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Operations Management

Unify dashboards and KPI metrics with GIS for enhanced safety, efficiency, and data visualization

Montage of a dark map with yellow lines with colored dots; people’s feet as they prepare to board a commuter train

Streamline rail operations with GIS

Emerging technologies in railroad operations improve safety and efficiency, but implementing unrelated technologies can cause confusion and data overload. GIS technology offers a solution by integrating business systems, thus providing a common operating picture. By transitioning daily metrics from spreadsheets to interactive maps or dashboards, problem areas can be visualized and network issues can be identified.

How GIS supports operations management

Drone and lidar

Railroad operations extensively utilize drones, and the collected imagery serves multiple purposes beyond the initial project requirement. Storing these images spatially in ArcGIS Image Server provides access to aerial imagery, allowing users to locate specific areas and search through all the available imagery, regardless of the project it was collected for.

Photo of a train approaching a mountain tunnel, and the same photo taken with lidar imagery

Workforce intelligence

Automating work orders, routing, and tracking with a spatial element improves the safety of new employees by locating assets, prioritizing maintenance, creating optimal routes, and completing tasks. This is particularly critical when teams need to collaborate to cover one another’s territories during incidents or required rest periods.

Blue online dashboard with a bar graph, a dark map, and a photo of a building

Daily KPI visualization

Displaying KPIs geographically empowers workers to understand information by visually tying it to a map. For example, overlaying current velocity in a named subdivision and yard dwell times on the network map helps identify areas with excessive dwell, providing a more informed story.

Worker in a safety vest and hard hat looks at a laptop screen, with several small drones parked alongside

Asset utilization

Accurate real-time tracking of engines, equipment, and crews improves asset utilization and profitability. In operations involving valuable assets worth millions of dollars, informed decision-making leads to cost savings. Real-time locomotive tracking enables efficient train pickups, eliminating the need for pre-stored trains. Knowing the location of the nearest vehicle with equipment reduces travel time during incidents or switch adjustments.

Map of brown mountainous terrain, marked with clusters of red dots , some with yellow squares or rectangles around them

Products for operations management

Unlock the potential of your operations with these leading Esri products.

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