Individual inspections are useful, but far more useful is the ability to track each inspection – automated or performed by an individual inspector – the results of each inspection, and to be able to analyze this data for trends or emergent features that may say something about the circumstances or causes of various faults. This can permit predictive maintenance – knowing that a wheel or car is good for the next few trips, but it will be due to more detailed inspection and possible maintenance soon, and thus there is time to arrange the full inspection. This saves significant time and money.