Transmodel may prove of value to:

  • organisations within the public transport industry that specify, acquire and operate information systems: Transmodel may be distilled, refined, or adapted to form a comprehensive data model for the organisation. This will enable the organisation to specify its database structures and/or its system interfaces, in such a way that separate modules can be openly tendered but will still integrate easily.
  • organisations that design, develop and supply information systems for the public transport industry: Transmodel may be adapted to form a comprehensive data model for the product suite. This will enable the organisation to develop its products in such a way that separate modules will integrate easily, but also so that they may be sold separately to clients seeking Transmodel-compliant systems.

Transmodel may be applied to any framework for information systems within the public transport industry, but there are three circumstances to which it is particularly suited:

  • specification of an organisation’s ‘information architecture’;
  • specification of a database;
  • specification of a data exchange interface.

Transmodel EN12896:2006 is an adopted European standard. It corresponds to Transmodel Version 5.1.
Transmodel Version 6 is currently being published: it will replace EN12896:2006 (and IFOPT EN28701).
Three parts are currently available:

  • Part 1: Common Concepts
  • Part 2: Network Topology
  • Part 3: Timing Information and Vehicle Scheduling

Knowledge of modelling methodologies, in particular of UML basics is very useful. Notation UML 2 is an object–oriented modelling notation and is used for describing (specifying, documenting and visualizing) the conceptual data model in Transmodel. The UML specification has proved efficient because it facilitates common understanding and use of conceptual data model. Transmodel uses a notation that bears some features of UML 1 (or E/R conceptual modelling), in particular as regards the labelling of roles/relationship names.
Transmodel documentation provides the necessary detailed information (Part 1: Common Concepts, Methodology for conceptual modelling).

Transmodel can serve as a starting point for the definition of a database schema, which will be used for the physical implementation of databases. Whether applications access a common database built to this schema, or have their own databases and exchange data built to consistent schemas, the use of an overall reference data model assists integration.
Public transport organisations may require different applications to exchange data with each other. Also, public transport organisations may exchange data with other organisations. In either case, the reference data model can be used to help design the interfaces.
Two standards NeTEx and SIRI have already used Transmodel parts and generated standard data exchange implementations:

  • SIRI for Real Time Passenger Information,
  • NeTEx for the domains Network Topology, Timing Information, Vehicle Scheduling, Fare Information.

In both cases the user has to determine the requirements of a particular context, extract a sub-model before proceeding to the definition of a database schema or of data exchange profiles.

Transmodel documentation is distributed by national standardisation bodies which determine documentation price.
A further use is free of charge.