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Subrina Rahman

BE MSc MIEAust

Shoal Group

When presented with a set of flawed input data, the best-case scenario a system designer can hope for is that the system will recognize the flaw and stop working; and in worst case it will keep working with the erroneous data and produce an unpredicted outcome. This is true for simple systems being designed by university students to safety critical complex systems like the Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system currently being rolled across the greater Sydney’s heavy rail network. Only in the latter case, flawed input data could cost lives.

In this paper, we will take a dive into the process which led to the development of ATP Project Specification for collection, verification, and maintenance of Geographical Data. The paper will cover key concepts like; difference between accuracy & precision, systems requirements for precision and variables contributing to data accuracy, data collection and verification within the project constraints and in brown field environment and lastly sustainability of the process to ensure data accuracy & precision can be maintained throughout the system life. Finally, the paper will attempt to generalise the process and talk about its applicability to data collection and management for other safety critical systems.