GIE Technologies adhers to the practice of effective and strong project management for our client’s projects.  Our policy is to make responsiveness, submission timeliness, and budget management second to none in the engineering community.

  LaserVision System

The unit designed and developed by our engineers, uses on-board computers, a laser camera system and video technology to capture and analyze key surface condition information. The measuring technique combines triangulation and defocusing in a unique method, which allows high resolution and high accuracy range (elevation) measurements.

The combination of six laser sensors constitutes the core technology of the LVS and permits multiple feature extraction of road surfaces’ distresses at highway speed: roughness index (IRI), rutting, cracking and faulting.  Operating at speeds of up to 72 km/h this vehicle continuously and objectively captures data much more quickly, accurately, and more repeatedly than manual surveys.

The computer system featuring top-quality industrial components gathers, pre-processes and stores data collected by the systems.  Road surface data is recorded and synchronized with the distance measurement Instrument c/w precision of 0.05% and if selected with the Differential Global Positioning System c/w a precision +/- 1 meter.  Additional video cameras provide pavement and right of way images with positioning reference.

All the systems are controlled via a data collection interface allowing the operator to perform the survey directly from a client network database. For each section surveyed, the interface via an operator input, stored the reference localization information such as the beginning Linear Reference Point (LRP), ending LRP, the beginning GPS, ending GPS and other descriptive client information.

To supplement the automated data collection systems the Multifunction vehicle is equipped with a programmable events keyboard system Désyroute^® and a Video Imagery System allowing to record Pavement and Right of Way images.

Raw data collected by the systems are processed using our own developed analysis software DistressVIEW^®. The software is used to calculate Cracking, IRI, Rutting and Faulting results in accordance to several recognized pavement evaluation standards, including PASER Manual and ASTM 6433-99, "Standard Practice for Roads and Parking Lots Pavement Condition Index Surveys". All extracted features are reported with their spatial location: linear positioning and/or GPS positioning. More specifically, the unit is equipped with the following systems:

  Automated Cracking Measurement System

  Digital Imaging Analysis Software

  Longitudinal Profile Measurement System

  Transversal Profile Measurement System

  Faulting Measurement System

  Road Geometry

  Programmable Events Keyboard

Automated Cracking Measurement System

Some distresses are measured using six (6) strategically located three-dimensional laser sensors covering an entire lane width up to 3.6 meters (12 ft).  A total of 1024 evenly spaced points along the transversal profile are recorded and the profiles are sampled every 4 inches (11 centimeters).  One of the advantages of the system is its ability to classify distress by type, extent and severity without any human intervention in accordance to several cracking protocols including ASTM 6433-99 "Standard Practice for Roads and Parking Lots Pavement Condition Index Surveys" within 10 % of a manual established reference. 

Since the data collection and analysis by default is performed on 100% of the network roads, the system allows agencies the possibility to access various interval reports.  If desired the system allows to produce at will reports:  on selected portions of a network (sample unit report); and average section report (branch report) or detail interval report on a click of a button.

Another advantage is the repeatability that this data collection method offers.  Since the human interaction is left to a minimum, comparisons between successive surveys demonstrate remarkable consistency. Above is a LVS System produced CRACK MAP showing the repeatability of the system on several passes.

Pavement Imaging Analysis Software

Once the cracking data is extracted from the Automated Data Collection System the results are verified against pavement digital images. Pavement images are displayed and visualized by means of a user friendly graphic interface. 

Embedded easy to use tools allow for on screen distress evaluation in accordance to numerous cracking protocols. 

The interface allow to overlay the automated distress quantities detected for each images by mean of highlighting (ON/OFF) buttons labeled for each type of distress recorded.  Using the interface 100% of the survey quantities can be verified and edited if required  to insure the best quality results possible.

See our Quality Control Procedures applied on Cracking Data

Longitudinal Profile Measurement System (Roughness)

Recognized Class II longitudinal profile measurement instrument developed by GIE Technologies providing International Roughness Index (IRI)* calculated (in accordance with ASTM E 1926-98 "Standard Practice for Computing Roughness Index of Roads from Longitudinal Profile Measurements") within 10 % of a Class 1 established reference.  The profiles left and right are measured using two three-dimensional laser sensors located in the wheel path. The length of each profile generated is 50 cm and the profiles are overlapping to allow software to record a continuous profile while correcting for vehicle movements.

Roughness is processed in accordance with ASTM E 1926-98 - Standard Practice for Computing Roughness Index of Roads from Longitudinal Profile Measurements and in accordance and World Bank technical reports. The processing allows to report IRI left, IRI right, IRI average, IRI maximum, IRI minimum and others statistics.

The ERD file is also generated by our processing software.The ERD file format was developed within the Engineering Research Division (ERD) of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) to facilitate automated plotting of simulation data, experimentally measured data, and data from various analysis programs such as RoadRuf.   RoadRuf is an ERD software used to analyze road profiles with plots, filters, PSD functions, IRI, and Ride Number.  The data part of an ERD file contains elevation and linear offset (less than 250 mm) information for each wheel path.

The algorithms used in the software are the same ones that have been published by UMTRI researchers (Sayers, Karamihas, and Gillespie) in a variety of FHWA reports, TRB papers, and World Bank technical reports.

Transversal Profile Measurement System (Rutting)

Rutting data will be collected for both the left and right wheel paths to hundredths of an inch (~0.2mm). The five-sensor rut measuring system is upgraded to a laser-based transverse profile measurement system capable of measuring 1024 points across the full lane width (12 ft) without increasing the width of the vehicle. The system will also have the capability to measure and report widening drop-off within the lane and shoulder drop-off at the edge of the travel lane. The system is capable of measuring the lateral profile at longitudinal intervals not greater than 2 ft (0.5 m) at speeds up to 65 mph (100 km/h). Average rut depths over each tenth-mile segment will be reported. The system proposed is derived from Biris technology used on the LaserVISION system. Data acquisition is up to 60 Hz and already proven over 100 000 lane miles surveyed across USA and Canada. The LaserVision technology is not affected by perturbations and excessive vehicle movements. 

Rutting is processed in accordance with ASTM E 1703/E 1703M - Standard Test Method for Measuring Rut-Depth of Pavement Surface using a Straightedge.  The processing simulates the straightedge method in measuring the maximum measured perpendicular distance between the bottom surface computed reference "straightedge" and the contact area of the lasers with the pavement at a specific location. The processing allows to report Rutting left, Rutting right, Rutting average, Rutting maximum, Rutting minimum and other statistics. The image above shows a DistressVIEW graphical representation of the left and right ruts. The darker zones indicate presence of high severity rut.

Faulting Measurement System

This recognized measurement instrument developed by GIE Technologies providing positive or negative Faulting in both wheel path to the nearest millimeter. The difference in elevation across each joints are measured using two three-dimensional laser sensors (the same sensors used for the two wheel path longitudinal profile measurement) located in both wheel paths. The length of each laser profile generated is 50 cm.

Faulting is calculated on every joint detected by the system in measuring positive or negative differences in elevation across the joints in each wheel path. The faulting reported is either the average of the left and right or the greater of the left and right.  The processing allows to report the number of positive faults and negative faults, the maximum positive faults and negative faults and, the average faults per section analysis interval and other statistics.

Road Geometry

The GPS system is complemented with an IMU (Inertial Measuring Unit) Litton LN-200, to provide capability of measuring road geometry, including grade and crossfall. Road geometry information will be collected in addition to the location referencing information.

Data is compiled and submitted in Access format for every 10 meters and recorded according to the client data dictionary.

Programmable Events Keyboard (Désyroute)

To supplement the data gathered by LVS^®, the multifunction vehicle is equipped with a programmable events keyboard system, Désyroute. 

Désyroute is installed on the right-hand side of the vehicle and allows the operator during the survey to record additional information needed. 

As the laser system and the Desyroute system use the same positioning sources, all the information is perfectly synchronized.

Programmable Keyboard Survey Mode (PKSM):  The operator uses a console installed in the GIE Multifunction vehicle for data entry. There is an alphanumeric keyboard for the entry of any additional data. A portable micro-computer manages the use of the console and the storage of the information entered by the operator.

Programmable Keyboard Laboratory Mode (PKLM): The operator uses a programmable keyboard in an office environment for data entry using referenced video images.   

  Latest news

 See our latest tool!  Our New Geographical Visualization Interface.  Visualize through the use of a single application an unlimited quantity  of infrastructure data elements including pavement and right-of-way imaging. Read more

  Quality Control on Cracking Data. 
How do we do that?  Once the cracking data is extracted from the  Data Collection System the results are verified against pavement digital images  Read more

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