Challenges in Data Driven Asset Management for Mass Transit Systems

Mass transit systems encounter significant challenges in adopting data-driven asset management due to high initial costs, a shortage of skilled personnel, and system integration issues. The document discusses various data processing obstacles, including data silos, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and the complexities of data cleaning and integration. It emphasizes the need for future research to create interoperable digital ecosystems, develop workforce training, and implement cost-effective technologies to enhance operational efficiency and safety in mass transit.

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Challenges in Data Driven Asset Management for Mass Transit Systems

Uploaded by

taiman chan

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Challenges in Data-Driven

Asset Management for

Mass Transit Systems
Mass transit systems face significant challenges implementing
data-driven asset management despite its promising potential.
While IoT sensors, AI analytics, and predictive maintenance
platforms offer substantial improvements, operators struggle with
high initial costs, skilled personnel shortages, and system
integration issues.
This presentation explores the complex data processing challenges
in transit asset management, from fragmented data collection to
cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and examines potential solutions to
enhance operational efficiency, safety, and sustainability in mass
transit facilities management.

by Do Do Wong
System Integration Challenge
High Initial Costs Skilled Personnel
Shortage
Significant upfront
investment required for Lack of workforce with
implementing new expertise in both transit
technologies creates operations and advanced
barriers for many transit digital technologies
operators

Interoperability Issues
43% of facilities management companies cite system
integration as their most significant problem when aligning
mechanical, electrical, and digital systems
Data Processing Workflow

Dataset Data Cleaning & Data Integration Analysis & Modeling

Identification & Mapping
Creating unified Developing predictive
Collection
Gathering essential data Ensuring consistency and databases from models to mitigate risks
from various departments usability across diverse structured and
and systems formats unstructured sources
Data Silos: The Collection Challenge
Safety Risks
Potential for derailments from undetected track defects

Delayed Maintenance
Slower decision-making due to incomplete information

Organizational Barriers
Cultural, technical, and departmental divisions

The initial step of identifying and collecting essential datasets is significantly challenged by "data silos," where rail
track-related datasets are stored and managed by different departments. While some datasets like track charts and
geometry inspection data may be readily available, others such as VTI Exception Data or Tonnage Data often remain
inaccessible.
Data Cleaning Complexities

Format Incompatibility Location Mapping

Diverse sources with different Challenges in aligning data to
data structures requiring time- common references like mileposts
consuming reformatting or GPS coordinates

Missing Values Duplicate Management

Deciding whether to fill, estimate, Identifying and handling exact and
or ignore missing data points partial duplicates across datasets
Integration Challenges
Structured Data Sources Unstructured Data Sources Key Integration Hurdles

• Traffic density reports • Track curvature reports (PDFs) • PDF conversion difficulties
• Financial statements • Inspection audio recordings • Inconsistent location references
• Maintenance logs • Maintenance notes • Geographic field uniformity
• Sensor readings • Historical documentation • External resource integration

Converting unstructured data into readable formats is technically demanding, with PDF conversion noted as
particularly challenging due to fixed character positions and hard-coded line breaks. Mapping data to reference
locations and ensuring uniformity in geographic fields further complicates this process.
Analysis and Modeling Obstacles
Data Quality Dependencies Rare Event Prediction
The accuracy of analysis and Critical events like broken rails
modeling depends entirely on are statistically rare, making it
the quality of data from challenging to develop high-
previous steps. Errors or gaps in accuracy prediction models.
collection, cleaning, or This rarity creates fundamental
integration can lead to statistical limitations that even
unreliable models and advanced algorithms struggle to
potentially dangerous decision- overcome.
making.

Imbalanced Datasets
In transit systems, non-events vastly outnumber actual failure events,
creating imbalanced datasets that complicate model training and often
lead to biased predictions that favor the majority class.
Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities
Specialized Anomaly Detection
Monitoring communications for subtle behavioral changes

Machine Learning Algorithms

Comparing real-time data with simulated models

Defense Strategies
Privacy protection and device verification at field level

The increasing connectivity through IoT technologies has introduced significant cybersecurity vulnerabilities,
exposing systems to attacks including signal corruption, data leakage, database manipulation, DoS attacks, and
system-wide failures. Early designs didn't prioritize security, making retrofitting protective measures challenging,
especially with diverse field devices from multiple vendors.
Ongoing Security Maintenance
Regular Software Updates
Ensuring all systems have the latest security patches and firmware

Password Management
Changing default and routine passwords on schedule

Interface Reduction
Removing unused interfaces and accounts to reduce attack surfaces

Continuous Vigilance
Persistent attention and adaptation to new threats

Despite implementation of advanced security measures, challenges remain

due to legacy hardware that cannot be easily updated, leaving persistent
vulnerabilities. Cybersecurity in transit systems requires ongoing attention
and the development of new mitigation strategies to effectively safeguard
critical infrastructure.
Future Research Directions
Interoperable Workforce Advanced Analytics
Digital Ecosystems Development
Tailoring analytical
Creating unified Developing scalable methods to the unique
platforms that training solutions to characteristics of transit
seamlessly integrate build technical expertise asset data
diverse datasets across in transit personnel
departments and
systems
Cost-Effective
Implementation
Finding affordable
technology deployment
strategies for
widespread adoption

Future research must focus on overcoming the challenges of implementing data-driven strategies in
mass transit facilities management. Addressing these challenges will enable transit agencies to
fully leverage digital innovations, optimize maintenance planning, enhance passenger safety, and
support sustainable, resilient urban mobility systems.