Highway surveying specialist Yotta DCL has been granted an extension to its contract with the Greater Manchester Consortium of local authorities highways departments for its innovative SCANNER service.
Yotta DCL is helping the Consortium with maintenance scheme development and prioritisation for a combined network of 1736km across Greater Manchester, providing essential support to the local authority engineers’ own investigations. The independent survey results better equip the Highway Engineers with unbiased back up for justifying specific works.
Using its advanced vehicle-mounted laser scanner, Yotta DCL performs automated SCANNER (Surface Condition Assessment for the National Network of Roads) surveys on the Consortium’s classified roads (A, B and C). The Automatic Road Analyzer (ARAN) vehicle scans the condition of the road surface and the results are compared with national standards using Best Value Performance Indicators.
The data is collected, tested, verified and then presented to the relevant Council, which is then able to use the information to help with specific treatment selection, forecasting the costs of treatment, and deciding priorities. The survey data is also used in the United Kingdom Pavement Management System (UKPMS). This is used by Highway Engineers to better target expenditure for road repairs.
Greater Manchester is a massive conurbation with a population of 2.5 million, and is also a major tourist destination, therefore highway maintenance and asset management is a high priority for the Consortium member authorities.
"Yotta DCL does a great job of presenting exactly what we all need within the Greater Manchester Consortium. The company understands the broad requirement of the Consortium and provides our engineers with independent support, helping them to justify their decisions and back up their own findings," says Matthew Mollart, UKPMS Engineer, Urban Vision Partnership (the joint venture company comprising Salford City Council, Capita Symonds and Morrison Highway Maintenance).
The Greater Manchester Consortium comprises the following 10 Local Authorities:
Bolton
Bury
Manchester
Oldham
Rochdale
Salford
Stockport
Tameside
Trafford
Wigan
Automated Surface Condition Surveys (SCANNER)
Yotta DCL operates two SCANNER vehicles in the UK. The SCANNER’s are based on the hugely successful Canadian built Automatic Road Analyzer (ARAN). Yotta DCL is just one of three UK companies equipped to undertake government-specified surveying for the government’s Surface Condition Assessment for the National Network of Roads (SCANNER) programme.
Yotta DCL’s £1 million ARAN2, incorporates technology from Canadian firm Roadware. Equipped with precise satellite positioning, special ground penetrating radar and an advanced surface laser scanner, ARAN2 captures profile data that is considerably more accurate than before. The precise location information allows the SCANNER data to be matched with other highways data for analysis on Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
One of the significant advantages of the ARAN is the transverse profile system that measures 1200 points over a 4m width for every 10cm traveled. More points provide a very accurate profile and eliminate repeatability issues.
The GPS and inertial system is the military grade Applanix POS LV 420, the most accurate dynamic GPS system available for a vehicle.
The ARAN vehicles operated by Yotta DCL also have Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) systems installed. Processed by Aperio, the combination of GPR data with SCANNER is unique and for the first time enables surface and sub surface data to be evaluated together.
The survey data is collected to support the government’s Best Value Performance Indicators for highway maintenance and is used in the United Kingdom Pavement Management System (UKPMS). This is used by Highway Engineers to better target expenditure for road repairs.
UKPMS
UKPMS is the standard system for the assessment of UK local road network conditions and for the planning of investment and maintenance on paved carriageways, kerbs, footways and cycle-tracks within the UK. (Source: www.ukpms.com)
Press Information: Billy Burle, eSales Manager Tel: 888.384.6214 extension 2447 E-mail: bburle@sds-inc.com General Information: sales@sds-inc.com
Source: Yotta DCL