Marcus Schmitz/Christian Maag
International Journal of Railway, vol. 2, no. 2, pp.50-59, 2009

Abstract : Numerous train operating companies provide training by means of driving simulators. A detailed analysis in the course of the rail research project 2TRAIN has shown that the simulation technology, the purposes of training and the overall concept of simulator-based training are rather diverse (Schmitz & Maag, 2008). A joint factor however are weak assessment capabilities and the fact that the simulator training is often not embedded into the overall competence management. This fact hinders an optimal use of the simulators. Therefore, 2TRAIN aims at the development of enhanced training and assessment tools. Taking into account that several simulators are already in use, the focus lays on the extension of existing simulation technology instead of developing entirely new systems. This extension comprises (1) a common data simulation interface (CDSI), (2) a rule-based expert system (ExSys), (3) a virtual instructor (VI), and (4) an assessment database (AssDB). The foundation of this technical development is an assessment concept (PERMA concept) that is based on performance markers. The first part of the paper presents this assessment concept and a process model for the two major steps of driver performance assessment, i.e. (1) the specification of exercise and assessment and (2) the assessment algorithm and execution of the assessment. The second part describes the rationale and the functionalities of the simulator add-on tools. Finally, recommendations for further technical improvement and appropriate usage are given based on the results of a pilot study.

Keyword : Train simulator, Virtual instructor, Rule-based expert system, Railway training, Performance markers.