Infra­structure asset management

Road surface monitoring (RSM) to ensure the safety and comfort of driving

The safety and driving comfort of roads is primarily affected by the ruts and unevenness of the surfacing material and pavement defects. In order to study these and find the spots where ruts are too deep or excessive unevenness, we offer RSM-measurements.

The unevenness of the road affects the vehicle’s vibration and the comfort of the passengers. Great unevenness of the surface wears the vehicle down faster, causes damage to the surrounding structures and damages the surfacing material.

Ruts, on the other hand, increase the risk of aquaplaning. In addition, any water standing still in the ruts damages the pavement and road structure over time. Drainage is also inefficient if the water flows along the ruts, creating ponds of water in wrong places.

By combining the road information with vehicle model information, we receive data of the interaction between the vehicle and the road and its key mechanisms, such as the driving experience and the controllability of the vehicle.

We measure the unevenness and ruts on about 100,000 kilometres of road in Finland and Sweden every year. The results allow for targeting maintenance operations on the sections that need them the most.

Neural network-based damage interpretations support surface defect reports

In addition to information about the condition of the surface, studying pavement defects offers information about the condition of the structure of the road or street. Damage surveys provide excellent information for the maintenance and planning of roads, scheduling and optimising the paving and analysing the road and street network level.

We offer an automatic surface damage measurement service that identifies any damages of road surfaces through image interpretation. We also offer a neural network-based damage interpretation service, which we have used in various projects in Finland and abroad with great success.

Savings through ground-penetrating radar measurements

Ground-penetrating radar measurements represent the most advanced technology in road condition surveying. It provides information about the thickness and condition of the structures of a road or street and the quality of subsoil several metres deep without breaking the surface of the road.

This technique provides significant cost and time savings as it allows for precise targeting of actions and any possible additional studies at the problematic areas and depths. The measurement is also ideal for the quality control and assurance of new structures.

Laser scanning provides a quick, comprehensive 3D model

We provide a laser scanning service by which we can create a quick 3D model of the reality with a “point cloud”. In the future, an increasing number of infrastructure and construction projects will have their baseline information obtained via laser scanning as the point cloud can be used in various types of design phases. 

Our largest project currently in progress is the laser scanning of the Swedish road network, in which we scan about 50,000 kilometres of road every year.

We can use the point cloud material to create terrain models for road projects, for instance. In such a model, we vector the different elements of the road environment, including the edges of asphalt, road markings, traffic signs and barriers as well as any other elements, such as bridges, ditches, power lines and buildings. This makes it possible to use even more accurate information as a basis for the design phase and using work machine automation in the construction phase.

The road environment is scanned by driving a car at the speed of other traffic. In this way, minimal disturbance is caused.