Paper N0.

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FLEXIBLE LOW-COST DATA CAPTURE TECHNOLOGY FOR ROAD NETWORKS

Glenn A Fawcett
Asset Management Specialist, MWH
New Zealand

Dr Christopher R. Bennett
Asset Management Specialist, MWH
New Zealand

David G Ollerenshaw
Road Survey Specialist, MWH
New Zealand

ABSTRACT

Asset Managers, Policy Makers and Funding Agencies all need access to information about their road
network to allow them to make informed decisions. This extends beyond the mere extent of the network to
include information about:

‰ Where the road lies in spatial terms

‰ What condition it is in
‰ The traffic demand
‰ The type of construction
‰ What features are positioned along it (bridges, culverts etc)

Technology has provided high-speed data acquisition vehicles, digital video, aerial photography and
satellite imagery to provide much of this information for road controlling agencies. However, these
solutions can be expensive and often inappropriate for use on lower volume roads and in developing
countries.

This paper reviews a low-cost approach to data capture and output from a recent location referencing and
road condition survey for all national and provincial roads in the Peoples Democratic Republic of Lao
(some 10,000km unsealed and 3,500km sealed). The project, funded by the World Bank, was completed
within 14 weeks utilising four locally sourced survey vehicles that were fitted out with low-cost ROMDAS
equipment and staffed with technicians from a local consultancy.

The objectives of the project were:

‰ To provide base maps of the road network that can display attribute information collected during the
survey
‰ To provide a linear referencing system to allow points on the road to be referenced in a unique manner
‰ To provide base data input for a Road Management System to improve the planning of road
maintenance and improvements
‰ To provide base network data for an HDM-4 investment study
‰ To be completed within a tight timeframe and budget

The principles, techniques and methodologies adopted for this project are flexible and transportable and
should provide the reader with an appreciation of how such surveys can deliver an “appropriate” solution
within a tight deadline and budget.
DATA COLLECTION TECHNOLOGY FOR ROAD NETWORKS

State-of-the-Art Technology

There are numerous providers of state-of-the-art data capture equipment for road network surveys. Many
of these equip dedicated vehicles with a raft of electronics to collect information such as:
‰ Spatial Co-ordinates – using GPS and gyroscope technology
‰ Surface Texture, Longitudinal Roughness and Transverse Profile – using laser or ultrasonic technology
‰ Surface Cracking – using video imaging and raster processing technology
‰ Road Geometry – using gyroscope, accelerometer and GPS technology
‰ Skid Resistance – using SCRIM or IFI measurement devices
‰ Pavement Strength – using falling weight and deflection beam principles
‰ Video Logging – using front and side mounted cameras for inventory and condition records
‰ Pavement Composition – using ground penetrating radar technology

The above technology is typically in use on national and

provincial road networks in developed countries but often the
costs outweigh the benefits for it’s use on the more lightly
trafficked (and funded) local road networks or in developing
economies. The poor road conditions often encountered can also
cause problems with the high technology used in the ‘state-of-
the-art’ data collection vehicles.

Nevertheless, there remains a need for agencies maintaining

lower volume networks or operating under constrained
operational budgets to collect at least some of the data being collected by these high-speed data acquisition
vehicles.

Road Management Data Acquisition System (ROMDAS)

ROMDAS is one of a the few data collection systems that has been specifically designed for developing
countries and to be used by local road controlling agencies. With over 130 systems in over 40 developed
and developing countries, it is well documented, flexible, modular and easily transportable. The authors
have used this system extensively and while like any technology being used in remote areas, it has not been
without its challenges, the system has provided both a pragmatic and flexible solution for a variety of
projects.
Video
Multiple Camera(s)
Keyboard
20 Key Rating Adapter
Keyboard
Laser Distance With Either or Both
Directional Compass

External Keyboard Character

Overlay
Device
Portable VCR

Notebook Computer
GPS Receiver Notebook Computer With
ROMDAS Video Capture Card
Hardware
Interface

Gyroscope Voice Recording

Distance and
Speed Sensor

Digital Photographs

TPL Master
Griptester Controller
Skid Resistance Single or Dual
Bump Integrators

Z-250 Reference Profiler

Transverse Profile Logger (TPL)
With Data Logger

Figure 1: ROMDAS Low-Cost and Flexible Data Capture Technology

COMPLETING A LOW-COST ROAD NETWORK SURVEY

Setting Survey Objectives and Information Quality Level

Before determining the type of network survey required, a road manager must first establish the purpose of
the survey and end use of the data. Typically data surveys are completed to provide information for:
‰ A Location Referencing Method and Reporting Network Extent
‰ Life Cycle Modelling and Network Optimisation
‰ Maintenance and Rehabilitation Programming
‰ Performance Benchmarking
‰ Mapping

Survey pricing can vary significantly depending on the stated objective and the resolution or precision of
data required. Bennett and Paterson (1999) refer to this as differing Information Quality Levels (IQL).
For example, if the data is to be used to monitor the performance of road trials or for project level design, it
needs to be of a high resolution and repeatable (IQL-1 say). However, if it is to be used as input into a life-
cycle deterioration model used to develop a network level maintenance management strategy it may be
acceptable to specify a lesser precision (IQL-4 say).

HIGH LEVEL DATA

System Performance
IQL-5 Performance
Monitoring

Planning and
IQL-4 Structure Condition
Performance Evaluation

Programme Analysis or
IQL-3 Ride Distress Friction
Detailed Planning

Project Level or
IQL-2 Detailed Programme

Project Detail or
IQL-1
Research

LOW LEVEL DATA

Figure 2: Information Quality Level Concept (Bennett and Paterson 1999)

Location Referencing

The foundation of any data collection program remains the location referencing method. A location
referencing method is a set of procedures used in the field to identify the address of any point (i.e. where it
is located). In general, all linear1 referencing methods have the following components:
‰ Identification of a known point (eg kilometre or reference post);
‰ Direction (eg increasing or decreasing); and,
‰ Distance measurement (ie a displacement or offset).

The location reference method is used in the field to ensure that the proper address is used to describe a
location and that the proper location can be found using its address. It needs to be well documented and
designed to accommodate all situations.

1
With the increased accessibility to cost effective GPS equipment some authorities are beginning to investigate spatial
referencing methods that rely entirely on co-ordinate methods.
There are several different types of linear location
referencing methods. These can be broadly defined as: 0.9 km 1.0 km
0 1 2

‰ Kilometre point (eg, 1.3) 0.5 km 0.4 km

Location

‰ Kilometre post (eg, 1.4 with equations)

‰ Reference post (eg, 1 + 0.4) km point: 1.3
‰ Reference point (eg, RR239 + 0.6) R R km post: 1.4
ref post: 1 + 0.4 Addresses
RR239
ref post: 2 - 0.6
A simple form of referencing road surveys without installing ref point: RR239 + 0.8

field signage is to break a network down into links and

sections. This is a form of the Reference Point address method.

A Link starts and ends with a Node and can generally be defined as a section of road with uniform traffic
flows (eg: from major village to village or junction to junction) and/or provincial authority responsibility.
Displacements are then measured from 0m at the first node in the “increasing direction”. A Section starts
and ends with an LRP (location reference point) these are generally established at relatively fixed
benchmarks (bridges, major culverts etc) at 3-5km intervals to provide an intermediate reference point to
reset measuring equipment too.

When completing a new survey, it is best to first establish unique road naming conventions and the location
of link nodes. The field crews can then establish the location of LRP’s during the data collection survey.

Road Attribute Data

Determining the extent and precision/resolution (IQL) of road attribute data to collect requires careful
consideration prior to commissioning a network survey. If the data specification is designed to be collected
from a moving vehicle at speed using a programmable keyboard then the duration and hence cost of the
survey can be significantly reduced.

Road attribute data can be broadly classified as either a;

1. Linear Event is an event on or adjacent to the road that has a start and end location. These can be
either continuous (e.g. surface type) or discontinuous (e.g. construction zone).
2. Point Event is an event on or adjacent to the road which applies to a point (e.g. bridge, sign,
intersection)

The figure below shows a range of road attribute data and how it might be referenced within a database for
a given section.
LRP 3 LRP 4

Road Section

Continuous Linear Events

Pavement type
Pavement width

Uniform Sections Events

Topography
Shoulder condition
Drainage condition

Continuous Point Events

Geographical Co-ordinates

Point Events at 200m Intervals

Pavement SII Rating
Pavement Rutting
Predominant Defect

Point Events at 100m Intervals

Roughness

Random Point Events

Intersections
Move OFF/ON pavement
Bridges
Moving Traffic
Estimated Roughness IRI

Figure 3: Measurement of Road Attribute Data for Lao PDR (MWH 2001)
Road Roughness

Response-type meters such as the ROMDAS bump integrator (BI)

provide the most cost-effective method of measuring road
roughness2 (ride quality). The BI is attached to the floor of the
vehicle and a cable runs from the spring loaded hub down to the
axle. The BI then records the relative movement of the vehicle
floor to the suspension: i.e. the roughness of the road.

Each vehicle responds differently to roughness due to variations in

the springs, dampers and tyres. It is therefore essential to calibrate
each roughness survey vehicle against a standard roughness so that
its measurements can be related back to a standard roughness. The International Roughness Index (IRI) is
an accepted standard for reporting road roughness and is presented in Sayers, et al. (1986).

The following definition of IRI is given in the ASTM Standard Practice E 1926-98: “Standard Practice for
Computing International Roughness Index of Roads from Longitudinal Profile Measurements”;
"International Roughness Index (IRI), n. - an index computed from a longitudinal profile measurement
using a quarter-car simulation at a simulation speed of 80 km/h." Reported in units of m/km.

Visual Condition (Surface Integrity Index)

While there are a number of methods of visually assessing surface quality, the Surface Integrity Index
reported by Paterson (1993), provides a pragmatic solution for assessing pavement surface condition from a
moving vehicle (windscreen survey).

The SII measure used for surface defects is a good basis for providing a simple clear measure for road
management purposes. The original definition of SII was based on the physical extent and severity of
defects in the road section.

Table 1: Surface Integrity Index (derived from Paterson 1993)

SII Definition
0 Negligible defects
1 Minor defects on <30 % of area
2 Minor defects on >30% area, or isolated major defects
3 Major defects on <30% area
4 Major defects on >30% area or surf lost on <20% area
5 Surfacing lost on >20% area
Description of Condition
Excellent integrity
Initiation of distress, some maintenance may be needed
Sufficient distress to warrant preventative maintenance
Resealing or resurfacing warranted under corrective policy
Rehabilitation or possible strengthening likely to be warranted
Reinstatement or reconstruction necessary, possibly localised

The numeric rating is accompanied by the recording of the predominant defect that triggered the assigned
rating (i.e. Cracking, Patches, Texture, Rutting, Pothole, Exposed Base, Edge Break, Depression)

Transverse Road Profile

The transverse road profile can be measured at speed using laser or ultrasonic sensors fitted to a bar
spanning the width of the survey vehicle. This data is primarily used to determine the extent of rutting on a
network. Transverse profile measurement requires technology that can add significant cost to road
condition surveys when often rutting is not found to be a good indicator of pavement distress or major
driver of maintenance treatments. Careful consideration should be given to the need for this data before
specifying it, since for low volume roads the precise measurement of rut depth is not always critical.

2
In many instances response-type meters are being replaced by laser technology which does not require regular
calibration. However, lasers are much more expensive, only work on paved roads, and cannot be operated in wet
conditions so the continued use of response-type meters will likely continue for some time.
Mapping

Fitting a GPS receiver to the survey vehicle can allow the subsequent creation of road maps and is now an
affordable addition. The accuracy of associated mapping is dependent on the GPS technology adopted
(quality and number of receivers, differential correction etc), terrain (satellite availability) and the degree of
post-processing completed.

As a quality control measure alone, the recording of GPS and linear references has proven to be beneficial.
Dr Bill Paterson (World Bank) made the following comment during the Lao PDR survey; “In common with
other national road agencies who have undertaken similar exercises, this survey found discrepancies
between existing road maps and identified roads, and also between the mapped location and the GPS-
measured geo-coordinates. Resolving these issues in each particular case requires a systematic effort by
local staff to prepare road and node diagrams that will be the basis for a definitive resolution of the roads
included in the network”. Without GPS, these issues often go undetected. In a subsequent project in Samoa
it was found that there was difference of 13 m x 4 m in the position of GPS co-ordinates and recent aerial
photographs, highlighting the value of GPS technology.

In addition to quality control, the linking of road attribute data to a spatial representation of the network in
a GIS allows for the generation of thematic maps. The mapping of themes provides a powerful means of
disseminating the data collected to asset managers (e.g. show me all roads that have a roughness greater
than 12 IRI).

Video Logging

Although the collection of a video archive does add cost and additional technology to the survey (in remote
countryside more technology is not always a good thing) the potential benefits may justify these costs.
Some of the potential benefits offered from a video survey include:
‰ An historic view/snapshot of pavement condition – very good for countries that have many
international consultants providing advise over time (e.g. ability to see the condition 5 years ago).
‰ Ability to log inventory items from a linearly referenced video, post-survey (e.g. surface type, bridges).
‰ Ability to view roads in remote locations from a central office.

In one Asian country video logs showed that roads which were classified as bituminous pavements were in
fact unsealed, with the additional maintenance funding being misappropriated by the local engineers. It also
showed that a bridge whose reconstruction had been paid for had, in fact, not been replaced. These
instances more than covered the costs of the video survey and enabled the central office to have greater
control over monitoring remote offices.

CASE STUDY – Peoples Democratic Republic of Lao (Laos)

Scope

The Location Referencing and Road Condition Survey (LRRCS) was completed as a component of the
Third Highway Improvement Project under Word Bank Credit No. 2943-LA. The scope of the engagement
comprised the following:
‰ Validation of all survey systems, demonstrating to GOL that all measurement requirements can be met
and that quality assurance procedure are satisfactory.
‰ One location reference point survey (LRS) on all national and provincial roads to provide accurate
chainage of nodes and intermediate LRPs for all subsequent surveys.
‰ One roughness survey on all the national and provincial roads in one lane, in one direction to provide a
serviceability index (IRI).
‰ One visual condition survey, which will record data to IQL-3 level (SII).
‰ One moving traffic survey to estimate traffic volumes.
‰ Digital photos of all nodes.
‰ Collection of digital video for a pilot area.
‰ GPS co-ordinates of all nodes (extended to entire network at < 20m intervals)
‰ Linking of attribute data to spatial road centerline for display and analysis in MapInfo GIS.
‰ Processing of survey data and provision of data to GOL.
‰ Support of a survey director, provision of training to designated GOL counterpart(s) and specialist
technical support to ensure adequate quality and technology transfer.

Methodology

In summary, the project adopted the following methodology for the Location Referencing and Road
Condition Survey:
‰ To complete surveying an estimated 14,000km of road
within the specified 14-week timeframe, four survey
teams were required.
‰ Lao Consulting Group from Vientiane was employed
as a sub-consultant to carry out the fieldwork under the
direction of MWH Ltd. Survey teams consisted of
three LCG staff and a Client counterpart.
‰ Each team was trained in the operation of the survey
equipment, establishment of location reference points
and the completion of visual condition rating.
‰ Automated data validation routines were established to
assist with ensuring any data errors were identified and
corrected at the time of the survey.
‰ Survey data was post-processed by MWH into a format suitable for use in a road management system.

The following hardware components3 were used in each survey vehicle:

‰ ROMDAS hardware interface ‰ 52 key programmable keyboard.
‰ Bump integrator. ‰ GPS Receiver (Garmin 12XL)
‰ Speedometer sensor. ‰ Digital Camera
‰ Notebook computer.

Location Referencing

A link-node referencing system was used for this survey. Some of the national roads had Kilometer Posts
installed and these became LRP references. A unique road naming convention had already been
established during an earlier TA but numbers had not been assigned to all roads. This was done in the field
during the survey in consultation with local government staff. This practice is not recommended and if
reasonable maps are available it is recommended that links and nodes are established before
commencement of the survey.

Road Attribute Data

The table below shows the data collected during a single pass of the survey vehicles at a speed of
approximately 40-50km/hr.

Table 2: Attribute Data Collected During Single Survey Pass (Lao PDR, 2001)
1. Pavement 2. Intersections
‰ Surface Condition (SII and Major Defect) ‰ Linear and Spatial
‰ Surface Type (Earth, Bitumen etc) 3. Bridges
‰ Roughness (IRI) * ‰ Linear and Spatial
‰ Shoulder Condition 4. Intersections
‰ Drainage Condition ‰ Linear and Spatial
‰ Road Width (<4.5, 4.5-6.0m etc) 5. Traffic
‰ Topography (Flat, Rolling etc) ‰ Number of vehicles encountered
• Data collected automatically using Bump Integrator

3
One of the four vehicles was also fitted with video equipment.
 Figure 4: Programmable Keypad Used for Logging Attribute Data

On average the four survey teams completed between 64km and 78km of survey per day with all teams
achieving a maximum of approximately 190km in any given day. On average teams were able to survey on
78% of days in the survey period (i.e. 5.5 days per week) in some of the most trying environmental
conditions in the world. This is testament to both the employment of local survey crews and the reliability
of the survey equipment.

Data Handover

Final data delivery for this project included:

‰ Three project reports:- Survey Procedures Manual, Technical Reference, Data Handover (Final) Report
‰ MS Access database and interface to allow viewing of the attribute and video data collected
‰ MapInfo tables to allow plotting of key attribute data and link-node diagrams

Figure 5: Snapshot of Typical Data Delivery

The data collected during this survey will be used to populate the new pavement management system being
implemented in 2002. There is also sufficient information to complete a network maintenance strategy
study using life-cycle maintenance optimization software such as HDM-4.

CONCLUSIONS

The collection of road management data can vary significantly in both scope and cost. While remote
sensing technology is available to create a road centreline, it is both costly and unable to provide key
additional data such as pavement condition and location reference posts. In contrast, a survey similar in
scope to the case study described above could be completed for as little as USD$20/km and collect a far
greater volume of data.

When considering data collection it is therefore important that managers consider value for money. It is
easy to be seduced by high technology which is expensive to obtain, difficult to keep operational, and may
only be able to operate on a limited range of roads. Low-cost solutions like ROMDAS which can be
operated by local staff will, in the long-term, prove to be more sustainable and are generally much more
cost effective. In addition, managers need to put considerable thought into their data needs prior to
preparing a brief for data capture.

REFERENCES

‰ Bennett, C.R. and Paterson, W.D.O. (1999). A Guide to Calibration and Adaptation. HDM-4 Technical
Reference Manual Volume 5, PIARC, Paris.
‰ Montgomery Watson (2000). Life Cycle Maintenance Strategy for Tonga Road Network. Project
Report, Tonga Transport Infrastructure Project ADB Loan No. 1303-TON (SF), Tonga MOW, Tonga.
‰ MWH (2001). Location Referencing and Road Conditional Survey: Data Handover Report. Project
Report, Third Highway Improvement Project Credit 2943-LA, MCTPC, Lao PDR.
‰ Paterson, W.D.O. (1993). A Standard Surface Integrity Index of Pavement Condition: Definition and
Measurement Procedure. Internal Paper, The World Bank, Washington DC.
‰ Sayers, M.W., Gillespie, T.D. and Paterson, W.D.O. (1986). Guidelines for the Conduct and
Calibration of Road Roughness Measurements. World Bank Technical Paper No. 46, The World Bank,
Washington DC.
‰ Transit New Zealand (2001). Task 2100: Principles of Location Referencing. LRMS Project Report -
TNZ HO 00-05, Wellington, New Zealand.