THEFUTURERAILWAY | THE INDUSTRY’S RAIL TECHNICAL STRATEGY 2012
INFORMATION
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VISION
Information is a valued rail asset that improves customer services, reduces operating costs and generates revenue
OBJECTIVES
New revenue streams from the exploitation of rail information
Improved customer services
Reduced operating costs
STRATEGY
Define common information architectures and protocols
Produce an optimised cross-industry information flow model
Exploit rail information through commercial partnerships
ENABLERS
National Information Systems Catalogue (NISC)
Open architectural standards
Data management
Resilient systems
THEFUTURERAILWAY | THE INDUSTRY’S RAIL TECHNICAL STRATEGY 2012
INFORMATION
2.112 Excluding Network Rail’s own information systems, research15
discovered over 130 information systems maintained by approximately
20 suppliers were in operation in 2011. Maintaining individual legacy
systems is expensive and inefficient. Information cannot be shared
or exploited efficiently and this inhibits whole-system approaches for
technology-based improvements.
2.113 The EU project InteGRail identified that integrated systems using
common standards can improve whole-system reliability by up to 50%
by optimising maintenance and the cost of maintenance could be
reduced by 10%, amongst other benefits.
2.114 To improve efficiency, mitigate costs and identify opportunities for
better use of the vast amounts of collected data, the rail industry would
benefit from a coordinated approach towards system architectures,
information management and information exploitation. An initial study
to understand the current information make-up of the sector and
catalogue and map the industry’s information systems is underway16.
VISION
2.115 The businesses in the industry are information-rich and use that
information effectively to enhance and drive decision-making
processes. Advanced and appropriate decision support tools are in
place and in use on a daily basis.
2.116 The industry realises the value of its data for customer and internal
purposes and improves its costs, attractiveness and performance as a
consequence.
2.117 The businesses make use of externally and internally generated
information sources and support customers’ preferred devices.
2.118 Rail businesses are capable of integrating a variety of information
sources to produce new information and adapt their business
strategies.
2.119 Information systems are built for expansion and easy replacement of
outmoded parts. Costs are minimised through the use of commercial
off-the-shelf (COTS) programmes and uniform testing and acceptance
procedures. Agreed architectural standards, protocols and service level
agreements support connectivity, improve the capability to share the
information resources and facilitate a whole-system approach.
2.120 European standards17 have harmonised procedures, facilitating
information exchange between railway computer systems across
Europe and opening opportunities to explore new revenue streams.
2.121 The improved information systems and management allow the rail
industry to exploit its data catalogues and build strategic partnerships
to provide customers with personalised information and services that
correspond to their individual needs.
RSSB Project T962 Information systems architecture for the rail industry, an initial overview, September 2011
ibid
17
TSIs Telematics applications for passengers and freight (TSI TAP and TSI TAF); also the InteGRail project
15
16
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THEMES - INFORMATION
OBJECTIVES
2.122 The value of information gathered in the rail sector is recognised and
exploited as new revenue streams are identified.
2.123 Rail businesses collaborate to make the best use of information
sources. New business models are developed to exploit data. Vendors
are able to develop applications and services to generate income and
improve customer services.
2.124 Information-sharing and exploitation to reduce costs, including
transaction costs such as ticketing, are facilitated by common
architectures, protocols and dictionaries. Duplication of effort and
information is avoided. Bespoke products are replaced with lower
cost COTS technologies and applications, which are also more costeffective to maintain.
STRATEGY
2.125 Common architectures and protocols would facilitate integration and
information-sharing. Costs would be lowered and services improved. A
suite of common and open standards would allow COTS products and
services to be implemented with fewer specific industry modifications.
Suppliers would be encouraged to invest in developing new systems
as the marketplace becomes effectively larger. A common information
framework would allow the industry to benefit from new technologies
more quickly and efficiently.
2.126 To facilitate the development of common architectures, existing data
and information flows need to be mapped to create a cross-industry
information flow model. The key requirements to create and maintain a
future dynamic architecture are:
•
•
•
•
•
Agreed information systems architecture and standards
Common ontology and data dictionaries
Security classifications for data
Storage requirements
Agreed suites of data types, for example asset and rolling stock
data
2.127 Commercial partnerships would focus on mutual benefits and shared
opportunities and risks. The Innovation section describes opportunities
for innovators and commercial developers to exploit railway data and
create new revenue streams.
ENABLERS
2.128 Completing the National Information Systems Catalogue (NISC),
started by TSLG, provides an important baseline. The NISC will help
the industry to understand and analyse current railway data and
architectures as the basis for a new holistic architecture and a wholesystem approach to data and information management. The analysis
will identify duplication and gaps and facilitate solutions for integrating
new systems into the existing architecture.
THEFUTURERAILWAY | THE INDUSTRY’S RAIL TECHNICAL STRATEGY 2012
2.129 The common standards proposed in InteGRail and the TSIs Telematics
applications for passenger services (TAP) and Telematics applications
for freight (TAF) would support European interoperability as well as
provide useful guidelines for the development of open architectures for
the rail sector in Britain.
2.130 Coherent management policies, protocols and clear identification of
data owners are needed to support a whole-system approach and
maximise the benefits of data sharing, analysis and exploitation.
2.131 All information systems must be resilient to cyber-attacks and
appropriate protective measures based on risk assessment must be
built into the systems within the common framework.
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THEMES - INFORMATION
PRE 2010
RTS
INFORMATION
2011 - 2020
2021 - 2030
2031 - 2040
VISION
CP 4
Information
System
Architecture
(Design)
CP 5
EU TAF TSI, IntegGrail, RS RIS
Rolling Stock Information
System research (T962)
CP 6
CP 7
CP 8
CP 9
Date management strategy covering protocols, standards, architecture, common data requirements, business conditions etc.
Produce a rail sector ‘whole system’ information architecture
Define future data architecture using open architectural standards
Instigate of rail sector information data standards
Data and information storage requirements: capacity and endurance
Undertake information systems benchmarking exercises
DEFINE COMMON
INFORMATION
ARCHITECTURES AND
PROTOCOLS
Information
System
Architecture
(Delivery)
Produce and implement data architecture transformation plan (Migration plan)
Progressive introduction of federated data and information systems
Rail sector and supply chain adapt and adopt COTS information technologies in support of operational communications, traffic management, asset management, sensors storage etc
Information
Security
Establish cyber security architecture
Determine security classifications for data
Information
Resilience
Improve the resilience of information systems
Information
Management
PRODUCE AN
OPTIMISED CROSS-RAIL
INFORMATION FLOW
MODEL
Information is a
valued asset that
improves customer
services, reduces
operating costs and
generates revenue
Map current data architecture and
complete NISC
Common data set structures (data dictionaries and ontologies
ORBIS
Information
Exploitation
Rail data and information requirements for operations, asset management
Develop range of data and information exploitations business cases
Attract information exploitation partners
Strategic partnerships with data and information domain experts
Establish the value of data and information
EXPLOIT RAIL
INFORMATION
THROUGH COMMERCIAL
PARTNERSHIPS
Industry Delivery Activity
Industry Development Activity
Information
Innovation
Active and open Information innovation culture
Attract innovation
Publish sector common data and
information standards
TSLG Completed activity
TSLG In progress
Intellige
TSLG Planned
TSLG Potential
All dates and durations should be
regarded as indicative