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Short Line Data Systems Inc. ROCS Update – February 2002
Website: www.sdsrocs.com
As we move through the winter, things are moving ahead with the deployment of the EDI version of the software, the final definition of the next release, and preparation of our booth for the ASLRRA annual meeting in April. As always, this update will highlight the changes introduced to ROCS in the last month, and what improvements are in the development phase.
Deployment
SRNJ has the EDI version of ROCS right now, and is currently running both IRCS and ROCS in parallel in preparation of changing over to ROCS solely. If everything continues working as well as it is now, the full transfer should take place at the beginning of March. SMS will get the EDI version as soon as they are ready, and it is hoped that PJRR will follow shortly thereafter. We should be announcing a new user soon, and they should be up and running shortly after the contract is signed.
New Features
Crew Status When we created Yard Status last month, it gave you the ability to easily manage your yards and storage tracks, and re-sequence them easily. Now, with the introduction of Crew Status, managing your crews’ work is just as easy. From a single screen you can assign work to a designated crew on a designated date. You can then print work lists by individual crew, by work date, or for all work. An additional report has been created to list all cars on an interchange track and their disposition, making it easier for your crews to organize their work. As with Yard Status, Crew Status is at the beginning of its development, and will improve with user input.
TRAINII Wheel Reporting A new feature of the automatic TRAINII reporting in ROCS is the ability to report an intermediate car movement before arrival in the car’s final destination, known as a Wheel or ARrival in Intermediate Location (ARIL) movement. ROCS will now detect any intermediate movements, and the user will have the ability to set a date and time for a movement if a TRAINII report is desired, or not create the report if desired. This new function does not affect the automatic TRAINII reporting of interchanges, placements or releases.
Website Additions
As usual, there will be an update to the website in parallel with this month’s update. New pages will show the changes to the Yard Status screen, the new Crew Status screen and the interchange track report. I am also working on two downloadable features, an interactive tour of the ROCS system, and an interactive frequently asked question (faq) section. Both of these features and a promotional presentation will be available on a mini-CD at the ASLRRA meeting in Orlando.
Well, that is all of the new stuff for this month. As many of you know, I have been spending a lot of time talking with many of you about the ROCS system, and I really appreciate all of the comments and suggestions that you have made on how the system could be improved, and some of you will notice that some of the recent improvements are a direct result of your suggestions. As always, questions and suggestions are welcome and appreciated, because without them this system will not grow and improve at the same pace.
Steven Friedland |
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