What is AARK?
Route Knowledge management for the rail industry.
Simple, fast and cheap to run.
It's Evidence Based
AARK is built upon the idea of gathering route information from individual train drivers to build interactive route knowledge & retention portfolios. Every time a driver drives a route, his or her route portfolio is updated to reflect this. In turn this means that each driver's route retention is kept up to date. Depending on the route risk ranking the system will alert the administrator to any driver requiring a route refresher, in cab ride or route assessment.
It's a Competence Management System
Being an evidence based system naturally lends itself to the area of competence management. In addition to managing a driver's route knowledge it also manages a driver's operational competence of traction types from Rail Cars to Locomotives to On Track Machines. Individual company standards can be introduced allowing the software to be customised to best suit a company's requirements for competence management.
It's Automated
Once AARK is set up it is automated. It will automatically update a driver's route competency record each time they traverse a route. However, if an incomplete or unrecognised route is driven the system will alert a driving standards manager or administrator to review.
It's Personalised & Customised
Each driver has their own route portfolio in the database. Each route driven by a driver is viewable on the database. Start and finish times are available along with a route map of the journey completed. In the event that a driver stops driving their portfolio can be archived on the system. Individual companies can customise the system depending on the routes operated and their traction types.
It's Advanced Mobile Technology
AARK has been developed and built using the most up to date and advanced computer technology available. It is platform independent meaning it will work on all operating systems used by mobile phones to tablets. This enables a company to integrate the system into exisiting hardware. At the heart of the system is an algorithm used for interpreting the information uploaded by a driver.
It's User Friendly
The software has been developed by train drivers for train drivers. It is non-invasive and easy to use and takes less than 15 seconds to set up by the driver. The system was built on the working together philosophy - the passionate implementation of a set of management principles that were instrumental in the development of AARK. It was very important for us to understand what both drivers and competence managers needed when it came to route knowledge acquisition and retention management. We listened.
AARK focuses on these ...
From route knowledge acquisition and retention to driver competence...
01. Route retention
First & foremost AARK has been developed to help drivers retain their routes in the form of a live database portfolio which updates when a driver drives over a particular route that they are currently competent on.
02. Route acquisition
AARK can help drivers acquire new routes by providing evidence that the driver has driven the route in the past. For example as a trainee driver under instruction through to when they sign competent on the route.
03. Route learning
The system is designed in such a way that route learning assessments & exams can be built in for each driver on each route they are currently competent on. Seperate assessments and exams for newly acquired routes can also be integrated into the system.
04. Driver competence
At the core of AARK is route knowledge acquisition and retention. However the software also serves as a fully integated Competence Management System which can be extended to included all operational duties of a train driver. It also has facility for driver medicals, rules & regulations and track safety certificates.