The UK’s Department for Transport (DfT) has offered grant funding to Virtuosys, the company delivering business-ready solutions at the network edge, and Angel Trains, one of Britain’s leading train leasing companies. Together they will demonstrate an Edge Computing solution for use on board trains.
‘First of a Kind: Demonstrating Tomorrow’s Trains Today’ project will merge the installation of a number of Virtuosys Edge Servers to create a mesh network together with local storage and processing. It will have an initial preloaded set of applications targeted at the rail industry, which will provide useful functions during travel, even without internet access. Virtuosys will encourage other companies to build upon this foundation of connectivity and develop a wider ecosystem.
“Rail passengers increasingly expect access to quality and reliable connectivity when travelling, while at the same time Internet of Things technology can offer a wide range of exciting new tools for train staff. However to date, poor wireless coverage for train lines has stifled innovation and created a communications bottleneck,” said Alan E Jones, CEO of Virtuosys.
“Virtuosys’ solution allows train operators to deploy just a few devices per carriage which will create a self-managing network, sharing all storage and compute processing power. This will provide improved wireless coverage and a platform for a wide range of exciting services to improve the passenger experience and make life easier and safer on-board for train staff,” he added.
The advantage of the Virtuosys Edge Application Platform is that it can be deployed in any environment, including the industrial Internet of Things, Smart Cities, and retail. It also delivers a wide range of application services, such as payment processing and employee messaging, and customers now have a competitive edge in things that matter: performance, cost, resilience, security.
Virtuosys will be demonstrating a range of vertical market applications, including Smart Transportation, running on the platform at Mobile World Congress 2018, in Hall 8.0 booth F31.
