The pace of technological advancements is rapidly accelerating. According to the European Network on High Performance and Embedded Architecture and Compilation (HiPEC), society is entering the artificial intelligence (AI) era, driven by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, where computers are taking on new forms and embedding them into people's daily lives.
The advances in digital technologies such as AI, big data analytics, Internet of Things (IoT), and blockchain, bring the concept of seamless mobility and efficient interconnectivity to a reality.
Data analytics and artificial intelligence in railways have a big contribution to the development of society. The national transporter is planning to use AI and big data analytics in train operations, passenger ticket booking, maintenance of systems, freight operations, and railways assets.
The data will be analyzed with the help of AI, IoT, and analytics and used in the Passenger Reservation System (PRS). Unlike the present system of carrying out maintenance in a periodic manner, a predictive asset maintenance system will continuously monitor the condition of equipment and generate the required alerts. This will not only reduce the cost of maintenance but also help to cut down the load on maintenance of assets.
Some of the ways through which we get to see the impact of Artificial Intelligence in railways:
It is clear AI and big data analytics systems can be powerful and solve the critical challenges that railways are facing today. Experts recruited for the study came up with future concepts of AI-driven solutions that can revolutionize the industry such as 'smart stations' and 'Real-Time Customer Sentiment Tracking' through AI-powered video analytics.
Transport provides in-depth descriptions of AI use-cases in public transport, detailed guidelines on key building blocks of AI in railways, and solutions to overcome the common challenges of AI projects, as well as an overview of the potentials of AI when combined with other technologies such as IoT and blockchain.
However, AI is no silver bullet and faces limitations like any other technology. Data is the foundation of all AI systems – quality, quantity, integrity, and legality are all important factors.