20.09 Briefing Note

This page details updates to acumen that will be deployed during the 20.09 release.

The relevant User Guide pages have been updated in preparation for this upgrade.

User Interface Changes

There have been some changes to the interface, in order to support deployment on a mobile device.

The docker location label is now separate from the orange docker tab. This allows a user to hide the platform docker tabs when viewing on a mobile device.

The pictures below show a before and after for Crewe as an example.

Users will notice that there is a horizontal scroll bar when in the vertical view, and a vertical scroll bar when in the horizontal view. This is to support a zoomed-in view when using on a mobile device.

It is recommended when using acumen on a desktop, that the docker is configured to the screen width. This option can be switched on in the Docker Viewing Preferences.

Finally, historic associations now display a black line as well as the red shaded background, similar to associations where both the primary and secondary trains can be seen on the docker. We see below examples in Platforms 1 and 6.

Advance Train Plan

The Advance Train Plan tab enables a user to search for and display the train plan (CIF) for a selected 12hr period. This may be useful for ensuring the train plan has been amended around planned engineering works, or to check there are no clashes in the timetable.

To select a time period, a user must click on the calendar icon next to the tab title. This opens the dialogue box as seen below.

A Start Date/Time is selected.

Note: A user has the option to select a time period weeks or months in advance but should bear in mind the timetable is more likely to be subject to change and may not have short term plans or other changes applied. Equally, the Advance Train Plan is not designed to look at the immediate 12hr period because the plan displayed is of the CIF and does not include day-of replans. The Platform Docker Display should be used for viewing the immediate 12hr period.

The user can then select Docker View Orientation as either Horizontal or Vertical. It is set to Horizontal by default. (Note: The picture below displays the vertical view).

Once submitted, the plan for that 12hr period is displayed. (This may take a minute to load due to the number of trains). The plan looks much the same as the Planned Layer on the normal docker view, with the date and time down the side(s) and associations drawn.

Conflict Detection is in effect for occupation conflicts (OC) and infrastructure restriction conflicts (IR).

Clicking on the calendar icon again reopens the dialogue box. Any conflicts are listed here in a table. The option is provided to export this table to excel format. Routes may decide to then send this output to Capacity Planning or local timetabling teams.

Note: The advanced plan remains loaded when a user clicks off on to another tab.

Information about this new tab can be found in the user guide here: Platform Docker Tabs#Advance Train Plan.

Mobile Device Functionality

acumen has now been configured for mobile devices. Information about what mobile devices are supported is located on the Mobile Device Support page

The Mobile Device Support page also explains what functionality is available for different device sizes / resolution.

Specific devices have not been targeted - the responsiveness of acumen is engineered around screen size:

• Recommended: 1920px x 1080px (16:9) - i.e. Desktop computer;
• Mobile minimum width: 524px - acumen will not render on devices below this width resolution;
• Optimal mobile: 1024px x 768px - Landscape view, or 768px x 1024px portrait. (This is the resolution of an iPad).

Note: Other resolutions may function as desired however, these are not supported by the acumen development team.

Functionality becomes more restrictive as the resolution decreases.

The following sub-sections include some functionality changes and limitations that are applicable to all mobile devices.

Note: Modern mobile phones such as the iPhone X have a resolution exceeding that of a desktop computer however the screen size limits the functionality. In this case the limitations are just those listed below.

Context Menu

There is no right-click on a mobile device which means the Context Menu - Replan Functionality is not accessible.

The option to Notify Train Crew Issue has been moved to the Train Details View, accessed by a press/click on the mobile device.

The other options within the context menu are not available on a mobile device. These are Replan Service, Suppress Service From Docker, and Amend Associations.

Hover Tool-Tip

It is not possible to hover on a mobile device to display a tool-tip.

This means users are unable to hover to see more information about a (C), (P), train status etc. Users can instead make use of the Conflict List, Alert List, or Train Details View where these are available.

Home Page

The acumen Home Page tabs available on a mobile device are the Real Time Incidents and Station Messages tabs.

The PPM and TSR tabs are not available.

Other Functionality

• A user cannot apply an infrastructure restriction on a mobile device.

• The Advance Train Plan tab is not available on a mobile device.

Off Booked Route Trains

Off Booked Route Trains now have additional functionality.

Replan

To add an off route train onto the docker the user selects a headcode via the Global Search. These instructions have not changed and are described here User Cases#Off-booked Route.

The docker location is then added to the schedule. The screenshot below gives an example where York has been added to a London Kings Cross to Leeds service. Note: No calculations are carried out to assess the suitability of the new stop or the associated timings; the docker location and the timings the user selects are just added to the bottom of the schedule.

Once on the docker, users can now interact with these trains the same way as normal forecast trains. This includes applying train notes, applying train running restrictions, creating connections, awaiting train crew, making replan changes, and amending associations.

Note: Like other trains, off booked route trains will now also flag the blue triangular marker if in the TBC column.

The addition to normal forecast trains is the option on the right-click context menu to cancel the off route call as shown below.

These trains are also now subject to occupation conflicts and infrastructure restriction conflicts.

Re-time

Previously, the timings entered by the user when adding the off route train call were only subject to manual update.

With this 20.09 upgrade, the forecast arrival and departure times are subject to automatic update based on the time the train strikes pre-configured approach berths. (These are the approach berths that prompt the notification alerts in the bottom left hand corner of the docker).

Additional Changes Applicable to York

• The sub-platforms for Platform 5 have been removed. Trains will now render full width, or full height, when forecast for Platform 5. Where a message is received from DARWIN to move a train in to 5A or 5B, this message is listed in the Alert List but the instruction is understood to be Platform 5.

• acumen now correctly deals with the stepping of those services that pass through one platform to arrive/depart from another. This issue was raised through acumen support in respect to Platforms 3 and 4 at York. For example, trains 9E04 and 1E35.

Additional Changes Applicable to Crewe

• Infrastructure restrictions can now be applied to the UFL, DFL and UDL on the Crewe docker in addition to the platforms.

Bug Fixes

Bugs related to sub-platforms and conflicts have now been fixed.

Previously, false conflicts were arising between units in A ends and B ends. Or were not correctly raising as they should, for example when a train had a train running restriction not to use Platform 9 and it was forecast for Platform 9A.