Administration
RTRI Launched Image Analysis and IT Laboratory
December 01, 2017
Railway Technical Research Institute
On December 1, 2017, Image Analysis and IT Laboratory was launched as a new laboratory in the Signalling and Transport Information Technology Division of RTRI.
RTRI will promote the research and development regarding information technologies, specifically, image analysis technologies, big data analysis and deep learning, in order to meet the needs of railway operators more quickly and to propose new technologies of these fields. For these purposes, a new laboratory “Image Analysis and IT” was set up in Signalling and Transport Information Technology Division. RTRI will actively utilize image-processing technologies and IT that the researchers have already accumulated and used in different technical fields.
This laboratory will seek to apply image analysis technologies to constant condition-monitoring for railway facilities and train driving safety and to use IT in maintenance and operation control.
At the inauguration of this laboratory RTRI’s president Dr. Kumagai expressed his expectations for the new members, and Dr. Masato Ukai, the head of the laboratory, also expressed his wishes.
President Kumagai’s statement
There are two purposes for the newly-established Image Analysis and IT Laboratory. First one is to quickly and actively implement the research into IT for railways utilizing the expertise of different fields of researchers. For this purpose, the members of the new laboratory have been chosen from among every research field at RTRI. In order to introduce IT to railway operations, high-performance low-cost systems need to be established. I hope that the researchers will integrate their research results and expertise and that synergy will be generated. The second purpose is to create a place where the researchers interested in image-related technologies and IT and hoping to get involved will be able to have discussions openly and freely and to absorb scientific knowledge. Every researchers active involvement is highly anticipated.
Greetings from Dr. Ukai, Laboratory Head of Image Analysis and IT Laboratory
The Image Analysis and IT Laboratory is unique in that researchers from different research fields have gathered here. It is essential to make the best use of RTRI’s technical resources in order to generate effective results as early as possible. Now, its stage has been set. By sharing the expertise of each researcher, I believe we will be able to have synergy effects that is impossible without sharing and cooperation. We might have to start without a chart, but we will keep close communication among the members and dedicate our efforts in order to create innovative results.
Image Analysis and IT Laboratory is launched with Laboratory Head and 12 researchers.
* You can see all the photos and figures in the PDF file above.