Mind the Digital Gap

Jamie Adkin, VP of EMEA at Adder Technology on improving situational awareness in rail transport control rooms

Rail is a vital service to the function of society and is the backbone of sustainable mobility. Every year, billions of passengers and freight travel by rail and everyday millions of journeys take place, making it one of the world’s most critical infrastructures. Passengers expect to enjoy seamless journeys in a comfortable, safe, and secure environment, and freight needs to arrive at its destination, on time and intact.

To do this, rail providers must use the technologies available to them to optimise the network and deliver on customer expectations.

Behind the complex rail networks we use every day are teams of people in control rooms constantly monitoring and analysing the infrastructure. From junctions, interchanges and terminals, to power cables, signals and dwell time, and anything else that must be tracked and monitored to ensure the smooth running of a railway, you can guarantee there’s a highly sophisticated control room and team of operators responding, reacting and predicting rail movements and potential issues. To do this effectively they need computers and network infrastructure that delivers accurate and realtime video and data directly to the desktop from potentially thousands of data sources.

One of the key components of that infrastructure in the control room is the connectivity technology that enables operators to access and switch between those computers. This technology must transit the source information without delay to the desktop or videowall in the control room in pixel perfect clarity and in real-time. It is mission critical they can see potential congestion in advance of it happening or even the potential of a collision given the sheer volume of trains using the same lines. With all that computing power required for the control room to function these environments can quickly become noisy environments. Not only that but the heat generated by so many computers can become unbearable for operators as they try to remain focussed on their work. As rail networks become busier and busier, operators must maintain exceptionally high levels of situational awareness and mental concentration to avoid any delays or blockages on the network.

To address the challenges outlined above, combined with the ever-evolving technology they use, from increasing monitor resolutions combined with larger sized and increased number of monitors in use, control room designers and installers turn to KVM technology.

Installed by the world’s leading rail networks, high performance KVM extenders enable computers to be moved away from the desktop environment, and to be stored in secure, environmentally controlled server rooms, thus removing the heat sources and associated noise. And for those that opt for IP KVM they can create a matrix-based solution enabling them to access any of those computers from any location in the control room. This provides ultimate flexibility and control, no matter what today’s rush hour rail traffic is in front of them.

Operators in rail control rooms need to visualise an entire section of the rail network for maximum situational awareness. To achieve this, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) software applications make use of multidisplay graphics cards, displaying the rail network across multiple monitors. This poses a challenge for KVM manufacturers. Implementing standard approaches for these demanding applications can lead to a proliferation of hardware, cabling and power supplies. Instead, rail operators need to be supported with purpose-built products that provide what is known as a multi-head KVM connectivity.

Bandwidth limitations cause safety issues

Modern railway services are required to deliver good quality services which is becoming increasingly reliant on the technology they implement. To deliver this service safely and securely demands a control room uses SCADA software to visualise pixel-perfect digital video with real-time control, so nothing is missed when monitoring the railway network.

To support these needs, KVM technology needs to provide connectivity that is free of harmful visual artifacts and does not reduce data visibility. For example, Railway operators must be able to tell the difference between important signals on the track, and read key pieces of text about the trains and moving cargo.

By using uncompressed video extension technology, control room operators can be sure no visible artefacts or latency are introduced, allowing them to be certain of quality and control. But there are also innovative ways of transporting digital video that deliver high performance video with greater levels of flexibility that improve the lives of control room managers, operators and engineering teams.

Avoid a one-track mind with situational awareness

To improve safety, minimise downtime and maintain efficient service, control room operators must be able to access and analyse realms of real-time information, from different sources, without overcrowding the control room and affecting cognitive ergonomics.

Whilst a large videowall displays the complete rail network to the entire team, each operator needs to receive vital information to their workstations. With IP KVM infrastructure, these workstations can adapt to the operators needs and preferences, giving access to multiple computers through multiple displays, but controlled with just one keyboard and mouse.

A great example of IP KVM in action in the rail sector would be the Toluca-Mexico City commuter railway. Implementing an Adder high performance IP KVM matrix solution to manage all I/O devices across 24 separate workstations in the control room. Each location is dedicated to a different function such as traffic control, tunnel and station management, security coordination and crisis management. By installing an IP KVM matrix, operators have full control over the number of active screens, the resolution of displays, and the input sources that are available via a single keyboard and mouse. A large multi-channel videowall comprising 28 screens gives operators the ability to easily cast and share a set of source images, in any situation.

The 3 C’s: Cost, customisation, and configuration

Faced with rising costs, shrinking budgets and the drive to do more with less, it’s clear to see why these three C’s are considered the holy grail when designing a control room.

IP KVM is much more cost effective and more accessible when compared with direct-connect alternatives. Leveraging existing network infrastructure requires less cabling and negates the need for scheduled downtime for upgrades and maintenance. In addition, it provides operators the opportunity to scale the system up over many years without major investment, drastically reducing the total cost of ownership. It’s easy to see how costs are reduced and return on investment is boosted.

In terms of customisation, there is no limit to the number of connected operators or computers as the number of devices can scale up or down, as required. It can be used in control rooms that are small or large, and even connect control rooms to extended disaster recovery sites. In this way it is designed to suit developing needs; adapting and growing as the business operations change and grow.

The flexibility IP KVM provides is hugely beneficial; and moving towards IP adds huge possibilities to improve an operator’s workflow and infrastructure setup. For

instance, the configuration for each individual operator and device, handled by centralised software, means that computers can be made available for sharing and collaboration or limited to only be accessed securely by specific operators.

Getting onboard with IP KVM

The smooth running of rail networks has become increasingly reliant on behindthe-scenes technologies like IP KVM. From no longer needing to physically change desktop positions and disrupt the work of other control room operators, to completely removing physical computers improving ergonomics by creating more space and removing excess heat and fan noise; IP KVM has helped to provide a working environment conducive to making time critical decisions.

After all, when a technology solution is designed in a way that maximises ergonomic layout and operational efficiency, operators can focus on the work that matters – the efficiency of the rail network for freight and ensuring passenger safety and reliability of trains.