ROMDAS
ROad Measurement Data Acquisition System
Manufactured by Data Collection Limited, New Zealand
Overview
ROMDAS has been developed by Data Collection Ltd. (DCL) as a low cost
modular system designed to collect road and pavement data using any
vehicle.
ROMDAS…
 Is vehicle mounted equipment,
 Is modular,
 Offers equipment for collecting a variety of data and
a variety accuracy levels,
 Cost efficient equipment,
 Can be installed on most local vehicles
History
 First developed in 1989 by Dr Chris Bennett in response to
his work in India and other developing countries where
data collection equipment was expensive and impractical.
 The first system was developed in New Zealand with
assistance from members of the University of Auckland.
 During the early years the heart of ROMDAS’ success was
due to the Bump Integrator which was popular in
developing countries due to its low cost and robust design.
 As the years passed and pavement data collection
requirements increased new modules (e.g. video, TPL, GPS)
were developed and integrated into the central ROMDAS
system.
 In 2003 DCL was purchased by two employees; Paul Hunter
and Raj Mallela. Both owners have kept closely to the
philosophies with which the company was founded.
 In the last 5 years, DCL has integrated a number of highend technology modules (e.g. LRMS, Geometry and LCMS)
and can now offer customers high accuracy solutions as
well as more traditional low cost options.
DCLs Point Of Difference
Our success within the Road Maintenance industry can be put down to
three main reasons;
1.
Financial – ROMDAS equipment is positioned at the lower end of
the cost spectrum in the vehicle mounted pavement analysis
market, while at the same time offering data quality equal to
competitors.
2.
Service – customer support is a high priority for DCL. We aim at
ensuring our customers are trained and supported so that their
equipment is functioning at optimal levels. This applies at not only
time of purchase but also for post-sale support.
3.
Innovation - ROMDAS equipment is constantly being developed.
While entry level systems have mostly standardised designs, more
technical systems are customised by DCL’s production team to
best suit the specific situations and needs of customers.
With many data collection systems in the market offering very similar
high-end modules, ROMDAS tries to differentiate itself by offering a
variety of low-cost entrance level equipment which can then be
upgraded in the future to higher specification modules as the road
conditions improve.
The ROMDAS System
The ROMDAS system itself comprises of the central
components and software licences that allow for data
acquisition and analysis. It is the ROMDAS system that the
variety of data collection modules and sensors connect to and
is therefore a requirement for all new survey vehicles.
 Standard equipment included in the ROMDAS system:
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ROMDAS Data Collection Software,
Proximity sensor DMI,
Power distribution box and cable,
Vehicle power supply for survey computer
Hardware interface,
Other accessories and basic tools needs
for installation and maintenance.
The ROMDAS
System
ROMDAS and its modules can
collect the following information;

Location Referencing Points

Linear Profile/Roughness (IRI)

Transverse Profile and Rut Depths

Right Of Way Road Video Survey

Pavement Video Survey

Road Condition Rating

Inventory & Asset Survey

GPS Centreline

Road Geometry

Laser Surveying

High Accuracy Distance

Automated Crack Detection

3D Pavement Surface Modelling

Pavement Texture (MPD & SMTD)
LCMS - Measures every mm of pavement
across and along the road
ROMDAS System:
LCMS
 The ROMDAS Laser Crack Measurement
System (LCMS) uses 2 high powered scanning
lasers to measure a variety of pavement
characteristics. E.g.:
– Automatic crack and defect detection and analysis
(including; crack severity, potholes and ravelling),
– Rut Depth, Width & Cross-Sectional Area for each
wheelpath,
– Macro-Texture (MPD) in 5 longitudinal bands,
 This system represents a trend in data
collection technology towards multipurpose
modules for collecting a wide variety of high
accuracy data.
Optional Upgrades to LCMS
Scanning Laser
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Roughness (IRI)
Raveling/Joint Data
Geometry
FOD Detection (Airports)
Recommended ROMDAS Modules for use with
LCMS
 Right Of Way Video Logging (Asset Inventory)
 GPS (Location Referencing)
 DataView (Post Processing Software)
The LCMS has a variety of
advantages and benefits
that far exceed traditional
multifunctional data
collection devices. The high
powered scanning lasers
are capable of profiling
every millimetre on the
road surface and identifying
a wide variety of pavement
characteristics.
Special Features
There are several unique features to this system which significantly enhance the
data reliability and accuracy over other traditional multi-laser profilometers.
These include:
 Scanning Laser; accurately measures the transverse profile across the full
lane width.
 Macrotexture Measurement; can be measured over whole pavement.
 Lane tracking; eliminates data variability and inaccuracies due to vehicle
wander ‘year-on-year’.
 Roof Mounted Equipment; mounted 2.2 m above pavement surface, at rear
of vehicle.
 Roughness Inertial Measuring Unit (IMU); instead of traditional
accelerometers.
 Validation tool; unique tool which quickly calibrates the equipment on a
weekly basis.
 Laser based pavement imaging; automated defect detection, lane markings,
high quality pavement images (with optional defect overlay).
Lane Tracking
A key advantage to using the LCMS system is the ability
for data sets to be referenced to the lane markings and
kerb positions instead of the vehicle transverse position
travelled which will vary from year to year.
This unique feature can be used when calculating the
wheelpath and lane roughness, Macrotexture
Measurement and rutting scan width.
Macro Texture
The LCMS is unique in that with the very high transversal
scan rate of the laser the Macro texture can be calculated
for all parts of the complete pavement area. The LCMS
reports the Mean Profile depth (MPD) macro texture and
/ or Road Porosity Index (RPI) in 5 adjustable width
longitudinal bands across the whole lane width (the 5
AASHTO bands are: central band, two wheel path bands,
and two outside bands).
ROMDAS System:
LCMS
 Survey Speed 0 – 100km/h.
 IP-65 (NEMA 4).
 Operates at 5,600 Hz (Profiles per
second).
 4 m profile width.
 Creates Access (.mdb) files for raw
data, as well as JPEG images which
show the quantity and severity of
defects at 10m intervals.
 Laser imagery allows for data
collection in day or night
conditions.
ROMDAS System:
LCMS
Standard equipment included with the
LCMS module;
– 2 x LCMS laser profiler units,
– Rack mount LCMS controller,
– All necessary cabling,
– All external mounting,
– Basic tools and accessories for
installation and maintenance.
ROMDAS System:
LCMS
 Benefits
 Very high accuracy data making it
perfect for analysis of major
highways,
 High operating speed (up to
100km/h),
 Wide variety of data collected,
 Identification of lane markings mean
the unit can automatically adjust the
position of data (like MPD bands and
Roughness) to match user-defined
locations. In turn giving increased
accuracy (i.e. removes the influence
of the driver on the collection of
data),
 Raw data profiles are recorded
allowing for re-processing using
different parameters.
 Real time status provided to
operators
ROMDAS Software
ROMDAS Data Acquisition & Processing
DataView
Highway Information Management
System (H.I.M.S.)
ROMDAS Data Acquisition &
Processing Software
Supplied with the purchase of the
ROMDAS system,
Used for 2 primary functions:
1.
During ROMDAS surveys to
display and integrate all
modules and interfaces,
2.
Process raw .rbf files into
Microsoft Access files (.mdb)
ROMDAS Data Acquisition &
Processing Software
Key built in features:
– Calibration Processes that step
the user through how to calibrate
specific module,
– Powerful Keycode System: a very
flexible feature that allows users
to define manual ratings and
events at the touch of a button,
– Location Referencing (LRP) at the
touch of a button,
– Travel-Time surveys,
– View the status and data
collection of devices in real-time,
ROMDAS Data Acquisition &
Processing Software
Microsoft Access (.mdb) files created contain a number of tables
that reference all data to Chainage and/or GPS,
Access databases are easily exported to most asset management,
GIS mapping and highway maintenance planning software,
DataView:
Data Post - Processing
DataView
DataView is used to perform
several advanced data processing
steps. These include;
1.
Process video images for
asset and condition data,
2.
Integrate multiple survey
files into a single database,
3.
Present data in customised
charts,
4.
QA Data by viewing all
datasets link to Video, GIS
Map and Charts
Simultaneously
5.
Create GIS maps with
exportable layers
DataView
DataView
View a variety of survey data in a linked display,
Survey Videos
GPS Map
Stripmaps
LCMS Images
DataView
Additional Features and Benefits:
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Create GIS Map layers from ROMDAS
surveys data
GIS map layers can be quickly created for
all data referenced with GPS coordinates.
Utilise survey video to perform condition
& inventory rating, reducing pressure on
operators on site and increasing accuracy
on a variety of information recorded.
Create distinct map layers for roads, video
rating keycodes, Survey Events and
Location Reference Points.
Create custom graphs, charts and strip
maps
Easy QA tools for project managers by
viewing all datasets, videos and GIS maps
linked in the same window,
Custom templates can be designed to
include additional features and further
streamline the integration process.
ROMDAS SUPPORT
ROMDAS Support Overview:
ROMDAS offers a number of post sale support systems,
these including:

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
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Annual Maintenance Subscription (AMS)
ROMDAS Remote Support
Training and Installation Services
Newsletter
ANNUAL MAINTENANCE
S U B S C R I P T I O N (A. M. S.)
The ROMDAS AMS offer customers a range of entitlements
to help keep their systems in optimal condition.
Entitlements include:
► Free Technical Support
► Discount on Spare/Replacement Parts
► Discount on any follow up Training &
Installation Services
► Free Software Updates
► Access to Secure Member's Page
► Free Annual System Audit
ROMDAS REMOTE SUPPORT
Technical support in real-time
Have a ROMDAS technician remotely connect to the survey
computer to;
 Check settings,
 Diagnose faults,
 Assist with installation and
setup,
 Perform online training,
 View the system operating in
real-time.
ROMDAS TRAINING AND
INSTALLATION
The training and installation service involves a ROMDAS engineer travelling to
visit you on site. They will assist and train your operators with the installation
and use of ROMDAS equipment. Training on survey methodology and practical
tests will also be conducted during the visit. The aim is to make your operators
comfortable with collecting and processing data (into MS Access databases) as
well as using and maintaining the equipment.
ROMDAS
ROad Measurement Data Acquisition System
Manufactured by Data Collection Limited, New Zealand