Rome, 18 September 2017
UIC Digital Days is the international conference promoted by Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane and the International Union of Railways (UIC). On 18 and 19 September at the Parco della Musica Auditorium in Rome, international experts in the field will be discussing the digitisation of railway infrastructures and the consequent challenges of cyber security. As digital technology evolves, the industry is undergoing a profound industrial transformation, along with the way customers use services.
The international conference, organised in collaboration with Mermec and IBM, will also be attended by: Franco Gabrielli, Chief of the Italian Police, Howard Marshall, Head of the Cyber Criminality Department at the FBI, Franck Pavero, French Computer Security Officer and Stefano Calabrese, Head of the ICT Department of the Italian Civil Protection.
"In the coming years, IT technology will be one of the major drivers for the development of integrated collective mobility in the major metropolitan areas," said Renato Mazzoncini, CEO and Managing Director of FS Italiane. "FS Italiane has invested 800 million Euros in digital technology over the 2017-2018 two-year period. We are in the forefront of driving the digital transformation of the industry, which is one of the five pillars of the 2017-2026 Industrial Plan and Digital Rail is one of the four priorities of my UIC Presidency. With big data and advanced analysis systems," Mazzoncini continued, "we will provide our customers with digital tools for a modern, dynamic travel experience that meets customer needs, where mobility choices can be made in real time and based on the best available conditions."
Artificial Intelligence is one example of a digital tool that can be used to predict mobility demand and tailor the offer to customer needs. This will enable a more effective and efficient use of fixed infrastructures (railways, metropolitan and tramway networks in cities) and fleets (trains, buses and trams), optimising the use of available resources, financial or otherwise.
The expansion of digital services is nevertheless exposed to attacks by cyber criminals, who can steal confidential and private information or block essential services and collective mobility. To counter these threats, institutions and businesses need to act preventively and systematically, working in synergy and using shared systems and languages. This is the only way that we can help to share the information necessary to ensure safe mobility.
CEO and MD of FS Italiane, Renato Mazzoncini, during the Digital Days UIC conference, presented the awards to the SocialDev and 4workers teams who won the Moving Forward Hackathon, promoted by Trenitalia and organised by Codemotion.
The winning project was Vito (Virtual Interactive Trenitalia Operator) by the SocialDev team. It is a virtual assistant that responds to all the traveller's needs and takes care of every aspect of the journey. The second project by 4workers, named after the team itself, is dedicated to the digitisation of safety in the workplace.
This award closed the two days of the UIC (International Union of Railways) devoted to the digitisation of the transport sector and related risks.