More than 10 years of ReDat at Czech Railways

Date: 22.07.2009 | Author: RETIA, a.s.

ReDat system represents a complex and inextricable communication system, which enhance safe and secure call recording and monitoring. One of the long-term customers who requested recording of telephone lines and transmitters, are Czech Railways. Ensuring of passengers´ security is highly essential for them. Therefore RETIA was selected by Czech Railways, to supply a complex recording solution for all localities of Czech railway network.

History of cooperation

ReDat Recording System and ReDat  TRS modification have been applied and used at Czech Railways since 1996. Nowadays more than 200 of ReDat digital recording devices are in operation at Czech railway network. Their implementation mainly attended projects cooperating with TRS radio station system.

ReDat  Recording System has been in operation at railway network for more than 10 years. For this period, ReDat  is acknowledged as a reliable solution with low service demands, which fully matches requests and demands of railway transport. Highly regarded is ReDat variability of its recording capacities and technologies.

ReDat Recording System

Within ReDat installation at Czech railway network following items are being recorded:

Analogue outputs for recording communication from TRS device 
Analogue telephone lines 
Analogue outputs for local radio network´ recording 
Analogue outputs for recording from layout hook up wire   
Digital 4wire S0 interface for recording ISDN compatible devices, e.g. hook-up wires made by TTC 
Digital 2wire interface for recording digital telephones, e.g. Ericsson, Siemens, Alcatel-Lucent, Kapsch, etc. 
2Mbit interface for recording Siemens system TradeBoard 
Passive monitoring of 2Mbit trunks and selective recording, e.g. GSM-R technology 
Recording of VoIP voice communication for customized solutions (DCom Radiovoice)

Conventional telephony and radio network

ReDat3 Recording Unit is one of the best-equipped solutions for conventional telephony recording on the market. It enables safe record switching from signalling status of analogue and digital line, it detects right input connection, calling and called telephone number according to signalling. Among the special functions appear detection, displaying and activity code recording and train number for TRS communication.

Set of three interface cards on PCI trunk enables connection of all audio and telephony interfaces to the recording device:

• APC, analogue input card 
• UDR, digital interface card for ISDN-BRI and digital telephony of the most PBX  producers 
• PCM, 2Mbit interface card for recording before PBX and on 2Mbit conveyors

IP telephony recording

ReDat3 Recording Unit enables recording of following VoIP technologies:

• Standard protocols SIP, H.323, MGCP 
• Global spread technologies, e.g. Cisco, Siemens, Ericsson, Avaya, Alcatel-Lucent, Nortel, Matra, etc. 
• ReDat3 Recording Unit provides specialized solutions, e.g. TTC IP TouchCall, DCom RadioVoice, etc.

At this installation, passive recording solution has been used. It is not depended on VoIP switchboard and it does not influence switchboard's function.  Recording device is connected to an active switch port, which mirrores VoIP recording activity (SPAN port). ReDat3 Recording Unit analyzes data packets and creates voice records including call parameters. According to VoIP network topology such a solution may request connecting ReDat3 Recording Units to active components in the localities. This solution represents the most reliable recording method.

Some of VoIP technologies enable active recording solution. VoIP switchboard or communication terminal send speech and signalling data to recording device via the data network in real time. Then the recording device processes the data and stores them. The active solution handles global centralization of recording system and all technical equipment.

TTC IP TouchCall technology in conjunction with ReDat3 Recording Unit can supply this recording solution.

ReDat3 Recording Unit co-operates with telecommunication technologies and supports internal data communication saving, e.g. in wav files. Records are copied from various telecommunication terminals to the central ReDat3 Recording Unit. This solution brings independent saving and central archiving of records, advanced user's interface, central control of access rights, global supervision over recording functions, etc.

Analogue video record

ReDat3 Recording Unit, which is extended by a video compress card, monitors 24 video inputs working in multiplex mode. Screen shots are saved as an archive file. Extension of current ReDat3 Recording Units for VIO, video compress card, is possible.

The existing ReDat3 Recording Units can be upgraded for following functions:

• Video monitoring and recording screen shots in railway areas and yards
• Remote monitoring of device status according to their indicators
• Other applications of video monitoring

PC screens recording

One of additional functions of ReDat3 Recording Unit is agent's PC screens recording. This feature is mainly used in contact centres together with voice recording, which helps with agent's evaluation, quality management and monitoring their skills and application control knowledge.

Recording of serial lines and data flow

ReDat3 Recording Unit is able to record data flow conducted by means of RS232 serial lines and other interfaces. This feature can be used in special applications e.g. recording of radar electronic data,  EZS and EPS outputs, modem communication, etc.

Add-on devices

Based on RETIA experience with recording device operation and customer's special requests, we have added some add-on equipments and device functions:

• GKT Generator of control tone - detects any disconnections or input signal failure on lay out wires, which are connected to recording device
• SM Signalling Module - works as a supplement for visual and acoustic control of the current condition of the device. 
• OL Line Separator - designed for galvanic separation of the line in disturbance area  
• ASL Audio Synthesizer - provides amplification and synthesis of two input signals of different levels in the speech band into one output signal 
• TRS Detectors - monitoring and recording code activities and a train number  

ReDat Recording Unit in LAN and WAN data network

All ReDat3 Recording Units supplied into railway system are equipped with tools and licenses for connection into data network.

ReDat3 Recording Units, which are installed at railway tracks, support following functions:

• Central monitoring and remote configuration 
• Immediate remote recording and securing records 
• Remote monitoring / listening audio and video inputs for a case of technical faults or emergency situations

Remote system control and remote data exploitation reduce spending on device operation and service and thus simplify data processing.

ReDat3 LAN Client

LAN Client is software equipment for OS Windows 2003, XP and Vista. It enables remote administration, monitoring and working with records. The software can supervise one ReDat3 Recording Unit or the whole net of ReDat3 Recording Units. 

A customer can replay and listen some selected records and transfer them to local PC. All functions are secured with access rights.

ReDat Application Server

ReDat  Application Server is a functional shell above ReDat  Products.  It is based on SQL database with a disk array for saving telephone records. It is available in various program modules to meet customer's requirements.

ReDat Application Server features:

• Central database of records which processes records from one device as well as ten ReDat3 Recording Units 
• Record archiving on central disk array 
• Supervision and remote configuration of ReDat3 Recording Units 
• Monitoring, listening-in, replaying and download of individual as well as bulk records 
• Searching, filtering records and statistics 
• Sending records, statistics, working states and alerts by e-mail 
• Other additional functions for contact centre administration and management 

Web environment enables easy access to database of records, record control and monitoring without other extra SW installation. Access rights can be centrally controlled and connected to a company registry or database of employees, so that the complete history of records is being monitored. ReDat Application Server can supervise various types of recording devices and integrate recording in more localities into one database or records.

ReDat  Application Server can supervise following types of devices:

• ReDat3 Recording Unit 
• ReDat Phone Recorder
• ReDat VoIP Recorder
• Other tools which are instrumental to saving records and which enable record download to other terminals (e.g. terminals in railway network)

Recording solution of voice communication on IP TouchCall terminals

TTC Marconi and RETIA presents a new generation of recording solution with TouchCall terminals. The new product is a unique basis for recording telephone communication together with additional data and events. This system is able to record states of integrated inputs EZS and EPS, disconnected or disappeared calls and other important information.

For successful integration, we recommend to integrate data flow with ReDat3 Recording Unit and thus simplify the communication network. If you have tens of terminals in remote localities, ReDat  will provide for you just one central and well-arranged database of records.