Decentralised monitoring of rail traffic using extended reality : an approach to improving the resilience of critical infrastructures

Trains are currently monitored and dispatched from centralised control centres. The workstations required for these tasks are equipped with a limited number of monitors, but an even larger display area is preferred due to the large amount of software being used simultaneously. This article uses a case study from the field of rail traffic dispatching in Germany to discuss the extent to which multi-desktop-based workflows such as monitoring and dispatching can be transferred to XR with the help of an XR headset. For this purpose, the current human-human interaction and human-machine interaction are analysed and a concept for a transition into an XR environment is developed. To evaluate the concept and compare it with the status quo, a real, desktop-based workflow is emulated in the XR environment. Our XR-based approach enables remote work and the ability to display a virtually unlimited workspace for the operator. It also facilitates location-independent decentralised monitoring, which can improve the resilience of critical railway infrastructure.