In southern England, West Sussex County Council (WSCC) has started using the latest cloud-based asset management technology to improve the planning of highway maintenance and road safety improvement schemes.
WSCC is using the ReGen cloud-based software platform that collects and stores live highway survey data for immediate analysis via the internet using a Google Map interface. The system was developed by the recently rebranded Saber (formerly Highway Surveyors), which is one of the UK’s largest providers of information and analysis for highway condition and inventory, supplying local authorities and highway managers throughout the country.
Saber has recently captured in excess of 1,554 miles (2,500km) of highway survey data for West Sussex Highways, which is responsible for maintaining the roads in the county. Using ReGen, West Sussex Highways can instantly access condition and inventory survey results to generate forward works programs, budget reporting and planning.
To underpin effective Highway Infrastructure Asset Management and inform maintenance need and investment decisions, West Sussex Highways requires inventory and condition data for the road and footway network.
The council is also required to regularly provide data to government departments, including the Department for Transport (DfT) and HM Treasury, on the condition and value of key elements of the county’s highway infrastructure. Captured using the company’s TRL-powered and GPS-enabled Sideway-force Coefficient Routine Investigation Machine (SCRIM), Saber’s survey data includes skid resistance measurements and the results of Course Visual Inspections (CVI) of the highway condition and footway (FMS) surveys.
This data is initially accessed using ReGen and RSKID online software before being processed for onward use in the council’s asset management system, Confirm, where it is used throughout the asset management team.
The data is then analyzed against in-house rulesets to generate forward works programs complete with recommended treatments. Other applications include BVPI monitoring and publication, end of year budget statistics and budget planning, and informing questionnaire returns to the Department for Transport on road lengths (R199) and maintenance treatments and expenditure.
“High quality data is essential for delivering a sound asset management service and without it key decisions simply cannot be made or cannot be made with any degree of confidence,” commented David Kitt, highway information and pavement manager within the asset management team of highways and transport at WSCC.
“Working with Saber we have a consistently high level of accurate, detailed and timely information which gives us confidence in delivering a range of highway services. We undertake audits on all survey work and have found a consistently high level of accuracy with the data delivered by Saber.”
