[Source: China Rail Transit Association]

Innovative big data & urban rail development

How to interact between big data era and urban rail transit?

With national strategy attaching more importance, the application of big data matures. This makes more and more urban rail transit authorities to think deeply, mine, give a role to big data. On September 14 and 15, on the above-said seminar sponsored by Management and Management Committee of China Urban Rail Transit Association, relevant leaders and experts from Beijing, Shanghai Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Suzhou, Changsha, Wuhan, Zhengzhou and so forth carried out their discussions and exchanges on how to use big data to build and develop the innovative urban, which was a "brainstorming".

High time of big data and urban rail trail transit

According to the data released by the China Urban Rail Transit Association, in the first half of 2017, China had 10 cities to open the operation of urban rail transit lines of 247 km, 16 cities starting the construction of urban rail transit lines of 381 km. The number of cities to open urban rail transport operations was increased to 31, by the end of June, the cumulative operating mileage was 4400 km.

The rapid growth of urban rail transit operations has resulted in complex and diverse data in the course of operation. How to use big data mining and data visualization analysis so forth to better serve the urban rail transit operation and management, has become a new area in research and analysis.

Massive data size, fast data flow and dynamic data systems, diverse data types and huge data values are the four major features of big data. Obviously, for the urban rail transit industry having the rapid growth, its generated and accumulated data base has a clear feature of big data. And through mining, analysis of urban rail transit data, we can not only find the law and analyse the situation, but also help practitioners and managers to optimize the working methods, improve efficiency and promote development.

In order to comply with the development requirements of urban rail transit industry in the era of big data, and to clarify the application of big data in the management and innovation of urban rail transit operations, the China Urban Rail Transit Association Operations Management Committee hosted the seminar, which was a platform for communication and interaction for the urban rail transit units. Leaders and experts in this platform discussed relevant issues about management innovation and development in urban rail transport operations.

Discussion and result on big data and urban rail transit

In this seminar, there were following participants: authoritative experts from the Ministry of Transport Science Research Institute, Beijing Traffic Information Center, State Key Laboratory of Rail Transit Control and Safety and other government departments; leaders from urban rail transit units; representatives from other big data enterprises, for example, Beijing JIUZHOU Railway Rail Technology Service Ltd and so forth. Leaders and representatives from co-organizers namely Beijing Infrastructure Investment Ltd and BIITT also attended it. Participants made macro thinking from the perspective of the urban rail industry and big data era; micro analysis coupled with practical work; and a sharing of actual work experience. Leaders and experts were together to discuss urban rail traffic operation and management under big data, thereby bringing vigor for the development.

Big data will become an important strategic resource, and the disclosure and sharing of big data will become a trend. At present, a top priority is to attach importance to collection, mining, analysis and application of data resources. This is also true in the field of urban rail transit operations management. Increases in number of cities opening lines, mileage as well as progresses in industry environment and tech, on the one hand, can make the analysis and application to have a stronger guiding role, on the other hand, can provide a basis for decision-making for urban rail transit units. 

Application of big data & requirements on urban rail transit

Big data era affects various industries. Different attributes or characteristics in different industries determines the integration of big data with them. This needs professional awareness and ability of the industry. Business Director Tian Kexin of BIITT at the seminar delivered his lecture entitled exploration and analysis of big data in rail transit. It is a typical case highlight professionalism in the urban rail transit under the background of big data.

Urban rail transit information technology has been in the forefront of the traffic industry. With years of effort, for different business needs, BIITT has built information systems with different functions. The big data product solution of BII-TTBJ has built a subway energy consumption statistics and monitoring platform in Beijing. This platform is suitable for urban rail transit industry and supports a variety of data collection and communication protocols. With advantages such as unified data storage platform and powerful analytical capabilities so forth. It can collect and store data from a number of data sources, integrate and store energy-related data and provides data services for multiple platforms and systems through a diverse data interfaces. At the same time, with powerful data mining and analysis capabilities, it can analyze and display energy consumption data, predict subway energy consumption and provide data support for the energy-saving emission reduction program.

Attach importance to the driving force of big data with a foothold point always being in professionalism. Urban rail transit operation and management field has its characteristics and needs. Only with a deep understanding and strong professional service capabilities, can we give full play to the role of innovation and development of big data.