Subscribe to receive the
latest news and information on Applanix geopositioning solutions, innovation
and technology working for you. Subscribe Now!
Roadware Group Inc. is the global industry leader in automated pavement distress data collection. The company manufactures the Automatic Road Analyzer (ARAN) and manages a fleet of vehicles from its headquarters in Paris, Ontario, Canada, as well as being the leading manufacturer and seller of such equipment worldwide. Specializing in the automated analysis of pavement cracking, high accuracy asset inventory projects, georeferenced pavement profiling, and road geometry data collection, Roadware's clients share a common need for accurate georeferenced data. Many DOT's and highway departments in the United States, government agencies in Europe and Asia, and some of the most advanced engineering firms around the world, utilize Roadware Group's services.
Since 1996 PennDOT (Pennsylvania Department of Transportation) has relied upon Roadware's expertise to provide accurate and reliable data in support of its highway maintenance plans, asset management tasks, and videolog image update programs. PennDOT regularly requires current information on the condition of its highway network, information which can easily be incorporated into its existing database, and accessed by various engineering and GIS departments.
Pavement Analysis
"Over the past decade, accurate positioning
of data has become the industry standard. We needed
to adapt to this demand and provide a reliable
solution for our clients. We saw the Applanix
POS LV system as the answer."
In May 2003, Roadware was tasked with generating a revised set of pavement data for 22,000 miles of highway, which included edge drop-off detection information captured using its recently acquired Laser XVP. The data would be supplemented with panoramic videolog imagery provided by forward-facing cameras mounted in the roof of the vehicle.
The project began in May and was completed the following
year. "Roadware's ARAN vehicles are designed to operate
under a variety of conditions, and in locations where GPS
signal loss can be a real concern," Eric McCuaig, account
manager at Roadware explained. "We quickly realized the
benefits of using the POS LV for this type of project. By
integrating the POS LV to provide a supplementary georeferencing
component to the sensor data, we are able to deliver continuous,
accurate positioning information under most conditions. Whether
it is the condition of a road sign or a section of cracked
pavement, knowing where it is located is as important as knowing
whether it exists at all."
Roadware was Applanix' first customer for land-based applications
and pioneered the use of the POS LV on a mobile mapping vehicle.
"Both companies have benefited from this long term relationship"
said Toby Crow, "and our close cooperation has allowed
us to continue to lead the industry in this dynamic field".
Roadware has installed more than 20 POS LV systems on its
vehicles worldwide, and see it quickly becoming a standard
feature on its ARAN fleet.
