After the success of previous talks, we are pleased to announce our first BCS Talk of 2019. BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, is committed to making IT good for society. We use the power of our network to bring about positive, tangible change. This talk is supported by WSP, University of Bristol and Siemens mobility, will explore Smart Railways and Cities and look at the current and future technology changes and why it is not an overnight transition.

The world used to be built of bricks and mortar, now it’s data and information flows – and it is only going to continue to evolve. Integration and connectedness are the drivers of change and will move our infrastructure into a new paradigm; nowhere will this be more evident than in our transport network, not least because a lot of it is comparatively archaic! This series of talks looks at where things are going, how we will get there, and what implications there are for our industry.

This talk will be delivered by 3 speakers with varied experiences. Tim Whitcher - Solution Lead (Digital Railway), WSP and he is working on delivering a fully integrated, holistic rail solutions. Dr. Hamid Falaki - Project Manager, University of Bristol Smart Internet Lab is working as technical project manager in delivery and operation of the University of Bristol’s 5GUK test network. Finally, Andy Woods is a Senior System Engineer at Siemens Mobility. Brief biographies can be found below. More details on the talks can be found on the Bristol BCS website

The session will start with registration at 6.45pm, talks starting at 7.15pm, followed by an hour of talks from our panel, followed by Q&A, with networking and drinks to finish by c.9pm.

The event is free of charge, but will require registration to ensure there are no capacity restrictions.

The BCS talks are scheduled to be held in various locations throughout Bristol, where the majority of members are located. The talks aim to appeal to both existing and new members, young and old, and broadly technical and non-technical. The content of future topics are being investigated based on feedback from previous events.

Speakers Biogs:

Tim Whitcher - Solution Lead (Digital Railway), WSP

Synopsis:

Talk: Building the Triad of Connected People, Connected Transport and Connected Cities: Talk Outline: A look at what the future will hold for connected data points and how we get there.

Biography:

Tim Whitcher is Solution Lead for Digital Railway. He has a background in command & control systems and decision support tools on both metro and mainline railways. His professional focus is on delivering a fully integrated, holistic solution which delivers not only the right answer now but bed-rock for the future.

Dr. Hamid Falaki - Project Manager, University of Bristol Smart Internet Lab

Synopsis:

Talk: Market-led Evolution: Neutral hosting of communication networks gives rise to a range of new business opportunities for vertical industries operating their own network slice and niche services within the upcoming 5G networks.

Biography:

Dr Hamid Falaki is a telecommunications consultant working as technical project manager in delivery and operation of the University of Bristol’s 5GUK test network solutions for smart cities.

Andy Woods - Senior System Engineer, Siemens Mobility

Synopsis:

Talk: State of Play Deep Dive: A look at the current and future technology changes and why it is not an overnight transition.

Biography:

Andy Woods is a Senior Systems Engineer at Siemens Mobility. His interests lie in innovation and the digitalisation of Railway Signalling and Train Control.