
Andrea Berry
Holland LP

Ryan McWilliams
International Engineering
Abstract:
Data Collection and Management: How We Collect and Manage Data in the Field, Transmit Data, and Create Information
This presentation will focus on data collection, data transmission from field to office, and the conversion of data into actionable information. In this session, we take a deep dive into:
- An overview of the types of systems that collect data (wayside and mobile)
- The types of data that are created
- How field-deployed systems manage and store data locally
- Where data goes: How data is transferred from field to office, what types of data are transferred, and what defines “field” and “office”
- What happens to data: How data is curated into information, what type of information is derived, and why.
- How information is returned to actionable parties
- A brief overview of how information derived from data drives the railroad business and industry insights regarding Big Data
This session will serve as a compliment to the leading presentation. After discussing the types of technologies that create data in the prior session, we follow with an analysis of what we do with this data. Session attendees will gain a better understanding of how data is managed and merged in the context of a highly decentralized collection process, how data is transmitted to a central repository, how data becomes information, and a general insight into using information to drive the industry.