Register here: https://dir.international/
The 1st Digital Intelligent Rail (DIR) Conference, organised by UIC, in partnership with Infrabel, will take place from 3 – 5 June 2019 at Square – Brussels Convention Centre.
This first DIR Conference is part of a series of major conferences dedicated to the topic of digital developments in the railways and follows other similar events organised by UIC, such as the 1st African Rail Digital Summit held from 25 – 27 February 2019 in Cape Town, South Africa.
The aim of the conference is not only to discuss the key issues of digitalisation in the rail sector, but also to provide input for UIC’s Digital Progress Paper, a strategic document which sets out UIC’s vision and approach to the subject, and which is continuously updated over time.
The conference, which is open to railway sector stakeholders, politicians, industry representatives, railway experts, economists, universities and the global digital ecosystem, will address the themes of IoT, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Twin, Cybersecurity, Mobile Devices and Smart Wearables, Robotics and Automation, as well as Cloud and Open Data.
Moreover, the programme will be structured around five panels:
Operations: Signalling and Asset Management through digital revolution. A challenge for rail: autonomous train.
Maintenance: IoT for data collection. Big data combined with Artificial Intelligence leads to a new maintenance model: how to go from preventive to predictive.
Security: Digital brings new opportunities but also new threats. A new approach to security has to be implemented. How to combine security and privacy.
Passenger: New services for customers. Intermodality and Mobility as a Service (MaaS) are two key concepts for a new mobility.
Freight: Interoperability, safety, security in Freight thanks to digital. Mobility also applies to Freight.
Mr Jean-Pierre Loubinoux, UIC Director General, said:
“The new digital revolution will impact all our processes and businesses.
Big data, machine learning, IoTs, blockchain, cloud computing, facial recognition, QR coding, quantum computing are introducing new technology for the treatment of information and decision cycles. Opportunities and risks must be appreciated, with the objective of better security and safety, better productivity and improved services.
But we need to adopt a new “4R” approach, being more rapid, reactive, responsible and relational.
I am happy that the UIC Digital Platform, in synergy with Infrabel, can organise this international mind-opening digital conference, where presentations, discussions and questions will certainly bring a lot of ideas and visions in our permanent philosophy of Share, Open, Connect.”
Mr François Davenne, UIC Deputy Director General, said:
“Digital thinking will also change our ways to model the railway system. In increasing the level of control and in giving access to data that are already there but not yet exploited the technology will unleash the intelligence of the rail network. Today’s innovative services come from networking in an open and efficient manner in already existing sectors: think of Amazon, Uber or AirbnB. Rail is already a network and then should be at the forefront of this evolution. It is huge challenge to use the digital tools and the edge telecom technologies to create for our sector a new frontier for mobility as a service in close partnership with all other transport modes. This conference should be one of the starting points of this process.”
Confirmed speakers, from the world of partners and institutions, so far include:
Mr Mohamed Mezghani, UITP
Ms Elizabeth Werner, European Commission
An exhibition will be organised in parallel to the event. This first DIR Conference will offer a unique opportunity to industry leaders, industry manufacturers and commercial or non-commercial institutions to present their products and services related to the conference theme, and also to increase their visibility.
In addition, there are a number of sponsorship and advertising options for this event. Sponsoring packages include the titles of Five Stars, Platinum, Gold and Silver, as well as certain items and social events within the conference. All companies are invited to make full use of the commercial potential to help develop their brand among key players on the digital market in many countries. Sponsorship is open to UIC members as well as the supply industry.
