New Products, Services and Technologies at IT-Trans 2016

IT-Trans is the global hub for IT solutions in the public transport industry. IT-Trans combines two different formats, the Conference and the Exhibition: At the Exhibition, renowned businesses and associations from all over the world present their cutting-edge products, developments, and innovations for the whole public transport sector. The Conference is the Place where the sector meets to discuss and invent IT solutions, to further support the growth of public and sustainable urban transport.

All In One

SoftRail, the interactive software suite, conceived to manage the entire operations of railway companies.

In recent years, Binary System has designed a package of modular applications able to manage railway companies’ needs. Entirely developed with web and mobile technologies and with multi-language features, SoftRail applications allow for real-time synchronization of all data and the integrated management of entire operations, with subsequent significant savings for the railway company. Through digitising all safety and travel-paper documents, SoftRail has significantly improved the profitability of rail-traction activities, accelerated the exchange of information, and reduced the environmental impact and the risk of mistakes connected to printing. SoftRail consists of 5 applications; each module is completely independent and, at the same time, perfectly integrated with the other applications of the suite.

RailMobile is the electronic folder for the train driver to collect, organize and distribute all of their employees’ documentations that allow for real-time communications between the railway company and its operational personnel.

LogiShift is the most advanced system for a coordinated planning of employees and the company’s vehicles fleet which provides all visual tools required for the periodical scheduling.

SkillPlan is the software designed to furnish HR with a professional tool to plan, monitor and manage all activities related to training, refreshing and employee auditing.
VerForm collects and processes data related to train inspections and the verification of activities, generating real-time digital documents for the use of the operational personnel.

MainTrack is an application for the management of railway companies’ fleet maintenance, which enables planning and monitoring the activities of preventive and corrective maintenance, managing all information and communications in an electronic format.

Thanks to its technical team of researchers and well-established partnerships, Binary System has developed a suite of products which represents an excellence on the market for its usability, integration and mobility.

Statistics is boring and pointless. Isn’t it?

The world gets more dynamic every day. Faster, bigger, better. You as a public transport provider are part of it. Trying to keep up. So, how well do you cope with customers instantly complaining about a missed bus? A contracting authority demanding valid activity recordings? Data coming in from different systems? Or the need to change providers to cut costs?

In this complex environment, it is important to make quality tangible.To statistically prove your performance. To discover areas of improvement. Connective OPAL (operations analytics) can do all of that, and makes it really exciting too. Getting bored with this innovative statistics and data evaluation tool is therefore difficult. Because OPAL is faster than you think.

Beside its remarkable speed of calculation, our clients rave about the simplicity of OPAL. It is based on Excel and very intuitive, thanks to a good User Interface. The tool consists of six modules, like the analysis of punctuality, timetable or connection monitoring, and more. Thereby, you only choose the ones you need.

So, how does it work? The data needed for the statistical analysis is automatically imported from your vehicle computers, ITCS (AVM) or bus ticket printers. This data import even works with heterogeneous data sources, independent of the system provider. That is our specialty. Then OPAL makes it easy for you to extract reliable key data - simply and efficiently.

It’s all about DATA driven Mobility

Since our start, DAT has focused on data collection (based on exciting different types of technology like, GSM, Bluetooth, WIFI, beacons, apps and Video Content Analysis), data-fusion, interpretation and visualisation as enablers for the next generation of trafficmodelling and simulation as well as crowd management. DAT has recently launched Sense.DAT, our own app for individual mobility monitoring, sampling and change motivation.

With Sense.DAT all sorts of organisations will be able to get a deep insight into mobility behavior and mobility choices people make, interview them on the reasons why and propose incentives to change. Sense. DAT is one of the technologies used in our monitoring projects, such as SAIL Amsterdam for example.

DAT.Mobility has recently won and executed the monitoring of SAIL Amsterdam. Based on several technologies we have built the first real-time crowd management dashboard ever. In cooperation with Delft University and the city of Amsterdam, DAT used a combination of various methods of real-time data collection and built the algorithms to model and simulate ‘slow-mode’ mobility. For the very first time this has enabled Amsterdam to see in real time the movement of crowds at SAIL and predict potentially unsafe situations before they happen thanks to the measurements. DAT has also offered a ‘Smart City Mobility Platform’, based on our OmniTRANS traffic model, providing information about people, cars, bikes, buses and trains entering and leaving the city and event area. DAT.Mobility aims at leading the transformation of mobility planning and simulation based on data collection, fusion, analyses and visualisation, supporting decisions.

cityLineDesigner — a revolutionary tool for schedule creation and editing

Dynamic growth of municipal agglomerations requires efficient communication and well-timed responses to the changes in passenger flows from the Boards of Transportation. Rapid changes, growing expectations and ever expanding communication networks require novel and efficient solutions.

In response to market demand we have created a new software application: cityLineDesigner. Its novelty lies in two aspects — an advanced IT engine, as well as in the ideology behind the schedule design. A new system has been designed as an integrator of all the municipal IT systems in the field of transportation. It can combine and compute data from the schedule software, passenger information in vehicles and at stops/stations, Internet and mobile applications, traffic control systems, ticketing systems, depot management systems, web applications for carrier settlements and so forth.

The biggest innovation are the optimisation modules that operate upon advanced mathematical tools and allow users to optimize transportation networks, fleet operations and to construct optimal schedules for driving personnel. Efficient, reliable and synchronized communication is the backbone of passenger satisfaction. Carriage optimisation makes it possible and simultaneously helps reduce operating costs – an ideal situation for transportation authorities.

By using most modern IT, mobile solutions and web services, the cityLineDesigner is an efficient, quick and reliable tool that supports municipal transportation and allows for operations by involving multiple carriers and means of transportation. It supports the decision-making process while creating and editing timetables using automated validations against legal and internal regulations and requirements as well as physical constraints. The integration of various on-board systems into the vehicles and other IT systems used by carriers helps to distribute current timetable data. It can be transferred to the driving personnel, as well as to the passenger information screens in vehicles and at stops. The possibility to download data from such systems makes it possible to quickly conduct settlements between the carriers and ordering parties (local authorities).

Setting new standards

The new releases of PTV Vissim and PTV Visum are available. PTV Vissim 8 offers an additional mesoscopic modelling level - and much more besides - while PTV Visum 15 provides new multi-modal modelling techniques.

Park and Ride in PTV Visum

Increasingly, policy and decision-makers in many places have made it their duty to improve access to public transport. The provision of Park & Ride (P+R) has a role to play in this. PTV Visum 15 features new processes that allow users to accurately analyse the demand, quantity and location of P+R sites. These allow users to take into account and analyse the capacity of P+R car parks, for example.

Making the connection with PTV Visum

The new freight traffic module closes the gap between personal and commercial transport by providing a demand model specially designed to meet logistical challenges. Users can now integrate relevant logistical concepts into their strategic traffic models. The new module is based on the ‘savings’ algorithm applied in the logistics sector, in which potential cost savings are evaluated by creating tours and defining their sequence.

Scenario management – now also in PTV Vissim

The new version of PTV Vissim 8 features the addition of scenario management. On the analogy of PTV Visum, this allows alternative scenarios in a project to be created and managed more easily. Users can model a wide range of case studies based on a single underlying network. Scenario management is a very practical function for users wishing to investigate different junction designs during morning and evening rush hours, for example. Any subsequent changes made to the network model or to the parameters – for example during calibration - can then be saved directly in multiple scenarios in a single processing step.

The arrival of mesoscopic simulation in PTV Vissim

As the road network being simulated gets bigger, so does the effort involved in building the network and calibrating it, together with the time it takes to run the simulation. However, users do not always need the high level of details provided by microscopic simulation across the entire network. Users often want to model a selection of routes over a large area and only go into detail in small sections. The introduction of mesoscopic simulation as an additional modelling level means that users now have access to a very fast simulation method without compromising on the detail where it matters most.

New Perspectives for Public Transport

With the experience of more than 90 customers Moveo is a leading specialist for preparation, scheduling and accounting of staff assignment in public transport organisations. Moveo Profahr is a system for planning, dispatching and cost calculation for the deployment of personnel and vehicles as well as for recording, compiling and evaluating costs and revenue in urban and regional transport companies.

The core application OPD – the Operative Personnel Disposition – is the crucial component between planning and commercial accounting systems – and even much more. The integrated modules for roster and crew scheduling provide an important support for the planning process. The communication with existing planning systems works seamlessly as well as the transfer of the required data.

Schedule optimization software reduces Nateev Express deadhead trips and fleet size by more than 10 percent

The pilot performed by Optibus showed us how we can get the best of both worlds: Optimal use of our resources, while complying with state regulations. These are the pillars of a profitable and successful bus operator company.“ Moshe Laskar (CEO, Nateev Express)

The Pilot

Looking to reduce its operating costs, bus operator Nateev Express decided to evaluate OptibusOnSchedule. This real-time schedule optimization solution calculates driver and vehicle schedules within seconds and allows schedulers to evaluate multiple options and determine the one that optimally suits their operational requirements. For the pilot, a 250 vehicle cluster was selected with the objective to reduce deadhead trips to a minimum. Optimization had to consider logistic constraints such as route homogeneity as well as depot locations and capacity.

Results

Using OptibusOnSchedule, Nateev Express compared multiple schedule scenarios to determine the one that delivered maximum efficiency while matching its operational environment. The results showed the following benefits:

• Optimized depot locations and capacity could save over 600,000 deadhead km per year: The optimization process showed that existing depot capacities and locations were not optimal. Testing various alternatives with the help of OnSchedule, Nateev Express identified additional depot locations. With buses parking closer to their start and finish points, the operator will be able to save almost 2,000 kilometers per day, a dramatic reduction of 24 percent in deadhead trips kilometers.
• Fleet size reduced by 10 percent: The optimized schedule enables Nateev Express to operate the cluster with 27 less buses (235 instead of 262 vehicles). Since their existing fleet consists of 262 vehicles, Nateev Express decided to initially use 255 buses. Moving forward, Nateev Express will plan its fleet size according to the OnSchedule plan, to increase savings even more.

Being mobile in rural areas - managing and controlling on-demand services

Especially in rural areas, the much-cited shift in demographics, constantly increasing cost pressure and new travel habits are causing problems for the implementation of break-even public transport that is attractive and at the same time meets the population’s needs. Flexible service offerings in public transport – whether scheduled or unscheduled – are becoming increasingly important for the comprehensive delivery of public transport services. Here, vehicles should only be used when there is actually a need.

One solution is provided by on-demand service, which offers a number of possibilities – from buses that stop on demand, to shared and dial-a-ride buses in regular service, to fixed-run taxis or shared taxis. The basic idea is to only deploy vehicles at the places and times where they are needed. PSI Transcom has developed a software solution that organises the on-demand traffic and that helps transport companies to define the collaboration, to inform customers and to invoice services.

What makes the PSItraffic solution special is that the on-demand service is a component of the PSItraffic/AVMS (Automatic Vehicle Management System). Using the PSItraffic platform, there is the ability to immediately deliver the on-demand service using the AVMS, or to add it later. The various modes of operation are configurable, so the right solution can always be delivered. This results in a real benefit to the transport companies by improving their range of services at predictable costs. In cases where ridership cannot justify service on a certain schedule, it is not necessary to send a large bus on the route every hour, but rather only if it is really required. A certain percentage of the trips may be carried out using smaller vehicles as the need arises. Kilometers that are not traveled also reduce costs and protect the environment.
Finally, billing subcontractors becomes more transparent and simpler. With free area transport, the challenge is connecting individual trips to a linked tour. This is a task which, while new in public transport, is already a standard part of logistics for goods transport. Package deliveries are assembled daily into organised tours, since new customers must be reached every day. For many years, PSI has been developing a solution with complex optimizations and can use them flexibly in PSItraffic, allowing PSI to offer a proven solution for free area transport. Since a vehicle can always be operated less expensively the more passengers it carries, when no schedule and no stops are used, it is certainly important to pick up and drop off all the passengers in an optimized order. For this reason, PSI Transcom is now working ntensively to develop route optimisation and to implement this as a module in PSItraffic.