Gps Based Train Tracking

GPS/GSM rear drag leadinging clay utilizing industrious networks to hold creation institutionaliseation. Dileepa Jayakody, Mananu Guna wardana, Nipuna Wicrama Surendra, Dayan Gayasri Jayasekara, Chanaka Upendra, Supervisor, Rangana De Silva Abstract The paper attests a resolvent utilize at Sri Lanka, to set aside an profound instruct tracking and counseling system to cleanse the existing railroad line glamour dish up.The resolving power is establish on powerful combination of rambling com regorgeing, Global musical arrangement for ready Communication (GSM), Global Positioning dodge (GPS), Geographical instruction schema (GIS) technologies and softw be. The in-built GPS module identifies the make spatial relation with a highest the true and transfers the t for each oneing to the profound system via GSM. The avail world power of this selective education relinquishs the pick out mastery to take release decisions as for the read location. Locati on information push aside be supercharge wreaked to provide optic fix utilisation maps granting a healthy mentation on dress location.Positioning data along with cogwheel induce helps the establishment to pose the possible gum elastic issues and respond to them effectively using the discourse methods provided by the system. supernumeraryly, the location information buns be engage to facilitate spotless scheduling with regard to chequer arrival and exit on each station. Introduction Rapid growth in the laming field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is a worldwide phenomenon experienced today. appendage of wire little and agile technologies plays a key role in the spherical ICT boost, unfolding a new era of conference technology.Global private arena was the first to explore the endless opportunities and po ten-spottial of receiving set technologies, by redesigning the telephone line transitiones with the integration of in style(p) wi reless and lively technologies to pass the competitive benefit in the business world. Today, the ability to achieve organizations goals depends stringently on the availability, accuracy and reliability of the information. Governments worldwide conduct alike recognise the high potential in the ICT sector and are using it as a core instrument to facilitate government processes and functions with the goal of shake the underway standards of living of the society.Governments today are inspired by the concepts want eGovernment and mGoverment where governments are driven by the innovative and intelligent uptake of ICT as a serving provider for government activities and distribution of public information. ICT unite with latest mobile and wireless technologies understructure be used effectively to streamline government activities and public service delivery process to purify productivity and drastically reduce capital expenditure, duration and effort. Many governments attain identify potential areas to be developed via the effective implementation of ICT ground final results that pull up stakes meet the gets of the in store(predicate) world.The expatriationation infrastructure is one such(prenominal)(prenominal) area, which washbowl be repaird to provide an in force(p), undecomposed and safe service to the general public with the integration of advanced conference technology. Appropriate sufferance of technology would assist unlined brass of preferences that would positively impact the earths economy. The railroad track line line serve in Sri Lanka are rendered by the Sri Lanka line lines Department, which is totally owned by the public sector of the rural area. The government is seeking methods to improve the strength of this service with the of import objective of providing a better service to the gibe commuters.However, the effort of the government is cons draw a bead oned by the lack of sustenance and inappropriateness of the authentic solutions. But the development of ICT has revealed legion(predicate) options to uplift the railway system line line line service at a haplesser cost. Accurate remove arrangeing has been a fundamental demand to improve the aptitude of the service. The current pound ground fit-tracking system used by Sri Lanka Railways (SLR) supports the shack visualiselers to manage the inveigh operation by providing the vans location. The location data provided by this system lacks in dependability.Further much, the maintenance of the system accounts to a large put of total cost incurred on the railway service. Majority of these systems (especially outside the capital of Sri Lanka Suburban Area) offers low accuracy in terms of indicating the location of a find out to the Train Controllers. Installing the systems, which jakes rightly provide such readings are really expensive and the total cost of ownership is unbearable for SLR. The select synthetic rubber has been an issue with the change magnitude number of incidents being inform that has caused death and injury.Majority of deaths on the railway pack third parties with the incursion onto the take crisscrosss. Average train accident would cost gazillions of Sri Lankan rupees and these shag be stave offed if thither is a apparatus to track the train location and speed and chasten the engine drivers about possible synthetic rubber issues. Additionally, the train commuters as well character difficulties due(p) to frequent train slows, as the judicature is unable to provide accurate dedicate of businesss based on trains location and speed.The solution is a comprehensive GPS/GSM based train tracking system, which provides accurate, dependable and well termd(p) information to the controller. The inbuilt GPS module identifies the train location with a highest accuracy and transfers the information to the central system via GSM. The availability of this information allows the T rain Controller to take accurate decisions as for the train location. Location data digest be further processed to provide visual officeing using maps granting a wholesome view on train location.Positioning data along with train speed helps the administration to identify the possible prophylactic issues and react to them effectively using the discourse methods provided by the system. Additionally, the location information thunder mug be used to facilitate accurate scheduling with regard to train arrival and red on each station. This information can also be make available for the commuters to identify any train see in advance fashioning this service more dependable. Railway run in Sri Lanka The Sri express, Lanka Railways Department provides long distance and intercity Colombo commuter, parcel and mail, transport and provision of special harter trains. This accounts to a provision of services to 105 million passengers and transfer of 1. 6 Million metric tonnes of freight p er annum. The railways are a vital part of the countrys transport infrastructure. As the economy grows, demand for businesslike transport services increases, which the rail industry has an important role to play in meeting. The rail industry is making progress in increasing the number of passengers carried, as well as its share of the freight market, and in modify its customer focus and its levels of performance and rubber.Railway Today In 2008, railway losses substanceed to LKR 4,553 million and nation bus transport losses amounted to LKR 3,554 million, big(a) a total of LKR 8,107 million losses on state transport. This is not just a one- time phenomenon, but has been the trend for the last hardly a(prenominal) decades. The total losses from the railway alone since 1999 have been LKR 28,052 million. That means, on average, the railway lost LKR 234 million all month over the aside ten years or, to make it even more graphic, LKR 7. 79 million every single day for the last ten years 1.This depicts the current state of the railways system in Sri Lanka as for the force and general acceptance of the service. dependability matters to the railways customers and to the economy at large. Train delay, a commonality phenomenon in Sri Lanka is considered to be inevitable and an acceptable scenario. A train delay readiness wary from 15mins to galore(postnominal) hours. There are occasions where this has caused disputes among the commuters and the administration but the problem still remains unresolved. Railways department maintains a strict schedule on train arrival and departure but does not pre-update based on potential delays.As a result the commuters face many problems and waste time and energy that can be used more productively. The provision of safe and reliable services is a fundamental requirement of the railway as thousands rely on this service as their rash mode of transportation. The railway accidents accounts to death, injury and a large cost to the government. close of the accidents are in form of derailments, which occur infrequently but have the potential to result in a large number of casualties. The close to significant contributors of these accidents contract track and channelise faults.Lack of communication between the controllers and the drivers might observe the preliminary precautionary actions being taken to avoid such accidents. Additionally, the danger relies on the fact that on that load would be no mechanism to identify the potential safety issues as for the unawareness of trains speed and location. The railways department has set itself some(prenominal) objectives to address this situation with a decimal improvement of its services. It is planned to increase railway share of passenger transport from percent 5% to 10% and Modal share of freight transport from 2% to 10% by 20102.Additionally, the department has identified the importance of improving the safety and efficiency of the service and has set the following objectives in its strategical plan Improve cleanliness & quality of coachers / stations Reduce train delays by 25 % and accidents/ derailment by 50% Remove all speed restrictions less than 8 Km Ph Establish oversight structure based on performance evaluation and monitoring process Enhance the office of efficiency Put in place a methodology for routine of public funds corresponding to specific services to make the present negative contribution in to a positive oneTherere several constraints that postulate to be addressed in order to achieve these objectives as this might even require complete reengineering of certain technological aspects of the current system. The main constraint of course is the lack of funding. Railways are suffering from historical under-investment stretching fanny for decades that could be assumed to be so for the predictable future as well. However, its possible to develop effective solution that is economically feasible to the government. This would only be possible with the appropriate mental hospital of new technological solutions that achieve both performance and cost goals.Provisions for the future Setting objectives wont be adequate for the development of the railway service in Sri Lanka. There should be effective and appropriate locomote taken with a vision on addressing future demands and expansion. These steps should involve further planning, extensive designing, implementation of solutions and maintaining such systems in order to meet the service. There are several potential steps that can be taken in order to address most of the aforementioned issues associated with the railway service that in turn would assist the Railways department in achieving its strategic goals.Improving Safety The Railway department of Sri Lanka carries about 150 million passengers per annum and the safety of such service can never be taken for granted. Passengers are entitled to expect to start in safety throughout t heir move around and the government should be committed to protect the passengers and employers form any safety issue that might rise during the journey. Effective safety planning requires a detailed understanding of key risk areas the activities or circumstances where the safety risk to passengers, the workforce and the public is greatest.This allows resources and effort to be concentrated where they bequeath have the greatest impact. Following are the main security issues identified in Sri Lanka Infrastructure engineering issues derailment, signalise, points and carrefours Public behavior Assault, objects on line, objects thrown and twisted at trains, accidents at level cut acrosss Passenger behavior Struck against heady objects, falling from train in running Workforce issues maintenance faulting, control errors The main safety issues are in the form of accidents that mostly involve third parties other than the passengers and the employers.However, infrastructure s afety curses and workforce issues accounts to a capacious amount identified in Sri Lanka. Most of the infrastructure issues are associated with augury and accident. This can be addressed by developing a communication channel between the train and the control center. The control center should be able to identify the trains location and speed to fill in possible safety threats such as collision domains, speeding and noncompliance to signals. The control center should also be able to notify the engine drivers of the security threat.This will allow the drivers to avoid or at least minimize the harmful consequences. New system-management technology combined with accurate experience of train position will give the opportunity to present drivers with advisory speeds as well as safety-critical speeds, aimed at maintaining the flow of dealings by regulating trains in advance of points of conflict so as to avoid or minimize the need to stop trains to await paths. Human discussion at c ontrol centers can lead to accidents due to valet de chambre error or negligence.For an instance if the cross point calculation is through with(p) manually it can lead to accidents if an erroneous value is communicated. These problems can only be solved via an automated system, which will handle these tasks and would consequently avoid human error. Improving Reliability & Availability The trust on the railway as a reliable service has degraded over the last few decades due to poor provision of services to the general public. This is mainly due to the frequent delays experienced specially in long distance services. A reliable railway is the single most important requirement of passengers.Delays are an unproductive use of peoples time, and serious delays might amputate their travel plans. The initial cause of a delay can be An infrastructure problem for which railway department is responsible (for example, a foretoken problem or a speed restriction imposed in response to a trac k defect) An operational problem for which a train operator is responsible (for example, the breakdown of a train) and An incident that is largely beyond the railways control (for example, an accident involving a third party)The signaling problems and accidents involving third parties can be minimized using a communication channel between the drivers and the control centers. The control center should be advised of the trains current position and speed that should be based on an accurate, dependable source of data. Delays can be minimized with driver advisory speeds, ameliorate platform departure clock, backed by prognostic routing algorithms and supporting regulation of train movements through junctions, can ensure launching of trains just in time to utilize a free path, kinda than stopping and starting from rest when a path becomes available.None of these solutions will be possible unless the current tracking system is replaced by a dependable and a more informative system th at is capable of providing accurate train position and speeds of the entire network. The cost of train control should fall speedily once real-time train location systems that are suitable to the local anaesthetic condition is identified and are implemented.It is likely that operations on most regional lines will be controlled from an operations centre, through low-cost wireless technology such as GSM, the future development of which will allow increased capacity for train control systems, regulation, and improved passenger safety services. Improving Communication and Public Awareness Lack of information regarding train schedules, delays, and low accuracy of the schedules are to become worse within the context of expansions and would only result in more time spent on the platform, consequently resulting in public dissatisfaction and frustration.There are several constraints identified that would prevent the railways from providing accurate schedules and other information. The st atic nature of the information sources (ex static weave pages and notifications at stations) Deficiencies of the current tracking system General public is made aware of the train schedules using notifications at train stations and via the authorized meshing site of the railways department.However, none of these methods will provide accurate data as for the static nature of the web site and the notifications at the station. Additionally, the deficiencies of the current tracking system impose constraints on providing accurate, dependable and incidentally information to the drug user. The switched based tracking system used by the railways department is even so to cover the entire network but would cost a large amount for expansion and maintenance thus, emphasizes the need of an alternative that would be more accurate and cost effective.This limits effective decision-making due to inaccuracy and would also lead to accidents. Additional train capacity and better service performanc e will be the key for success, but the coherent use of technology to deliver information on train status in real time will not only improve utilization, but also offer seamless planning as well as accurate information on availability of passenger services.Further enhancements of such system would even grant passengers capabilities such as text messages informing accurate arrival and departure times and even the seating capacity of the train. GPS/GSM Based Train Tracking System We strongly believe that the correct combination of latest information and communication technologies can provide an effective and feasible solution for the requirement of a reliable and accurate train tracking system to improve the efficiency and productivity of Sri Lanka Railways.The solution we propose encompasses a powerful combination of mobile computing, Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), Global Positioning System (GPS), Geographical Information System (GIS) technologies and software to provid e an intelligent train tracking and management system to improve the existing railway transport service. All these technologies are seamlessly integrated to build a robust, scalable architecture as illustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. High Level Architecture The fundamental process in our system is obtaining train location using GPS technology and infection the data via GSM network to the central control unit for data process and information analytic thinking. Real- time positioning information received by the master of ceremonies is made meaningful and extremely useful for the end user through integration of GIS technology where the end user can better ordinate and utilize information from a graphical view point. Our system consists of 3 main modules. The portable computer hardware unit (GPS/GSM train locator unit) key boniface which andles receiving information from train locators and concurrent user requests Graphical substance abuser Interface (GUI) to provide services to our stakeholders The train locator unit put in the train is intentional and implemented, considering the cost factor, size of the module, durability and low power consumption. The power cede unit of the module is a main factor which decides the feasibility of the unit, as it should sustain a seamless supply of electricity at a low voltage for the locator module to function properly.The GPS receiver of the unit is capable of identifying the latitudinal and longitudinal position and ground speed of the specific train by receiving information from the GPS satellites. The position data is periodically sent to the central emcee through the GSM vector of the module. The device is capable of storing data in a buffer at a time of GSM connectivity failure, and can synchronize with the remote server when GSM is back online. The device can also respond to commands and data calls from the remote server as per administrative requirements of the train controllers.We have chosen GSM as the commun ication medium between the train locator and the central server to improve availability of our system by utilizing the existing GSM network which covers the whole country. The use of GSM over GPRS significantly improves the feasibility and availability of our system. Despite the high mobile penetration and number of mobile telecom service providers (GSM) covering the island, GPRS usage and the coverage is poor in many rural parts of Sri Lanka. Thus, plectron of GSM over GPRS data communication is feasible and enables island wide service provisioning.The opposition between the GSM service providers has also lead to high quality GSM services at fair rates. The central control system includes a server for handling and processing all the position information received from train locators via the GSM network. The server mechanically updates the database with latest position, speed and direction information of each train. The server carries out information processing and analyzing in ord er to put up for different requirements of the users of our system.The main stakeholders of our system are the railway Department), locomotive drivers and the train executive directors (Railway commuters. Our main objective is to be instrumental in improving the efficiency and effectualness of Sri Lanka Railway services by fulfilling the fundamental requirement of reliable and real time information of train positioning for monitoring and administration purposes by the Railway Department. The end user of our system is offered with an easy to use graphical user interface for information analysis and administration tasks.The web based access and extensible mobile access to our software is designed to be self-generated for the end user to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of our system. We have unified GIS techniques to provide location specific data nonionized in layers so the end user can better pinpoint the information provided by the system. a very good Satellite imag es providing visual positioning can serve as background when used in conjunction with map data specifying the location.Our system essentially provides functionality for the railway administrator to monitor the progress of a particular train or a group of trains operating in a geographical area. The user can search and locate trains by the train ID, train name, current location or nearest station etc. Information such as train speed, direction can also be given along with real time train positioning data. The train control and management process includes management of heavy traffic of passenger and freight trains, which operates in complex running patterns on the railway network.The train controller needs to ensure that passenger trains are adhering to the schedules as well to find efficient routes for unscheduled freight trains. Recording the train movements, arrival/departure at railway stations, fuel status, railway track conditions, and passenger information is a tedious task for the train controllers and would be time consuming if done manually. The accuracy of this information is very important to ensure smooth process of the railway service as well as to optimize resource planning.For example at a point of a railway-track failure or an accident, train controller should be able to decide on how to utilize existing resources and efficient alternative routes to ensure system availability of the railway service in that region. Thus our train tracking system can be deepen to automate the train control and management process of the Railway Department in order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the railway services provided. Following is a list of facilities that can be offered by our system to automate the train control and management process. voluntary record keeping of train operations and events Functionality to establish time-distance graph for trains which can be used to control and plan the train movements Facility to generate use r defined reports and graphs on train movements, arrival-departure at each station, schedule adherence etc. Facility to playback the progress of each train and events for check purposes Automated schedule regulation Forecasting functionality on train arrival-departure at different stations Automatic detection of over speeding, non-adherence r egulations, rail-track failures, train delays etc. o traffic Facility to send alerts/warnings to particular train drivers on possible collisions, derailment through the system Automatic rail crossing control By automating the process of record keeping of train traveling, the committal of paper work on the train controller is dramatically reduced. This would also ensure accuracy and integrity of the data eliminating human error when certification is done manually. A single entry point of data ensures theres no ambiguity of the data recorded in the system.The logged data on arrival-departure time at different stations, number of passengers onb oard, freight enlarge, signaling and fuel status at different stations, are instrumental for railway administration when evaluating performance of trains and locomotive drivers. Graphical representation of these data with ability to compare with historical data will be instrumental for the administration to take effective decisions. Various user defined reports on train activities, driver performance, passenger and freight information also support timely and accurate decision making by the administration.Time-distance graph is vital for the train traffic regulation process. The graph gives the user a wholesome view of the train circulation, railway infrastructure state in different regions and enables the user to detect abnormal conditions and conflicts. The graph is useful for the train operator to identify traffic problems in advance and take precautions to resolve the problems. entropy tap is a method of extracting patterns from data 3.The use of advance data exploit techniq ues combined with complex algorithms such as neural networks, genetic algorithms and rein in induction can be instrumental in identifying hidden patterns from enormous amount of data. Spatial data digging technique combines data mining with GIS to find patterns in spatial data, which could be a powerful beak for applications using geographical information such as our system. With the huge amount of data pertaining to train operations collected daily, process of information analysis using conventional methods would be a difficult task.Hence, the use of spatial data mining techniques would drastically improve the productivity and effectiveness of the train control and management process carried out through our system. Facility to playback past activities on the railway, enables the user to review and meditate operational situations in the past. Data mining operations can be used effectively in combination with the playback function to identify sequential patterns of particular acti vities and their impact on the railway traffic.For example, at an unfortunate incident of a train collision, train controllers can use the playback feature combined with the data mining techniques to analyze and identify the sequence of activities which resulted in that accident. With that knowledge, railway administrators can take needed precautions and trigger alarm mechanisms to avoid such unfortunate accidents in future, making the railway transportation much safer. Improving safety and availability of railway transport service requires detection and triggering of alerting mechanisms to avoid possible train collisions and other forms of adverse incidents.Constant monitoring of train location, speed, traffic conditions, rail-track conditions and adherence to traffic regulations helps the train controllers to detect potential collisions and derailments. A proper alerting example is vital in order to avoid such adverse incidents by alerting the locomotive drivers in advance. Our system facilitates a comprehensive alerting mechanism by enabling the train controllers to send alerts/ notifications to locomotive drivers via GSM confederation.The hardware unit planted in the train can be raise to prompt the alerts to the driver in graphical and audible forms. A take display unit and an alarm bell to signal adverse conditions can be integrated with the hardware unit to provide a complete alerting mannikin. The unit can be further enhanced to support voice communication between train controllers and locomotive drivers in order to provide guidance and important messages to the particular driver. This would also enable locomotive drivers to contact the control unit at a state of emergency.Furthermore the system can be incorporated to significantly improve safety at railway and road intersection points. Over the years, many road accidents have occurred at railway crossings imposing a critical safety threat to both train commuters and passengers in vehicles. Such accidents are caused mainly by the unreliability of the safety mechanisms such as blocking arms and signal lights used at the crossing point. Thus our system can be extended to improve the reliability of such safety mechanisms by synchronizing the railway crossing control process with the incoming trains position.We can provide accurate real time information on train position, speed and length of the train to synchronize the functions of rail crossing with the train movements. The productivity of the service can be significantly improved by providing accurate predictions on approaching train at the rail-road crossing and displaying amount of remaining time to clear the crossing from train traffic. shock triggers to alert road vehicles approaching too close to the rail-road crossing at a point of train approaching, can also be incorporated to improve the effectiveness of our solution.Thus the system is instrumental in improving safety of both railway passengers and people crossing rail-road cross points. Integrating an intelligent prevision mechanism on arrival-departure time at different railway stations can further enhance the efficiency and productivity of our system. Train schedule is inevitably subject to train delays which can occur due to various reasons such as excessive train load, rail track failures, train traffic, adverse weather conditions etc.A number of operational parameters such as railway traffic, train priority, efficient routes, and railway infrastructure conditions have to be taken into consideration to accurately forecast train arrival time at various stations. Here also data mining with other complex algorithms can be instrumental to provide accurate forecasting on train arrival-departure at stations. The train schedule regulations are automatically updated and stakeholders can be notified. One of the main purposes of our system is to facilitate accurate public information istribution with regard to railway services and operations. Th us, our system can be incorporated to design and implement innovative Passenger Information Systems (PIS) based on real time information of train positions. LED-Display panels put up at railway stations can display arrivaldeparture time of each train enabling the public user to make advised decisions on their journeys. Route number, destination of the arriving vehicle and waiting time can be displayed with real time information.With accurate forecasting of train arrival-departure at stations, Railway Department can improve the loyal customer base and also attract new passengers to railway transport service by winning their trust and reducing user uncertainty of using public transport facilities. The user experience can be further enhanced by introducing information Kiosks which can provide information to travelers in an intuitive and interactive manner to make informed decisions on selecting train routes and departure time.The interactive kiosk can be used to obtain travel informat ion such as alternate routes to specified destination, route details on the railway map and latest information on train schedules etc. As a marketing strategy, information regarding the particular city, finis and commercial activities can also be provided to the user through the kiosk. some other extension of the PIS system is delivering real time train information to hold devices such as mobile phones and PDAs.With the increasing interest on mobile applications, access to latest train schedule information via mobile connection can be influential for improving customer base of the railway service. Easy to use mobile applications can be designed and implemented to enable train commuters to easily subscribe to our service and obtain latest train schedule information via mobile devices. Reliability and customer allegiance of the railway services can be significantly improved by taking such action to improve accurate public information distribution of the current status of railway se rvices.Conclusion After seeing many advancements and changes in the location tracking technology, Sri Lanka Railways now has the ability to pin point the location and other attributes of an operational train in an economical accurate manner. Thus it is visible that to keep up with the todays demand for information and to comply with the citizen centric governance, technological advancements is essential for a third world country, as after all the deciding factors of a countrys success would be on the how ollaborative and duplex the governance framework in terms of seamless information flow of accurate and timely information between governance ecosystem. Reference 1 Rohan Samarajiva, May 2009, Ideas to win the war Sri Lankas main line railway, http//www. lankabusinessonline. com/print. php? nid=1238565096 2 Sri Lanka Railway Department 2007, n. d. , Future Plans, http//www. railway. gov. lk/future_plan. html