SSI offers automated pavement management
solutions through a technology partnership with Enterprise
Information Solutions, Inc. (Columbia, MD). Details on the
various solutions are below according to the eRoadInfo
system modules:
Mobile Imaging and Asset Inventory Subsystem,
Pavement High Speed Road Profiling Module,
Automated Surface Imaging and Distress Rating
Sub-System,
Pavement Management Software and Decision
Support,
and
Web Portal Solution.
Figure 1 shows an example of a fully integrated eRoadInfo
Pavement vehicle available for multilayered data collection,
data analysis, and advanced pavement management decision
support.
Figure 1: Automated
Pavement
Management Vehicle with Mid-Mount Surface Profiling
System,
Roadside and Roadbed Imaging, GPS/Inertial Navigation, and
Ground Penetrating Radar
The
eRoadInfo Mobile module offers digital roadway imaging at
1920x1080 resolution using up to four cameras mounted at
appropriate locations on the survey vehicle. The cameras can
be aimed forward, left, and right, providing a full
right-of-way view. The following items can be viewed: travel
lanes, shoulders, curbs, overhead signs, street signs, speed
limit, stop, and regulatory signs, mile markers, pavement
markings, commercial signs, vegetation, terrain, and more
road side features. The camera images can assemble into a
continuous 180-degree view. Optionally, a camera can be
mounted rear facing on the vehicle to capture the reverse
view. All of the camera positions are adjustable and can be
locked once the desired view is achieved. The images are
captured at an adjustable longitudinal interval (typically
25 ft). The images' position and orientation attributes are
captured into a database along with the data. The data can
be easily transported from the in-vehicle computer to a
central network using a network connection or removable hard
drive.
eRoadInfo Mobile Imaging System--Key Features
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1920x1080 resolution digital images with
up to 4 cameras.
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Flexible camera location and orientation.
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Full-frame, non-interlaced JPG format
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Camera shutter speed of 1s to 1/4,096s to
quickly adjust to changing outdoor lighting conditions.
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Each image imprinted with details such as
street name, time, coordinate, heading, mile point, etc.
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System automatically populates the street
name based on GPS location.
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System includes a progress tracking
feature to verify all roads are covered.
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Images are stored on hard drives in
real-time, no post-processing required.
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Capture is paused when vehicle stops
moving.
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When equipped with the Inertial
Navigation System (IMU), camera images are correlated
with the IMU positioning so as to acquire accurate
locations as well as camera heading, roll, and pitch
information.
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Bookmark and voice notes can be captured
to provide information not easily visible from images.
The
eRoadInfo Asset module allows users to review images of the
roadway and collect assets that appear in the field-of-view
on desktop computers. The eRoadInfo Asset solution includes
all of the features of the eRoadInfo Mobile module and also
allows the user to collect data into ODBC compliant
databases, ESRI ArcSDE, Shape, or GeoDatabase formats.
Examples of the assets that can be assessed
with eRoadInfo Asset module include:
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Sign (Type, Facing Direction, Size, Post
Type, Condition, etc)
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Manhole (Type, Condition, etc.)
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Inlet (Type, Condition, etc.)
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Guardrail (Type, Length, Condition, etc.)
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Pavement Inventory (Width, Lanes, Length,
Starting/Ending Mile Point, etc.)
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Pavement Condition (Cracking, Pothole,
etc.)
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Fire Hydrant
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Parking Meter
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Sidewalk
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Dimensions
When
reviewing the images, assets visible on the image can be
captured by simply clicking on the location of the asset in
the image. The data is collected using the photogrammetric
measurement based on the image location and orientation
information recorded during the survey. The data is stored
directly into a GIS database, no data conversion is needed.
Using a database-driven design, the eRoadInfo system’s
advanced features also allow users to configure their own
data collection interface to suit their specific database
structure. Custom database fields can be added to the data
collection interface. Users can also specify the values in
the drop down list.
eRoadAsset Module--Key Features
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All asset data collected in a single pass
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Assets linked to GIS and eRoadInfo data,
allowing retrieval of images from the assets.
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Asset data can be captured directly into
ODBC compliant databases, SHAPE file, or ArcSDE
databases running on SQL Server, Oracle, etc.
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Data can be collected from any one of the
cameras
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Single image or Stereo-based data
collection.
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Configurable data capture interface
allows the system to adapt to user-specific database
table structures. The user can define asset type,
fields, default value and pick-lists.
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User configurable image playback speed
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Retrieve images by road name, location,
or date time.
The eRoadInfo
ArcGIS
Extension puts the power of the eRoadInfo surface imaging
tools into the
ESRI ArcGIS/ArcMap
desktops. ArcGIS is one of the most popular GIS data
production environments. Using the eRoadInfo ArcGIS
Extension, users can combine the data collection capability
of eRoadInfo with the power of ArcGIS map data productivity
tools to work with any ArcGIS compatible datasets. eRoadInfo
ArcGIS Extension brings
ArcGIS
data productivity to a new level.
Figure
2: Sample View: EnterRoadInfo ArcGIS Extension
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eRoadInfo--High Speed Road Profiling Module
The
eRoadInfo Pavement surface profiling system module is an
ASTM E950-98 Class I Profiler that exceeds all DOT
specifications and certification requirements, including
compliance with AASHTO PP50-02, PP51-02 and Texas 1001-S
standards. The profile data is reported under several
specified profile indices, including International Roughness
Index (IRI), Profilograph Index (PI), Ride Quality Index (RQI),
Ride Number (RN), etc. Figure 3 depicts a sample view of
the ride surface condition of a particular road surface.
Figure 3:
Sample Surface Profile Results Summary Preview
The
eRoadInfo profiling subsystem reports data for multiple
wheel paths, which allow cross-lane analysis of parallel
profile traces. Profile reports and traces are available
on-screen and in electronic text, PDF, or spreadsheet.
Figure 4 depicts a sample view of the dual wheel path ride
quality, scaled traces, and localized roughness detection
for a segment of a tested surface.
Figure 4:
Profiling
System Data: Display of Wheel Path Ride Quality, Traces and
Localized Roughness
Inertial Profiling System--Key Features
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Industrial laser sensors, aerospace-grade
accelerometers, and SSI proprietary electronics
architecture provide highest quality digital surface
profile data. Profiling system electronics fabricated
in ISO9001 certified facility.
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True
Class ASTM E950 Class I profiling system at all
collections speeds. Guaranteed compliance with DOT,
ASTM and AASHTO standards.
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Indexer
hardware for in-field static re-calibration of
accelerometers.
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Default
sampling of 1 inch/25 mm.
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Distance
measurement system with rated error of 0.1% or less.
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Vertical
measurements with LMI/Selcom laser sensors unaffected by
pavement texture, color, or lighting. Resolution of the
vertical measurements: better than 0.1mm (0.005 in).
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Guaranteed compliance with commonly used agency
specifications, test methods and certification
requirements.
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Optional
instrumentation for texture, rutting, and profiling
system integration with other measurement systems
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Feature
rich, simple Windows software programs for calibration,
collection and analysis. Menu-driven prompts ease
training and operation.
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Instant
on-screen results for ride index results and areas of
localized roughness (“must-grind bumps/dips”).
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One-touch creation of color PDF images for profile
traces and reports.
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One-touch data export routines for translating profile
data to ERD/PPF/PRO formats or to Excel templates
supplied by SSI (customer templates also programmed).
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Raw data
files are encrypted and re-writeable for repeat analysis
using different parameters.
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Software
license supplied for use of profiling system software
and data on desktop/office computers and printers.
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Compatible with FHWA ProVal software.
For more
information on various models of SSI’s High Speed Profiling
Systems,
click here.
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eRoadInfo--Automated Surface Imaging and Distress Rating
Sub-System
In its fully
automated configuration, the eRoadInfo Pavement system is
instrumented with an automated pavement distress rating
system consisting of a digital line-scan camera, high-speed
frame grabber, associated computer, custom-design LED light
bar, and automated distress analysis software. Pavement
inspection can be completed in real-time with 100% distance
coverage at speed from 5 to 70mph. The line-scan camera and
the light bar cover a 10ft wide lane producing images at
1.5mm/pixel resolution. The light bar enables the system to
avoid the variations of the ambient light and to perform
nighttime survey. Figure 5 shows the hardware configuration
for the surface distress system and sample of a captured
image.
Figure 5: Automated Crack Scan Surface
Distress Assessment Module
The on-board
computer processes the scanned images at real-time and
recognizes different types of road cracks such as
longitudinal, transverse, and alligator cracking. The system
can differentiate flexible and rigid pavements, and classify
the distress into two distinct rating summary formats. The
system reports the data in both the PMIS and AASHTO ACP
formats. The PMIS data includes the count and percentage of
transverse and longitudinal cracks, spalled cracks and
punch-outs, as well as alligator and block cracking. The
AASHTO data includes crack densities in four separate paths.
The system outputs snapshot images, crack maps, and a
graphical file showing the locations of cracks. Figure 6
depicts a sample cracking summary generated by the surface
distress system.
Figure 6:
Longitudinal
Cracking Density on Sample Highway Surface
eRoadInfo--Pavement Management Software Decision Support
eRoadInfo
Pavement is an advanced pavement management solution for
highway engineers. In the fully automated configuration, the
system allows users to access driving images, pavement
images, distress condition data, GIS data, and background
layers using ArcGIS. Pavement ratings, as ArcGIS attributes
of the roads, can be manually entered or automatically
populated by the system based on actual pavement scans.
eRoadInfo Pavement produces maps, pavement repair plans,
budgets, and AASHTO reports at a fraction of the time and
cost.
eRoadInfo
Pavement includes decision support functions to help users
decide road repair methods, prioritize the repair work, and
produce road repair budgets. Users can configure a repair
decision tree matrix defining the repair method to use for
each road distress condition. The system automatically
applies the decision tree to all road segments, recommending
a repair method according to the road condition. The system
also calculates the repair cost based on a user definable
unit cost for each repair method. The repair work is then
prioritized following a set of user configurable priority
weight factors, the traffic volume, and the road conditions.
Annual repair plans are created based on a specified budget.
eRoadInfo Pavement is fully integrated with GIS data. It can
run stand-alone or as an ArcGIS Extension. Users can click
on a road to view the driving video, enter pavement ratings,
and enter pavement condition data. Color-coded maps can be
created based on any database attributes including road
conditions, repair methods, and repair costs to present the
result graphically. The application is fully integrated
with the eRoadInfo road imaging application. Together, they
become a cost effective roadway asset and pavement
management solution. Figure 6 display a sample screen from
the pavement management software’s utilization of user
specified surfaces for rehabilitation decisions according to
the user’s selected parameters.
Figure 7:
Automated
Pavement Management Decision Support Software
Some of the key features of the pavement
management software are:
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Pavement
management integrated with GIS
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Easy
linkage between road measurement data, pavement
condition, and road images
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Pavement
condition data entry integrated with road image playback
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User
configurable repair methods and cost
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User
configurable repair decision tree
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Fully
featured repair decision support functionality
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MicroPaver integration—pavement condition data export
compatible with MicroPaver application.
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eRoadInfo
Web allows users to distribute the images collected from the
digital roadway imaging module over the Intranet or
Internet. This gives users access to the images and data via
a simple browser interface. No application needs to be
installed on the user’s desktop. The images can be used for
right-of-way viewing, intersection inspection, code
enforcement, or to simply view neighborhoods from the user’s
desk. The user simply selects the desired road by route
number or street name and they will be able to see the
images available for that road section. The images can then
be played back like a movie to show a driving simulation.
The application also integrates with
ESRI ArcIMS Map Server
to display maps and allows users to easily retrieve images
using a map interface.
Figure 8:
Sample Data Review in eRoadInfo Web
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