SAT.Engine: Automated Planning and Validation Tools for Modern Train Control Systems

This paper on the use of satellite engineering (SAT.engine) for modern train control systems is from the proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Computer System Design and Operation in Railways and Other Transit Systems, held in Beijing, China, in 2010. The authors describe how during the worldwide introduction of modern train control system projects, such as the ETCS (European Train Control System), it turned out that the actual engineering processes cannot fulfill the increasing requirements of the new technology. This is because, in comparison to conventional train control systems, the amount, as well as the required quality, of planning data is substantially higher. Due to the lack of tools, too many tasks are done manually, which is inherently inefficient and error prone. The authors describe the development of the SAT.engine at Dresden University of Technology. SAT.engine provides an efficient method for a satellite-based track survey as well as further processing tools, e.g. those used for capturing relevant track elements, generating topological plans, producing video simulations for training purposes, and the verification and validation tasks necessary for planning data.