Browsing by Author "Dhillon, N."

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    Fusion Of High-Resolution Laser Profile And Lidar Measurements For Enhanced Condition Assessment
    Wright, Dean; Dhillon, N.; Wright, Alex; Christie, Colin (2012)
    Accurate data on pavement condition is essential for the maintenance and assessment of road assets. This is commonly obtained using downward-facing laser survey devices operated traffic-speed to provide detailed measurements of the pavement surface. Interest in the use of LIDAR technology to complement such surveys has increased with better accuracy and cost-effectiveness of commercially-available systems. The potential applications of LIDAR systems have been demonstrated by several groups. These mainly focus on its ability to measure assets other than the pavement, as LIDAR is generally not considered to have sufficient accuracy to measure the pavement shape itself. This work undertakes an initial investigation of how LIDAR could be used in pavement assessment by using LIDAR to combine high resolution measurements collected over multiple survey lanes into a single set of data. This commences with the generation of 3D point clouds from all the measurement systems, followed by alignment and combination. The final hybrid 3D data set describes the pavement surface at a level of detail typical of traffic speed condition surveys. Potential applications in the field of pavement surveying include the improved identification of locations likely to affect vehicle handling, and the detection of areas at risk from ponding.
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    New Methods For Network Level Automated Assessment Of Surface Condition In The UK
    Wright, Alex; Dhillon, N.; McRobbie, Stuart; Christie, Colin (2012)
    Automated traffic-speed surveys have been applied on the English Strategic Road Network since 2000, under the Traffic-speed Condition Surveys (TRACS) specification, which employ image and laser-based equipment to measure surface condition at traffic speed. The original requirements for TRACS surveys were based on research carried out by TRL for the Highways Agency. However, there have been significant advances in the technologies for the measurement of surface condition since 2000. The introduction of a new contract in 2012 has provided the opportunity enhance the requirements. This paper focuses on the developments undertaken in two areas – rutting and surface disintegration. Rutting is a key indicator of condition, but the laser-based transverse profile systems used to quantify rutting can be adversely affected by features such as road markings. An approach has been developed to use high resolution transverse profile in combination with surface intensity measurements to remove the influence of such features. Surface disintegration is becoming a major source of deterioration on the SRN. This has required the development of an improved assessment method, which utilizes multiple laser texture measurements to identify disintegration over the full survey width. The research has lead to the publication of a revised survey specification for TRACS.