What is the i-ATS (Indigenous-Automatic Train Supervision) system?

About the i-ATS system:

• It is India’s first indigenously developed Train Control and Supervision System.
• It is a computer-based system that will manage train operations including basic functioning such as running and halting.
• The i-ATS has been jointly developed by the DMRC and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) under the Government of India’s ‘Make in India’ and ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’ initiatives for Metro Rail Transit Systems.
• It will reduce the metro’s dependence on foreign vendors for metro operations.
• The i-ATS technology has been developed to be flexible enough to work with different signaling vendors’ systems with suitable changes.
• The development of i-ATS is a huge step forward in CBTC (Communication Based Train Control) based signaling system for the metro railways since the ATS is an essential component of the CBTC signaling system.
• With the launch of i-ATS, India became the sixth country with its own ATS products after France, Germany, Japan, Canada, and China.