SIGNALLING & TELECOMS
(satcoms); satellite navigation (satnav or GNSS); earth observation (EO); and systems or
technologies derived from
human space fl ight (HSF). The underlying logic is simple: combinations of these different systems lead to capabilities that are greater than the sum of their parts. The extent to which this is true can be surprising. For example, most people have some understanding of the capabilities of GPS for positioning but few realise that the system also provides precise timing information, or that it can provide location in three dimensions. When this is combined with the capability for two-way communications it becomes very powerful: when that capability is extended into areas beyond the coverage of terrestrial services it can make all the difference to the viability of many applications.
A case in point is the extension of informa- tion management systems to areas of the rail network that do not have trackside fi - bre to support communications services. This obviously affects some rural lines in remote parts of the country. It can also affect maintenance gangs working in tel- ecommunications ‘not spots’ in the middle of even the most highly developed areas, such as in deep cuttings.
If the work is relatively short term, then they may not be able to access the fi bre net- work, so if they are in one of the innumer- able coverage gaps that exist in the mobile phone networks even on open stretches of the main lines, the communications issue can be critical for both operational effi cien- cy and safety. Yet there is a simple remedy in the form of the new generation of porta- ble broadband satcoms systems, which are far less expensive to buy and use than their predecessors of even a couple of years ago. These systems need line-of-sight to the sat- ellite but if that is a problem, it can be over- come by the addition of a short-range ter- restrial radio net, which is a commonplace
piece of kit used in many other markets (the media, aid agencies and peacekeepers, to name but a few).
ESA is considering the possibility of an open competition in another area of keen interest to the rail industry: the threat to transport infrastructure from landslides, subsidence and other forms of earth movement. Space systems have already demonstrated their capabilities in this area through a programme called GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security), which deploys earth observa- tion satellites to monitor even the small- est movements and changes in topogra- phy. Many of the key studies delivered by this programme have been published by the Terrafi rma project (www.terrafi rma.
eu.com), which is a cooperative venture by ESA and the European Commission.
“The clever bit is the way in which this is integrated with not only the terrestrial mobile communications network (GPRS) but also the on- train systems and back-offi ce utilities.”
The IAP interest is to take this work a stage further by integrating the EO capability not only with terrestrial systems and GNSS but also with satcoms. The aim would be to determine the extent to which it is possible to predict and pre-empt damage by close monitoring and the provision of alerting services.
This could be of relevance not only for dra- matic events such as the rock falls that have affected the rail network in the Highlands of Scotland, but also for more widespread issues affecting the Victorian-era earth- works constructed in the shale and clay
landscapes that predominate across most of England. In this context GNSS can pro- vide information on very small soil move- ments in 3D, which in combination with EO could enable measurement down to a few millimetres. Satcoms would be used to deliver the data automatically from remote areas with no terrestrial telecommunica- tions networks and perhaps also to contrib- ute to an alerting service.
As most landslides are related to heavy precipitation and soil moisture levels, in- tegration with a precise weather forecast- ing capability is implicit. This would likely include the gathering of data from weather stations placed in situ at the target sites; and with detailed geological surveys where these have not already been carried out.
The landslide example thus illustrates another tenet of IAP: that the satellite el- ement is often only a small (but critical) part of a much bigger system. ESA believe that this is the secret to the future success of the satellite industry. Satellites happen to be particularly good at aggregating large numbers of users who are spread across wide areas. Each individual application may be quite small, but by fi nding their natural niches and aggregating them to achieve economies of scale, satellite sys- tems become highly cost-effective.
The proof of this, however, is in the project – and ESA is actively looking for potential users in the rail indus- try who are interested in exploring what space might be able to do for them.
Alan Brunstrom
FOR MORE INFORMATION ESA Harwell Centre, Ambassador Platform for Enhanced Mobility T: 01235 567 903 W:
http://iap.esa.int
rail technology magazine Apr/May 11 | 189
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