Periodic Reporting for period 3 - LINX4RAIL2 (SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE AND CONCEPTUAL DATA MODEL FOR RAILWAY, COMMON DATA DICTIONARY AND GLOBAL SYSTEM MODELLING SPECIFICATIONS)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2023-01-01 do 2023-05-31
The railway sector was acting in a fragmented way and in silos corresponding most often to physical or functional subsystems or use cases, and the different owners/managers of the overall infrastructure at regional/national level, without global extensive view or full control of the global system involved by rail operations.
With the progress of digitization, analogue devices based on relays were progressively substituted by digital ones, and it is more and more evident that enabling the communication between already existing digital tools for various subsystems can be beneficial. What was missing was an efficient, automated and standardized way for these integrated and interplaying systems to act as one ecosystem: sharing, integrating, identifying, correlating and exploiting the right data at the right time.
In order to meet these challenges, in the continuity of LinX4Rail, the objective of LinX4Rail-2 was to develop and promote a common first prototype of Functional Rail System Architecture for the Rail sector, as requested by EC. This also involved the development of a Conceptual Data Model that, with the commitment of the Shift2Rail/Europe's Rail members, established the standard for the interactions between elements of the new architecture including possible links between legacy and new systems, thus ensuring sustainable interoperability between systems. In the course of the project, it was decided to set up the System Pillar within Europe's Rail Joint Undertaking which took over the official construction of the architecture. The role of LinX4Rail-2 was then agreed by the ERJU to support Task 1 of the System Pillar which deals with the general system architecture.
The ambition of LinX4Rail-2 was to achieve a comprehensive approach for the CDM, as a models’ federation, global system modelling specification and allowing implementation of technological breakthroughs. Both the “System of systems” architecture and the S2R-CDM should be open (easily extensible), and free for any usage.
The development of the “Systems of Systems” and S2R-CDM took advantage as much as possible of existing current initiatives such as Reference CCS Architecture (RCA), TAP/TAF approaches, OCORA, RTM, EULYNX, Ontorail in order to reach a single universally accepted “System of Systems” approach for the entire sector.
The objectives of LINX4RAIL-2 which have been reached are:
- The set up of a Common Rail Dictionary, in collaboration with current initiatives,
- The design of the S2R-CDM Modelling,
- The establishment of a proof of concept through 3 use cases,
- The set up of a strategy to ensure the implementation of technological breakthroughs (including RCA),
- To set up of a shared Common architecture vision.
With the progress of digitization, analogue devices based on relays were progressively substituted by digital ones, and it is more and more evident that enabling the communication between already existing digital tools for various subsystems can be beneficial. What was missing was an efficient, automated and standardized way for these integrated and interplaying systems to act as one ecosystem: sharing, integrating, identifying, correlating and exploiting the right data at the right time.
In order to meet these challenges, in the continuity of LinX4Rail, the objective of LinX4Rail-2 was to develop and promote a common first prototype of Functional Rail System Architecture for the Rail sector, as requested by EC. This also involved the development of a Conceptual Data Model that, with the commitment of the Shift2Rail/Europe's Rail members, established the standard for the interactions between elements of the new architecture including possible links between legacy and new systems, thus ensuring sustainable interoperability between systems. In the course of the project, it was decided to set up the System Pillar within Europe's Rail Joint Undertaking which took over the official construction of the architecture. The role of LinX4Rail-2 was then agreed by the ERJU to support Task 1 of the System Pillar which deals with the general system architecture.
The ambition of LinX4Rail-2 was to achieve a comprehensive approach for the CDM, as a models’ federation, global system modelling specification and allowing implementation of technological breakthroughs. Both the “System of systems” architecture and the S2R-CDM should be open (easily extensible), and free for any usage.
The development of the “Systems of Systems” and S2R-CDM took advantage as much as possible of existing current initiatives such as Reference CCS Architecture (RCA), TAP/TAF approaches, OCORA, RTM, EULYNX, Ontorail in order to reach a single universally accepted “System of Systems” approach for the entire sector.
The objectives of LINX4RAIL-2 which have been reached are:
- The set up of a Common Rail Dictionary, in collaboration with current initiatives,
- The design of the S2R-CDM Modelling,
- The establishment of a proof of concept through 3 use cases,
- The set up of a strategy to ensure the implementation of technological breakthroughs (including RCA),
- To set up of a shared Common architecture vision.
In order to rethink the rail system, to introduce a common vision and to build the first version of a rail Functional System Architecture, until the end of the project, the LinX4Rail-2’s achievements are:
- The project delivered the “Review of documents contributing to common business objectives”, which pursued the LinX4Rail's work and shows the specific objectives of the stakeholders, helping to understand better their business drivers. This CBO has been considered by the System Pillar ramp up project,
- The elaboration of additional specification for the Conceptual Data Model,
- The release of an updated System Functional Architecture,
- The elaboration of the final report on CDM governance and deployment strategy which focus rather on the CDM governance as the functional architecture governance was taken over by System Pillar.
To achieve these results LinX4Rail-2 has carried out a series of dedicated workshops with all rail-relevant stakeholders (project’s partners together with external initiatives and experts). Several dissemination actions have also been set up, such as CDM webinars and a joint Final Event for both LinX4Rail and LinX4Rail-2 projects.
During RP3 the LinX4Rail-2 stakeholders worked with the System Pilar partiipants in order to align their activities, in particular relevant to Task 1, relevant both in the ramp-up and during the 1st running period.
The ERJU funded project LinX4Rail-2 and System Pillar occured partially at the same time (from September 2022 to May 2023) and their scope are overlapping. In order to avoid any redundant work, it has been agreed to amend the LinX4Rail-2 Grant Agreement. The main adjustment is the handover of the LinX4Rail work on Architecture governance to the System Pillar, and there are adjustments concerning some deliverables – in terms of timing and also merging some of them. In the meantime, during all the remaining duration of the LinX4Rail-2 project, regular exchanges of results with the System Pillar stakeholders were carried out.
- The project delivered the “Review of documents contributing to common business objectives”, which pursued the LinX4Rail's work and shows the specific objectives of the stakeholders, helping to understand better their business drivers. This CBO has been considered by the System Pillar ramp up project,
- The elaboration of additional specification for the Conceptual Data Model,
- The release of an updated System Functional Architecture,
- The elaboration of the final report on CDM governance and deployment strategy which focus rather on the CDM governance as the functional architecture governance was taken over by System Pillar.
To achieve these results LinX4Rail-2 has carried out a series of dedicated workshops with all rail-relevant stakeholders (project’s partners together with external initiatives and experts). Several dissemination actions have also been set up, such as CDM webinars and a joint Final Event for both LinX4Rail and LinX4Rail-2 projects.
During RP3 the LinX4Rail-2 stakeholders worked with the System Pilar partiipants in order to align their activities, in particular relevant to Task 1, relevant both in the ramp-up and during the 1st running period.
The ERJU funded project LinX4Rail-2 and System Pillar occured partially at the same time (from September 2022 to May 2023) and their scope are overlapping. In order to avoid any redundant work, it has been agreed to amend the LinX4Rail-2 Grant Agreement. The main adjustment is the handover of the LinX4Rail work on Architecture governance to the System Pillar, and there are adjustments concerning some deliverables – in terms of timing and also merging some of them. In the meantime, during all the remaining duration of the LinX4Rail-2 project, regular exchanges of results with the System Pillar stakeholders were carried out.
No global approach for a global Railway System Architecture had been undertaken so far. Existing initiatives in the railway sector were mainly relevant to subsystems of somehow limited scope, with no collaboratively formalized agreed sector business objectives existing so far.
A synthesis and lessons learned from other sectors initiatives enabled the main option agreed for the Architecture (three-layer structure, see below). The project set up common basic principles and structure for the sector Railway System Architecture and had wide exchanges with rail sectors, on architectures initiatives and how they affect existing Shift2Rail & Europe’s Rail projects.
As we started from a situation without any system architecture except the one built within LinX4Rail, a dedicated task supports the definition of principles towards the definition of the governance of the system architecture at the European level.
LinX4Rail-2 produced in 2023 a final release of the System Functional Architecture. Parallel to building the System Architecture, the assessment and alignment of some of the currently existing initiatives was carried out in a dedicated task, following a positive assessment based on Change Management process and endorsement of the change subjects by the Executive Director’s Programme Board (EDPB).
For the CDM workstream, in the continuity of the LinX4Rail project, additional specifications for the CDM have been produced within LinX4Rail-2.
In conclusion, LinX4Rail-2 participated to pave the way for the System Pillar, supported and accompanied its work in particular in the ramp-up and the operational phase within its scope that is the general system architecture. Furthermore, the documents produced by LinX4Rail-2, in particular related to the CBO and the architecture versions, were used by the System Pillar.
A synthesis and lessons learned from other sectors initiatives enabled the main option agreed for the Architecture (three-layer structure, see below). The project set up common basic principles and structure for the sector Railway System Architecture and had wide exchanges with rail sectors, on architectures initiatives and how they affect existing Shift2Rail & Europe’s Rail projects.
As we started from a situation without any system architecture except the one built within LinX4Rail, a dedicated task supports the definition of principles towards the definition of the governance of the system architecture at the European level.
LinX4Rail-2 produced in 2023 a final release of the System Functional Architecture. Parallel to building the System Architecture, the assessment and alignment of some of the currently existing initiatives was carried out in a dedicated task, following a positive assessment based on Change Management process and endorsement of the change subjects by the Executive Director’s Programme Board (EDPB).
For the CDM workstream, in the continuity of the LinX4Rail project, additional specifications for the CDM have been produced within LinX4Rail-2.
In conclusion, LinX4Rail-2 participated to pave the way for the System Pillar, supported and accompanied its work in particular in the ramp-up and the operational phase within its scope that is the general system architecture. Furthermore, the documents produced by LinX4Rail-2, in particular related to the CBO and the architecture versions, were used by the System Pillar.