data collected from vehicles using telematics, so that analysis and reporting can be made available to our members to advance the management of road networks.
“Running multiple highly assured data collection schemes, across a marketplace of 30 approved telematics service providers and suppliers of hardware, TCA receives data that is generated every 30 seconds from over 17,000 vehicles across Australia. This regular, standardised and low-latency data collection is crucial for monitoring, managing road usage and improving road outcomes for our members, and TCA is working to drive down the time to publish this data for road managers and regulators,” said Matt Brunsdon, Austroads’ Chief Data & Technology Officer.
TCA has seen exponential growth in demand for its telematics services, with over 17,000 vehicles enrolled in schemes offered through the National Telematics Framework. Austroads members are increasingly accessing analytics generated from telematics data to help understand where and how freight vehicles operate, making cross-border access easier for operators and informing the prioritisation of road and bridge infrastructure upgrades.
“The surge in demand highlights the importance and critical reliance on TCA’s services. In response, we have embarked on a project to modernise our existing data platform, aiming at enhancing its capacity and service delivery,” said Matt. “This will enable us to better accommodate growing vehicle enrolments and provide more effective support to our stakeholders.”
The modernisation of TCA’s data platform aims to enhance service delivery by providing near real-time published, high-quality data that unlocks analytics insights into traffic volume and weight over time, vehicle routes versus access compliance, and the efficiency of freight and transport schemes. The upgrade will offer stakeholders more accurate and timely information, facilitating better decision-making and planning.
TCA has chosen Databricks as the technology platform for this modernisation. Matt emphasised that Databricks’ medallion architecture is particularly well-suited for quickly onboarding and processing data, supporting enhanced data governance and insights.
Mantel Group, recognised as Databricks Asia Pacific Japan Emerging Partner of the Year 2024, has been selected to collaborate with TCA on this project. “Mantel Group’s expertise in data platform modernisation and their understanding of TCA’s business objectives make them an ideal partner,” said Matt.
“This partnership goes well beyond modernising TCA telematics capabilities. TCA is part of Austroads, and this initiative lays a foundation for digitising over 90 years of Austroads’ roads and transit data and guidelines, unlocking valuable insights and fostering positive outcomes.”
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