TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th January, 2020) The West Japan Railway company is developing a smart system based on artificial intelligence (AI) to increase the efficiency of clearing tracks from snowbanks and protecting the high-speed Hokuriku Shinkansen train route, the Japanese Kyodo news agency reported on Sunday.
According to the media outlet, train operators are currently dependent on weather forecasts to determine the number of personnel to deploy for snow removal operations. Such estimates often lack accuracy.
The AI system under development will collect data on snow accumulation in real-time, based on images from cameras installed on the Shinkansen bullet trains, as well as predict the required number of staff.
The news agency added that the system would be fully operational by next winter.
