US20230014504A1

US20230014504A1 - Railway management system with data repository

Info

Publication number: US20230014504A1
Application number: US17/781,763
Authority: US
Inventors: Jennifer VERELLEN; Mustafa MIRZA; Herman WON; Cindy GENKIN; Grant MARKEWITZ; Gina GIRON
Original assignee: WSP Global Inc
Current assignee: WSP Global Inc
Priority date: 2019-12-02
Filing date: 2020-12-02
Publication date: 2023-01-19
Also published as: WO2021108904A1; CA3163351C; WO2021108905A1; CA3162130A1; US20230024017A1; CA3163351A1; WO2021108906A1; CA3162138A1; US20230004693A1

Abstract

Systems and methods related to railway management systems with data repositories are described herein. A graphical user interface including a map interface of a railway infrastructure is provided. A request for information is obtained via a graphical element displayed on the map interface, the graphical element corresponding to a component of the railway infrastructure. Railway infrastructure information is obtained from a data repository based on the request. The railway infrastructure information is displayed on the graphical user interface.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority from U.S. Patent Application No. 62/942,395, filed on Dec. 2, 2019, from U.S. Patent Application No. 62/942,374, filed Dec. 2, 2019, and from U.S. Patent Application No. 62/942,413, filed Dec. 2, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to railway management systems, and, more particularly, to railway management systems with a data repository.

BACKGROUND OF THE ART

Engineers and technicians require various information during the design, installation, maintenance and/or repair phases of railway infrastructure. For the engineer or technician to complete the task at hand, he/she may require access to information stored electronically on multiple different computer systems and/or may require access to information that is stored in hardcopy (i.e., not stored electronically on a computer system). The lack of expedient access to information need may make the engineer or technician's job difficult and time consuming. Furthermore, some information, such as historic information, may not be readily available. Moreover, records of performance of the maintenance action may not be stored electronically or may be stored electronically in a separate computer system, which may lead to uncertainty regarding the current status of aspects of the railway infrastructure.
As such, there is a need for improved computer-implemented rail management systems and methods.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure is generally drawn to computer-implemented railway management systems and related methods.
In accordance with a broad aspect, there is provided a computer-implemented method for displaying railway infrastructure information. The method comprises: providing a graphical user interface including a map interface of a railway infrastructure; obtaining a request for information via a graphical element displayed on the map interface, the graphical element corresponding to a component of the railway infrastructure; obtaining railway infrastructure information from a data repository based on the request; and displaying on the graphical user interface the railway infrastructure information.
In some embodiments, for instance, the method includes obtaining user credentials via a login screen, the user credentials associated with a particular user of the graphical user interface, and responsive to obtaining the request for the information, verifying whether the user is authorized to access the information based at least in part on the user credentials.
In some embodiments, for instance, providing the graphical user interface includes modifying the map interface based on the user credentials.
In some embodiments, for instance, obtaining the railway infrastructure information includes determining a portion of the railway infrastructure information authorized for access by the particular user based on the user credentials, and wherein displaying the railway infrastructure information includes displaying the portion of the railway infrastructure information.
In some embodiments, for instance, displaying the railway infrastructure information is performed responsive to a request to display the railway infrastructure information via a separate graphical element.
In some embodiments, for instance, obtaining the request for information includes obtaining a selection of a rail corridor module or a subway line module.
In some embodiments, for instance, obtaining the selection of the rail corridor module or the subway line module includes obtaining a toggle request to toggle a visibility of one or more station stops of the rail corridor module or the subway line module, and displaying the railway infrastructure information includes hiding or displaying at least part of the railway infrastructure information associated with the one or more station stops of the rail corridor module or the subway line module based on the toggle request.
In some embodiments, for instance, obtaining the request for information includes obtaining a selection of a topography of ground features associated with the component of the railway infrastructure, and wherein displaying on the graphical user interface the railway infrastructure information includes displaying the topography of ground features.
In some embodiments, for instance, the selection of the topography of the ground features includes a gradient profile option, and wherein displaying on the graphical user interface the railway infrastructure information includes overlaying a gradient profile on the topography of the ground features.
In some embodiments, for instance, obtaining the request for information includes obtaining a selection of utility information associated with the component of the railway infrastructure, and wherein displaying on the graphical user interface the railway infrastructure information includes displaying the utility information.
In some embodiments, for instance, obtaining the request for information includes obtaining a selection of ventilation information associated with the component of the railway infrastructure, and wherein displaying on the graphical user interface the railway infrastructure information includes displaying the ventilation information.
In some embodiments, for instance, obtaining the request for information includes obtaining a selection of land ownership information associated with the component of the railway infrastructure, and wherein displaying on the graphical user interface the railway infrastructure information includes displaying the land ownership information.
In some embodiments, for instance, the method includes receiving an indication of a proposed land use, and wherein displaying the land ownership information includes displaying a representation of the proposed land use in conjunction with the land ownership information.
In some embodiments, for instance, obtaining the request for information includes obtaining a selection of site photo information associated with the component of the railway infrastructure, and wherein displaying on the graphical user interface the railway infrastructure information includes displaying at least one site photo associated with the component.
In some embodiments, for instance, displaying the at least one site photo associated with the component includes displaying at least one site unassociated photo which is unassociated with any of a plurality of components of the railway infrastructure, and displaying a prompt to associate the at least one site photo with the plurality of components of the railway infrastructure.
In some embodiments, for instance, the method includes receiving an association between a particular photo of the at least one site photo with a particular component of the plurality of components, and storing the association in the data repository.
In some embodiments, for instance, the prompt to associate the at least one site photo with the plurality of components of the railway infrastructure is based at least in part on position information associated with the at least one site photo.
In some embodiments, for instance, the prompt to associate the at least one site photo with the plurality of components of the railway infrastructure is based at least in part on a unique code present in the at least one site photo.
In some embodiments, for instance, obtaining the request for information includes obtaining a selection of three-dimensional visualization information associated with the component of the railway infrastructure, and wherein displaying on the graphical user interface the railway infrastructure information includes displaying a three-dimensional visualization associated with the component.
In some embodiments, for instance, displaying a three-dimensional visualization associated with the component includes displaying a virtual walkthrough associated with the component of the railway infrastructure.
In some embodiments, for instance, obtaining the request for information includes obtaining a selection of ground penetrating radar information associated with the component of the railway infrastructure, and wherein displaying on the graphical user interface the railway infrastructure information includes displaying the ground penetrating radar information.
In some embodiments, for instance, the method includes displaying a depth slider configured to select one of a plurality of ground penetrating radar images for display, and wherein displaying the ground penetrating radar information includes displaying a selected one of the plurality of ground penetrating radar images based on a position of the depth slider.
In some embodiments, for instance, the method includes displaying a time slider configured to select configured to select a set of ground penetrating radar images for display from amongst a plurality of sets of ground penetrating radar images, and wherein the selected one of the plurality of ground penetrating radar images is additionally based on a position of the time slider.
In some embodiments, for instance, obtaining the request for information includes obtaining a selection of geomatics information associated with the component of the railway infrastructure, and wherein displaying on the graphical user interface the railway infrastructure information includes displaying the geomatics information.
In some embodiments, for instance, obtaining the request for information includes obtaining a selection of maintenance information associated with the component of the railway infrastructure, and wherein displaying on the graphical user interface the railway infrastructure information includes displaying a list of maintenance tasks.
In some embodiments, for instance, the method includes obtaining an indication of a new maintenance task via the graphical user interface, and adding the new maintenance task to the list of maintenance tasks.
In some embodiments, for instance, the method includes adding at least one estimated maintenance task based on an estimation of an expected maintenance need.
In some embodiments, for instance, obtaining the request for information includes obtaining a selection of maintenance information associated with the component of the railway infrastructure, wherein displaying on the graphical user interface the railway infrastructure information includes displaying a list of maintenance tasks, including obtaining an indication of a particular maintenance task of the list of maintenance tasks, and associating the particular maintenance task with the user credentials.
In some embodiments, for instance, the method includes receiving a subsequent indication relating to the particular maintenance task being complete, and updating the list of maintenance tasks to indicate that the particular maintenance task is complete.
In some embodiments, for instance, displaying the railway infrastructure information includes displaying a computer aided design file associated with the component of the railway infrastructure in a computer aided design interface.
In some embodiments, for instance, the method includes obtaining at least one design input via the computer aided design interface and modifying the computer aided design file in accordance with the design input.
In some embodiments, for instance, obtaining the at least one design input via the computer aided design interface includes obtaining a design toggle request to toggle a visibility of one or more elements of the computer aided design file, and displaying the computer aided design file includes hiding or displaying at least part of the computer aided design file associated with the one or more elements of the computer aided design file based on the toggle request.
In some embodiments, for instance, the method includes obtaining a validation input associated with the computer aided design file, performing a validation of the computer aided design file based on the validation input, and displaying at least one result of the validation on the graphical user interface.
In some embodiments, for instance, the validation input includes an indication of at least one design constraint associated with the computer aided design file, and wherein displaying the at least one result includes indicating whether the computer aided design file abides by the at least one design constraint.
In some embodiments, for instance, the validation input includes an indication of at least one regulation associated with the computer aided design file, and wherein displaying the at least one result includes indicating whether the computer aided design file abides by the at least one regulation.
In some embodiments, for instance, obtaining the request for information includes obtaining a selection of image information associated with the component of the railway infrastructure, and wherein displaying on the graphical user interface the railway infrastructure information includes displaying at least one image of the component.
In some embodiments, for instance, displaying at least one image of the component includes displaying a video feed of a camera capturing the component.
In some embodiments, for instance, displaying the video feed of the camera capturing the component includes displaying a real-time video feed.
In some embodiments, for instance, displaying the video feed of the camera capturing the component includes adjusting a field of view of the camera in response to receiving the request for information.
In some embodiments, for instance, adjusting the field of view of the camera includes identifying the component within the field of view of the camera.
In some embodiments, for instance, identifying the component within the field of view of the camera includes identifying a unique code associated with the component within the field of view of the camera.
In some embodiments, for instance, obtaining the request for information includes obtaining a selection of security access information associated with the component of the railway infrastructure, and wherein displaying on the graphical user interface the railway infrastructure information includes displaying at least one security access log associated with the component.
In some embodiments, for instance, obtaining the request for information includes obtaining a selection of lighting information associated with the component of the railway infrastructure, and wherein displaying on the graphical user interface the railway infrastructure information includes displaying the lighting information.
In some embodiments, for instance, obtaining the request for information includes obtaining a selection of drainage information associated with the component of the railway infrastructure, and wherein displaying on the graphical user interface the railway infrastructure information includes displaying the drainage information.
In some embodiments, for instance, the method includes obtaining a simulation input associated with the component, performing a simulation of a response of the component based on the simulation input, and displaying at least one result of the simulation on the graphical user interface.
In some embodiments, for instance, the method includes obtaining a subsequent request for additional information via an additional graphical element displayed on the map interface, obtaining additional railway infrastructure information from the data repository based on the subsequent request, and displaying on the graphical user interface the additional railway infrastructure information
In some embodiments, for instance, obtaining the subsequent request includes obtaining one of a design request associated with the component of the railway infrastructure, a removal request associated with the component, and modification request associated with the component.
In some embodiments, for instance, obtaining the subsequent request includes obtaining the modification request, wherein the modification request is indicative of a change to a configuration of the component or a change of a location of the component.
In accordance with another broad aspect, there is provided a system for displaying railway infrastructure information. The system comprises a processor; and a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The non-transitory computer-readable medium has stored thereon computer-executable instructions which cause the processor to implement the method according to any of the preceding embodiments.
These aspects, embodiments, and features of the systems, devices, and methods described herein may be used in various combinations, in accordance with the examples described herein.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference is now made to the accompanying figures in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary rail management system, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for providing a railway infrastructure interface, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 3A is an exemplary railway infrastructure interface, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 3B is an exemplary railway infrastructure interface illustrating railway lines and station stops, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 3C is an exemplary railway infrastructure interface illustrating a topography of ground features, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 3D is an exemplary railway infrastructure interface illustrating utility information and ducts/conduits information, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 3E is an exemplary railway infrastructure interface illustrating a gradient profile, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 3F is an exemplary railway infrastructure interface illustrating an option to view a site photo, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 4A is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for displaying ground penetrating radar images, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 4B is an exemplary railway infrastructure interface for displaying ground penetrating radar images, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 5A is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for displaying information on a component of the railway infrastructure, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 5B is an exemplary railway infrastructure interface illustrating a bungalow, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 5C is an exemplary computer aided design interface illustrating a bungalow, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 5D is an exemplary list of electrical equipment of a bungalow, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 5E is an exemplary list of breakers and associated electrical equipment for each breaker, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 5F is an image of a breaker box associated with the list of breakers of FIG. 5E, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 5G is an example of arc flash information for a piece of equipment, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 5H is an example of available infrared information, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 5I is an exemplary computer aided design interface illustrating a breaker box and associated electrical equipment, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 5J is an exemplary computer aided design interface illustrating a field of view of a security camera in the bungalow of FIG. 5C, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 5K is an example of configuration information for a given security device, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 5L is an example of control information for a security controller, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 5M is an exemplary list of security devices controlled by a security controller, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 5N is an exemplary computer aided design interface illustrating a lighting plan of the bungalow of FIG. 5C, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 5O is an exemplary computer aided design interface illustrating a cable plan of the bungalow of FIG. 5C, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 5P is an exemplary computer aided design interface illustrating a HVAC plan, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 5Q an example of HVAC information for the HVAC plan of FIG. 5P, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 5R is an exemplary computer aided design interface illustrating a plumbing floor plan, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 5S is an exemplary computer aided design interface illustrating a plumbing floor plan with a specific valve turned off, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 5T is an exemplary computer aided design interface illustrating a plumbing floor plan displaying a primary and a secondary valve, in accordance with one or more embodiments; and

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary computing device for implementing the system of FIG. 1 and/or the methods of FIGS. 2, 4A and/or 5A, in accordance with one or more embodiments.

It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like features are identified by like reference numerals.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is generally drawn to computer-implemented railway management systems and related methods. The systems and methods described herein are generally directed to providing a graphical user interface (GUI) during a design, installation, maintenance and/or repair phase of railway infrastructure, for example. The GUI provides a map interface that data from at least one data repository may be displayed thereon.
With reference to FIG. 1 , there is illustrated a railway management system 100. A computing device 102 is configured to cause a GUI to be provided on a display device 122. The GUI may be provided in order to display a railway infrastructure interface that includes a map interface that allows for the viewing of a railway infrastructure. Railway infrastructure refers to one or more railways, railway equipment, components or devices associated with the operation of one or more railways and any other suitable aspects. A user may interact with the GUI via one or more input devices 124. For example, the user may interact with the GUI to request that data associated with one or more modules be displayed on the GUI. The display device 122 may be any suitable display device, for example, such as a cathode ray tube display screen, a light-emitting diode display screen, a liquid crystal display screen, a touch screen, or any other suitable display device. The input device(s) 124 may include one or more of a keyboard, a mouse, a touch pad, a joy stick, a light pen, a track ball, a touch screen, or any other suitable input device for interacting with the GUI. In embodiments where the display device 122 is a touch screen device, the input device(s) 124 include the display device 122.
In the illustrated embodiment, the computing device 102 communicates with another computing device 120 over one or more networks 110 to cause the GUI to be displayed on the display device 122, as the display device 122 and the input device 124 are connected to the computing device 120. The network(s) 110 may include a public network (e.g., the Internet) and/or a private network. The network(s) 110 may include one or more of a personal area networks (PAN), local area networks (LAN), mesh networks, metropolitan area networks (MAN), wide area networks (WAN), Wi-Fi networks, cellular networks and any other suitable networks. The computing devices 102, 104 may each be any suitable computing device, such as a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a mainframe, a server, a distributed computing system, a cloud computing system, a portable computing device, a mobile phone, a tablet, or the like. By way of example, the GUI may be provided via a web browser running on the computing device 120 (e.g., a laptop computer). The web browser may send queries to the computing device 102 (e.g., a server) and receive the information for display in the web browser from the computing device 102. In alternative embodiments, the network 110 and the computing devices 120 may be omitted, such that the display device 122 and/or the input device 124 are directly connected to the computing device 102. For example, the GUI may be provided via a software application running on the computing device 102.
The computing device 102 is configured to access at least one storage device 104 including at least one data repository having stored therein railway infrastructure information. The railway infrastructure information is indicative of the configuration of the railway infrastructure. The data repository may be distributed over multiple computing devices and/or storage devices. The data repository may include one or more databases including the railway infrastructure information. In other words, the railway infrastructure information may be stored in a common database or in one or more different databases. The computing device 102 may obtain railway infrastructure information based on the information provided by one or more requests via interactions with the GUI by the user. The data displayed on the GUI may be determined based on the obtained data from the storage device(s) 104 and/or the one or more requests.
The railway infrastructure information may vary depending on practical implementations. The railway infrastructure information may include one or more of: railway information; ground information; conduit information; cable information; utilities information; information regarding various devices, systems, equipment, etc. within and/or that are to be installed into the railway infrastructure; and any other suitable information. The railway information may include: railway position information; a railway alignment (e.g., grade and/or curve of the railway/terrain that will support the railway, gradient information for a given railway, etc.); a speed limit for a given railway; one or more of a mass of a given rail transit vehicle; an expected and/or maximum speed of a given rail transit vehicle; braking performance of a given rail transit vehicle; acceleration performance of a given rail transit vehicle; friction of a given rail transit vehicle; rolling resistance of a given rail transit vehicle; aerodynamics of a given rail transit vehicle; environmental conditions (e.g., ambient temperature, extreme weather parameters, etc.); a positioning of one or more wayside signals beside the railway, and any other suitable information. The ground information may include: ground topography information pertaining to shape and features of land surface; gradient information of a given railway; and any other suitable information. The conduit information may include: location information for one or more conduits, trough, and/or ducts; conduit compatibility information (e.g., which types of wires may be allows in a given conduit, trough or duct); the maximum capacity of a given conduit, trough or duct; the current fill percentage of a given conduit, trough or duct relative to the maximum capacity of the given conduit, trough or duct; and/or any other suitable information. The cable information may include one or more of: location information for one or more cables; information regarding a global cable route network featuring the one or more existing cable routes (e.g., the route of a given cable between two devices, the cable type, the cable size, etc.); lengths of cable route segments in the global cable route network; the number of cable connections between two devices; and any other suitable information. The railway infrastructure information may include other information such as: current information and historic information on the railway infrastructure and/or on one or more aspects thereof; standards information that the railway infrastructure is to abide by; information on utilities (e.g., power line, communication line, gas lines, water lines, electrical boxes or equipment, etc.) or structures (e.g., bungalows, railway stations, etc.) within and/or to be installed into the railway infrastructure; manuals and/or product information; user reports; computer aided design files; and map and/or imaging information (e.g., satellite images, aerial imaging, digital rendering, ground penetrating radar images, etc.).
With reference to FIG. 2 , there is shown a flowchart illustrating an example method 200 for providing a railway infrastructure interface. The method 200 may be implemented by the system 100 and/or the computing device(s) 102, 120 or by other systems. At step 202, a request to access a railway infrastructure interface is received. The request may be in the form of an authentication request, which may include a user identifier and a password, or equivalent to a password (key, touch identification, face recognition, etc). For example, a user may interact with a web browser running on the computing device 120 (e.g., a mobile phone) to authenticate to the computing device 102 (e.g., a cloud computing system). The computing device 102 would then grant access if the user has a valid account. By way of another example, the request may be in the form of selecting an application installed on the computing device 102 or 120 to run.
At step 204, the railway infrastructure interface is provided on the GUI. With additional reference to FIG. 3A, an example of a railway infrastructure interface 300 is illustrated. In this illustrated example, the railway infrastructure interface 300 includes a map interface 302 and a module selection interface 304. The map interface 302 may be a bird's eye view (e.g., satellite, imaging, aerial imaging, digital rendering, etc.) of an area. The map interface 302 may allow a user to set the area that is displayed. For example, the user may be able to select via the map interface 302 a specific city, longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates, etc. The user may be able to zoom in and/or zoom out of an area via the map interface 302. The module selection interface 304 is for selecting one or more modules and may be made visible on the railway infrastructure interface 300 upon request from the user. The module selection interface 304 may be provided by way of a sidebar overlaid on the map interface 302.
The functionality of railway infrastructure interface 300, and how the map interface 302 is presented, may depend on user credentials associated with a particular user's account. In some embodiments, different users may have restricted access to specific data in the data repository and/or restricted access to specific modules. For example, a user who is an electrician may be provided with electrician credentials, or otherwise have credentials associated with the electrician profession or role. Similarly, a user who is a plumber may be provided with plumber credentials, or credentials associated with the plumber role. Depending on their type of credentials or role, different users may have differing access to the various data in the data repository. For example, the electrician may have access to electrical plans and cable routing diagrams via the railway infrastructure interface 300, whereas the plumber may have access to plumbing plans and drainage diagrams. In some cases, the electrician may not have access to the plumbing plans and drainage diagrams, and similarly the plumber may not have access to the electrical plans. However, the user credentials may simply be used to set default view settings to hide irrelevant data.
By way of another example, an administrator (“admin”) user may have access to all of the data in the data repository and/or access to all of the available modules. The admin user may have the ability to control with data and/or modules a given user can access. The admin user may have the ability to add users to the railway management system. The admin user may have the ability to add additional data to the data repository and/or to add additional modules. In some cases, multiple different types of admin credentials may be provisioned, some with access to add data to and/or modify data of the data repository, whereas others have access to all the data stored in the data repository, but may not add or effect any changes thereto.
Referring back to FIG. 2 , at step 206, a selection of one or more modules is received. The selection may be made by the user selecting one or more of the modules available in the module selection interface 304. With additional reference to FIG. 3B, an example illustrates the selection of a rail corridor module and a subway line module. The selection of the module(s) may be made in any suitable manner. The selection of one or more modules may be made at any suitable time while the user interacts with the map interface 302. Alternatively, step 206 may be omitted, and the functionality of any one or more of the modules described herein may be provided without any module selection made by the user.
Referring back to FIG. 2 , at step 208, data is obtained from at least one data repository. The data obtained may be based on one or more of: the selection of the module(s), the access rights of the user, and the area of the map visible in the map interface 302. The data obtained may be based on any other interaction with the railway infrastructure interface 300 and/or the map interface 302.
At step 210, railway infrastructure information is displayed. The railway infrastructure information displayed is based on at least some of the data obtained at step 208. This is because, for example, some of the data obtained at step 208 may be later displayed upon further request by the user via the railway infrastructure interface 300, for instance via a separate dedicated graphical element associated with displaying the data. The railway infrastructure information may be displayed in the map interface 302 in the form of a graphical element representing one or more components of the railway infrastructure. As shown in the example of FIG. 3B, the railway infrastructure information displayed includes the railway lines and station stops for both a rail corridor and a subway, as the corresponding rail corridor and subway modules are selected. The displayed railway infrastructure information varies depending on practical implementations.
At step 212, one or more interactions are received. The interactions are with the railway infrastructure interface 300, which may include interactions with the map interface 302. The interactions may include the user selecting in the module selection interface 304 one or more options. For example, the user may be able to toggle the visibility of all or select ones of the station stops or the railways. The interactions may include a request for further information on one or more aspects of the railway infrastructure information displayed on the map interface 302. The user may select a graphical element that represents a component of the railway infrastructure and request further information on that component. For example, the user may be able to select a station stop or a section of the railway and request further information on that component. In some embodiments, the further information may be obtained from the data repository, as per step 208. The further information may be displayed on the map interface 302 and/or the railway infrastructure interface 300, as per step 210. This process may be repeated any suitable number of times. In some embodiments, the further information may already have been obtained and is simply made visible on the railway infrastructure interface 300 at step 212. The order of the steps may vary depending on practical implementations. For example, after step 204, steps 212 may be performed followed by step 208 and step 210.
The interactions with the railway infrastructure interface 300 at step 212 may vary depending on practical implementations. The interactions with the map interface 302 may be for one or more of: requesting further information on a component of the railway infrastructure; designing a component of the railway infrastructure; removing a component from the railway infrastructure; modifying a component of the railway infrastructure, for example, such as changing a configuration of the component, change a location of a component, etc.; and any other suitable interaction(s). The interactions with the map interface 302 may be for determining one or more cable routes. The interactions with the map interface 302 may be for calculation braking distances and/or determining wayside signal locations. Various other example interactions with the railway infrastructure interface 300 are further described herein.
With reference to FIGS. 3C and 3D, examples illustrate interactions with the railway infrastructure interface 300 for the display of ground features of the railway infrastructure. In these examples, the user has selected a design base data module that allows for the display of various design details of the railway infrastructure. More specifically, in the illustrated example of FIG. 3C, a topography of the ground features is selected for display in the map interface 302. In the illustrated example of FIG. 3D, utility information and cable routing information (e.g., information relating to ducts, conduits, and the like) are selected for display in the map interface 302.
Other example interactions are also considered. By way of one example, the railway infrastructure interface 300 can be used to display a graphical representation of properties owned by or accessible to a company or other entity which operates the railways, which may include various land ownership information. For instance, a map of a terrain can be presented via the railway infrastructure interface 300, which uses different colours, shading, or the like, to illustrate land or other properties depending on whether they are owned by the company, whether the land is licensed for use by the company, whether the land is owned by a third party, etc. This information could be complemented by permits, planning documents, zoning or rezoning data. This combination of information may be used by a user to create plans for future land use, for future construction projects, or the like, to confirm rights for use of land in forthcoming projects or other developments, to assess needs for land purchase or other rights acquisitions, or the like. In some embodiments, the railway infrastructure interface 300 may receive input from the user indicative of planned or proposed land use, which may be displayed concurrently with existing land use information, for instance to assist in the planning of future land use projects.
With reference to FIG. 3E, an example illustrates interactions with the railway infrastructure interface 300 for the display of a gradient profile of the railway infrastructure. In this example, a gradient profile option is selected and is overlaid on topographic features. The gradient provide corresponds to the three-dimensional geometry of a given section of the railway. The gradient profile may be useful in performing or assessing braking calculations.
With reference to FIG. 3F, an example illustrates interactions with the railway infrastructure interface 300 for a request to view a site photo. In this example, the user has selected the site photos module along with the design base data module. As illustrated, the user has selected a given site photo at a specific location. The user is able to view the site photo and any other information associated with the photo (e.g., the date and time stamp, the coordinate location of the photo, etc.). The site photo may have been uploaded by a user on site that has access to the railway management system described herein. For example, the user may have logged into the railway management system with his/her mobile device (e.g., phone) to upload the photo. The photo may be associated with location information (e.g., GPS position information obtained at the time the photo was captured and stored with the photo). The photo may be automatically uploaded and/or automatically displayed on the map interface 302 based on the location information.
In some embodiments, various site photos may be stored within the storage device 104 without being categorized or otherwise associated with particular sites. For instance, photos may be uploaded without any GPS position information, or with GPS position information insufficient for associating with a particular asset of piece of equipment, though in many instances the site photos include GPS information to assist in placing the assets in the appropriate location. In some such embodiments, the railway infrastructure interface 300 may prompt a user to associate photos, which are not already associated, with existing infrastructure or assets known to be located at the location identified by the GPS position information. In some cases, the user may be able to provide input relating to additional infrastructure or assets which are not listed via the railway infrastructure interface 300, and associate one or more photos therewith.
In some embodiments, the railway infrastructure interface 300 may present a list of infrastructure or assets known to be at a particular location and one or more unassigned photos, and prompt the user to associate the unassigned photos with infrastructure and/or assets of the list. In some cases, the list may be based on pre-established lists of equipment furnished at the location during an installation process, during a refurbishing process, during an upgrade or renovating process, or the like. The railway infrastructure interface 300 may also suggest certain associations, based on analysis of the photos, using any suitable image processing technique. In some embodiments, various infrastructure or assets may be provided with unique identifiers or codes, such as bar codes, QR codes, or the like, which may be identified as part of the image processing. The railway infrastructure interface 300 may then suggest that one or more photos be associated with a particular infrastructure element or asset based on the unique identifiers of the particular infrastructure element or asset. Moreover, the unique identifiers may be placed on site on the various assets, to facilitate their identification via the railway management system 100.
In some embodiments, the railway infrastructure interface 300 may display a three-dimensional visualization of a specific location. The three-dimensional visualization may be produced based on the site photos stored in the storage device 104, or may be a separate data element stored within the storage device 104. For instance, the railway infrastructure interface 300 may present an interactive GUI element which initiates the three-dimensional visualization. Once the three-dimensional visualization is initiated, the user may control the position, orientation, and magnification of the images displayed via the railway infrastructure interface 300 by interacting with the GUI, or using any other suitable control device. In some cases, the three-dimensional visualization may allow for an interactive, virtual walkthrough of a specific location. The walkthrough may be predetermined, for instance from a predetermined entrance point throughout the location. In some cases, the walkthrough may also, or alternatively, be controllable by the user, for instance via the railway infrastructure interface 300. In some embodiments, the virtual walkthrough may allow the user to move from one location to the next, for instance from an electrical bungalow to an installation adjacent thereto, or from one section of a railway track to another, via user input. The railway infrastructure interface 300 may display to the user a current location of the virtual walkthrough, and may indicate one or more adjacent locations to which the user may move via interactive GUI elements.
With reference to FIG. 4A, a flowchart illustrates an example method 400 for displaying ground penetrating radar (GPR) images. The method 400 may be performed as part of step 212 of the method 200. At step 402, a request is received for the display of GPR information for an area. Step 402 may be performed after the user selects a GPR module, as per step 206. With further reference to FIG. 4B, the user may interact with the map interface 302 to find an area 420 that the user desires to view GPR images 430 thereof and then makes the request. The request may be made by the user selecting a depth slider 410 for viewing the GPR images at various depths. The depth slider 410 may be selected via a tools menu 440 displayed on the map interface 302.
Referring back to FIG. 4A, at step 404, the GPR images 430 for the selected area 420 are obtained from the data repository. The GPR images 430 may be obtained from the data repository based on the selected area 420. At step 406, the GPR images 430 are displayed on the map interface 302. The GPR images 430 are displayed to indicate what is present underground at different depths. The GPR images 430 may be displayed via the depth slider 410. As shown in FIG. 4B, the depth slider 410 may be used to view a GPR image at a given depth. For example, the user may adjust a slider control element displayed on the depth slider 410 and the GPR image and a corresponding depth for the image are displayed. By way of another example, the user may select a play option and the depth slider may cycle through the display of a plurality of GPR images 430 at a timed interval. Alternatively, the depth slider may automatically cycle through the plurality of GPR images 430 without any request made by the user. The user may be able to select a starting depth and an end depth for the display of the GPR images 430. In other examples, the user may be able to step forward or backwards through the GPR images 430.
The user may be able to select that the GPR images 430 are overlaid on one or more components of the railway infrastructure, or vice versa. For example, the user may be able to select the display of utility information on the map interface 402. Accordingly, the GPR images 430 may be overlaid on the graphic elements representing the utility information (e.g., utility lines). This may allow for the user to confirm that the data in the repository for the utilities is valid and/or to identify any possible issues. In some embodiments, the computing device 102 (or 120) may compare the GPR images 430 to the railway infrastructure information for a given component (e.g., a utility line) to confirm that the data is valid for that component and/or to alert the user of any possible issues (e.g., the depth data for the utility line does not correspond to the depth indicated by a GPR image).
In some embodiments, the method 400 may be used for displaying other types of images. The request at step 402 may thus be a request to display other types of images, including images of geomatics data, which may include one or more of flood plain data, soil conditioning data, or the like. In some cases, the geomatics data is obtained via geomatics studies, which may include GPR imaging, and may be displayed for a selected area via the map interface 302. In some cases, one or more of the slider positions of the depth slider may be associated various geomatics data available to the storage device 104. For instance, the soil conditioning data may be associated with a highest layer of the depth slider (which may be a first position of the depth slider).
In some other embodiments, the GPR images, which may be stored in the storage device 104, may include different sets of GPR images obtained at different times. For instance, GPR images may be acquired periodically via a GPR sensor, and the storage device 104 may store different sets of GPR images associated with different acquisition dates. In some embodiments, the depth slider 410 may have a dropdown menu or similar interactive element which the user can use to select different sets of GPR images. In some other embodiments, the depth slider 410 may be one of a plurality of sliders, with a first slider being the depth slider 410, and a second slider being a time or date slider, via which the user may move through different sets of GPR images obtained at different times.
With reference to FIG. 5A, a flowchart illustrates an example method 500 for displaying information on a component illustrated in the map interface 302. The method 500 may be performed as part of step 212, step 208 and/or step 210 of the method 200. At step 502, a request is received for information on a component illustrated in the map interface 302. The request may be received as part of step 212. The request may be received by the user finding a graphical element representing a component of the railway infrastructure, selecting the graphical element and then requesting further information of the graphical element. The request may be for viewing one or more CAD files, REVIT files, or the like associated with the component.
At step 504, the information for the component is obtained. The information on the component may be obtained from the data repository, as per step 208. Alternatively, the information for the component may have already been obtained at the time of execution of the method 500. In some embodiments, obtaining the information includes obtaining one or more CAD files from the data repository.
At step 506, the information on the component is displayed. In some embodiments, displaying the information on the component includes providing a computer aided design (CAD) interface via the GUI. The CAD interface may be part of the railway infrastructure interface 300 or may be a separate interface. The CAD interface may be used to access one or more CAD files associated with component that information is requested thereof.
With further reference to FIG. 5B, the user may interact with the map interface 302 to find a bungalow 550 regarding which the user wishes to obtain further information. As illustrated, the bungalow 550 includes an electrical bungalow 552 and a signal bungalow 554. In this example the user has selected the electrical bungalow 552 and an information box displayed on the railway infrastructure interface 300 displays identification information for the component and the option to request further information. The user may then select the option for further information.
With additional reference to FIG. 5C, an example of a CAD interface 580 is shown. The CAD interface 580 may be interactive allowing the user to view, modify, move, remove and/or add one or more components displayed in the CAD interface 580. In the example illustrated in FIG. 5C, the electrical bungalow 552 is illustrated along with the various components (e.g., electrical equipment) of the electrical bungalow 552. The components illustrated may correspond to any of: an electrical box, an automatic transfer switch, a contractor, a disconnector, a distribution panel, a lighting panel, a manual transfer switch, a motor control center, a power panel, a splitter, a substation, a transformer, an uninterrupted power supply and the like. The user may be able to view a listing of the electrical equipment of the electrical bungalow 552, for example, as is shown in FIG. 5D. Links may be provided to manuals and/or product information, photographs, certificates, warranties, data sheets, manuals, reports and/or the like for one or more of electrical equipment listed. Accordingly, links may be provided, as part of the railway infrastructure interface, map interface, and/or the CAD interface, to manuals and/or product information for any suitable component of the railway infrastructure. The user may be able to add a user report (e.g., a maintenance report) on one or more of the one or more of electrical equipment. Accordingly, an option may be provided, as part of the railway infrastructure interface, map interface, and/or the CAD interface, for the user to add a user report on any suitable component of the railway infrastructure.
In some embodiments, one or more of the piece of equipment may be linked to computerized maintenance management software in order to obtain maintenance and/or work order history for a selected piece of equipment. The user may be able to select a specific breaker box and request a listing of the breakers and associated electrical equipment for each breaker, for example, as is shown in FIG. 5E. The user may also be able to request a photo of the breaker box and the corresponding breakers, for example, as is shown in FIG. 5F. The user may be able to obtain arc flash information for a piece of equipment, for example, as is shown in FIG. 5G. The arc flash information may be displayed via the interface 300 and used for operation and maintenance purposes, for example, so the user working on the equipment may know what precautions to take to minimize arc flash or injuries from arc flash. One or more an arc flash study reports may be available for the user to download, for example, if the user would like to be able to view the whole report. The user may be able to upload and/or view infrared scan information via the interface 300, for example, as is illustrated in FIG. 5H. The infrared scan information may be uploaded for operation and maintenance purposes in order for a user to determine which electrical equipment may need to be fixed due to hot spots and/or to determine if it is worthwhile to continue to fix issues or to replace the equipment.
In some embodiments, the railway infrastructure interface 300 may also present one or more lists of maintenance tasks to be performed, which may be obtained from the computerized maintenance management software. For instance, the railway infrastructure interface 300 may receive input from a user regarding various maintenance tasks to be performed, or may obtain indications of maintenance tasks from a separate computing device via the computerized maintenance management software. The railway infrastructure interface 300 may then present the list(s) of maintenance tasks to the user, and may allow the user to select particular tasks to be performed. Selected maintenance tasks may be associated with the user, for instance via their user credentials, and the railway infrastructure interface 300 may communicate information relating thereto to the computerized maintenance management software. When a user selects a particular maintenance task, the railway infrastructure interface 300 may present one or more links or graphical elements displaying operations to be performed as part of the maintenance task, references for how the maintenance task should be carried out (e.g. videos and/or images of the maintenance task being performed), or other relevant information. The user may later indicate that the maintenance task is complete, and the list of maintenance tasks may be updated accordingly.
In some embodiments, the lists of maintenance tasks presented by railway infrastructure interface 300 may include estimates of an amount of work, or other workforce measurement, required to address the maintenance task. The list of maintenance tasks may also include an inventory of parts required for maintenance task, to ensure that materials are available prior to scheduled maintenance and/or to provide a list of materials or prepackaged materials required by a maintenance worker to complete a task. The estimate may be previously stored in the storage device 104, or may be determined in real-time when a particular list of maintenance tasks is requested to be presented. In some other embodiments, the list of maintenance tasks may be automatically populated in response to estimations of particular expected maintenance tasks, and when the expected maintenance tasks are likely to be needed. For instance, the computing device 102 (or any other suitable device) may estimate that a particular repair of a rail line need to be completed every 6 months. The list of maintenance tasks may therefore be provisioned with one or more maintenance tasks relating to repairing rail lines in a particular fashion every 6 months. This process may be performed substantially in real-time, as new repair tasks are estimated, or may be performed in response to a user input requesting that new expected maintenance tasks be estimated.
With reference to FIG. 5I, an example illustrates a signal line diagram of cables from an breaker box to corresponding equipment, as provided by the CAD interface 580. The user may be able to toggle on/off the visibility of one or more of the cables to the breaker box. The visibility of various components in the CAD interface 580 may be controlled by controlling the visibility of one or more layers of a CAD file being displayed in the CAD interface 580. The user may be able to select a main disconnect and all the equipment affected if the main disconnect is turned off. For example, this may be useful during maintenance, as the user may be able to see where to lockout or de-energize the equipment before commencing work.
With reference to FIG. 5J, an example illustrates the CAD interface 580 showing a field of view of a security camera in the electrical bungalow 552. Accordingly, the methods and systems described herein may allow for a field of view of one or more security cameras of the railway infrastructure to be displayed in the railway infrastructure interface 300, for instance as part of closed-circuit television. The video feed of a given security camera may be displayed in real-time via the railway infrastructure interface 300. The user may be able to interact with the railway infrastructure interface 300 to remotely control in real-time the positioning of the security camera (e.g., tilt, pan, roll position). The user may request access to product information for one or more components illustrated in the CAD interface 580. For example, the user may request for product information on a card reader used for controlling entry access to the electrical bungalow 552. The user may be able to interact with the railway infrastructure interface 300 to request access logs for the card reader and/or to adjust the access control. Accordingly, the railway infrastructure interface 300 may provide the option to remotely control devices or equipment of the railway infrastructure. The user may be able to view via the interface 300 configuration information for a given security device (e.g., a card reader), such as shown in FIG. 5K. The user may be able to view via the interface 300 controller information for a security controller that controls one or more security devices, for example, such as shown in FIG. 5L. The user may be able to view via the interface 300 a list of security devices controlled by the security controller, for example, such as shown in FIG. 5M.
With reference to FIG. 5N, an example illustrates the CAD interface 580 showing a lighting plan for the electrical bungalow 552. The lighting plan illustrates the location of the lighting fixtures in the electrical bungalow 552 and the fixture types. The user may be able request a light performance report for the electrical bungalow 552. The user may be able to compare the physical bungalow to the bungalow design shown in the CAD interface 580 to confirm that the physical bungalow corresponds to the design or to identify any design changes, which the user may then input into the CAD interface 580 to update the design. The railway infrastructure interface 300 may allow for a user to request a design check. Alternatively, the design check may be automatically performed. The results of the design check may be displayed on the railway infrastructure interface 300, which may include the display of alerts of any mismatch or invalid information. Lighting information displayed on the interface 300 may link back to the electrical panel breaker information, for example, to allow the user to know which panel and breaker supplies electricity to which light fixture.
With reference to FIG. 5O, an example illustrates the CAD interface 580 showing a cable plan for the electrical bungalow 552. In this example, the cable plan illustrates the cable entry closets and the cable trays.
With reference to FIG. 5P, an example illustrates the CAD interface 580 showing a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) plan. For the displayed HVAC plan, supply, exhaust and/or return ductwork may be hyperlinked to data associated with an air handling unit or fan that provides air for diffusers, grilles, or any other suitable component. The HVAC plan may also store information on other departments and/or other floors that are supplied by the same air handling units and/or the HVAC plan may identify other air handling units that supply the same zones. This HVAC information on the other departments and floors that are supplied by the same air handling units and other air handling units that supply the same zones may be displayed on the interface 300, for example, such as shown in FIG. 5Q. The HVAC information may also be monitored by the computerized maintenance management software of the railway infrastructure interface 300. For example, recurring maintenance tasks associated to HVAC may include filter changes, duct cleaning, refrigerant level verifications, fan maintenance, among other tasks.
With reference to FIG. 5R, an example illustrates the CAD interface 580 showing a plumbing floor plan. For plumbing, drainage and/or heating/cooling piping, valves may be hyperlinked to data associated with the specific system and/or sub-system that the valve is on. Additional data may be customized depending on practical implementations. For instance, various drainage characteristics associated with drainage gradients and/or other suitable factors may be presented via the plumbing floor plan. Flood plains may be associated to given existing drainage assets, such as existing drains, pumps, culverts, sewers, etc, to enable a diagnosis of equipment failure in the event of floods. The railway infrastructure interface 300 may also be configured for displaying various draining simulations based on the drainage gradients, as well as based on known locations for sump pumps, culverts, and the like. In some embodiments, the draining simulations may allow for estimation or prediction of pump failure, drain blockage, or the like, based on real-time acquired drainage data. Results of draining simulations may be presented by the railway infrastructure interface 300, for instance as part of the CAD interface 580. The drainage simulation may also be interactive: a user may simulate the deactivation or failure of particular pumps, the blockage of drains or culverts, or the like, and resulting simulation conclusions may be presented to the user. This may assist in the development or planning of new drainage systems. In some cases, the user may be able to simulate the response of a drainage system which includes failed existing pumps, blocked existing drains, and the like, as well as one or more additional drainage elements (pumps, culverts, etc.). Resulting simulation data may also be presented via the railway infrastructure interface 300. Various other predictive modelling operations may be performed, for instance to assess how a drainage system would respond to increased incoming water, failure of various components, or the like.
With reference to FIG. 5S, an example illustrates the CAD interface 580 showing the plumbing floor plan when a specific value is turned off. The displayed plumbing floor plan may be configured to allow a user to be able to see what is affected down the line if a specific valve is turned off selecting a given valve (e.g., by clicking on the valve name in a list). When a given valve is select this may result in everything downstream that would be affected by the given valve being turned off being identified (e.g., highlighted).
With reference to FIG. 5T, an example illustrates the CAD interface 580 showing the plumbing floor plan illustrating a primary and a secondary valve. For example, for emergency response scenarios, such as a flood, the user may be able to select a room number (e.g., from a drop down list) via the interface 300, and a list of all the primary and secondary valves that isolate the piping that goes through that specific room may be displayed. When the user selects (e.g., clicks) on the valve number it may zooms into the exact location of where that valve is on the CAD interface 580.
Any reference to the railway infrastructure interface 300 described herein may correspond to the map interface 302 and/or the CAD interface 580, and vice versa, as the map interface 302 and/or the CAD interface 580 may be provided as part of or via the railway infrastructure interface 300.
In some embodiments, proposed or planned additions to a particular railway system—which may include proposed additions of drainage systems or elements, electrical systems or elements, mechanical systems or elements, buildings, any combination thereof, or the like—may be determined, at least in part, based on one or validation processes. In one example, a design validation can be performed on one or more possible cable routes to determine whether the possible cable routes meet certain design constraints—cable routing being used as an example among others, with other examples including plumbing and drainage systems, telecommunications equipment, etc. In some cases, those of the possible cable routes which do not pass the design validation are not displayed via the GUI, or are highlighted or otherwise indicated as not passing the design validation via the GUI. In some embodiments, possible cable routes which do not pass the design validation are indicated with a reason as to why the possible cable route does not pass design validation. The design validation may include verifying various design constraints, including whether the possible cable routes exhibit any discontinuities, whether the possible cable routes clash with existing infrastructure, such as existing cables, or the like, whether the cables could be exposed to interference from equipment or other cables. For instance, if cables are associated to telecommunications, some spacing may be required between the cable and the existing infrastructure elements. In another example, a design validation can be performed on one or more possible electrical bungalows. The design validation may include verifying whether the proposed locations for the electrical bungalows are located on land which belongs to, or is licensed for use by, the entity operating the railway system, or whether the proposed locations overlap with existing buildings, or with already-established plans for as-of-yet unfinished buildings.
The design validation may use drawings or other representations of the proposed or planned additions (e.g. CAD drawings) to compare with existing known infrastructure elements. When a proposed or planned addition is identified as clashing or otherwise not being compatible with existing infrastructure elements, the possible cable route may not be validated and therefore not presented via the GUI, or may be identified as being rejected with an explanation for the rejection. Alternatively, or in addition, the railway infrastructure interface 300 may present incompatible proposed or planned additions in a particular fashion, for instance via a highlighting or different colouring, to indicate that the proposed or planned addition is incompatible.
By way of another example, a regulatory validation can be performed on one or more proposed or planned additions. The regulatory validation may include evaluating, based on drawings or other representations of the proposed or planned additions (e.g. CAD drawings), whether the proposed or planned additions comply with established regulations (e.g., code) in effect in a particular jurisdiction. For instance, local building regulations may require a certain amount of spacing between electrical bungalows, and an evaluation of whether different proposed or planned additions meet the spacing requirement is performed. In another instance, the possible cable routes may be evaluated against established regulations regarding clearance for locating cables overhead of a railway. In another instance, the possible cable routes may be evaluated against established regulations regarding capacity limits for adjacent cables.
In some embodiments, the GUI may be used to present various information about whether or not different proposed or planned additions pass the above-mentioned validations. For example, after a user selects a particular planned electrical bungalow using the GUI, the selected electrical bungalow can be subjected to the design validation and/or the regulatory validation. The GUI may then be used to present results of the validation processes to the user. In the event that the selected electrical bungalow does not meet the design and/or regulatory requirements used as part of the validation processes, the user may be notified, and prompted to select a different possible planned electrical bungalow.
It should be appreciated that the systems and methods described herein may allow for the display of any suitable railway infrastructure information. The information displayed may be real-time information (e.g., from camera(s), sensor(s), alarm(s), a given rail transit vehicle operating on a given railway, etc.), may be up-to-date information stored in the data repository, and/or historic information stored in the data repository. The systems and methods described herein may allow for the control in real-time of one or more components of the railway infrastructure.
In some embodiments, the real-time control of components of the railway infrastructure may be based, at least in part, on a distributed camera system, for example a closed-circuit television (CCTV) system. The distributed camera system may include one or more of the security cameras illustrated in FIG. 5J, which may be located at any suitable location throughout the railway infrastructure. The security cameras may be any suitable type of camera, and may be connected to a central control system, or to various satellite control systems which are then connected to a central control system. Video information, for instance in the form of one or more video feeds obtained by the distributed camera system, may be presented via the railway infrastructure interface 300. For instance, a user may navigate to a particular location of the railway infrastructure system and select a particular security camera, which prompts a video feed obtained by the security camera to be displayed via a GUI of the railway infrastructure interface 300. Other approaches are also considered.
The video information collected by the distributed camera system may be used to perform real-time monitoring of equipment, buildings, and other assets of the railway infrastructure. For example, a particular security camera looking over a section of railway track may be used to remotely view and assess the condition of the track, or of a nearby platform. The GUI of the railway infrastructure interface 300 may allow the user to alter a field of view of the security camera, for instance to pan, tilt, and/or zoom the field of view of the camera, for instance to better visualize a particular area of interest. By way of another example, a user may select a particular asset and request to remotely view the asset in question via the railway infrastructure interface 300. The railway infrastructure interface 300 may automatically request a video feed from a nearby or otherwise associated security camera, and automatically change the field of view of the camera to visualize the particular asset, or an expected location of the particular asset. In this fashion, the user can be presented with a view of the asset without needing to manually alter the field of view of the camera, and without needing to know where the asset is expected to be located, and may determine whether the asset is at the expected location or not. The distributed camera system may also be used to capture images of various assets and other infrastructure, which may be stored in the storage device 104 in any suitable fashion.
In some embodiments, assets may be provisioned with unique codes or other identifiers, for instance via a barcode, QR code, or other similar visual code affixed to the assets. When a user visualizes a particular asset via the distributed camera system, or through on site evaluation, the railway infrastructure interface 300 or staff may identify the presence of a unique code on the asset, and identify the nature of the asset based thereon. The railway infrastructure interface 300 may then present to the user an indication of the nature of the asset, which may include the unique code, the name, make, and/or model of the asset, and the like. The railway infrastructure interface 300 may also present one or more interactive GUI elements via which the user can access information about the asset in question, including an operator's manual, training materials, specification documents, and the like. In some embodiments, the unique codes may also be acquired via a camera or other imaging element of the computing device 120. For instance, a user may scan the barcode of a particular asset via a camera of the computing device 120. Responsive thereto, the railway infrastructure interface 300 may present information about the asset obtained via the computing device 102, and allow the user to access other resources relating to the device, including the operator's manual, training materials, specification documents, and the like.
In some embodiments, one or more security cameras may be temporarily deployed at particular locations. For instance, during a maintenance or construction operation, one or more security cameras may be deployed within or near the site of the operation, in order to remotely view the operation. Temporary security cameras may also be deployed to known problematic areas, for instance areas where maintenance is expected to be needed, or where potential breakdowns or failure events are expected to occur. For instance, an open air construction site may be expected to experience more failure events than a closed construction site. As a result, one or more temporary security cameras may be deployed to the open air construction site, in order to facilitate monitoring of the construction site in question. In some embodiments, the railway infrastructure interface 300 may suggest to an operator that one or more temporary security cameras be deployed to a particular location. For instance, if a user indicates that a particular maintenance task is going to be undertaken at the particular location, the railway infrastructure interface 300 may associate the maintenance task with the user, for instance via their credentials, and may additionally recommend to the user that a number of security cameras be temporarily deployed. In some embodiments, the railway infrastructure interface 300 may automatically request the deployment of one or more security cameras responsive to a particular user indicating that a maintenance task will be undertaken, for instance as a separate maintenance task added to a list of maintenance tasks, or responsive to a particular maintenance task being entered and added to a list of maintenance tasks.
With reference to FIG. 6 , the method(s) 200, 400, and/or 500 may be implemented by a computing device 610, including a processing unit 612 and a memory 614 which has stored therein computer-executable instructions 616. The computing devices 102, 120 may be implemented according to the computing device 610. The processing unit 612 may include any suitable devices configured to implement the method(s) 200, 400, and/or 500 such that instructions 616, when executed by the computing device 610 or other programmable apparatus, may cause the functions/acts/steps performed as part of the method(s) as described herein to be executed. The processing unit 612 may include, for example, any type of general-purpose microprocessor or microcontroller, a digital signal processing (DSP) processor, a central processing unit (CPU), an integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a reconfigurable processor, other suitably programmed or programmable logic circuits, or any combination thereof.
The memory 614 may include any suitable known or other machine-readable storage medium. The memory 614 may include non-transitory computer readable storage medium, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. The memory 614 may include a suitable combination of any type of computer memory that is located either internally or externally to device, for example random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), compact disc read-only memory (CDROM), electro-optical memory, magneto-optical memory, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), and electrically-erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), Ferroelectric RAM (FRAM) or the like. Memory 614 may include any storage means (e.g., devices) suitable for retrievably storing machine-readable instructions 616 executable by processing unit 612.
The methods and systems described herein may be implemented in a high level procedural or object oriented programming or scripting language, or a combination thereof, to communicate with or assist in the operation of a computer system, for example the computing device 610. Alternatively, the methods and systems described herein may be implemented in assembly or machine language. The language may be a compiled or interpreted language. Program code for implementing the methods and systems described herein may be stored on a storage media or a device, for example a ROM, a magnetic disk, an optical disc, a flash drive, or any other suitable storage media or device. The program code may be readable by a general or special-purpose programmable computer for configuring and operating the computer when the storage media or device is read by the computer to perform the procedures described herein. Embodiments of the methods and systems described herein may also be considered to be implemented by way of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon. The computer program may include computer-readable instructions which cause a computer, or in some embodiments the processing unit 612 of the computing device 610, to operate in a specific and predefined manner to perform the functions described herein.
Computer-executable instructions may be in many forms, including program modules, executed by one or more computers or other devices. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Typically the functionality of the program modules may be combined or distributed as desired in various embodiments.
The above description is meant to be exemplary only, and one skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made to the embodiments described without departing from the scope of the invention disclosed. Still other modifications which fall within the scope of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, in light of a review of this disclosure.
Various aspects of the methods and systems described herein may be used alone, in combination, or in a variety of arrangements not specifically discussed in the embodiments described in the foregoing and is therefore not limited in its application to the details and arrangement of components set forth in the foregoing description or illustrated in the drawings. For example, aspects described in one embodiment may be combined in any manner with aspects described in other embodiments. Although particular embodiments have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects. The scope of the following claims should not be limited by the embodiments set forth in the examples, but should be given the broadest reasonable interpretation consistent with the description as a whole.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for displaying railway infrastructure information, the method comprising:

providing a graphical user interface including a map interface of a railway infrastructure;

obtaining a request for information via a graphical element displayed on the map interface, the graphical element corresponding to a component of the railway infrastructure;

obtaining railway infrastructure information from a data repository based on the request; and

displaying on the graphical user interface the railway infrastructure information.

2. The method of claim 1, including obtaining user credentials via a login screen, the user credentials associated with a particular user of the graphical user interface, and responsive to obtaining the request for the information, verifying whether the user is authorized to access the information based at least in part on the user credentials.

3.-4. (canceled)

5. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the railway infrastructure information is performed responsive to a request to display the railway infrastructure information via a separate graphical element.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the request for information includes obtaining a selection of a rail corridor module or a subway line module.

7. (canceled)

8. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the request for information includes obtaining a selection of a topography of ground features associated with the component of the railway infrastructure, and wherein displaying on the graphical user interface the railway infrastructure information includes displaying the topography of ground features.

9. (canceled)

10. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the request for information includes obtaining a selection of utility information associated with the component of the railway infrastructure, and wherein displaying on the graphical user interface the railway infrastructure information includes displaying the utility information.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the request for information includes obtaining a selection of ventilation information associated with the component of the railway infrastructure, and wherein displaying on the graphical user interface the railway infrastructure information includes displaying the ventilation information.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the request for information includes obtaining a selection of land ownership information associated with the component of the railway infrastructure, and wherein displaying on the graphical user interface the railway infrastructure information includes displaying the land ownership information.

13. (canceled)

14. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the request for information includes obtaining a selection of site photo information associated with the component of the railway infrastructure, and wherein displaying on the graphical user interface the railway infrastructure information includes displaying at least one site photo associated with the component.

15.-18. (canceled)

19. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the request for information includes obtaining a selection of three-dimensional visualization information associated with the component of the railway infrastructure, and wherein displaying on the graphical user interface the railway infrastructure information includes displaying a three-dimensional visualization associated with the component.

20. (canceled)

21. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the request for information includes obtaining a selection of ground penetrating radar information associated with the component of the railway infrastructure, and wherein displaying on the graphical user interface the railway infrastructure information includes displaying the ground penetrating radar information.

22.-23. (canceled)

24. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the request for information includes obtaining a selection of geomatics information associated with the component of the railway infrastructure, and wherein displaying on the graphical user interface the railway infrastructure information includes displaying the geomatics information.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the request for information includes obtaining a selection of maintenance information associated with the component of the railway infrastructure, and wherein displaying on the graphical user interface the railway infrastructure information includes displaying a list of maintenance tasks.

26.-29. (canceled)

30. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the railway infrastructure information includes displaying a computer aided design file associated with the component of the railway infrastructure in a computer aided design interface.

31.-35. (canceled)

36. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the request for information includes obtaining a selection of image information associated with the component of the railway infrastructure, and wherein displaying on the graphical user interface the railway infrastructure information includes displaying at least one image of the component.

37.-41. (canceled)

42. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the request for information includes obtaining a selection of security access information associated with the component of the railway infrastructure, and wherein displaying on the graphical user interface the railway infrastructure information includes displaying at least one security access log associated with the component.

43. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the request for information includes obtaining a selection of lighting information associated with the component of the railway infrastructure, and wherein displaying on the graphical user interface the railway infrastructure information includes displaying the lighting information.

44. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the request for information includes obtaining a selection of drainage information associated with the component of the railway infrastructure, and wherein displaying on the graphical user interface the railway infrastructure information includes displaying the drainage information.

45. The method of claim 1, including obtaining a simulation input associated with the component, performing a simulation of a response of the component based on the simulation input, and displaying at least one result of the simulation on the graphical user interface.

46. The method of claim 1, including obtaining a subsequent request for additional information via an additional graphical element displayed on the map interface, obtaining additional railway infrastructure information from the data repository based on the subsequent request, and displaying on the graphical user interface the additional railway infrastructure information

47.-49. (canceled)