ALVEA™ – the ultimate solution for intelligent rail operations
Discover the benefits of our brand-new supervision platform
Centralised supervision is the bedrock of modern rail operations. From video surveillance to traffic management, supervision is typically carried out at Operation Control Centres (OCCs) where expert operational teams manage every facet of the passenger experience using digital workstations.
The operational mission of OCCs is huge – and growing. The problem is that the current generation of IT supervision systems has limited flexibility. Applications cannot easily be added, scaled-up or adapted without major software modifications – a real blocker for railway operators looking to expand their systems or take advantage of new AI-powered applications.
Achieve your big ambitions with ALVEA™
To overcome these limitations, Thales has developed a brand new supervision platform for rail operations. The name chosen for the solution – ALVEA™ – comes from the Latin word meaning beehive. It’s an apt choice, because Operation Control Centres are always buzzing with activity. But there’s much more to it than that.
“It’s about modularity,” explains Stéphanie Joudrier, Wayside Solution & Operation Control Product Line Manager at Thales. “ALVEA’s cellular architecture acts as a matrix for different applications. These can be scaled and managed independently, but all of them are linked, like the hexagonal cells of a honeycomb. This provides a huge degree of adaptability as the needs of our customers evolve.”
Microservices are at the heart of ALVEA’s cloud-native architecture. Put simply, these make it possible to break down large, monolithic applications into a series of discrete components. This modular approach is a game changer because it means applications can be adapted and scaled much more easily – and without disruption.
Let’s look at the benefits in more detail:
Integration without limits: adding or changing applications can be a real headache with conventional supervision systems. But ALVEA™ is designed to facilitate change. “The system is scalable by design,” says Dominique Martin Decroix, Product Line Architect of ALVEA™. “You can add new subsystems, new assets, more users and extra features – without upsetting anything. This is new compared to the previous generation. Customers get all the benefits of integration without the downside.”
Third-party applications: as well as integrating Thales’ applications and subsystems, ALVEA™ supports those of other suppliers. “This is another benefit of modularity,” says Joudrier. “The solution is open to third parties – infrastructure owners are not tied to Thales’ products.”
New digital workflows: Thales pioneered the principle of linking applications such as SCADA, CCTV and video analytics to enable coordinated actions backed by decision support. ALVEA™ takes this a step further. “One of the key things we are adding is digitised standardised operating procedures,” Joudrier explains. “In the event of a crisis, the operator receives an alarm and is then guided step by step through a fully-digitised procedure, instead of relying on paper manuals.”
Manage any subsystem: ALVEA™ provides a unified single-user interface which allows operators with the appropriate permissions to interact with any infrastructure subsystem. The look and feel of the interface is harmonised for all applications, streamlining operations. “This is crucial when there is an incident or if services are disrupted,” says Martin Decroix. “Automation and coordination reduces the time for the operator to manage the incident and restore normal services.” Easier system administration is an added bonus.
Powerful simulations: ALVEA’s vast capacity for data and seamless communications is set to revolutionise operator training. “You can use playback of real operational data to create simulations – or build your own scenarios,” Martin Decroix explains. “Simulations can be hosted on the cloud and delivered as a service, so users can connect from anywhere.”
Collaboration made easy: enhanced connectivity is another big change, with real-time data exchanged – securely – between all stakeholders. “Not only OCC staff, but also people working outside the control room: staff on platforms, maintenance teams and station managers,” Joudrier says. “It could also be external stakeholders, including the emergency services and transport authority stakeholders who need to get real-time information on their mobile devices. The digital transformation is technical, but it is also operational.”
Maximum availability: resilience is greater with ALVEA™ than with conventional supervision platforms. Moreover, cybersecurity is enhanced: “ALVEA™ is ‘Cybersecured by Design’, which means it complies with the international security standards (IEC 62 443). Equally importantly, it is optimised for granular patch management – you can update systems easily without having to start from scratch,” says Martin Decroix. “This matters, because operators are now obliged to update systems much more frequently to maintain compliance.”
Cloud-native flexibility: ALVEA’s cloud-native architecture delivers multiple benefits, including the ability to build-out new functionality rapidly and add users without constraints. “Cloud native” refers to the architecture – it doesn’t mean you have to use a public cloud. That said, a growing number of operators are looking to the cloud as a way of managing obsolescence against a background of accelerating technological change. “We are starting to see some projects where asset management systems are being deployed on the cloud,” confirms Joudrier. “The trend is already under way.”
Where next?
With its adaptable cloud-native architecture and almost limitless scalability, ALVEA™ represents the future of supervision for both metro and main line operators – and it paves the way for the next wave of innovation, including the deployment of applications powered by AI.
“Thales already provides AI-driven services to support supervision – video analytics for crowd detection and passenger guidance are well-known examples. But further advances are in the pipeline thanks to ALVEA’s scalable architecture,” Martin Decroix says. “Ultimately, it is about defining pain points and building solutions that deliver real operational benefits for our customers – not just AI for AI’s sake.”