Processing large volumes of CAN data was time-consuming, while a lack of calculated metrics made it difficult to analyse vehicle usage and categorise different driving conditions.
Advantage Insights by nCode enabled rapid CAN data decoding, engineering analysis and KPI extraction, with augmented data indexed in Aqira for searching, comparing and analysing vehicle usage information.
Engineers could extract and visualise over 2,000 channels in three seconds, create analyses 10 times faster and analyse five times more vehicle data per day.
Our customer, a leading automotive manufacturer, collects large volumes of Controller Area Network (CAN) data to understand how its vehicles are used in real-world conditions. This data is captured in MDF4 files, each containing thousands of measurement channels and ranging from 10 to 40 GB in size. Analysing these datasets provides valuable insights into customer usage patterns, including vehicle speed distribution, road types and emergency braking events. However, processing and interpreting such large volumes of data was time-consuming, making it difficult to fully utilise the information collected.
The manufacturer collected vast amounts of vehicle data, but processing and analysing it efficiently presented a significant challenge.
Each MDF4 file contained thousands of measurement channels, with file sizes ranging from 10 to 40 GB. The high volume of data made it difficult for engineers to quickly decode, visualise and analyse the information needed to understand customer vehicle usage.
The lack of calculated metrics also made it challenging to perform global analyses and categorise data according to different driving conditions.
The manufacturer needed a more efficient way to extract insights from this information, particularly to understand:
Improving the speed and efficiency of data processing would enable engineers to make better use of the information already being collected.
To address these challenges, the manufacturer used Advantage Insights to rapidly decode CAN data and perform engineering analyses on large MDF4 datasets.
Advantage Insights enabled engineers to select relevant measurement channels, extract key performance indicators (KPIs) and generate histograms and other graphical visualisations in a matter of seconds.
The augmented data was then indexed in Aqira, allowing engineers to search for information based on specific engineering conditions.
This approach enabled engineers to:
Together, Advantage Insights and Aqira provided a more efficient way to process, analyse and explore large volumes of vehicle data.
The solution delivered significant improvements in data processing speed and engineering analysis efficiency, enabling the manufacturer to make greater use of its vehicle data. Key results include:
Beyond these improvements, the solution enabled engineers to exploit previously underutilised vehicle data more effectively.
By making it easier to process, search, compare and analyse large datasets, engineers could better under stand customer usage patterns and make more data-cen tric, physics-informed decisions.
We collect tons of data but we are not really using it for engineering purposes. Being finally able to process all this data was equivalent to exploiting a gold mine.
By using Advantage Insights and Aqira software by nCode, the automotive manufacturer significantly improved its ability to process and analyse large volumes of CAN data.
With analysis creation 10 times faster, more than 2,000 channels visualised in just three seconds and five times more vehicle data analysed each day, engineers could extract meaningful insights more efficiently.
The use case demonstrates how faster data processing and more accessible engineering analysis can help automotive manufacturers better understand real-world vehicle usage and support data-driven engineering decisions.
This will bring together HBM, Brüel & Kjær, nCode, ReliaSoft, MicroStrain and Discom brands, helping you innovate faster for a cleaner, healthier, and more productive world.
