New Trends of ZONA IS in Environment of Slovak Railways

1. New Trends of ZONA IS in Environment of Slovak Railways prof. Ing. Karel, CSc., Univerzita Pardubice, FEI, KST doc. Ing. Emil Kršák, PhD., Žilinská univerzita, FRI RNDr. Hynek Bachratý, PhD.,Žilinská univerzita, FRI Ing. Viliam Tavač, PhD., Žilinská univerzita, FRI

2. Basis for changes • IS ZONA is the basic tool for creation of railwey timetable (GVD) in Slovakia and the Slovak Railways (ŽSR) since the year 2000 • Up to now the system works, also as a network aplication, without any major problems • Because the system architecture, its data base and user interface are based on the state developed more then 10 years ago, it calls for upgrade to corresponding modern and up-to-date level

3. The main reasons of system innovation • Limits in current system • The need for ongoing hardware and software maintenance requires a modification of outdated solutions that were appropriate and the only possible at time of the system origination • The current system maintaining is becoming more complicated and difficult • In some areas itapproaches the limit of technical and moral life • Integration platform • Fluenttransfer of final and valid train timetable data to other IS • Process of transfer must by fully automated performed on modern and sufficiently widespread and universal platform • Accordance with the agreed concept of appropriate IT architecture which communicates with the external environment via module GRADAS (Train Timetable Database Server)

4. The main reasons of system innovation • Legislation and regulations • The need for upgrading the existing ZONA IS with respect to major changes in legislation (SR, EU), which will require to extend the system with new functionalities • These includes closer links to the railway operation, shorter period of planning cycles (up to an on-line preparation of the train routes) • We can assume a need to enable external access to certain algorithms such as calculating of travel times • There may be additional candidates of ZONA IS users which extends the range of users

5. The main reasons of system innovation • Main functionality demands • Elimination of partial isolation of IS ZONA as the tool for strategic planning and its full integration with the systems for operational planning of railway transport and traffic • Maintain comfort work for train-path-dealer in modern environment of MET (Manager Route Editor) • Creation of an optimal environment for adding new functionality for the following period, support of the efficient train-path sales, binding to the operational planning of rail transport • Specification of users and operators requirements

6. The main reasons of system innovation • Persisting of data • Relational database Oracle RDBMS • Environment with the benefits arising from the simplification of archiving and better security and data protection • Operation simplification to eliminate the need of LINUX platform. • Architecture • Distributed architecture • New mechanism of check-in/check-out principles • Some parts of system can work off-line • Design • Specification of the designer needs • Migration to a modern .NET platforms • The possibility of further system development and system functionality adding using the latest development environment

7. Pilot project of ZONA and MET modules on the new platform • Implementation and deployment of a functional prototype to verify the accuracy of the proposed architecture, functionality of the system, export data to RDBMS, functionality of internal and external communication interfaces • Training of key users • The pilot operation with the support of designer • Removing operating faults and claims identified during the pilot operation • Deployment of the ZONA and MET modules into operation

8. Design of the operation of ZONA, MET and EXPERT modules

9. MET (Manager Train-Path Editor)

10. MET (Manager Train-PathEditor) • Manager Train-Path Editor (MET) is used for train-path creating and editing using modern sw technology, as a module ZONA IS • MET communicates with ZONA IS bi-directionally • Communication takes place through the MET and ZONA server and is secured by encryption • The application is ready for mobile users, too, who can work abroad at meetings and after creation of the VPN tunnel to MET and ZONA server they can update and send their data over the Internet to ZONA IS and other applications

11. MET – creation of train route

12. MET – creation of train route • Entering the trains can be done in tabular form or graphically on the map • The application is able to display the graphical timetable sheet • Creating of a graphical timetable sheet is allowed to all users of the MET and via synchronization is transferred to other MET users

13. MET – graphical train timetable

14. MET – traincalendar

15. The list of MET features • Displaying of trains in tabular form in basic and extended list • Displaying of train and its route in detailed form with all the editable parameters • Displaying of trains on the map with the possibility of route editing • Displaying of trains on graphical timetable sheet • Filtered displaying of trains • Creating and deleting a train • Editing of train

16. GRADAS (Train Timetable Database Server) • GRADAS tool (module) allows train timetable data access and publishing which are produced as ZONE IS output • The main goal is publishing of the valid train timetable to be utilized by other related information systems • It allows to provide data on working, study, lock-out and other train timetables • The system can be made available for the needs of other users, too, especially other users or the general public (passengers)

17. Basic description of the data structure • Data on trains (common and standard data on trains, train route) • Data on calendars and services • Data on infrastructure (locomotives, transport points, route segments, track units) • Classifiers (fixed or completed by users, used in other structures)

18. GRADAS – preparing data for publishing

19. Thank you for your attention