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HAFAS Information Manager HIMInformation Straight to the Point

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HAFAS Information Manager HIM

With the ongoing success of smartphones and

tablets and the triumph of mobile internet, pas-

sengers discover new needs. Timetable infor-

mation should be clearly, easily and comfortably

retrievable, especially when on the go. Real-

time data about the vehicles, in particular their

current positions, become increasingly popular.

The HAFAS Information Manager HIM provides

passengers with relevant information on their

connections as timely and accurately as possible

– not only prior to but also during the journey.

HaCon‘s HIM family comprises several individu-

al modules that can be seamlessly integrated

into the timetable information system HAFAS.

With HIM Info as the core module, messages

regarding operational disruptions are provided

to the passengers in real time. In most cases,

these disruptions (e.g. construction sites) cannot

be precisely quantified in terms of delay. Passen-

gers can access the additional information via

the journey planner with all its output chan-

nels – internet, mobile applications, RSS feeds,

push messages as well as arrival and departure

boards on the platform or at the bus stop,

respectively.

As a web-based tool, HIM is perfectly suited

for distributed environments: users at different

places and from different organizations can edit

timetable contents at the same time.

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“Effective management of knowledge requires hybrid solutions of people and technology.“ Thomas H. Davenport

One HIM fits all occasions

Any information can be transmitted to passen-

gers via HIM, whether stop- or route-related,

region- or country-specific: Relevant news items

are assigned to the vehicles affected. In addition

to traffic disturbances, other messages can be

sent, e.g. to promote the on-board restaurant.

Data exchange

HIM enables exchanging messages with other

transportation companies. In doing so, HIM

acts as a distributor that verifies and forwards

relevant information between transmitter and

recipient – just like a data hub. When opera-

tors from different regions or countries want

to share HIM messages, the texts might need

adjustment. When messages are transmitted

across borders, HIM automatically generates the

respective language.

Multi-client capability

With HIM, managing user rights becomes a true

breeze. It can be easily specified who can per-

form which tasks and to what extent. Detailed

workflows can be defined and distributed to

operators, roles, organisations, etc.

HIM Info at a glance

• optimize customer service with comprehensive information • add complementary information to your journey planner – whether real-time data or marketing campaigns• live editing: provide your customer with real-time alerts on operational disruptions• highlight affected connections on a disruption map• comprehensive history and reporting functions• multi-client capability with regional, company-specific or individual user rights • import and export HIM messages • intuitive search functions• edit and define rules for individual connections• optimize workflows with follow-up messages and hierarchization• quality assurance • user-friendly editorial interface with automated text modules• multiple languages• connect teletext for messages

Selected references

• SBB - Swiss Federal Railways• DB - German Railways• ÖBB - Austrian Federal Railways• Rejseplanen - Denmark• SNCB/NMBS - Belgian Railways• CFL - Luxembourg Railways• NRI - Norway• SITKol - Poland• VBB - Berlin Brandenburg Transport Association (Germany)• ZVV - Zurich Transport Association (Switzerland) • NVV - North-Hessian Traffic Association (Germany)• RMV - Rhine-Main Transport Association (Germany)

HIM at German Railways (DB) Since 2010, Deutsche Bahn (DB) has been using HaCon‘s HAFAS Information Manager HIM. Travelers enjoy the many advantages: Not only do they know whether their train will be on time, but also whether their journey will be impaired by events that cannot be quantified in precise delay minutes. Also, additional information about tickets, services or special offers is transmitted to passengers via HIM.

Travelers can access HIM messages via the DB‘s journey plan-ner with all its output channels: on the internet (bahn.de), via mobile applications as well as via arrival and departure boards on the platforms. In addition, HIM information is also visible to DB staff on their mobile devices and at travel centers.

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The passengers‘ view: The

SBB visualizes HIM messages

on a map in the journey

planner. Symbols indicate

what kind of disturbances

are to be expected along

the routes (e.g. construction

sites). In addition to the

map, the HIM messages are

explained in detail below.

Creating HIM messages

HIM messages can be created individually as free

text or by means of predefined text modules.

HIM‘s input mask consists of fields for reference

parameters (e.g. line, date, validity) and for crea-

ting the message itself. Usually, a selection of

parameters is defined once and added to HIM as

required. On an everyday basis, users simply add

a value to the predetermined parameter.

Once defined, the reference parameters enable

a HAFAS request in order to determine the

overall impact on the operating schedule: An

overview shows a list of all affected vehicles

that should be annotated with a HIM message

– according to the previously entered reference

parameters. Here, users can also deselect ve-

hicles. If a vehicle has already been assigned

to HIM information, users can double-check

whether one news item might be redundant

due to another. A summary allows for last

minute corrections before the HIM message

goes live.

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Using text modules

While individual text creation is possible, using

text modules proves to be very time-efficient.

Among other advantages, HIM messages crea-

ted this way can be automatically translated into

multiple languages. Also, customized text modu-

les help to establish a consistent, understandable

wording, regardless of different HIM editors.

Text modules are assigned a title, a message

category (e.g. disturbances), an impact

(e.g. re-routing) and a description. Moreover,

users can define priorities that are especially

relevant when two or more HIM messages

relate to one vehicle and must be displayed at

the same time.

Users can easily update, edit and manage text

modules themselves. This can be useful for

one-time events that require temporary HIM

messages.

Text modules facilitate

creating HIM mes-

sages in different

languages.

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HIM‘s train archive

features an intuitive

user interface.

Comments

As an efficient means to improve internal com-

munication processes, comments allow users to

add information to HIM messages. According to

their individual rights, users can read and/or wri-

te comments in HIM. Comments are especially

useful to control message authorization. The

input mask for comments can be accessed via

the message editor or the message overview.

Train archive

HIM‘s train archive guarantees an effective

handling of complaints – which becomes ever

more important given the ongoing expansion of

passenger rights. Users can easily track if, when

and how a message was issued: a list shows all

HIM messages, including their dates of publica-

tion, message categories, exact wording, output

channels and sections/stops affected.

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Statistical evaluation

The train archive generates comprehensive

information that can be used to create daily

reports and statistics. HIM enables various types

of reports, including the number of messages

created

• within a certain time period, e.g. follow-up

messages, free text messages, messages

composed with text modules

• in each category, e.g. section-, stop- or

line-related messages

• for each output channel, e.g. RSS feed,

journey planner, internal publication

• by each editor

Also, HIM generates a list of all connections

affected by messages on a specific date. Types

of vehicles and/or operators can be chosen as

search parameters, so that it becomes obvious

right away what trains and/or buses are current-

ly impacted by a HIM message.

HIM modules

In addition to HIM Info as the core component,

several other valuable modules can be added

to the system in order to acquire and process

further data. Thanks to single sign-on, users can

seamlessly work with all HIM modules.

With HIM Geo, users can geocode places such

as train stations and edit entry points. Passen-

gers using the electronic journey planner benefit

from exact pedestrian routings that indicate the

fastest ways from platform to platform. This

allows for more comfortable changes – thanks

to HIM Geo.

Based on current bookings and previous capa-

city rates, HIM Capacity forecasts the passenger

density for each vehicle. By providing these data

in the journey planner, travelers can see right

away which connections are likely to be heavily

frequented and which aren‘t.

By means of HIM Connect, waiting rules can

be easily defined. These help to ensure reliable

connections in daily operation. The connec-

tions specified in HIM Connect are immediately

available in the journey planner – making the

module the perfect match for HaCon‘s vehicle

management system HAFAS Smart VMS.

By combining various modules, HIM becomes a

comprehensive expert system: In addition to the

actual timetable data, futher relevant infor-

mation can be gathered and provided to the

passengers.

HIM modules

• HIM Info - information on operational disruptions and other messages • HIM Geo - boardings, entrances, station maps, POIs • HIM Timetable - comprehensive timetable data including any additions, changes in schedule and re-routings • HIM Capacity - capacities and forecasts • HIM Realtime - real-time macro data, foreseeable delays • HIM Train - train composition, capacity information • HIM Connect - connection reliability, waiting rules • HIM Map - map displays

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HaCon Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH

Lister Strasse 15

30163 Hannover

Germany

Phone: +49 511 33699 - 0

Fax: +49 511 33699 - 99

Email: info@hacon.de

www.hacon.de/blog

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