Design and evaluation of a GPS-aided communication device for railroad workers

Abstract

Communications in current railroad operations are heavily based on voice links. Radio congestion is often a problem when railroad workers try to establish communication with dispatchers at the Traffic Control Center. This problem is expected to grow with the introduction of new rail services. At the same time, roadway worker fatalities still occur every year. Moreover, railroad workers' disorientations also cause accidents, and train dispatchers would often value knowing the railroad workers' locations. This report documents the design and evaluation of a GPS-aided wireless "data link" communication device used to enhance railroad worker safety. Personal safety is achieved when a person has sufficient warning before taking an action that exposes him or her to risk. The focus of the study was to understand the safety implications of both data-link and positioning technologies. The prototype device consists in a hand-held information appliance with wireless access to the Internet, connected to a GPS receiver. We demonstrated this device to railroad workers and dispatchers and their feedback has been gathered in this report. They provided excellent ideas to improve it and showed great enthusiasm. An experiment designed to evaluate the concept from the dispatcher's perspective was conducted. Although the prototype was shown to have room for improvement, the results of our experiments were encouraging. Digital interactions between dispatchers and railroad workers were slower but more accurate than the same interactions over the radio. Dispatcher valued the tracking display based on GPS information, although it increased the mental workload.