-
Expert Witness
-
Railway EMC
-
Resilience
-
Train Radio
-
Windfarm EMC
Expert Witness
Experience counts!
Aitken & Partners provide expert opinion and expert witnesses within our fields of expertise. Railway systems, communications and electromagnetic compatibility are areas of particular interest and experience.
For more information, please contact our agents, Expert Experts.
Railway EMC
Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) is essential in railway systems. Compatibility within the railway and compatibility with the external environment.
While emissions from railway equipment are controlled by law, immunity to threats within and beyond the railway is not.
Aitken & Partners have the skills and the technology to find, identify and resolve problems.
Resilience
Resilience is certainly not a new concept. Strangely, its application to organisations is!
Aitken & Partners encourage resilience in the design of systems, including the human and organisation aspects of the systems. We have seen in so many accident investigations the consequences of systems that are designed only to mitigate risk, not to adapt to changed circumstances.
This part of our web site provides investigation reports, book reviews, extracts from books and journal articles. There may even be some material we have written ourselves!
Train Radio
Train radio communication is a specialised area where one deals not only with the usual propagation issues but with the railway environment. Noise from railway electrification, response times, emergency call handling, pre-emption: they are all important considerations for a reliable train radio system.
Aitken & Partners have designed, specified, tested and commissioned train radio systems in several technologies and many parts of Australia. Nearly 30 years of train radio experience, including the development of the Australian Standard. (Yes, we did write the book.)
Windfarm EMC
Wind farms are efficient sources of renewable energy. They are increasingly seen on the horizon as a part of a distant vista. Up close, their scale is impressive. The turbine blades and multiple masts can affect television and radio reception in the vicinity of the turbines, a fact that is recognised in most environmental impact assessments.
Aitken & Partners assess and quantify the effects of wind farm installations, both at the planning stage and after construction. We provide impartial advice, field measurements and practical remediation advice and supervision.
Tender Documentation
We write clear, readable specifications. Aitken & Partners have a reputation for documents that allow innovation while tightly specifying performance and functionality. Many of the major railway communications systems in Australia were specified by Aitken & Partners: RailCorp, Pacific National and Westrail, to name a few!
Contract Reviews and Audits
Extensive technical experience and a thorough understanding of railway requirements are the basis of our contract reviews and technical audits. Aitken & Partners have reviewed and audited around $250 milliion worth of contract work. Our reviews have saved our clients some millions of dollars.
Emergency Telephones & CCTV
Passengers now expect emergency telephone systems to work and to work all the time. Railways rely on Closed Circuit Television for security and operations. Aitken & Partners are leaders in innovation and cost efficiency for railway emergency and surveillance systems.
Performance Audits
Communication networks are always designed to tight and carefully researched specifications. However, as the years go by, the original assumptions and decisions may be forgotten and the integrity of the system may inadvertently be corrupted.
Aitken & Partners have the experience and breadth of understanding necessary to audit the performance and applicability of your communication system.
Low Traffic Lines
It is easy to create a comprehensive communications design for railways that have high traffic level. The cost per train movement is not high and can be offset against operational and security improvements or requirements. This is certainly not the case for low traffic lines. Seasonal lines often cannot justify any expenditure on communications infrastructure. Twenty years of train radio design in Australia has made Aitken & Partners expert in systems for low traffic lines.
Something to consider
We believe that the user interface of radio systems deserves far more attention. Two books by psychologists explain why:
Human Error by James Reason is widely cited but perhaps not so widely read. It is certainly not easy reading. This is one of the definitive works on the subject. The Design of Everyday Things by Donald Norman is very readable and will challenge many of your assumptions. Think about your system as you read this book. Is error encouraged or minimised?