Brochure HAFAS Information Manager HIM - HaCon

HAFAS Information Manager HIM
Information 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, passengers
discover new needs. Timetable information
should be clearly, easily and comfortably
retrievable, especially when on the go. Realtime
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 individual
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. Passengers
can access the additional information via
the journey planner with all its output channels
– 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.

“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 passengers
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 operators
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 perform
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 planner
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 creating
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 vehicles.
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.

Using text modules
While individual text creation is possible, using
text modules proves to be very time-efficient.
Among other advantages, HIM messages created
this way can be automatically translated into
multiple languages. Also, customized text modules
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 messages
in different
languages.
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HIM‘s train archive
features an intuitive
user interface.
Comments
As an efficient means to improve internal communication
processes, comments allow users to
add information to HIM messages. According to
their individual rights, users can read and/or write
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 publication,
message categories, exact wording, output
channels and sections/stops affected.

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 currently
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.
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
With HIM Geo, users can geocode places such
as train stations and edit entry points. Passengers
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 capacity
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 connections
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 information
can be gathered and provided to the
passengers.
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Contact:
HaCon Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH
Lister Strasse 15
D-30163 Hannover
Phone: +49 511 33699-0
Fax: +49 511 33699-99
E-Mail: info@hacon.de
www.hacon.de