Commercial Off-The-Shelf
Open and interoperable signaling systems with COTS
Standardization of hardware and software is a crucial success factor for the railway industry to meet future demand and lower costs for the modernization, development, and maintenance of rail control systems.
The need for standardization and interoperability
The railway industry is characterized by vendor-proprietary solutions that lock in customers and prevent competition. Beyond higher costs, this also hampers innovation in the industry.
The lack of comprehensive standards for signaling systems contributes to this. The introduction of ERTMS provides conditions for interoperability, but there are still vendor-specific implementations and solutions.
There is a huge need for modernization, as well as for investments in new rail capacity. New signaling projects are still delayed with too high costs for development and maintenance.
The introduction of modern, open, and interoperable solutions based on standards would address both costs and timelines.
Using modern technologies to automate development and safety verification would lower costs, shorten time to revenue service, and guarantee safety.
The technology to master these challenges exists today. Prover’s SDA-tools brings automation to the development and verification process. Open formal specifications implemented on a COTS-hardware creates an open and interoperable signaling system.
What is COTS?
COTS refers to Commercial Off-The-Shelf, commercial products ready to use without extensive adaptation or development. They are available in the market and can include both hardware and software. In railway signaling we refer to ready-made PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) products as COTS-hardware that can be easily integrated into existing systems. Unlike traditional bespoke systems developed uniquely for each implementation, COTS solutions offer standard interfaces and open specifications, significantly reducing development time and costs.
Applying COTS in railway signaling systems represents a step forward. It allows for rapid adaptation to technological advancements, reduces reliance on single vendors, and offers a path toward standards-based interoperability between different subsystems.
The industry is transforming into becoming more digitalized
There is an emerging trend in the railway industry following other industries with focusing more on modular software-based solutions that can run on COTS-based platforms. We are moving from vendor-specific solutions, where software and hardware are part of the same solution and depend on each other to open and standardized solutions, such as COTS-based solutions where software and hardware are separated and standardized and solutions run in the cloud.
This leads to significant benefits like:
Prover offers a solution for the development of COTS-based systems
The solution’s foundation is to enable the separation of software and hardware. This is done by providing a software solution for developing a COTS-based system. The process is supported by Digital Twins of the complete Rail Control System, which are then used for all steps from prototyping, tendering, development, safety verification, and maintenance. The Digital Twin is based on Formal Methods.
Prover software runs on several different COTS hardware platforms, such as Schneider, Hima, Pilz, etc, see Prover iLock
An ECO system to drive industry standardization
To efficiently enable the purchase, delivery, and maintenance of COTS-based Rail Control Solutions, Prover is actively developing an ECO system of partners that can work together to maximize customer value.
This ECO system consists of:
- Engineering companies acting as system integrators that take responsibility for the end customers
- COTS hardware vendors
- Software vendors that have complementary solutions to Prover software
How safe and efficient are your rail control systems?
Initiate a transformation in rail control safety with our specialized automation packages, designed to advance signaling systems efficiently and safely.
Related case studies
Customers that are already getting the benefits of COTS-based solutions from Prover
Some examples of customers for whom Prover has delivered COTS-based solutions. We are also engaged in several new COTS-based projects that will be announced later in 2024 and 2025.
Explore the transformation of the railway industry towards interoperable, vendor-independent solutions using COTS hardware. Discover the benefits and implementation strategies for open and interoperable signaling solutions in the modern rail network.
Prover iLock ensures all signaling system components meet requirements by integrating Schneider PLC code and relay logic into a Digital Twin of the complete interlocking system.
Take the first step towards implementing a COTS-based solution
The most efficient way to get started is our service, “Model-based tendering with Digital Twins”:
- Three insightful workshops: Engage in a series of workshops designed to refine your tendering requirements and strategy.
- Comprehensive report: A detailed report featuring recommendations, examples of optimized tendering requirements, and a summary of workshop findings.
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News
Latest news, stories and upcoming events related to COTS.
Prover will be exhibiting at InnoTrans 2024, taking place September 24-27 in Berlin. Visit us in hall 3.2 at booth 130.
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