Asset management can be optimised with new technology

An array of asset management technologies and capabilities are now available to help clients optimise infrastructure assessments.

Global survey and geotechnical group, 6202 Fugro, has signed a multi-year agreement with Dutch pavement consultant, KOAC•NPC. This move will see the firms combine capabilities to undertake highway surface condition contracts in the Netherlands. Under the agreement, Fugro will collect surface condition data using its ARAN road scanning vehicle. KOAC•NPC, will carry out the post processing and consultancy elements of contracts. In addition to network level road surveys and data processing, the two specialists will undertake custom surveys for specific road projects and quality assurance of newly constructed highways. Clients will have the option to specify fully integrated surveys from ARAN’s traffic speed survey capabilities. These capabilities include ground penetrating radar (GPR) data and friction testing.

Street works and highways software from 2606 Mayrise Systems will be used to underpin an €82 million joint procurement for a highways maintenance contract. Awarded by Halton and Warrington Borough Councils, the six-year deal will include reactive maintenance, response repairs to highways, road marking and winter maintenance. Following the introduction of the new MAYRISE Highways and MAYRISE Street Works software the Councils have inspectors using handheld devices to access up to date information in the field. The devices, including the Juno ST from 2122 Trimble, are also used to access MAYRISE MapNow for integrated Ordnance Survey mapping and the Councils’ street gazetteer to locate faults.

Meanwhile, highway inspectors in Rochdale are achieving significant gains in efficiency following the upgrade of mobile working software and the introduction of new hardware. The Trimble devices run the latest MAYRISE Highways Mobile software and allow the team to spend more time in the field carrying out routine safety inspections and investigating defects such as potholes. The efficiency gains have reduced time travelling between inspection sites and the office.

Using MAYRISE Highways Mobile software running on Trimble Juno handheld devices each member of the inspection team receives the daily schedule before the shift starts. In the field MAYRISE MapNow provides access to integrated Ordnance Survey mapping and the Council’s street gazetteer allowing the location and identification of reported faults or routine safety inspection routes.
Yotta DCL has won key deals in the UK with East Sussex County Council, Rutland County Council, on the Isle of Wight and Isle of Anglesey. East Sussex County Council awarded 5153 Yotta DCL a series of contracts to help with managing the highway assets. The first stage of the work was a video survey of the 3,500km highway network with data extracted and delivered using Yotta DCL’s visualised asset management software, Horizons. Following the video survey, the Council engaged the highway technology and survey company to provide strategic consultancy and purchased additional Horizons software modules.

For Rutland County Council, Yotta DCL is providing Horizons visualised asset management software, highway condition and asset inventory surveys, and technical support. The Horizons web-based mapping software provides Rutland with a comprehensive model of the highway network, giving full survey data and high-resolution video imagery for developing maintenance schemes and work programmes. When the work is complete Rutland will have a comprehensive electronic record of its highway network that is easy to use. This will help the highways team to create and select the most cost-effective maintenance schemes.

Island Roads also awarded a contract to Yotta DCL for annual surveying of the Isle of Wight’s highway network. The deal is for SCANNER surveys on 1400km of classified and unclassified roads and Skid Resistance Surveys on 650km of classified roads. Island Roads is a PFI partnership between the 1545 Isle of Wight Council, 4084 VINCI Concessions, 7167 Meridiam Infrastructure and 2393 Ringway.

And on the Isle of Anglesey, the County Council is using visualised asset management software to improve its approach to asset management. The 1,200km highway network has been loaded into its Horizons web-based platform to help the Council and ensure the best decisions are made to maintain its roads. With very tight budgets, Anglesey receives additional funds from the Welsh Government under the Local Government Borrowing Initiative (LGBI) to help with maintaining its network. The Council used Horizons to produce its 15-year forecast and demonstrate that it is making best use of this funding to the Welsh Government and other stakeholders.