Periodic Reporting for period 2 - OPTIMA (cOmmunication Platform for TraffIc ManAgement demonstrator)
Reporting period: 2021-06-01 to 2023-04-30
Over the last decades, Infrastructure Managers(IMs) have deployed TMSs for train operations not considering its scalability, neither the standardisation of the interfaces towards the related subsystems as Rail Business and external services, as well the TMS specific applications. This increases the investment needed for the integration of new Rail Business services and applications and jeopardizes its interoperability.
The new TMS Communication Platform Demonstrator (CPD) developed in OPTIMA overcomes all these disadvantages and brings additional benefits through: i) implementation of future interfaces; ii) the Integration Layer (IL) that allows a seamless communication based on publish subscribe model; iii) a Conceptual Data Model(CDM) used to provide interoperable data structure and access methods iv) modularity of its components; v) a dedicated Application Framework(AF) to host the Traffic Control and Management (TCM) applications.
OPTIMA has been completed as foreseen in the G.A complying with the identified milestones and submitting all the deliverables as planned. An extension of two months was requested and accepted by ERJU due to the accumulated delay related to the raised issues during project execution. At the end of the action a completely functional CPD was designed, developed and tested/validated internally and with the external TMS application provided by its complementary project X2RAIL-4.
The new TMS Communication Platform Demonstrator (CPD) developed in OPTIMA overcomes all these disadvantages and brings additional benefits through: i) implementation of future interfaces; ii) the Integration Layer (IL) that allows a seamless communication based on publish subscribe model; iii) a Conceptual Data Model(CDM) used to provide interoperable data structure and access methods iv) modularity of its components; v) a dedicated Application Framework(AF) to host the Traffic Control and Management (TCM) applications.
OPTIMA has been completed as foreseen in the G.A complying with the identified milestones and submitting all the deliverables as planned. An extension of two months was requested and accepted by ERJU due to the accumulated delay related to the raised issues during project execution. At the end of the action a completely functional CPD was designed, developed and tested/validated internally and with the external TMS application provided by its complementary project X2RAIL-4.
During the second period of the project the consortium finalized the development of the CPD (IL, persistence layer, Rail Business Services (RBS), AF, Operator Workstations (OW) and CDM) and completed all the tests to validate its internal modules but also the integration with external TMS applications provided by X2RAIL-4.
The development was manly focused on the RBS (RBCs, Interlockings, weather forecast, maintenance, Passenger Information Systems and Energy), AF, OW and CDM, as the Integration Layer was almost completed during the first period and just some conformance test were performed to validate their identified KPI.
The Conceptual Data Model (CDM) scope changed in an early stage of the project based on an project management decision to handle two coordinated models (OPTIMA/LinX4Rail CDM, as foreseen, and the X2Rail-4 model used for the integration layer) instead of one (the CDM and its platform-specific derivatives). The intention was to preserve outcomes of previous Shift2Rail projects and developments resting on them.
The another main activity of second period was the validation of the internal modules of the CPD and with external TMS applications. A complete internal test programme was developed for validating the system against the requirements including prioritization of the tests. Considering the limited available resources, as well as the delays accumulated throughout the project, the consortium decided to focus on the implementation of the highest priority tests (classified as “Must”), which still includes a significant number of 19 tests that require substantial time and efforts to carried them out and have the results analyzed.
The development was manly focused on the RBS (RBCs, Interlockings, weather forecast, maintenance, Passenger Information Systems and Energy), AF, OW and CDM, as the Integration Layer was almost completed during the first period and just some conformance test were performed to validate their identified KPI.
The Conceptual Data Model (CDM) scope changed in an early stage of the project based on an project management decision to handle two coordinated models (OPTIMA/LinX4Rail CDM, as foreseen, and the X2Rail-4 model used for the integration layer) instead of one (the CDM and its platform-specific derivatives). The intention was to preserve outcomes of previous Shift2Rail projects and developments resting on them.
The another main activity of second period was the validation of the internal modules of the CPD and with external TMS applications. A complete internal test programme was developed for validating the system against the requirements including prioritization of the tests. Considering the limited available resources, as well as the delays accumulated throughout the project, the consortium decided to focus on the implementation of the highest priority tests (classified as “Must”), which still includes a significant number of 19 tests that require substantial time and efforts to carried them out and have the results analyzed.
The main expected result of the project is the first of a kind TMS communication platform capable to integrate TMS applications, which harmonises Rail Business Services and provides a gateway for the connections with external clients.
A core component of the platform architecture is the IL responsible of integrating and automating data exchange process and permanent real-time availability, supporting multiple clients and allowing seamless and dynamic exchanges between various services.
The scalable, flexible and platform independent CDM is another key result derived from previous initiatives and R&I projects on this topic. It consists in a set of Unified Modelling Language (UML) class diagrams, grouped in packages used to define the data structures and secure the integration of legacy and future applications into one communication structure.
The AF constitutes a new environment to run TCM applications connected through the IL to the services provided by the platform. The AF eases applications’ installation (“Plug-and-Play”) and administrates service application modules and automated data exchange.
The standardised Operator Workstation enables the allocation of tasks inside a Control Centre to different workstations, benefitting from the availability of the different data on an integrated network.
A core component of the platform architecture is the IL responsible of integrating and automating data exchange process and permanent real-time availability, supporting multiple clients and allowing seamless and dynamic exchanges between various services.
The scalable, flexible and platform independent CDM is another key result derived from previous initiatives and R&I projects on this topic. It consists in a set of Unified Modelling Language (UML) class diagrams, grouped in packages used to define the data structures and secure the integration of legacy and future applications into one communication structure.
The AF constitutes a new environment to run TCM applications connected through the IL to the services provided by the platform. The AF eases applications’ installation (“Plug-and-Play”) and administrates service application modules and automated data exchange.
The standardised Operator Workstation enables the allocation of tasks inside a Control Centre to different workstations, benefitting from the availability of the different data on an integrated network.