Actian Case Studies Increasing Capacity with Versant Object Database and RailEdge® Movement Planner

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	Increasing Capacity with Versant Object Database and RailEdge® Movement Planner Actian

Increasing Capacity with Versant Object Database and RailEdge® Movement Planner

Actian

Technology Category	Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Database Management & Storage
Applicable Industries	Railway & Metro
Applicable Functions	Logistics & Transportation
Use Cases	Predictive Maintenance Real-Time Location System (RTLS)
Services	Data Science Services System Integration
Challenge	The Federal Railroad Administration is expecting railroad freight traffic to double by 2020. However, the U.S. railroad infrastructure cannot be expanded to keep pace with this demand. Railroads are confronted with meeting this demand in some other way. GE Transportation Systems, the global technology leader and supplier to the railroad industry, is addressing the problem with RailEdge® Movement Planner, an object-oriented software system incorporating the Versant Object Database. GE Transportation’s customer, Norfolk Southern Railroad, operates 2,500 trains per day over a 21,000-mile system serving every major container port in the eastern United States. Norfolk Southern expects to increase railroad capacity, velocity and efficiency with no new tracks, to increase average network train speed 10 to 20 percent, and to save millions of dollars in capital and expense. Read More
About Customer	Norfolk Southern Railroad is a major transporter in the eastern United States. It operates 2,500 trains per day over a 21,000-mile system serving every major container port in the region. With the Federal Railroad Administration expecting railroad freight traffic to double by 2020, Norfolk Southern is faced with the challenge of meeting this demand without expanding its existing tracks. The company aims to increase railroad capacity, velocity, and efficiency, increase average network train speed by 10 to 20 percent, and save millions of dollars in capital and expense. Read More
Solution	GE Transportation Systems, the global technology leader and supplier to the railroad industry, provided a solution with RailEdge® Movement Planner, an object-oriented software system incorporating the Versant Object Database. The Versant Object Database provides significantly higher performance with RailEdge’s complex object models than a relational database. Objects with moderate complexity perform three-times faster, while objects with high levels of complexity, many-to-many relationships, perform more than thirty-times faster. RailEdge replicates and modifies objects—a heterogeneous mix of data types images, maps, sensor data, financial information, etc.—continuously coming into the Versant Object Database. Using the same object model for the application and the database, VOD provides significantly higher performance with RailEdge’s complex object models than a relational database. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics

Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Database Management & Storage

Applicable Industries

Railway & Metro

Applicable Functions

Logistics & Transportation

Use Cases

Predictive Maintenance

Real-Time Location System (RTLS)

Services

Data Science Services

System Integration

Challenge

The Federal Railroad Administration is expecting railroad freight traffic to double by 2020. However, the U.S. railroad infrastructure cannot be expanded to keep pace with this demand. Railroads are confronted with meeting this demand in some other way. GE Transportation Systems, the global technology leader and supplier to the railroad industry, is addressing the problem with RailEdge® Movement Planner, an object-oriented software system incorporating the Versant Object Database. GE Transportation’s customer, Norfolk Southern Railroad, operates 2,500 trains per day over a 21,000-mile system serving every major container port in the eastern United States. Norfolk Southern expects to increase railroad capacity, velocity and efficiency with no new tracks, to increase average network train speed 10 to 20 percent, and to save millions of dollars in capital and expense.

About Customer

Norfolk Southern Railroad is a major transporter in the eastern United States. It operates 2,500 trains per day over a 21,000-mile system serving every major container port in the region. With the Federal Railroad Administration expecting railroad freight traffic to double by 2020, Norfolk Southern is faced with the challenge of meeting this demand without expanding its existing tracks. The company aims to increase railroad capacity, velocity, and efficiency, increase average network train speed by 10 to 20 percent, and save millions of dollars in capital and expense.

Solution

GE Transportation Systems, the global technology leader and supplier to the railroad industry, provided a solution with RailEdge® Movement Planner, an object-oriented software system incorporating the Versant Object Database. The Versant Object Database provides significantly higher performance with RailEdge’s complex object models than a relational database. Objects with moderate complexity perform three-times faster, while objects with high levels of complexity, many-to-many relationships, perform more than thirty-times faster. RailEdge replicates and modifies objects—a heterogeneous mix of data types images, maps, sensor data, financial information, etc.—continuously coming into the Versant Object Database. Using the same object model for the application and the database, VOD provides significantly higher performance with RailEdge’s complex object models than a relational database.

Impact #1	RailEdge® Movement Planner creates a complete real-world model of the entire train system as well as a financial business model of the railroad within the Versant Object Database.
Impact #2	RailEdge continuously models and predicts rail system operation for eight hours in advance.
Impact #3	Taking over scheduling and routing from human operators, RailEdge improves fuel efficiency and achieves a two-to-four miles-per-hour increase in average train velocity.

Impact #1

RailEdge® Movement Planner creates a complete real-world model of the entire train system as well as a financial business model of the railroad within the Versant Object Database.

Impact #2

RailEdge continuously models and predicts rail system operation for eight hours in advance.

Impact #3

Taking over scheduling and routing from human operators, RailEdge improves fuel efficiency and achieves a two-to-four miles-per-hour increase in average train velocity.

Benefit #1	A one-mile-per-hour improvement saves $200 million annually in capital and expense.
Benefit #2	Objects with moderate complexity perform three-times faster with Versant Object Database, while objects with high levels of complexity, many-to-many relationships, perform more than thirty-times faster.

Benefit #1

A one-mile-per-hour improvement saves $200 million annually in capital and expense.

Benefit #2

Objects with moderate complexity perform three-times faster with Versant Object Database, while objects with high levels of complexity, many-to-many relationships, perform more than thirty-times faster.

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Overview

Increasing Capacity with Versant Object Database and RailEdge® Movement Planner

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit