Empowering Urban Rail Efficiency with Digital Intelligence – GBase at the 2024 Annual AFC Summit

Recently, the "2024 Annual AFC Professional Committee Summit and the 19th Urban Rail Transit AFC System Technology Application Seminar" themed "New Quality Productive Forces Driving New Development of AFC Systems" was successfully held in Chongqing. GBase, a leading database product supplier in the rail transit sector, was invited to attend, comprehensively showcasing efficient, stable, and integrated database solutions, and sharing innovative practices of how GBase databases empower the digital and intelligent transformation of rail transit.

This summit was hosted by the Automatic Fare Collection System Committee of China Information Industry Association, focusing on the development of new quality productive forces in rail transit AFC, aiming to promote demand matching, experience sharing, and idea exchange among stakeholders in the AFC field, and to showcase innovative products and technologies in rail transit. More than 400 experts and representatives from owner units and enterprises in Chongqing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Ningbo and other cities gathered to conduct themed discussions and exchanges on AFC systems.

GBase Database Empowers Rail Transit Digital and Intelligent Transformation

Wang Dingzhuo, Technical Director of GBase Energy and Transportation Market Department, gave a presentation titled "GBase Empowers Rail Transit Digital and Intelligent Transformation," demonstrating to industry peers the practical journey of how GBase databases drive the new development of AFC systems.

Wang Dingzhuo explained: As China's urban rail transit operating mileage has grown rapidly in recent years and the network has become increasingly dense, urban rail transit has gradually become the preferred mode of travel for people, with passenger volume also growing continuously. Consequently, the industry faces digital transformation challenges such as massive data surges, high business loads, and stringent reliability requirements.

To address these challenges, with its product and solution portfolio built on GBase databases, GBase provides technical support in data computing, storage, and management for the rail transit industry, ensuring the stable operation of business systems and achieving efficient analysis and processing of massive business data.

GBase 8s database has been deployed in multiple metro lines' AFC systems, clearing centers, multi-line centers, internet ticketing systems, integrated monitoring systems, operation command centers, and other core business systems in China. Its embedded version enables lightweight and convenient deployment in onboard systems. Meanwhile, GBase 8a database can uniformly manage structured and unstructured data, making data processing more efficient and systems easier to scale, thereby supporting intelligent query and analysis of massive rail transit business data.

During the event, Wang Dingzhuo was interviewed by the committee and spoke about the development trends of urban rail AFC systems: As a vital component of urban rail transit, AFC systems generate massive business data every day as millions of users in cities across the country choose metro as their main mode of transportation—ranging from hundreds of thousands to tens of millions. GBase has led China’s analytical database market for years and continues to focus on big data analytics scenarios for metros. In the near future, through big data analysis, AFC systems can more accurately understand passengers’ travel needs and habits, provide scientific evidence for transportation planning and decision-making, and help optimize resource allocation and improve operational efficiency. Based on big data analysis results, AFC systems can also offer more personalized services such as optimal routes, real-time traffic information, and travel recommendations, enhancing passenger satisfaction and in turn supporting the development of AFC systems.

At the exhibition, GBase, as a leading Chinese database vendor in the rail transit sector, showcased its fully self-developed GBase database products and specialized, diversified, and integrated database solutions for rail transit scenarios, attracting many exhibitors to stop by and engage in exchanges. 

Currently, GBase databases are widely deployed in core business systems of aviation, railways, and more than 60 metro lines across China, supporting the daily travel of tens of millions of passengers and providing foundational database support for transportation planning, travel recommendations, route inquiries, and travel decisions. Looking forward, GBase will continue to focus on independent innovation, continuously improve service levels, drive the development of urban rail AFC systems, and empower through digital intelligence, delivering a safer, smarter, and more convenient travel experience.