Visualization of Vehicle Usage Based on Position Data for Root-Cause Analysis : A Case Study in Scania CV AB

Abstract: Root cause analysis (RCA) is a process in Scania carried out to understand the root cause of vehicle breakdowns. It is commonly done by studying vehicle warranty claims and failure reports, identifying patterns that are correlated to the breakdowns, and then analyzing the root cause based on those findings. Vehicle usage is believed to be one of the factors that may contribute towards the breakdowns, but the data on vehicle usage is not commonly utilized in RCA. This thesis investigates a way to help RCA process by introducing a dataset of vehicle usage based on position data gathered in project FUMA (Fleet telematics big data analytics for vehicle Usage Modeling and Analysis). A user-centered design process of a visualization tool which presents FUMA data for people working in RCA process was carried out. Interviews were conducted to gain insights about the RCA process and generate design ideas. PACT framework was used to organize the ideas, and Use Cases were developed to project a conceptual scenario. A low fidelity prototype was developed as design artifact for the visualization, and a formative test was done to validate the design and gather feedback for future prototyping iterations. In each design phase, more insights about how visualization of vehicle usage should be used in RCA were obtained. Based on this study, the prototype design showed a promising start in visualizing vehicle usage for RCA purpose. Improvement on data presentation, however, still needs to be addressed to reach the level of practicality required in RCA.