Railnova product update: renewed map with better focus on railway and more customization options

Post by Nikita Marchant, Data Engineer at Railnova
October 21, 2020

For Railnova the map is not just “a static map”! We want it to be much more than that. We want the map to be something dynamic that is able to adapt to your needs. Whether that is locating your assets in real time, finding the best route to get to a stranded asset, showing relevant field-operation points, displaying a heat map of where your fleet is already running to win over new clients, viewing heat maps of where your fleet is having the most issues, etc.
The possibilities are endless!

A first step in transforming the map into such a dynamic tool for rail has been to switch to a new map interface. This new interface offers us much more customisation options and enables us to increase our map’s railway focus. At the same time we also added clear icons and a more consistent color scheme.

Have a look at the latest map updates below:

New and improved map features

The renewed map on Railfleet has received the following updates:

1. Focus on Railway

As the Railnova platform is aimed at the Railway industry, it’s only logical that our map focuses on the Railway industry, and its infrastructure. We therefore reduced the visibility of items that are not that relevant to railway traffic. At the same time we highlighted railway tracks (including secondary tracks in front of workshops and in yards), workshops, train stations, and other relevant locations.

Railway lines are now visible (and in the forefront) at any zoom level, and emphasis is put on rails, line numbers, stations and workshops. The previous Google maps style focused mainly on highways, restaurants etc.

2. A new color scheme

As we no longer use the Google maps interface, the color scheme has also undergone an update. The style of the map now blends in perfectly with the rest of the Railnova software platform. Thanks to this, the map is more recognisable and we provide you with a more consistent experience throughout the entire platform.

Terrain relief has also been integrated in the new scheme.

3. New iconography

We’ve also introduced some new icons for railway relevant elements. These icons indicate places such as train stations, workshops and the state of your assets:

Icons for points of interest:
Train station: all known train stations are now shown on the map, new ones are easily added.
Workshop: all known workshops are displayed on the map. New ones can be added easily.

Icons for asset states:
Traction: this icon is shown when an asset is both powered on and moving
Standby/idle: this icon is shown when an asset is not moving but powered on with an RPM higher than 0
Power on: this icon is shown when an asset is powered on, not moving and has an RPM of 0
Parking: this icon is shown when an asset is not powered on and not moving
Vehicle: this icon is shown when an asset is not powered on, but moving

4. Customisation options

The renewed map offers you greater flexibility as it can be customised more efficiently to your specific needs. Custom data can be added easily (think about charging or refueling stations and other points of interest).

This means that, if you want to see network points, ERTMS balises or any other information on the map to simplify your day-to-day operations, we can add those for you. Already know what kind of custom data you want to add to your map? Get in touch with our team, we’re happy to help!

What’s next?

We’re keen to know what you would need from the map to simplify your work? What would you like to be able to do with the map? Which features are you missing? Let us know!

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