Monitoring Train Position to Improve Emergency Response
Project Data
Staff Responsibility:
Harvey Berlin
The purpose of this project was to determine train location so that local authorities can respond more rapidly and effectively to emergencies. Web-based communication/information technologies were applied to the interaction and interfacing of local emergency response systems and freight trains. The application utilized GPS information to accurately display the positions of trains in real or near real time. A Geographical Information System (GIS) monitor for displaying train position is an improvement over existing displays, which present straight-line track diagrams.
This project included the technical development required to adapt the web-based information technology to handle railroad GIS data and concomitant displays. This project included field testing the resulting “Civil Overviews” prototype display system in a municipality. This project included access to CSX railroad track infrastructure data for analysis, and participation of CSX.
