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Railway Disaster Management – An Integrated GIS & GPS approach
A. Ram Gopal Raju
Manager - Quality
M/S SAR Sofftech. Pvt. Ltd
44, community center, Naraina Industrial Area,
Naraina, New Delhi- 28.
Tel: +91-11-25686918, Fax: 25896895,
Mobile : 98916 59017
Email: amgopal@sarsoftech.com
Jagadish Kumar Rath
Quality Analyst
M/S SAR Sofftech. Pvt. Ltd.
44, community center, Naraina Industrial Area,
Naraina, New Delhi- 28
Tel: +91-11-25686918, Fax: 25896895
Mobile : 98911 48227
Email: jagadish@sarsoftech.com
Abstract
The life of human in the 21st century is facing a new facet by its virtue of speed and fast involved in their day to day life. Migration becoming the common in their lives and unavoidable to meet the new challenges of the life. The result is that travelling becomes part of the life. The Rail transportation is the only existing feasible economic and speedy media suitable for all economic classes in the Developing countries. Last but not least the railways are the widely accepted transportation for the goods and materials. In India Freight traffic volume has risen by 620% and passenger traffic by 514% since 1951. They carry more than a million tonne of freight traffic and about 14 million passengers covering 6,856 number of stations daily. This rapid rate of increase in number of train passengers and freight traffic in the developing countries like India is quite an example of the importance of the ‘Rail’ as media of transportation in the human community.
Rail Disasters- An over view
The advancement in the technology changing the rail transportation scenario by introducing the super fast trains with the high standard of safety to meet the needs of community. The other facet of the scenario is that the risk for life in rail travel is increasing due to the frequent occurrence of train accidents. India's massive rail network is hit by an average of 300 accidents a year. The train disasters are spatial events happening as a result of range of factors like human error, antiquated communication and safety equipment, signaling systems, ageing bridges and tracks, increase in passenger and freight traffic and sometimes natural calamities have led to rail accidents. Out of these range of factors most of them can be avoided by the proper planning and implementation of systematic approach with the utilisation of latest developments in the GIS and GPS technology. The rescue operations can be effectively implemented with the aid of GIS as Disaster management tool.
GIS & GPS Integrated approach
The GIS approach in rail disaster management can play two different roles to minimise the effects of the Disasters. The implementation of integrated GIS & GPS technology to improve the siganalling system and to monitor the rail traffic on real time basis by installing the advanced GPS equipment in the trains to minimise the human error in the system. The latest GPS equipment available in the marked will give the positional accuracy of 2m can be utilised to monitor the traffic at the suspected area like signalling cabins Junction stations and signal bifurcation.
This positional accuracy may not be sufficient to locate the exact position of the train on particular track but can be utilised as the real time input to the system as cross checking measure to ensure proper siganalling.
The rescue operations after such an un-fateful disaster can be planned and implemented by using the GIS advantages. The Emergency disaster management requires locating the exact spot, incident mapping, identifying resources, establishing priorities, developing action plans, and implementing the plan to protect lives and property. Time will play crucial role in disaster management activities. The effective planning can began only after identifying the exact location of the incident, accessibility information, and resources available. The GIS can be used as spatial database to provide the necessary information require for rescue planning with in the least possible time frame. GIS allows disaster managers to quickly access and visually display critical information by location. This information facilitates the development of action plans that are printed or transmitted to disaster response personnel for the coordination and implementation of emergency efforts. GIS also allows continuous monitoring of the rescue activity and dynamic changing in the strategy to minimise the effect of disaster by identifying and alarming the required equipment and personnel required to manage the disaster.
Conclusion
GIS is essential to effective preparedness, communication, and training tool for disaster management. Integrated GIS & GPS technology is most essential element to improve the preventive measures for rail disasters.
1. Introduction
As we move from the 21st century to the 22nd century, one aspect of our day-to-day life, which is changing most drastically, is speed. As Alvin Toffler so aptly wrote in his book “Future Shock” that while our grandfathers were not prone to go out of their village in their entire lifetime, in this generation we move from one place to another, either on business or in pleasure, at a fantastic pace. This means that there is a tremendous pressure on “Mode of Transport” to shift a lot of people quickly, regularly and safely from one place to another. Over a period of years “Railways” has been a very effective mode of transport. This is most highlighted in India, which boasts of one of the largest Railway networks in the World. Not only people but Indian Railways also carries an enormous amount of goods and materials on a daily basis. It carries more than a million tones of freight and 14 million passengers covering 6856 stations daily, with such intensity, it is but natural that the Railway network has to be adequately protected in terms of its safety, regularity & timeliness.
2. Rail disasters- An over view:
While technology advancement allows us to make faster & faster trains and lack of growth in infrastructure forces us to put more trains on the some tracks, Rail accidents are growing at an alarming rate.
India's massive rail network is hit by an average of 300 accidents a year. The train disasters are spatial events happening as a result of range of factors like human error, antiquated communication and safety equipment, signaling systems, ageing bridges and tracks, increase in passenger and freight traffic and sometimes natural calamities have led to rail accidents. Out of these range of factors most of them can be avoided by the proper planning and implementation of systematic approach with the utilisation of latest developments in the GIS and GPS technology. The rescue operations can be effectively implemented with the aid of GIS as Disaster management tool.
3. An integrated GIS&GPS approach:
The conventional signaling and rail traffic management can be enhanced with the integration of latest GIS and GPS technology. The existing conventional signaling system most of the times relay on the oral communication through telephonic and telegraphic conversations as input for the decision making in track allocation for trains. There is large scope for miscommunication of the information or communication gap due to the higher human interference in the system. This miscommunication may lead to wrong allocation of the track for trains, which ultimately leads to the train collision. The statistics in the developing countries showing that 80% of worst collisions occurred so far is due to either human error or incorrect decision making through miscommunication in signaling and its implementation.
The real time viewing of actual current positions of the trains at various locations is possible with the continuous tracking of rail traffic with the Geographic Positional System equipment installed in the trains. The latest developments in the GPS technology will give the positional accuracy of nearly 2m. Practically speaking these accuracy levels may not suffice to locate the train on exact particular track on which the train is actually travelling. But the real time dynamic location information provided by GPS equipment can be utilised as the input for the signaling system to aid as the refinement tool for decision making in allotment of the track for trains. The scope for the human error can be eliminated by effective utilisation of integrated system as a cross check measure against the decision of signal and also can be continuously monitor the system even after implementing the decision with reference to the dynamic viewing of the real time movement of the trains on the track.
3.1. Proposed approach for signaling system
The proposed system contains two major components of Geographic Information system. The static data contains detailed mapping of the rail net work as a spatial database in GIS platform. The Dynamic data regarding the movement of rail traffic collected through the GPS equipment installed in train, signaling cabin and station supervisor’s cabin. The GIS enabled “Rail tracing system” takes the input signals from the near by GPS installed in trains and continuously displays the positions of the trains in the vicinity of the interested area to enable the decision makers of signaling to view the realistic situation.
This dynamic viewing of realistic position of the trains avoids dependency of the signaling crew only on the oral communication. Thus the human error in communication can be minimised. For further enhancement of the system the signaling decisions taken by the crew can be crosschecked with the continuous monitoring of real time data available with in the system by any superior prior to implement the decision.
In future the advancements in the GPS technology may give further enhancement to this approach as the accuracy in the locational resolution greatly improving day by day. The scope of the application will be further refined to a level of locating the train on its particular track if the accuracy levels further improved to less than 1m. Then the continuous monitoring of rail traffic on track wise basis can be possible to implement full pledged and automated traffic controlling and signaling system to improve the standards of safety in rail transportation.
4. GIS as sophisticated tool for rescue management system:
Even though by implementing all possible precautionary measures in improving the safety standards of rail network the occurrence of train accidents might not be ruled out. Accidents on the network are frequent, exceeding 300 per year. However, this can be seen in the context of the massive scale of the operation. In the year 1996-97, the actual accident rate was 0.51 per million kilometers. Year by year the rate of accidents is increasing. The most of the factors leads to accidents might not be controlled by human being by their nature of unpredictability and complexity.
This notwithstanding, when accidents do happen they can be catastrophic in their toll of human life. This has provoked public concern over safety. This is the right time to think in the direction of enhancing the disaster management and rescue implementation operations with aid of latest developments in the science and technology. Definitely the spatial and non-spatial database handling capabilities of GIS can be utilised to improve the speed and accuracy in decision making and implementing the rescue strategies.
The critical elements in Disaster management and Rescue planning & implementation are time and input data availability. The right decision taken at the right time from the right information sources leads to practically feasible and efficiently implementable plans and activities. Locating the site of accident, the accessibility information to the site, availability of the required resources for rescue operations in the vicinity, simple means of alarming the resources to initiate the rescue operations, finding out the optimum routes between the resource locations and site of accident etc. are major concerns in the disaster management and rescue planning.
The optimal decision making and effective rescue planning requires easily accessible accurate data base regarding the required resources in the event of accidents. The inaccuracies in the data may lead to delay in the implementation of the rescue activities. Hence the database associated in such crucial activities should assure that the updating activities could be done at regular intervals with minimum time and effort.
Definitely the real time viewing of the geographic data along with required attribute information will enhance the speed and accuracy in planning and decision-making activities.
The core of the system architecture built up with two different database one for spatial data containing the rail network, road net work with inter connectivity details, state capitals, District head quarters, major and minor towns, revenue and administrative boundaries, water bodies etc. The non-spatial database contains the information about the various resources available at each geographic location i.e. city or town or District head quarters and their contact information. The spatial database will provide the smooth and easy access to different locations to find out the site of accident and its neighborhoods. While the non-spatial data gives the detailed information about the location and its neighborhood to minimise the time factor in formulating the rescue strategy and smooth as well as fast alarming of the authorities concerned to improve the effectiveness of the rescue operations. The system always establishes dynamic link between these databases to improve the operating efficiency of the system.
4.1. Facilities provided by GIS approach:
The proposed GIS spatial database approach can be utilised in catering the needs of the Rescue crew in planning, decision-making and implementing of rail disaster management activities.
The system provides continuous monitoring on rescue activities and facilitates dynamic planning of strategies to meet the changing requirements of the rescue activities with respect to the impedance of the implementation of planned strategies.
The scope for the enhancement in the system is much more as the advancement of the web technology. The databases can be made available for all the concerned authorities through Internet and intranet facilities. This connectivity definitely enhances the mutual cooperation of the authorities to accomplish the task with more efficiency.
5. Conclusion:
GIS is essential to effective preparedness, communication, and training tool for disaster management. The integrated GIS & GPS technology offers enhancement for the existing signaling system to avoid the human error in making the decision for traffic signaling and also provides continuous monitoring of the train movement on the tracks to ensure much more safety in the rail network operations. With the effective utilisation of the advantages provided by the GIS spatial database the efficiency in the rescue planning and implementing activities can be improved.
6. Acknowledgements:
The authors are like to take this opportunity to express their profound gratitude to Mr. Rakesh Malhotra, Managing Director, Sar Softech Pvt. Ltd. for giving this opportunity to present this paper. We are also extremely indebted to Mr. Swarup Chakraborti Head GIS for his kind cooperation and suggestions. Last but not least we are very much thankful to the Map India for accepting this paper.
Bibliography:
The life of human in the 21st century is facing a new facet by its virtue of speed and fast involved in their day to day life. Migration becoming the common in their lives and unavoidable to meet the new challenges of the life. The result is that travelling becomes part of the life. The Rail transportation is the only existing feasible economic and speedy media suitable for all economic classes in the Developing countries. Last but not least the railways are the widely accepted transportation for the goods and materials. In India Freight traffic volume has risen by 620% and passenger traffic by 514% since 1951. They carry more than a million tonne of freight traffic and about 14 million passengers covering 6,856 number of stations daily. This rapid rate of increase in number of train passengers and freight traffic in the developing countries like India is quite an example of the importance of the ‘Rail’ as media of transportation in the human community.
Rail Disasters- An over view
The advancement in the technology changing the rail transportation scenario by introducing the super fast trains with the high standard of safety to meet the needs of community. The other facet of the scenario is that the risk for life in rail travel is increasing due to the frequent occurrence of train accidents. India's massive rail network is hit by an average of 300 accidents a year. The train disasters are spatial events happening as a result of range of factors like human error, antiquated communication and safety equipment, signaling systems, ageing bridges and tracks, increase in passenger and freight traffic and sometimes natural calamities have led to rail accidents. Out of these range of factors most of them can be avoided by the proper planning and implementation of systematic approach with the utilisation of latest developments in the GIS and GPS technology. The rescue operations can be effectively implemented with the aid of GIS as Disaster management tool.
GIS & GPS Integrated approach
The GIS approach in rail disaster management can play two different roles to minimise the effects of the Disasters. The implementation of integrated GIS & GPS technology to improve the siganalling system and to monitor the rail traffic on real time basis by installing the advanced GPS equipment in the trains to minimise the human error in the system. The latest GPS equipment available in the marked will give the positional accuracy of 2m can be utilised to monitor the traffic at the suspected area like signalling cabins Junction stations and signal bifurcation.
This positional accuracy may not be sufficient to locate the exact position of the train on particular track but can be utilised as the real time input to the system as cross checking measure to ensure proper siganalling.
The rescue operations after such an un-fateful disaster can be planned and implemented by using the GIS advantages. The Emergency disaster management requires locating the exact spot, incident mapping, identifying resources, establishing priorities, developing action plans, and implementing the plan to protect lives and property. Time will play crucial role in disaster management activities. The effective planning can began only after identifying the exact location of the incident, accessibility information, and resources available. The GIS can be used as spatial database to provide the necessary information require for rescue planning with in the least possible time frame. GIS allows disaster managers to quickly access and visually display critical information by location. This information facilitates the development of action plans that are printed or transmitted to disaster response personnel for the coordination and implementation of emergency efforts. GIS also allows continuous monitoring of the rescue activity and dynamic changing in the strategy to minimise the effect of disaster by identifying and alarming the required equipment and personnel required to manage the disaster.
Conclusion
GIS is essential to effective preparedness, communication, and training tool for disaster management. Integrated GIS & GPS technology is most essential element to improve the preventive measures for rail disasters.
1. Introduction
As we move from the 21st century to the 22nd century, one aspect of our day-to-day life, which is changing most drastically, is speed. As Alvin Toffler so aptly wrote in his book “Future Shock” that while our grandfathers were not prone to go out of their village in their entire lifetime, in this generation we move from one place to another, either on business or in pleasure, at a fantastic pace. This means that there is a tremendous pressure on “Mode of Transport” to shift a lot of people quickly, regularly and safely from one place to another. Over a period of years “Railways” has been a very effective mode of transport. This is most highlighted in India, which boasts of one of the largest Railway networks in the World. Not only people but Indian Railways also carries an enormous amount of goods and materials on a daily basis. It carries more than a million tones of freight and 14 million passengers covering 6856 stations daily, with such intensity, it is but natural that the Railway network has to be adequately protected in terms of its safety, regularity & timeliness.
2. Rail disasters- An over view:
While technology advancement allows us to make faster & faster trains and lack of growth in infrastructure forces us to put more trains on the some tracks, Rail accidents are growing at an alarming rate.
India's massive rail network is hit by an average of 300 accidents a year. The train disasters are spatial events happening as a result of range of factors like human error, antiquated communication and safety equipment, signaling systems, ageing bridges and tracks, increase in passenger and freight traffic and sometimes natural calamities have led to rail accidents. Out of these range of factors most of them can be avoided by the proper planning and implementation of systematic approach with the utilisation of latest developments in the GIS and GPS technology. The rescue operations can be effectively implemented with the aid of GIS as Disaster management tool.
3. An integrated GIS&GPS approach:
The conventional signaling and rail traffic management can be enhanced with the integration of latest GIS and GPS technology. The existing conventional signaling system most of the times relay on the oral communication through telephonic and telegraphic conversations as input for the decision making in track allocation for trains. There is large scope for miscommunication of the information or communication gap due to the higher human interference in the system. This miscommunication may lead to wrong allocation of the track for trains, which ultimately leads to the train collision. The statistics in the developing countries showing that 80% of worst collisions occurred so far is due to either human error or incorrect decision making through miscommunication in signaling and its implementation.
The real time viewing of actual current positions of the trains at various locations is possible with the continuous tracking of rail traffic with the Geographic Positional System equipment installed in the trains. The latest developments in the GPS technology will give the positional accuracy of nearly 2m. Practically speaking these accuracy levels may not suffice to locate the train on exact particular track on which the train is actually travelling. But the real time dynamic location information provided by GPS equipment can be utilised as the input for the signaling system to aid as the refinement tool for decision making in allotment of the track for trains. The scope for the human error can be eliminated by effective utilisation of integrated system as a cross check measure against the decision of signal and also can be continuously monitor the system even after implementing the decision with reference to the dynamic viewing of the real time movement of the trains on the track.
3.1. Proposed approach for signaling system
The proposed system contains two major components of Geographic Information system. The static data contains detailed mapping of the rail net work as a spatial database in GIS platform. The Dynamic data regarding the movement of rail traffic collected through the GPS equipment installed in train, signaling cabin and station supervisor’s cabin. The GIS enabled “Rail tracing system” takes the input signals from the near by GPS installed in trains and continuously displays the positions of the trains in the vicinity of the interested area to enable the decision makers of signaling to view the realistic situation.
This dynamic viewing of realistic position of the trains avoids dependency of the signaling crew only on the oral communication. Thus the human error in communication can be minimised. For further enhancement of the system the signaling decisions taken by the crew can be crosschecked with the continuous monitoring of real time data available with in the system by any superior prior to implement the decision.
In future the advancements in the GPS technology may give further enhancement to this approach as the accuracy in the locational resolution greatly improving day by day. The scope of the application will be further refined to a level of locating the train on its particular track if the accuracy levels further improved to less than 1m. Then the continuous monitoring of rail traffic on track wise basis can be possible to implement full pledged and automated traffic controlling and signaling system to improve the standards of safety in rail transportation.
4. GIS as sophisticated tool for rescue management system:
Even though by implementing all possible precautionary measures in improving the safety standards of rail network the occurrence of train accidents might not be ruled out. Accidents on the network are frequent, exceeding 300 per year. However, this can be seen in the context of the massive scale of the operation. In the year 1996-97, the actual accident rate was 0.51 per million kilometers. Year by year the rate of accidents is increasing. The most of the factors leads to accidents might not be controlled by human being by their nature of unpredictability and complexity.
This notwithstanding, when accidents do happen they can be catastrophic in their toll of human life. This has provoked public concern over safety. This is the right time to think in the direction of enhancing the disaster management and rescue implementation operations with aid of latest developments in the science and technology. Definitely the spatial and non-spatial database handling capabilities of GIS can be utilised to improve the speed and accuracy in decision making and implementing the rescue strategies.
The critical elements in Disaster management and Rescue planning & implementation are time and input data availability. The right decision taken at the right time from the right information sources leads to practically feasible and efficiently implementable plans and activities. Locating the site of accident, the accessibility information to the site, availability of the required resources for rescue operations in the vicinity, simple means of alarming the resources to initiate the rescue operations, finding out the optimum routes between the resource locations and site of accident etc. are major concerns in the disaster management and rescue planning.
The optimal decision making and effective rescue planning requires easily accessible accurate data base regarding the required resources in the event of accidents. The inaccuracies in the data may lead to delay in the implementation of the rescue activities. Hence the database associated in such crucial activities should assure that the updating activities could be done at regular intervals with minimum time and effort.
Definitely the real time viewing of the geographic data along with required attribute information will enhance the speed and accuracy in planning and decision-making activities.
The core of the system architecture built up with two different database one for spatial data containing the rail network, road net work with inter connectivity details, state capitals, District head quarters, major and minor towns, revenue and administrative boundaries, water bodies etc. The non-spatial database contains the information about the various resources available at each geographic location i.e. city or town or District head quarters and their contact information. The spatial database will provide the smooth and easy access to different locations to find out the site of accident and its neighborhoods. While the non-spatial data gives the detailed information about the location and its neighborhood to minimise the time factor in formulating the rescue strategy and smooth as well as fast alarming of the authorities concerned to improve the effectiveness of the rescue operations. The system always establishes dynamic link between these databases to improve the operating efficiency of the system.
4.1. Facilities provided by GIS approach:
The proposed GIS spatial database approach can be utilised in catering the needs of the Rescue crew in planning, decision-making and implementing of rail disaster management activities.
- Locating the site of accident becomes very simpler as inputting the approximate Latitude and Longitude can do it, or the site can be searched by the names of the locations nearby.
- The accessibility can be analysed more realistically with aid of the road net work maps in the vicinity of site of accident.
- Finding out the required resources becomes simpler, speedy and accurate as the data base contains the information about almost all the resources available like Police, Administration, revenue authorities, medical facilities with details about the number of beds, specialisation etc, fire fighting facilities with available infrastructure, and other resources like voluntary organisations and special police forces etc.
- Finding out optimum routes between different resource locations to accident site.
- The system also helpful in topographic and demographic analysis to improve the effectiveness in the planning and implementation activities.
- The system also provides buffer analysis to facilitate effective planning and utilisation of the available resources in the required buffer zones of the affected areas.
- The system also provides very easy means to add and update the records of the database so that the regular updating can be simpler task.
The system provides continuous monitoring on rescue activities and facilitates dynamic planning of strategies to meet the changing requirements of the rescue activities with respect to the impedance of the implementation of planned strategies.
The scope for the enhancement in the system is much more as the advancement of the web technology. The databases can be made available for all the concerned authorities through Internet and intranet facilities. This connectivity definitely enhances the mutual cooperation of the authorities to accomplish the task with more efficiency.
5. Conclusion:
GIS is essential to effective preparedness, communication, and training tool for disaster management. The integrated GIS & GPS technology offers enhancement for the existing signaling system to avoid the human error in making the decision for traffic signaling and also provides continuous monitoring of the train movement on the tracks to ensure much more safety in the rail network operations. With the effective utilisation of the advantages provided by the GIS spatial database the efficiency in the rescue planning and implementing activities can be improved.
6. Acknowledgements:
The authors are like to take this opportunity to express their profound gratitude to Mr. Rakesh Malhotra, Managing Director, Sar Softech Pvt. Ltd. for giving this opportunity to present this paper. We are also extremely indebted to Mr. Swarup Chakraborti Head GIS for his kind cooperation and suggestions. Last but not least we are very much thankful to the Map India for accepting this paper.
Bibliography:
- Anselin, L. (1990). What is special about spatial data? Alternative perspective on spatial data analysis. In Spatial Statistics: Past, Present and Future, edited by D.A.Griffith, Monograph #12, Institute of Mathematical Geography.
- Air craft Disaster Mangement using Remote sensing and GIS technics by Prof. I.V. Murali Krishna Head of the department, A. RamGopal Raju and D.B. Suresh Babu CSIT, JNTU, Hyderabad.
- Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems- Lillisand and Keefer.
- GIS Development magazines of August 2003 and October 2003.
- Upton, G.J., and Fingleton, B. (1985). Spatial data analysis by example, volume 1: Point pattern and quantitative data. Wiley, Toronto Singapore, Brisbane, New York, Chichester.