TransPennine railway to go digital
The Department for Transport has announced that the TransPennine rail line will be the first in the country to be digitally controlled.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said the department will provide Network Rail with up to £5 million to develop proposals for embedding digital technology between Manchester and York. This will include looking at a system of advanced train traffic management in which a computer works out how to route trains most effectively along the line.
It is part of a £13 billion investment in improving journeys across the region.
Microsoft Azure passes police review
Microsoft has said its Azure cloud platform is now available for police forces after one of its data centres passed a review by the National Police Information Risk Management Team. The review is required by law enforcement agencies before they can move data to the cloud as it ensures the information is held in a police approved secure facility.
Stuart Aston, the company’s national security officer, said: “It is a positive step, as we help all areas of the public and private sectors embrace cloud computing so they can cut costs and help people work more securely, efficiently and collaboratively.”
Stockport wins digital award
Stockport Council has come out as winner of the Granicius Digital Achievement Award 2017 for its Digital by Design programme. This involved the introduction of a range of new online tools and services for residents.
Councillor David Sedgwick, cabinet member for reform and governance, said: “The council has invested in a programme of digital transformation and we are delighted to see the residents of Stockport benefiting from quicker and easier access to services.”
Met Police pitches control room framework
The Metropolitan Police Service has launched a tender for a framework agreement for security, control room and audio visual systems.
The document says it will be available for all police and emergency services, and broken into three lots: building technology systems and services; image presentation and control systems; and digital video recording systems, video walls and ancillary services. The agreement is scheduled to run for four years and has an estimated total value of £78 million.
Image from University of Huddersfield
