San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency boosts citizen services with Microsoft Azure
Customer Company Size
Large Corporate
Region
- America
Country
- United States
Product
- Azure Synapse Analytics
- Azure Data Lake Storage
- Azure Event Hubs
- Power BI
- Azure Logic Apps
Tech Stack
- Azure Synapse Analytics
- Azure Data Lake Storage
- Azure Event Hubs
- Power BI
- Azure Logic Apps
Implementation Scale
- Enterprise-wide Deployment
Impact Metrics
- Productivity Improvements
- Cost Savings
- Customer Satisfaction
- Digital Expertise
Technology Category
- Analytics & Modeling - Big Data Analytics
- Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Data Management Platforms
- Analytics & Modeling - Predictive Analytics
Applicable Industries
- Cities & Municipalities
- Transportation
Applicable Functions
- Business Operation
- Logistics & Transportation
Use Cases
- Smart City Operations
- Fleet Management
- Traffic Monitoring
- Predictive Maintenance
Services
- Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services
- System Integration
About The Customer
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) is a large government organization responsible for managing all ground transportation in San Francisco, including buses, trains, light rail, cable cars, taxis, and emerging forms of transportation like bikes and scooters. Established by voter mandate in 1999, the agency serves the city's 874,000 residents and 26 million annual visitors, ensuring safe, equitable, and sustainable transportation. The SFMTA operates as a single entity, allowing it to centralize data from various transportation modes, such as bus routes, parking frequency, and pedestrian density. This centralized approach provides the agency with a unique opportunity to leverage data for improving transportation services and optimizing operational efficiency. With a workforce of 1,000 to 9,999 employees, the SFMTA is committed to enhancing the accessibility and quality of transportation services for the people of San Francisco.
The Challenge
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) faced significant challenges in managing and analyzing the vast amounts of data generated by its operations. The agency's traditional reliance on relational databases and middleware was proving inefficient and resource-intensive. The existing systems required extensive manual processing, such as pulling data from CSV files into Excel for analysis, which was time-consuming and labor-intensive. Additionally, the on-premises infrastructure demanded costly engineering hours for maintenance and upgrades, making it difficult to scale and adapt to the growing data needs. The SFMTA recognized the need for a centralized data management solution that could streamline processes, reduce administrative bottlenecks, and enable data-driven decision-making to improve transportation services and optimize revenue.
The Solution
To address its data management challenges, the SFMTA partnered with Microsoft to implement a serverless data solution centered on Azure Synapse Analytics. This comprehensive cloud solution allowed the agency to unify its disparate data sources into a common data entity, streamlining processes and enabling rapid data analysis. Azure Synapse Analytics was used for data warehousing and orchestration, efficiently handling the massive daily data generated by the Muni railway, taxis, buses, and parking meters. The data was stored in Azure Data Lake Storage and cataloged with Azure Purview Preview. Azure Event Hubs and Azure Logic Apps were employed to build a unified platform for gathering data from various vendors managing parking meters, bus routes, and special events. Power BI was integrated into the Azure Synapse Analytics workspace to create streamlined reporting, facilitating data-driven business decisions. This architecture empowered the SFMTA to focus on data analysis rather than infrastructure management, enhancing its ability to serve the community effectively.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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