Innovative use of technology in Oxfordshire drives new business for Amey

Utilising state-of-the-art Geographical Information Systems (GIS) technology, Amey has completed a consultancy project for Oxfordshire County Council in record time. The project analysed the relationship between accident and incident data with the condition of road surfaces to support the prioritisation of investment decisions within the Council’s Local Transport Plan.

A restricted timescale for completion required the development of a new approach to the project. Based on work done in the other parts of the business, the team were able to deploy the latest technology to complete the job in half the usual time.

Using hand-held PDA style devices the team were able to gather information at over seventy sites each day. Defects and treatments, general observations and present signage, as well as suitable positions for proposed warning signs, were all inputted directly on screen. Close to 1,100 sites around Oxfordshire were photographed and inspected, with the information being directly downloaded from the PDA’s for analysis. Once correlated with accident data, Amey produced a prioritised schedule of roads requiring surface dressing including both condition data and detailed maps.

Kevin Haines, Group Manager, Oxfordshire County Council Highways said “Amey’s commitment to meeting the deadline was commendable. I was impressed by the level of competence demonstrated and by the quality of the information supplied. It has provided us with an excellent platform to work from.”

Building on its excellent reputation as a specialist provider of asset management solutions, and as a result of the timely completion of this project, Amey have been asked to carry out a further investigation on the 2005 survey season data with a view to reporting on any changes in the situation and the need for further site visits.

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