Technology at Dallas Area Rapid Transit Allan Steele VP/CIO July 23, 2013 asteele@dart.org
Topics 1. Introduction 2. Vision 3. Infrastructure and Operations 4. Intelligent Transportation Systems Technology 5. Applications Systems Management 6. Program Management Office 7. Projects to Improve Customer Experience 8. Projects and Workload 1. Infrastructure 2. Intelligent Infrastructure Technology 3. Applications Systems 4. Information Management 9. Capacity vs workload and the need for contractors 10. Concluding Points Dallas Area Rapid Transit 2012 2
IT Vision The Information Technology Department operates as the technology services provider to the Agency and its customers. It delivers and maintains effective technology solutions using internal and external resources as available and needed. Dallas Area Rapid Transit 2012 3
Primary Data Center all systems hosted internally except Google Mail Secondary Data Center for DR Real time data replication, virtual servers for very fast transfer MPLS WAN connecting 20 sites Gigabit LAN in all facilities Oracle is primary DBMS SAN storage architecture 1,800 desktop PCs, 400 laptops IT Infrastructure Dallas Area Rapid Transit 2012 4
Desktop Services Repurpose about 1,500 PCs as thin client machines Much longer life - >10 years Eventually replace with thin client devices at $150 Applications delivered virtually from servers using 2/Citrix/Terminal Server technology Power users retain full featured PC The Result Reduces annual hardware cost by $250,000 Much easier to support, greater flexibility for change Potential to reduce license costs Dallas Area Rapid Transit 2012 5
Telecommunications Replacing PBs with VoIP communications servers in the data center, and new hand sets Quality of Service (QoS) on MPLS ensures quality voice transmission Reduce PB maintenance and local phone line costs by $250,000 Positions platform for future unified messaging interchange of voice mail and email, desk top video conferencing (2014) WiFi 802.11n upgrade/roll out to support mobility 3G/4G cellular for vehicle & small facility connections Dallas Area Rapid Transit 2012 6
Systems Engineering/PDC 2013 Increase Thin Client Terminal Server farm hardware and capacity Virtualize 90% of all servers - approximately 250 110 terabytes of storage in 3 tiers + cloud Secondary Data Center (SDC) for disaster recovery Migrated e-mail and collaboration into cloud services Google mail; Google sites Support mobility internally and externally Consolidate remote hardware to PDC and SDC Dallas Area Rapid Transit 2012 7
Vehicle-based systems VBS on rail; VLU on bus; Wireless system on vehicles Radio, WiFi, GPS, AVL Right of way systems Traffic signal priority, maintenance of way, corridor management Camera systems Geo-information systems Routes, bus stop inventory ITS Technology Dallas Area Rapid Transit 2012 8
Technology in Transportation Operations Bus Based Systems Vehicle monitoring Fare Collection Passenger information display GPS based Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) Automatic Passenger Counting Security cameras Buses and trains equipped with a private radio system for operator voice communications to Dispatch, and vehicle location data every 90 seconds 4G wireless under consideration Dallas Area Rapid Transit 2012 9
Enterprise Class Applications Systems Trapeze 16 modules Route planning, design and scheduling for buses Operator scheduling and work assignments Route performance management Trip planning for riders via web site or call center SPEAR 2 modules Maintenance logistics and work orders Materials Management Lawson 18 modules Finance, Procurement and Human Capital System Dallas Area Rapid Transit 2012 10
PARATRANSIT PASS - TRAPRZE Trip Bookings Dispatching Complaints/Commendations Certifications RIDESHARE TRAPEZE Trip Matching AVL (Automatic Vehicle Locator) BASE MAP (GIS) - ESRI Bus Stop Inventory (GIS) Clever Devices Time Points (GIS) - Clever Devices Transit Works Bus Dispatch FLEET/FACILITIES MAINTENANCE SPEAR 2000 Overhauls Preventative Maint. Re-Builds Paint & Body Campaigns Facilities Maint. Ways/ & Structures Material Mgt. Barcode System FLEETWATCH Fueling Systems MMII Online Maintenance Manuals - AIT Human Resource Mgt. LAWSON Applications Benefits Attendance Payroll Retirement - PEN-CAL Risk Management - Risk Sciences TRANSPORTATION TRAPEZE Run Bidding Time Keeping Performance Mgt. Bus Yard Mgt. Daily Dispatching Operator Sign-In SERVICE PLANNING TRAPEZE Planning Demographics Schedules Bus Stop Inventory Route Planning MAPS GIS BlockBuster CHARTERS Charter Bus Orders - In House Customer Billing - LAWSON CUSTOMER SERVICE Customer Information - TRAPEZE (Schedule Information, Trip Planning) Complaints/Commendations TRAPEZE Web Based Trip Planning -TRAPEZE InterActive Voice Response (IVR) - Ontira (Paratransit,Bus,Rail,Comm Rail, Other) Photo ID s (Reduced Fares) - In-House Pass/Ticket Sales - LAWSON, In-House Point-of-Sale DART Store - InfoGenesis ADMINISTRATIVE Accounts Payable - LAWSON Accounts Receivable - LAWSON General Ledger - LAWSON Cash Mgt. - LAWSON Asset Mgt. LAWSON Employee Self Service - LAWSON Budget - LAWSON, In-House Contracts - In-House Purchasing LAWSON MBE - In-House Budgeting/Cost Modeling - COGNOS Dallas Area Rapid Transit 2012 FARE COLLECTION GFI - General Farebox Incorporated TVM s PASS/TICKETS - LAWSON Ridership - General Farebox Incorporated In-House DART Technology Functional Area Support Systems 11
Custom Applications Systems DARTNet intranet and workflow FileNet Records management Telestaff Police scheduling and timekeeping Fleetwatch fuel and fluids consumption Electronic Parts Catalog images of parts and sub-assemblies COGNOS budget development Ripplestone Crystal Reports server ESRI geo-information systems Namsys revenue cash management Primavera program management for construction Expedition document management for construction CMS Contract management system for construction costs Dallas Area Rapid Transit 2012 12
DARTNet DART s intranet The Web Applications team supports and develops applications and workflows on the agency's web sites ap.dart.org (accounts payable) www.dartnet.org (intranet) transportedart.org (Spanish) www.dart.org m.dart.org (mobile)
Technology Program Management Office Doing the right things and doing things right. 2011 Focus Providing project management support for projects in IT and other departments Assisting project leaders get projects into the done bucket 57 in 2011 Maturing project management capabilities with targeted coaching and training Continue developing program and project standards and templates Dallas Area Rapid Transit 2012 14
IT Projects and Workload
Infrastructure Workload Maintenance and Support - 21 people Running the network and data centers, desktop support Projects UNI upgrade Thin client roll out WiFi LAN at all facilities Cellular connection in WAN for small sites End user experience Dallas Area Rapid Transit 2012 16
Intelligent Transportation Systems Workload Maintenance and Support - <4 people Traffic signaling, computers on light rail, auto passenger counters Projects TRE Next Train signs In-vehicle technology for bus and light rail Communications, monitoring Connection protection Customer digital displays in transit centers In-vehicle technology for non-revenue vehicles Field Supervisors laptops and tablets Dallas Area Rapid Transit 2012 17
Applications Management Workload Maintenance and Support approx. 10 people 3 enterprise application suites, approx 40 modules Departmental applications and intranet Projects Oracle R11g upgrade Lawson Procurement Phase II Lawson Grants module Lawson V10 upgrade Enterprise Asset Management for TRE Enterprise Asset Management for DART (SPEAR replacement) D&EO software Intranet work requests web development Dallas Area Rapid Transit 2012 18
Architecture &Information Mgnt Workload Maintenance and Support - >3 people IVR, auto attendant, project portfolio, business intelligence Projects Mobile ticketing application September launch Enterprise architecture documentation and development Information Management business intelligence Program Management PM tools, standards Reporting analysis and standards Business process engineering Geospatial projects Dallas Area Rapid Transit 2012 19
Capacity vs Workload IT has 64 full time positions Approximately 38 of those are needed for maintenance and support keep the lights on Another 12 are needed for routine requests & minor projects The balance of 14 is insufficient to address the project backlog We are considering a General IT Services contract Contract with one vendor who will supply skilled resources as needed Task order concept for engagements of 3 to 9 months General contractor will be expected to subcontract much of the work Hope to have an RFP on the street in August Dallas Area Rapid Transit 2012 20
Category 1 (General Skill - Lowest Risk Category) Skill Level Entry Intermed Advanc Expert Skill set System Engineers experienced in VMware virtualization with VCP5 Certification and/or experience designing and implementing disaster recovery plans in Site Recovery Manager. Microsoft System Engineer experience managing Windows servers with MCSE 2K8 or higher certification and/or terminal server management experience using Citrix / 2. HP-U System Administrator with current CSA Certification PC Technician with current A+ certification Technical Support Specialist with an emphasis on mobile technology (i.e. Smart Phones, Tablets) and Google System Engineer with experience in HP EVA/3PAR SAN environments Network Engineers with one or more of the following: Experience managing Enterasys switches and Routers Experience with 4G LTE router implementation Experience managing Cisco network equipment with current Cisco CNA certification Service Desk Specialist with excellent customer service skills and the ability to monitor servers, reset password, etc. Application Support Specialist able to support ITS software and hardware. Knowledge of Init VBS a plus. Dallas Area Rapid Transit 2012 21
Category 2 (Specialized Skill - medium risk category) Skill Level Entry Intermed Advanc Expert Skill set SQL Server Database Administrator with experience setting up and configuring a server farm and security. Web Developers with one or more of the following skills and experience: HTML, ASP,.Net, Java, ML, VbScript, Javascript, Visual Basic, MS Access, MS SQL and Oracle SQL. Experience with Google APIs (Apps, Transit, Geo/Maps) skills a plus. Crystal Reports Developer with SAP Business Objects and enterprise data management skills Mobile Application Developer (Android, ios) with understanding and experience using HTML 5.0 MS Project Server 2010/2013 Consultant experienced in the installation, setup, and configuration of the software PMO Consultant with experience implementing standards and supporting processes IT Project Manager with demonstrated ability to lead various sized software and infrastructure implementation projects Business Analyst with strong process analysis and design skills ITSM Consultant with demonstrated ability to implement ITIL best practices and processes. Dallas Area Rapid Transit 2012 22
Category 3 Premium Specialty Skills High Risk Category Skill Level Entry Intermed Advanc Expert Skill set Lawson Financials Consultant with detailed understanding of the setup and configuration of the Grants, Budget, and General Ledger modules as well as the data relationships and dependencies between the modules. Lawson HR Consultant with demonstrated ability to manage upgrade, implementation and business process improvement projects. Lawson Payroll Consultant with strong business process design and improvement skills. Lawson Procurement/Supply Chain Consultant with demonstrated ability to manage upgrade, implementation business and business process improvement projects. Detailed understanding of Supplier Portal, Strategic Sourcing, Punchout and Contract Management. Lawson Technical Consultant with development skills in Process Flow Integrator/Business Process Automation, Lawson BI to include Smart Notifications and Dashboards, and other toolsets. Lawson Systems Consultant with skills in Lawson Systems Administration, upgrades, WebSphere, and configuration of Portal and End Points Dallas Area Rapid Transit 2012 23
Trapeze System Administrator/Consultant experienced in the setup and configuration of Bus Stop Manager, Info, Plan, F, and OPS with detailed understanding about security and the database schema. Strong analytical skills with the ability to troubleshoot trip plans and schedule data as well as debug Trapeze logs. IBM FileNet Consultant experienced in system design and deployment for multirevision upgrades and/or migration to other electronic document management systems. IBM Cognos Business Intelligence Developers with Cognos BI v10.2 experience with the following modules: Framework Manager, Data Manager, Query Studio, Report Studio, Analysis Studio Trapeze ITS (Transitmaster) Consultant GIS Consultant with the ability to work in a map network environment Security Video Management Integration Consultant experienced in large-scale deployment of mobile and stationary cameras Traffic Engineer with advanced traffic signal controller design and operation experience, traffic signal simulation experience, knowledge of Advanced Signal Controller (ASC) hardware and Software, ITS Technical Project Manager familiar with the Traffic Signal Priority (TSP), INIT Vehicle Business System (VBS), and Camera implementation ITS Technician with solid understanding of electrical and communication engineering and experience with detectors, cameras, knowledge of IR detection and What s Up Gold network management a plus Communications Engineer (Fiber / 802.11 switches) with understanding of electrical as well as network design Dallas Area Rapid Transit 2012 24
Concluding Points Public transit is an important asset for the 4 th largest SMA, with economic impact exceeding $10 bn More comprehensive application of technology will improve the rider experience and potentially increase ridership Technology will improve interoperability of different modes of transportation Technology will increase productivity and deliver information to Agency management, including on mobile devices The technology department challenge is to maintain pace with the rapid changes in technology to deliver lower costs and improved rider experience while protecting investments. Dallas Area Rapid Transit 2012 25
END Allan Steele asteele@dart.org Dallas Area Rapid Transit 2012 26