Association of American Railroads (AAR) subsidiary Railinc on Dec. 2 reported rolling out a Rail Industry GIS (RIGIS) Routing + Mileage application.
RIGIS is described as “the central repository for North American railroad spatial locations and accurate mileage data on the railroad network.” It provides regulatory, financial settlement, and safety benefits for stakeholders including shippers, car owners, railroads, and local first responders. With its “unique routing and mileage tool, RIGIS allows users to visualize and analyze routes with a high degree of accuracy,” according to Railinc. “When an origin and destination are entered, the application displays the carriers involved and breaks down the mileage by state. Users can refine results by selecting preferred carriers or build their own routes with multiple network locations, including the ability to require junctions at specific interchange locations. The underlying API is highly scalable and highly available, ensuring reliable performance under heavy loads.”
This new routing capability, Railinc said, “strengthens industry data quality and ensures consistency in mileage calculations.” As rail networks evolve, the system is said to update station information, recalculate mileage, and provide railroads with a “standardized, authoritative source for routing and mileage data.” Additionally, the system simplifies system integration, reduces cost and redundancy for railroads, and allows any user—via the API—to incorporate open-source route visualizations into their own mapping applications, according to the Cary, N.C.-based company.
The AAR GIS Committee and Railinc partnered on the RIGIS Routing + Mileage application, and its development is the result of “validation and adjudication activities that resolved discrepancies between railroad data across North America,” according to Railinc.
“This is a new standard for industry location identification and mileage calculations,” Railinc Senior GIS Manager Brent Kastor said.
