Methods and systems for alerting a user to the presence of a fault in an electromechanical system in a railway infrastructure

A computer-implemented method for alerting a user to the presence of a fault in an electromechanical system in a railway infrastructure, the method comprising:

• receiving electrical usage data indicative of the value of an electrical usage parameter associated with the electromechanical system;
• receiving temperature data indicative of the present temperature of the electromechanical system;
• calibrating the received electrical usage data using the received temperature data and a predetermined relationship between the electrical usage parameter and the temperature to obtain a calibrated measure of the electrical usage parameter, the calibration comprising:
• identifying a baseline temperature at which a threshold for the electrical usage parameter is set, said threshold being such as to indicate the presence of a fault in the electromechanical system, and
• using said relationship, together with the received electrical usage data and the received temperature data, to determine a value for the electrical usage parameter that the system would exhibit in the event that the temperature of the environment were at the baseline temperature;
• and
• determining whether the calibrated measure of the electrical usage parameter is above the threshold
• and if so, issuing an alert to indicate the presence of the fault.