Open cloud solution vs silo-solution. Part 3 (3)

May 22, 2018

Integration consulting

The change from non-communicating vendor locked-in systems, to an open standard for both software and hardware, can sometimes seem like a daunting task, but either the comprehensive information material you can get from the system supplier will help you do the job, or you can use the many years of experience they have built up through aiding in the implementation of the open standard solution in thousands of vehicles, by asking for an integration consulting service. The integration consulting service will take you through the whole process from beginning to end, with system demonstrations and decision making regarding best system, test implementation in a few vehicles, troubleshooting, and then, when everything works like it should, a full, controlled roll-out throughout the whole fleet.

To get a deeper insight into the migration process, you can read this Migration Guide for on-board IT systems in public transport.

Purchasing a Cloud Fleet management system

There are a few things to think about when purchasing a cloud fleet management system, and the focus might be slightly different for PTA than for a PTO.

PTA:

  • Have a clear migration plan for your ITS systems
  • Make sure that the borders of responsibility between PTA and PTO are clear in your ITS architecture design. Eg. decide what systems shall be PTA responsibility vs PTO’s
  • Plan your traffic tenders and it’s technical requirements to include ITxPT specifications and to match your migration plan.
  • In traffic tenders, specify exactly what Bus-FMS PGN/SPN’s that are required from the vehicle, and make sure you have the right to use it without restrictions.
  • Do system specific tenders rather than one big with many sub suppliers.
  • Tender “system integration consultant services”, alone or together with ONE system.

PTO:

  • To get high flexibility and cost saving and to be future proof always try to purchase ITxPT labalized vehicles.
  • Prepare yourself and your vehicle suppliers by investigate to what level vehicles can be equipped from factory.
  • The trend from PTA’s is to move responsibility for onboard ITS systems towards PTO’s using  functional requirements, open standards API’s and summary reports. PTA’s may prepare themself by as a minimum always have a open and flexible basic IT platform in the vehicles, it is also one of the major goals of ITxPT to provide specifications to support this.

Open cloud solution vs silo solution conclusion

So, to summarize, an open cloud solution platform, why is it better than a silo solution? First of all, you get all your legacy systems to integrate and communicate. All your future investments will be cheaper. You benefit from mass production solutions from IT and vehicle industry, and a whole new ecosystem of new developers and suppliers are able to emerge in a new, standardized public transport environment where as long as a supplier adheres to the standards of ITxPT (Information Technology for Public Transport), their solution will be compatible with all other available units within the standard in a plug-and-play manner.

Why is it so important to develop public transport, and the user experience? The alternative, to travel by car, is getting more and more technically advanced and comfortable, so public transport operators and authorities must constantly be upping the game and pushing for better, more prize worthy, more environmentally- and user friendly solutions to compete, and win. It is a matter of our survival to curb, and in best case reverse, the climate change. If we can get a big part of the population to travel by public transport, we will reduce emissions and be a part of solving the biggest problem humanity stands before right now. Watch this film from Bloomberg, to get a little inspiration.

Resources and References

Disclaimer: The content of this blog post is the author’s opinion and doesn’t reflect the opinion of any other person or organisation.