**1. Introduction**

## **1.1 General framework of digital railway system**

#### **1.1.1 Construction background of digital railway system**

Digital Earth [1] refers to the concept proposed by former US vice president Al Gore in 1998, which is described as a virtual representation of the Earth that is spatially referenced and interconnected with the world's digital knowledge archives. Digital Earth promises to make the unified representative and recognition about the real earth and related phenomenon. Specifically it based on computing technology, multimedia technology and large-scale storage technology, interconnected with broadband network, the use of vast amount geo-referenced information to present earth in three-dimensional description of multi-resolution, multi-scale, multi-dimensional and multi-species, the use of information technology to process the entire planet's natural and social activities of various aspects, maximize the use of geo-information resources, and take it as a tool to transform nature and society, to promote the development of human civilization. Digital Earth is considered to be the best way of integrated use of shared data and information resources available, and the main and core body in the process of sustainable development with information resource. Digital Earth will play important role in social development, economic construction, and national security.

Digital Earth has raised the attention of governments, around support for "Digital Earth" concept and the development of key technologies, and set off a new round of information technology infrastructure and applications development boom on a global scale. Increasingly it has formed a lot of strategic directions, such as Digital China, Digital Government, Digital City, Digital Transportation, Digital Agriculture, Digital Meteorology, etc. National information infrastructure, national spatial data infrastructure and a large number of high-tech project started, and Digital Earth related computing science, large-scale storage, high-resolution satellite images, broadband network, spatial information technology, interoperability and metadata, visualization, and virtual reality, etc. technologies achieved breakthrough progress, and shown great potential for innovation.

With the concept of Digital Earth and Digital China in-depth development and popularization, continue to promote the theory and technology, accelerating the pace of project construction, the concept of Digital Railway gradually formed in the railway

<sup>\*</sup> Wang Yingjie, Li Ping, Guo Ge, Ma Xiaoning, Lu Wenlong, Wu Yanhua and Shi Yi

*Institute of Computing Technologies, China Academy of Railway Sciences, Beijing, China* 

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realize Intelligent Railway development [13], as well as the content of basic building during railway informatization, and the needs of railway modernization for now and the objective

Government attaches great importance to the development of national railway, invested heavily in rail infrastructure, especially large-scale passenger line construction. In 2010, China railway mileage will reach 110,000 kilometers, among others, above 200 kilometers per hour and intercity passenger rail line will reach 13,000 km, achieve separating from passengers and freights on busy main line, and a large number of modern integrated transport hub in operation. At the period of great construction and development, various kinds of new business applications are emerging, and made strong demand for railway information. At the same time, for the upcoming large-scale railroad network system, existing decentralized information processing methods of information management systems cannot meet the needs of rapid development of railway operations. That makes urgent needs for modern information technology to carry out in depth research and comprehensive application of railway information resources, integrated utilizing geographical information technology, global positioning technology, remote sensing technology, multimedia messaging technology, intelligent image processing technology, virtualization reality technology and network communication technology, etc., and based on information technology promote Digital Railway construction, use of railway information resource, serving railway business operation, to enhance the level of railway operation and

Digital Railway is a comprehensive, large and integrated, complex and arduous mega-systems engineering, and it is a development strategy. Instead, the rail transport system will depend on the digitalized and network-enabled information infrastructure. In the railway transport system, production and management of internal operations and external marketing and passenger services are all part of the effective interaction based on the "digital flow". It develops the railway information system in an innovative way, that achieve digitalize railway management, to make a virtual reproduction of the "real world" railway through the computer and information network. By Digital Railway research and development, archive digitalized railway survey and design, digitalized railway engineering construction, digitalized railway equipment manufacturing, digitalized railway traffic command and control, digitalized railway safety inspection and monitor, and digitalized maintenance and repair, etc., then archive Digital Railway business process reengineering, digital management decision-making, and promote organizational process reengineering. The research and development of Digital Railway will promote management innovation through technology innovation, reduce operating costs, improve efficiency and level of management, facility the connection between the railway and highways, waterways, civil aviation and other modes of transport, provide digitalized passenger and freight transportation service, promote intelligent

**1.1.3 Construction objectives and research contents of digital railway systems** 

The objectives of Digital Railway construction include [2]: on the one hand is the realization of Digitalization and Cyberization of the railway business systems, regulating railway foundation information and the methods of information sharing and exchange for dynamic

of the future.

management to provide technical support.

and integrated transportation systems development.

**1.1.2.4 Essential characteristics** 

industry. Digital Railway should be the strategic objective of China railway modernization in the 21st century.
