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ROMDAS User Manual PDF

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Data ROMDAS INTRODUCTION

Collection
Limited
providers of innovative technology and
services for measuring and managing
roads.

User Manual
May 2017

Data Collection Ltd.

New Zealand
Manufacturers of ROMDAS

Email: [email protected]
Phone: +64 9 827 7703
1|Page
Free Phone (NZ only): 0800 222 404
Data Collection Ltd.© 2013
ROMDAS INTRODUCTION

Brief extracts may be made from this report for technical purposes as long as they are referenced.

Although this report is believed to be correct at the time of publication, Data Collection Ltd., its
employees or agents involved in the preparation and publication of the report do not accept any
contractual, tortious or other form of liability for its contents or any consequences arising from its
use. People using the information contained in the report should apply, and rely upon, their own skill
and judgement to a particular issue which they are considering.

Quality Assurance Statement

File: Prepared by:
17-05-02 ROMDAS User Manual B. Clotworthy
Report Name: Reviewed by:
ROMDAS User Manual
Document Version: Approved for issue by:
5.0
Software Version:
2.6
Date of Issue: Project manager:
May 2017
File Name:

Data Collection Ltd.

P.O. Box 348
Motueka, 7143
NEW ZEALAND
Phone: +64-9-827-7703
Fax: +64-9-827-7704
[email protected]
www.ROMDAS.com

2|Page
ROMDAS INTRODUCTION

REVISIONS
Revision Date Section/Page Description
1.2 28/01/04 File Formats, GPS Pathfinder XRS, Sony TRV70, Video Logging,
1.3 14/03/04 Laser Profilometer
1.4 19/04/04 General updates to ROMWIN
1.5 14/06/04 Change Chap 16 to relevant chapters. General Update
1.6 14/8/04 Fixes from Proof reading
1.7 1/12/04 More detail in Laser Annex and change from Trimble Quickplan to Planning Software
1.8 1/12/05 TPLMounting, GEO XT setup, VX2000 Setup, PIC Video v3 setup
1.9 15/08/06 New Postcode, Pathfinder Tools Update,
PathFinder Pro GPSLaser Profilometer,
RGR Camera
2.0 28/03/07 RGR Camera, Laser Bounce and Elevation test updates
2.1 10/04/07 Add GARMIN MAP60, take out obsolete GPS setup from Appendix
2.11 16/05/07 Section 7 Added Keyboard rating features- Text Comments, Predefined Comments, Group Distance
Trigger
2.2 15/10/07 Error! R Rating Keyboards setup with new MacroWorks II software
BIHook and Spring
eference TPLv2
source not
found.Erro
r!
Reference
source not
found.
Error! R
eference
source not
found.
2.3 ROMDAS CD screenshots, Interface Versions, GPS18
2.4 5/05/08 10 Video Video Logging update
Surveys, Annual Maintenance SubscriptionEULA update
Appendix E Pro XRT and GPSsetup changes (Pro XRS removed)
Trimble Planning Software update
2.5 12/12/08 Updated menu system.
05/06/09 TPLProcessing Changes
2.6 29/09/09 Added LRMSand Geometry chapters
2.7 Active Hard drive Protection, GLONASS Real-time Correction Datums, MERLINupdate,
Glossary and Index
2.8 LCMS SPS461 GPS Multiple Camera System, Fly2, Macroworks III, File Structures updated,
Appendix G Laser Safety
2.9 30/10/12 Error! R GigE Camera Update - remove Firewire cameras to “Previously Used Video”
Remove TSIP GPS to “Previously Used GPS Receivers”
eference Change IP address of TPL
source not Warnings for HR-DMI is for sealed roads only
found.
Error! R
eference
source not
found.
2.10 LCMSCrack Depth, Curb and Drop Off, LCMS Processing Check, LCMS Sensor angle
Updated for Geometry unit changes.
3.0 New Interface, Laser TPL ROMDAS Laser Profiler, F2/F3 to start Odometer Function
3.1 LCMS Ravelling, Concrete joints, Lane Width, Sealed Cracks, Geometry. Update index, fix
references

3|Page
ROMDAS INTRODUCTION

4.0 Major Revamp

5.0 3/05/17 Major revamp for ROMDAS version 2.6

4|Page
ROMDAS INTRODUCTION

TABLE OF CONTENTS
ROMDAS INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 10
OVERVIEW........................................................................................................................................................................... 10
COMPONENTS..................................................................................................................................................................... 10
OPERATIONAL PRINCIPLE .................................................................................................................................................... 10
TYPES OF DATA COLLECTED ................................................................................................................................................ 11
TYPICAL PROCESS FOR SETTING UP A ROMDAS SYSTEM .................................................................................................... 14
VEHICLE SELECTION GUIDELINES .......................................................................................................... 15
GENERAL GUIDELINES ......................................................................................................................................................... 15
SELECTING A VEHICLE FOR LCMS ........................................................................................................................................ 15
SELECTING A VEHICLE FOR PAVEMENT CAMERA ................................................................................................................ 15
SELECTING A VEHICLE FOR BI; ............................................................................................................................................. 16
SELECTING A VEHICLE FOR LRMS ........................................................................................................................................ 17
SAFETY GUILDELINES........................................................................................................................................................... 18
SETTING UP A CENTRAL ROMDAS SYSTEM ........................................................................................... 19
ROMDAS Data Acquisition Software ................................................................................................................................... 19
Protection ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 19
Windows Settings ................................................................................................................................................................................. 19
Annual Maintenance Subscription ........................................................................................................................................................ 14
Installing ROMDAS Data Acquisition Software ..................................................................................................................................... 21
File locations ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 21
Updating ROMDAS Software ................................................................................................................................................................ 22
Registering ROMDAS ............................................................................................................................................................................ 23
ROMDAS Remote Support (RRS)........................................................................................................................................................... 52
Opening & Navigating ROMDAS ........................................................................................................................................................... 25
Survey Test Mode ................................................................................................................................................................................. 27
User Defined Survey Fields ................................................................................................................................................................... 27
Location Reference Point (LRP) Feature ............................................................................................................................................... 28
Keycode Event Rating Feature .............................................................................................................................................................. 33
Predefine Survey IDs............................................................................................................................................................................. 42
Travel Time Survey Feature .................................................................................................................................................................. 43
Digital Odometer Survey Feature ......................................................................................................................................................... 44
Conducting A Survey............................................................................................................................................................................. 45
Processing ROMDAS Survey Data ......................................................................................................................................................... 48
ROMDAS Data formats ......................................................................................................................................................................... 50
Processed Data: Table Structures ......................................................................................................................................................... 50
Hardware Interface ............................................................................................................................................................. 52
Installing the ROMDAS Interface .......................................................................................................................................................... 54
Updating the Interface ......................................................................................................................................................................... 54
Power Supplies.................................................................................................................................................................... 54
Installing HW-POWER BOX-BASIC ......................................................................................................................................................... 55
Installing HW-POWER BOX-V2 / HW-POWER BOX TPL-V2 .................................................................................................................... 57
Installing The HW-RACK INTERFACE ..................................................................................................................................................... 60
Power Supply TROUBLESHOOTING....................................................................................................................................................... 61

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ROMDAS INTRODUCTION

TIPS & TRICKS ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 61

Survey ComputerS .............................................................................................................................................................. 62
Installing A Laptop ................................................................................................................................................................................ 62
Installing A Semi-Rugged PC ................................................................................................................................................................. 62
Installing A Rack Mounted Computer System ...................................................................................................................................... 62

VIDEO LOGGING MODULES .................................................................................................................. 66

Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................ 66
Right Of Way (ROW) cameras: hardware installation ......................................................................................................... 67
Components ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 67
Hardware setup instructions ................................................................................................................................................................ 67
Pavement camera: hardware installation ........................................................................................................................... 69
Components ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 69
Hardware setup instructions ................................................................................................................................................................ 69
row & pavement cameras: PC preparation ......................................................................................................................... 70
Setting ip addresses .............................................................................................................................................................................. 71
Set jumbo packets ................................................................................................................................................................................ 72
Test camera in flycapture ..................................................................................................................................................................... 73
ROW & pavement cameras: ROMDAS settings ................................................................................................................... 75
Add the camera/s in romdas. ............................................................................................................................................................... 75
Select output settings ........................................................................................................................................................................... 77
Configure an image overlay .................................................................................................................................................................. 77
Test video using ROMDAS software ..................................................................................................................................................... 78
360° camera module: hardware installation ....................................................................................................................... 79
Ladybug5 introduction ......................................................................................................................................................................... 79
Setting up 360° camera ........................................................................................................................................................................ 80
360° Camera Module: ROMDAS settings ............................................................................................................................ 82
Adding 360° camera in ROMDAS .......................................................................................................................................................... 82
Conducting video surveys ................................................................................................................................................... 83
Processing video data ......................................................................................................................................................... 85
Processing MS Access tables: ............................................................................................................................................................... 85
Video Data structure and definitions .................................................................................................................................. 86
Survey header table.............................................................................................................................................................................. 86
Video header table ............................................................................................................................................................................... 86
Video raw data table ............................................................................................................................................................................ 87
Video processed data ........................................................................................................................................................................... 87
Troubleshooting .................................................................................................................................................................. 88
Shows black screen image during surveys ............................................................................................................................................ 88
No cameras detected in ROMDAS ........................................................................................................................................................ 88
IP address of the camera changes each time it is turned off and on: ................................................................................................... 88
Images are out of focus ........................................................................................................................................................................ 89
Blurry image on cameras or white vertical lines on camera images ..................................................................................................... 91
360° camera: no gps data in initial captured frames ............................................................................................................................ 92
360° camera: failed to grab initial image .............................................................................................................................................. 92

GPS MODULES....................................................................................................................................... 93
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................ 93

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ROMDAS INTRODUCTION

Setting up a Trimble SPS461 GPS Receiver ......................................................................................................................... 93

Components ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 93
Hardware Installation ........................................................................................................................................................................... 94
DGPS: Omnistar VBS signal setup ......................................................................................................................................................... 95
ROMDAS Software Setup...................................................................................................................................................................... 96
Test GPS in ROMDAS software ............................................................................................................................................................. 97
Setting up a Garmin 18 GPS Receiver ................................................................................................................................. 98
Components ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 98
Hardware Installation ........................................................................................................................................................................... 98
Configure ROMDAS Settings ................................................................................................................................................................. 99
Test GPS in ROMDAS software ........................................................................................................................................................... 100
Other ROMDAS Setting & Options for GPS ....................................................................................................................... 101
GPS Processing Settings: ..................................................................................................................................................................... 103
Conducting GPS surveys .................................................................................................................................................... 103
Principles of GPS Measurements ........................................................................................................................................................ 103
Accuracy of Measurements ................................................................................................................................................................ 104
When to Differentially Correct Data ................................................................................................................................................... 105
GPS Altitude........................................................................................................................................................................................ 105
Survey Planning .................................................................................................................................................................................. 105
Running a GPS Survey in ROMDAS ..................................................................................................................................................... 105
Processing GPS data .......................................................................................................................................................... 107
GPS data structure and definitions ................................................................................................................................... 108
Table Structures – Headers and Raw Data.......................................................................................................................................... 108
GPS maintenance .............................................................................................................................................................. 109
GPS Antenna (all systems) .................................................................................................................................................................. 110
Previously Supplied Receivers ............................................................................................................................................................ 110
Components no longer used............................................................................................................................................................... 110
Troubleshooting ................................................................................................................................................................ 110
How to access SPS461 GPS receiver using web browser. ................................................................................................................... 110
Reconfiguring SPS461 GPS receiver to work with ROMDAS using web browser ................................................................................ 111
No valid GPS data coming through in ROMDAS. ................................................................................................................................. 112

TPL Version3 Module .......................................................................................................................... 114

Laser Profilometer Module ................................................................................................................. 114
ROMDAS GEOMETRY MODULE........................................................................................................... 115
Road Geometry Theory ..................................................................................................................................................... 115
Geometry installation: HARDWARE .................................................................................................................................. 116
Components ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 116
Installation steps ................................................................................................................................................................................ 116
Geometry installation: SOFTWARE ................................................................................................................................... 117
ROMDAS settings & options ............................................................................................................................................. 118
Test Geometry Unit in ROMDAS ......................................................................................................................................................... 118
Geometry Unit Calibration ................................................................................................................................................ 118
Conducting surveys ........................................................................................................................................................... 119
Processing Geometry data ................................................................................................................................................ 120
Geometry data structure and definitions ......................................................................................................................... 121

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ROMDAS INTRODUCTION

Geometry Header Table ..................................................................................................................................................................... 121

Geometry Data Table ......................................................................................................................................................................... 122
Geometry Processed Data .................................................................................................................................................................. 122
Troubleshooting ................................................................................................................................................................ 122
Can’t connect to Geometry unit in ROMDAS software ....................................................................................................................... 122

ODOMETERS ....................................................................................................................................... 124

BUMP INTEGRATOR V2 MODULE ....................................................................................................... 141

Installation ........................................................................................................................................................................ 141
Mounting options ............................................................................................................................................................................... 142
Planning: check position of BI, axel bracket & cable ........................................................................................................................... 143
Mount BI Axel Bracket ........................................................................................................................................................................ 144
Drill 20mm BI Hole.............................................................................................................................................................................. 145
Connect BI Wire .................................................................................................................................................................................. 145
Position and Mount BI ........................................................................................................................................................................ 146
Connect BI Cable ................................................................................................................................................................................ 146
Safety Guidelines .............................................................................................................................................................. 147
ROMDAS Settings & Options ............................................................................................................................................. 147
Bump Integrator Calibration ............................................................................................................................................. 149
Overview ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 149
Preparing the Vehicle ......................................................................................................................................................................... 149
Preparing Calibration Sites: ................................................................................................................................................................ 150
Performing BI Runs ............................................................................................................................................................................. 151
Enter Results Into The Bi Calibration Spreadsheet ............................................................................................................................. 153
Determine Calibration co-efficients .................................................................................................................................................... 153

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ROMDAS INTRODUCTION

Copy coeffienticnts into romdas software .......................................................................................................................................... 154

Validation ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 154
Conducting Survey with Bump Integrators ....................................................................................................................... 155
Starting a Survey................................................................................................................................................................................. 155
During A Survey .................................................................................................................................................................................. 156
Ending the Survey ............................................................................................................................................................................... 156
Roughness Exclusion Feature ............................................................................................................................................................. 156
Roughness Exclude Processing Options .............................................................................................................................................. 157
Processing data ................................................................................................................................................................. 157
Data Structure And Definitions ......................................................................................................................................... 159
Raw BI Roughness Table ..................................................................................................................................................................... 159
Roughness Processed Data ................................................................................................................................................................. 159
Maintenance & Troubleshooting ...................................................................................................................................... 160
Replacing the BI Spring ....................................................................................................................................................................... 160

LRMS Module ...................................................................................................................................... 164

LCMS Module ...................................................................................................................................... 164
RATING KEYBOARDS............................................................................................................................ 164
Overview ........................................................................................................................................................................... 164
Keyboard Setup ................................................................................................................................................................. 165
Installing MacroWorks Software ........................................................................................................................................................ 165
Installing the Rating Keyboard ............................................................................................................................................................ 165
Programming the USB Rating Keyboard ............................................................................................................................................. 166

USEFUL PRINCIPLES OF ROAD SURVEYING ......................................................................................... 168

Planning & Preparing For A Survey ................................................................................................................................... 168
OVERVIEW.......................................................................................................................................................................................... 168
Safety Guildelines ............................................................................................................................................................................... 168
Choosing Types Of Data To Collect ..................................................................................................................................................... 169
Calibrations & Validations .................................................................................................................................................................. 169
Location Reference Points ................................................................................................................................................ 170
When to Use LRPs............................................................................................................................................................................... 170
Implications of Odometer Error .......................................................................................................................................................... 171
Importance of LRP Resets ................................................................................................................................................................... 171
Distance Measurement Accuracy ..................................................................................................................................... 172
Recording events .............................................................................................................................................................. 172
Principles ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 172
Types of Events ................................................................................................................................................................................... 172
Assigning Events ................................................................................................................................................................................. 172
Using Rating Keyboards ...................................................................................................................................................................... 173
Surveying Adjacent Sections ............................................................................................................................................. 174
The Problem ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 174
Programming a Survey ...................................................................................................................................................... 175

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ROMDAS INTRODUCTION

ROMDAS INTRODUCTION

OVERVIEW
ROMDAS® (ROad Measurement Data Acquisition System) has been developed by Data Collection
Ltd. (DCL) as a comprehensive, cost effective and modular system for collecting asset and pavement
information. Implemented in over 60 countries, it’s flexible design allows for installation on locally
sourced vehicles and meets widely accepted international standards.

Depending on your needs, a ROMDAS system can be easily customized with a variety of add-on
modules to suit the specifications and budget of any project.

Whether a private consultant, government department or research institution, ROMDAS offers great
reliability, flexibility and ease of use for anyone who needs to quickly and accurately collect asset
data.

ROMDAS is installed on a vehicle and can be used for the following applications:

✓ High-speed network level or project specific road surveying,

✓ Road roughness surveys,
✓ Transverse profile/rutting surveys,
✓ Macro-texture (MPD),
✓ Visual condition, environment or event rating,
✓ Automatic crack and surface defect inspections,
✓ Location referencing (spatial GPS/GNSS data or linear LRP data),
✓ GIS mapping of condition data and road alignment,
✓ Video logging surveys (right of way, 360 and pavement view),
✓ Mobile mapping of roadside assets & inventory,
✓ Road geometry surveying,
✓ Travel time and congestion surveys,
✓ iRAP road safety surveys,

COMPONENTS
The central ROMDAS system consists of:

 a hardware interface;
 an odometer;
 all necessary electrical plugs/sockets and cabling;
 ROMDAS software.

However, there are a variety of optional add-on modules which can be added to the system (e.g.
laser profilers, transverse profilers, bump integrators, cameras, geometry sensors, GPS and more).
The add-on modules enable the system to collect a variety of road corridor and pavement condition
data. See latter sections of this manual for specific setup and operation of these add-on modules.

OPERATIONAL PRINCIPLE
The ROMDAS system utilises a combination of hardware and software installed into a vehicle to
collect road data.

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ROMDAS INTRODUCTION

The ROMDAS data acquisition software (DAS) communicates with the hardware interface and add-
on modules to control and log data while travelling at normal traffic speeds. The hardware interface
is required for all ROMDAS system and is primarily responsible for recording the odometer input
which then allows the DAS software to reference data from all sensors with distance (i.e. road
chainage). The interface is also responsible for providing a trigger or activation signals to certain
modules when surveying.

Once a survey is complete the ROMDAS DAS software is also responsible for processing the raw .RBF
data files into generic MS Access databases. It is these databases that users can open, review, format
and/or export to suit their specific needs.

TYPES OF DATA COLLECTED

Designed to be a portable and modular system, ROMDAS can be used to collect a range of data. It is
common to start off with a basic system and then to enhance it with additional measurement
instruments as survey needs become more sophisticated.

✓ ROAD ROUGHNESS & LONGITUDINAL PROFILE

Roughness is usually the first type of data collected when surveying roads as It gives a good
overview of the general condition of the road. There are several modules used to collect
Roughness (IRI), each with their specific benefits. ROMDAS offers several modules for
collecting road roughness.
Bump Integrator:
The bump integrator is low cost and robust. It is designed for use in tough conditions and
unpaved roads where more sensitive laser equipment is not applicable. Meeting World Bank
Class 3 and applicable ASTM roughness standards, it is a perfect option for any user needing
to collect roughness data on rough of mixed surface roads.
Laser Profilometer:
These ASTM 950 compliant inertial laser profilers are the modern standard for collecting
high-accuracy and repeatable roughness data on good quality roads or highways.

✓ MACRO-TEXTURE (MPD)
Upgrades are available for the Laser Profilometers which enable the collection of Macro-
texture (MPD) data. Alternatively, the LCMS 3D profiling module offers Macro-texture data
across the whole lane.

✓ RUT DEPTH & TRANSVERSE PROFILE

The ROMDAS range includes several options for recording rut depth and transverse profile
data. From cost-effective rut-bar units to high-performance scanning lasers, users have the
option of selecting the most appropriate module for their system and budget.
Transverse Profile Logger (TPL) Ver.3—Ultrasonic + Laser
The TPL ver. 3 is a bumper mounted beam measuring a 21 point transverse profile. ROMDAS
software automatically analyzes the profiles to calculate the rut depth in each wheel-path.
The ultrasonic version uses 17 high accuracy ultrasonic sensors and 4 side angled laser
sensors. It offers an exception balance between accuracy, ruggedness and price.

Transverse Profile Logger Ver.3—Laser

Replacing the ultrasonic sensors with lasers, this model of the TPL ver.3 offers a full 15 point

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ROMDAS INTRODUCTION

transverse profile. In addition to the increased sensor accuracy it also maintains the rugged
design of the Ultrasonic version. The TPL ver.3 can be easily detached from the survey
vehicle when not in use.
Laser Rut Measurement System (LRMS)
The pinnacle of transverse profiling. The LRMS uses scanning lasers from industry leader
Pavemetrics. Its accuracy is unmatched, as It collects +4,000 point transverse profiles and
outputs not only rut depth, but also rut width and cross-sectional area.

✓ VIDEO LOGGING & MOBILE MAPPING

Recording images of the road corridor or pavement has traditionally been utilized as a quick
and permanent reference for office staff. With the advancement of processing software
ROMDAS can provide even more benefits to video logging. Including features like;
• Creating GIS databases using mobile mapping software,
• iRAP coding,
• Recording lists of assets and events referenced to chainage and GPS,
• Crack and defect measurements,
• Image trigger distance for manageable files sizes,
• Customizable location overlay onto each image,

Users can select custom configurations from 3 types of available cameras:

Right Of Way (ROW) Cameras

ROW cameras focus primarily on the surroundings and assets within the road corridor. Using
strong magnetic mounts they are easy and flexible to install on vehicles. Progressive
scanning cameras record high resolution images of the ROW and output them as .AVIs or
.JPEGs.

Pavement View Cameras

Mounted perpendicular to the road these cameras record detailed images of the pavement
surface. These images are processed in the office to identify and measure visible pavement
defects like cracking and potholes. This method is safer and more accurate than site
inspections.

360 Degree Cameras

Capturing a full 360 degree image, these cameras are combined with mobile mapping
software for an immersive view of the road corridor. Users can calculate GPS coordinates
and measurements from images and add them directly to GIS map layers. This new module
is one of the most user-friendly methods for creating detailed GIS databases.

✓ ROAD GEOMETRY
The ROMDAS Road Geometry module is an integrated GPS and Inertial Measurement Unit
(IMU) used to record the geometry of a road while travelling at normal traffic speeds.
Standard outputs include Gradient, Cross-slope and Radius of Curvature. Alternatively, the
ROMDAS LCMS users can opt for an upgrade to record road geometry.

✓ LASER CRACK MEASUREMENT SYSTEM (LCMS)

The LCMS employs 2 high powered scanning lasers and represents the latest direction of
data collection systems. Recording extremely detailed 3D profiles of the road surface, the
LCMS can analyze and calculate a wide variety of pavement data. Including the following:
• Cracking (including, width, depth, length, type and even sealed cracks),

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ROMDAS INTRODUCTION

• Rut depth, width and cross-sectional area,

• MPD Macro-texture,
• Ravelling detection,
• Pothole detection,
• Concrete joints and faulting,
• Water pooling depths,
• Pavement images automatically overlaid with defects.

LCMS offers advanced features which overcome a number of real-world limitations of

traditional equipment. Including the ability to detect pavement markings to compensate for
driver wander and exclude any data from outside the lane.

✓ GPS & LOCATION REFERENCE POINTS (LRP)

Accurate location referencing, including GPS locations, is critical for any data collection
system. ROMDAS employs high resolution odometers for extremely accurate
chainage/distance measurements and is compatible with a variety of GPS receivers. Similar
to keycodes users can recode the chainage and GPS of a location reference point (e.g. KM
post, Mile Stones etc…) with the touch of a button. ROMDAS will then add LRP chainages to
all other data tables (e.g. roughness).

Compatible GPS receivers can be added to a ROMDAS system which will then record the GPS
coordinates of the vehicle’s driving line. This allows for GPS data to be referenced to other
datasets or used to create GPS centerline surveys using the “GPS offset” settings in ROMDAS
data acquisition software.

✓ HIGH ACCURACY DISTANCE

All ROMDAS systems use an odometer to collect chainage/distance. This information is then
referenced to all other data collected. ROMDAS offers 2 main types of odometers.

Proximity Sensor Odometer:

This is a robust odometer designed for tough and unpaved conditions. This is the standard
odometer supplied with every central ROMDAS system. It uses magnets installed on the
wheel or vehicle driveshaft. As the magnets pass the proximity sensor it registers a pulse
which is then converted into a distance measurement, thanks to a simple calibration
process. If calibrated correct the accuracy of this device will far exceed the accuracy of the
vehicle odometer.

High Resolution Distance Measurement Instrument (HRDMI)

The HRDMI is a wheel mounted rotary encoder odometer. It provides sub-millimeter
resolution and is required when using high-accuracy laser equipment like Laser Profilers,
LRMS or LCMS which require extremely accuracy triggering.

✓ KEYCODING: IF YOU CAN SEE IT… YOU CAN RECORD IT.

ROMDAS Keycoding is an extremely useful tool to create custom lists of assets, events or
conditions. They are recorded at the touch of a button and referenced with a location,
allowing users to easily record a wide variety of supplementary information during surveys.
This feature is free with every ROMDAS system.

✓ TRAVEL TIME

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ROMDAS INTRODUCTION

Travel time and congestion surveys can be conducted using ROMDAS. These will give the
travel time, distances travelled and acceleration on a second-by-second basis. The system
has been specifically designed to collect data for use in the World Bank’s HDM-4 congestion
model.

TYPICAL PROCESS FOR SETTING UP A ROMDAS SYSTEM

As ROMDAS systems are configurable with a variety of modules each system may require a slightly
different setup process. However, as a general guideline, setting up a system will always involve the
following steps;

1. Read the Warranty and Software Licence

2. Install the hardware and software
3. Calibrate the instruments
4. Plan and prepare for the survey
5. Execute the survey
6. Process the data

IMPORTANT NOTE:
Instructions on setting up the central ROMDAS system (consisting of data acquisition software,
power supplied and hardware interface) can be found in the later section (setting up the central
ROMDAS system section). This manual also includes sections for setting up and using each specific
module. It is important that you review the sections applicable to the modules you own.

Alternatively, DCL offer on-site training and installation services. These services are extremely useful
for clients who want quick and professional installations. We often find customers who purchase this
service have less technical issues due to quality installations and professional training provided to
their survey operators.

ANNUAL MAINTENANCE SUBSCRIPTION

Continued user support and entitlement for ROMDAS software upgrades is done through the
ROMDAS Annual Maintenance Subscription (AMS). As well as entitling the user to the current
update patches of the software the user will also get many other support entitlements.

An invoice for the next year's Annual Maintenance fee will be sent at the anniversary of purchase
date. Two or more years Annual Maintenance fee can be purchased at a discount.

Refer to the ROMDAS website (www.romdas.com) for current details of the ROMDAS Annual
Maintenance Subscription (AMS) .

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VEHICLE SELECTION GUIDELINES

VEHICLE SELECTION GUIDELINES

GENERAL GUIDELINES
When selecting a vehicle, consider the following for all vehicles:
• Vehicles sourced locally usually means that spare parts are easily available, determining the
availability of spare parts is something that should be considered when selecting any vehicle
• The vehicle should be fit for purpose. (i.e. the vehicle must be capable of traversing the
roads you want to survey. E.g. if roads are unpaved and rough, it is best to use a 4wd with
higher ground clearance, a van or sedan may not be suited for extended use in these
environments.)
• ROMDAS systems run on a 12VDC electric system. Ensure the vehicle outputs 12VDC from all
power sources.

SELECTING A VEHICLE FOR LCMS

When selecting a vehicle for an LCMS system, the following needs to be considered:
• LCMS requires more power, so an alternator of 100A or above is required.
• Vans or large 4WDs ensure there is enough room inside to install rack computer system.
• Vehicle height must be minimum of 1,950mm. The LCMS lasers must be 2.2m above the
ground.

• It is required that a tow bar be fitted to the vehicle. This will provide a location for diagonal
support beams. If this is unavailable, custom brackets will need to be fitted to the vehicle.
(NOTE: fitting the tow bar or custom brackets will be the responsibility of the purchaser)

SELECTING A VEHICLE FOR PAVEMENT CAMERA

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VEHICLE SELECTION GUIDELINES

• The pavement Camera must be mounted on the rear of the vehicles roof. Therefore, it is
important that a roof is present on the rear of the vehicle. Pick-up trucks are an example of
what cannot be used.

SELECTING A VEHICLE FOR BUMP INTEGRATOR

If using single BI then the vehicle should have solid rear axle. If the vehicle has independent rear
suspension then it is recommended to have 2 x BI (1 left and 1 right), a single BI with independent

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VEHICLE SELECTION GUIDELINES

rear suspension will only be able to collect data for one wheelpath.

SELECTING A VEHICLE FOR LRMS

• LRMS requires more power, so an alternator of 100A or above is required.
• Vans or large 4WDs ensure there is enough room inside to install rack computer system.

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VEHICLE SELECTION GUIDELINES

SAFETY GUILDELINES
Vehicles should be road-worthy and safe to drive and operate from within. It is recommended that
the vehicle be carefully checked regularly for safety and comply with all local laws. This may include:
- Seat belts
- Head lights
- Signal lights
- Brakes
- Horn

(NOTE: Different countries have different safety rules and precautions. It is the responsibility of the
customer to follow individual country’s lawful safety requirements at all times)

It is also recommended, both for staff, and equipment, that vehicles be fitted with warning signs,
flashing lights, and any other alert systems that will make the vehicle obvious to surrounding traffic
of your presence. This is to reduce chances of collisions or incidents.

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SETTING UP A CENTRAL ROMDAS SYSTEM

SETTING UP A CENTRAL ROMDAS SYSTEM

The central ROMDAS system is comprised of the following components;
• ROMDAS Data Acquisition Software
• Hardware Interface
• Power Supplies
• Odometer (see Odometers Section)
• Survey Computer
The below sections cover how to install each main component. However, depending on the add-on
modules attached to your system the exact version of the hardware interface, power supply,
odometer or survey computer may vary. For example a system with an LCMS or LRMS module will
require a rack mounted computer system and 240V UPS, whereas a smaller system with only BI,
Laser Profiler or TPL will run off 12VDC supply and a laptop. Therefore it is important to know which
versions you have purchased and setup according to your specific model.

ROMDAS DATA ACQUISITION SOFTWARE

PROTECTION
ROMDAS is copy protected. This sees a unique hardware fingerprint generated by the ROMDAS
software based on the name of the registered user and the hardware that it is installed to. This
fingerprint is provided to DCL who will then provide a registration key which will ensure continued
operation.

Without a registration key the software will work for an evaluation period of 30 days after which it
will only operate in Office Mode. It is not possible to get around this by resetting the time or date on
the machine or any other method. The software can be uninstalled and transferred to another
computer, but this requires that a new registration key be issued.

WINDOWS SETTINGS
The below settings should be configuring in Windows to ensure ROMDAS functions at peak
performance.

Power Saving Options and Screen Savers

For a real-time data collection system like ROMDAS it is important to insure that no other software is
taking processor time or operating system operations occur which could affect real-time
performance. The following should be done when using ROMDAS in data collection surveys
• All Windows Power saving options and screen savers should be turned off.
• Check for programs that start-up automatically and run in the background that could affect
performance and can be disabled or turned off e.g. anti-virus software, Skype etc

The data collection computer should be keep as “clean” as possible as the more software is installed
the more background services will be running that could affect real-time operation.

Windows Performance Options

The ROMDAS software uses Windows background services for the different devices. With Windows
7 and later operating systems, you can increase the performance of ROMDAS while using any of
these devices by changing the Processor Scheduling setting from the default “Programs” to the
"Background Services"

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SETTING UP A CENTRAL ROMDAS SYSTEM

For better real-time performance the Visual Effects setting can also be changed to Adjust for best
performance.

Disk Defragmentation
The ROMDAS Video option will generate a lot of disk activity when writing video data. Disk
fragmentation will affect the performance of the ROMDAS software. Disk defragmentation should be
performed regularly.

Anti Virus Software

Several of the free anti-virus software programs interfere with some or all of ROMDAS operation
(Avast, Kaspersky etc). Generally if it can be avoided we recommend not using anti-virus software on
the data collection computer. However Microsoft Security Essentials has been successfully tested
with ROMDAS and currently is the only anti-virus software that we can recommend using if a
antivirus protection is required.

Active hard drive Protection

Active hard drive protection refers to technology that is mainly used in laptop computers that
detects excess acceleration or vibration and attempts to avoid or reduce mechanical damage to hard
disk drives by preparing the disk(s) prior to impact. The software tells the hard disk to unload its
heads to prevent them coming in contact with the platter, thus potentially preventing head crash.
Laptop vendors have implemented this technology under different names:
• HDAPS, Hard Drive Active Protection System, by Lenovo
• GraviSense by Acer
• 3D DriveGuard, HP Mobile Data Protection System 3D and ProtectSmart Hard Drive
Protection by HP
• Free Fall Sensor (FFS) by Dell
• HDD Protection by Toshiba
These utilities will generally interfere with ROMDAS data collection as the vibration of the moving
vehicle can shut done the hard disks and prevent ROMDAS from saving the data to file (particularly

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SETTING UP A CENTRAL ROMDAS SYSTEM

important with Video Logging option). These utilities need to be turned off when ROMDAS is
operating in the vehicle.

INSTALLING ROMDAS DATA ACQUISITION SOFTWARE

If the ROMDAS system has been supplied with a survey computer then the ROMDAS software will
already be installed and configured for you.

The ROMDAS software can be downloaded from the ROMDAS website. Customers can log into the
website using their unique customer ID and password. The latest ROMDAS software can be found on
the software downloads page. If you cannot find this please contact [email protected]

Once downloaded following the set by step install wizard to install the ROMDAS software.

• Installing software
• LRPs
• Keycodes
• Pre-defineds surveys
• Travel Time surveys
• Conducting a new survey
• Processing data

FILE LOCATIONS
OVERVIEW
As shown the right, the ROMDAS files are stored in the following folders:

 Calibration: Files associated with instrument calibration.

 Setup: Files associated with setting up the software.
 Survey Data: Files from actual surveys. The survey data are stored in
different folders depending upon the type of data: Audio, Data, Photo
or Videos.

The below files are also useful and store key setup and configuration data.

KEYCODE SETUP FILE

Function: Keyboard rating events
Location: Setup folder
File Name: Keycode.mdb
Table Name: Keycode

ODOMETER CALIBRATION FACTORS

Function: Stores the odometer calibration factor for each vehicle
Location: Calibration folder

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File Name: Vehicles.mdb

Table Name: Odo_Calibration

VEHICLE CALIBRATION LOG

Function: Records when each vehicle was calibrated
Location: Calibration folder
File Name: Vehicles.mdb
Table Name: Vehicle

LRP SETUP FILE

Function: Provides shortcut key for entering LRPs during survey
Location: Setup folder
File Name: LRP.mdb
Table Name: LRP_Def

SURVEY LOG
Function: To provide a permanent record of the options and surveys done each day
Location: Survey Data folder
File Name: Survey Definition.mdb
Table Names: Survey

UPDATING ROMDAS SOFTWARE

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To update the ROMDAS software with a new version you should uninstall the old software before
doing a full reinstall. This is done by locating the Remove Programs icon and then highlighting the
ROMDAS program to remove

REGISTERING ROMDAS
The full ROMDAS software is protected with a registration key system so that only the purchased
subsystems will work in surveys. However ROMDAS can also be operated in other modes that don’t
require registration. The three modes of operation are:
 Evaluation Version - all features and subsystems work, expires after 30 days if full
registration key is not entered. On expiry ROMDAS will automatically revert to become
ROMDAS Office. The 30 day extension will reset if a newer version is installed. The 30 day
evaluation period can be extended at DCL’s discretion. Contact DCL to apply for an extension
key.
 ROMDAS Office Version - no restrictions on use. Everything works except surveys. Can be
used for Data processing, survey file setup etc.
 ROMDAS Registered Version - restricted to one copy per system and enabled for survey
subsystems purchased.

Evaluation Version
ROMDAS can be evaluated for a period of 30 days before registration is required. During the
evaluation period the software is fully functional. However, after this period the software will no
longer operate in evaluation mode on the same computer except if you install a later version of
ROMDAS in which case another 30 days trial is available.

When the software is started in evaluation mode the screen above is shown. After a period of 5
seconds select Start and ROMDAS will continue to load.

ROMDAS can be changed to operate in either ROMDAS Office or Registered versions at any time.
ROMDAS Office Version

The ROMDAS Office version requires no registration key to operate. You are therefore able to install
on as many computers as required for data processing, survey file setup etc.

After installation the ROMDAS software will operate in Evaluation mode by default. When starting
up the software will display the following Registration screen.

To change to ROMDAS Office select he Office Mode button. The following message will appear
informing you that all surveying options will be disabled in the Office version.

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Select OK. ROMDAS will now always start in Office mode. The version that ROMDAS is operating in
will be shown on the status line (or the About ROMDAS dialog).

ROMDAS Registered Version

Once the software has been purchased a registration key will be issued. Enter the name the software
is to be registered to in the ROMDAS Registration window shown above (which can also be accessed
from About ROMDAS|Registration Status) and select Email Finger Print or Print Finger Print. Both
the user name and the fingerprint need to be supplied for the software to be registered. In the
example above the fingerprint is EA6D-964E. Send the fingerprint to [email protected] or fax to
number in the Information|About ROMDAS menu. E-mail will give the most prompt response.

The Hardware Finger Print is the unique hardware code for the computer that ROMDAS is to be
installed to. Each fingerprint is unique to a single computer.

The user name and fingerprint is used to generate a unique registration key. This will be provided
and should be entered as shown to the right. Once done the Register button is used to complete the
process. If successful, the window below right will be shown. If not, please contact
[email protected].

NOTE: If you change the hardware on your computer the registration key may no longer work. It
will be necessary to first obtain an uninstall key as described next for moving the software to a new
computer, and then obtain a new key once the new hardware is installed.

Changing the Registration Key

The key is only valid for the specific machine hardware configuration so if ROMDAS is to be used on
another computer or the hardware is changed, it will be necessary to uninstall the software and
obtain a new key. The process is as follows.

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 Start ROMDAS
 Select Information|About ROMDAS|Registration Status
 Select the Unregister ROMDAS button

ROMDAS will shut down and the following dialog will be shown. Select OK.

To unregister it is necessary to provide a code which verifies that ROMDAS has been removed. An
example of this code is shown on the following screen. WRITE THIS CODE DOWN. It is necessary to
press all three buttons and then OK to complete the unregistering.

Send this code along with the new hardware fingerprint to DCL at the contacts above and a
replacement key will be provided.

NOTE: If you need to install ROMDAS on to another computer because of hardware failure during a
survey and have no way of easily contacting DCL to obtain a new registration key, the software can
be installed and run for 30 days on a new/uninstalled computer. This 30 days period should allow
you to complete your work in progress.

OPENING & NAVIGATING ROMDAS

BASIC MENUS
The ROMDAS menu system has the following options:

 File. Surveys, Odometer Surveys and Data Processing options;

 View. View processed data;
 Calibrate. Calibration options;
 Test. Test menus for the various ROMDAS instruments
 Tools. Define setup options;
 Help. Information about the software.

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NAVIGATION
Since ROMDAS is used in a moving vehicle, the system has been designed as much as possible to be
operated without needing a mouse. Navigation can be done with standard Windows navigation
keys:

 Accelerator Key (Ctrl Key) combination: Ctrl key + letter as shown in menu. E.g. Ctrl-S brings up
New Survey dialog.
 Alt Key combination: Alt key + first letter of menu item. E.g. Alt-F brings up File menu.
 Up/Down/Left/Right Arrow Keys. Move between menu and submenu items
 Tab. Move between fields
 Enter. Select a menu item
 ESC. Close the menu
 Function Keys. Assigned to specific tasks

PASSWORDS
The Tools|Options menu can be password protected to stop unauthorised access to critical settings.
If enabled selecting Tools|Options from the main menu gives the password entry box shown:

The first time ROMDAS is used, the user has direct access to the Tools|Options menus.

Calibrate Menu
Selecting Calibrate gives the menu below. The options are:
1. Odometer. This is used to calibrate the vehicle odometer.
2. Roughness Bump Integrator. This is used to calibrate the roughness meter.
3. TPL. This is used to calibrate the transverse profile logger.

TEST MENU
Selecting Test menu gives the drop menu below. The testing of specific modules is covered in their
dedicated module section

SETUP OPTIONS
Setup Options is the main menu for configuring ROMDAS device and survey settings. To access this
menu to go Tool | Options

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General Program Settings

The General Program Settings is where users can set several key survey and configuration options.

 Hardware Interface / Laser DMI Com Port: The serial port that is connected to the ROMDAS
Hardware Interface or Laser DMI.
 Use Start Trigger Sensor During Calibration. For use with the ROMDAS Automatic Start Trigger
to ensure more accurate start of calibration runs.
 Survey to End When Survey Length Reached. If the Survey Setup Length field is entered the
survey will automatically stop at that length.
 Activate Warning Beep. A beep will sound at the end of the interval defined here.
 Rest Warning Beep with LRP’s. The warning beep distance will set back to zero at LRP.
 Protect Setup Options with Password. This option enables or resets the password which allows
access to the Tools|Options. When ROMDAS is installed the password is blank and the
Tools|Options is not password protected.
 Default Vehicle. The default vehicle to use in surveys if there is more than one vehicle defined.

SURVEY TEST MODE

The ROMDAS software can be run without being connected to the Interface or being in the vehicle
by using the ‘Survey Test Mode’ option. This simulates being connected to Hardware and driving
along the road. It is activated by the menu Survey Test Mode under the Test menu as follows and is
help when performing training of new operators.

USER DEFINED SURVEY FIELDS

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ROMDAS has a number of customer fields that can be filled in when preparing a new survey. These
are useful as users often need to record additional information about the survey that is not included
in the default survey fields (e.g. the District that a survey is being conducted in, the weather
conditions at time of survey etc.) To create the customer user defined fields go to Tools | Customise
| User Defined Header Fields. The data that can be entered are:

 Field Name: The name of the field to be displayed

 Field Type: The type of data stored (see below)

• Alphanumeric
• Any Character
• Letters
• Numbers

 Length: The size of the field

The User Defined Field names and entered data are recorded in the Survey_Header table in the
output files.

The two sets of screens below show the survey input form without and with user defined fields.

Without User Defined Fields With User Defined Fields

LOCATION REFERENCE POINT (LRP) FEATURE

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As described in the Useful Principles Of Road Surveying section of this manual, Location Reference
Points (LRPs) are an integral component of ensuring survey data quality. There is a flexible LRP
feature in ROMDAS that allows operators to record LRPs at the touch of a button. The end result is
an LRP table in the processed data which includes the chainage and GPS location of the LRP (if GPS is
used during surveys). Most other data tables will also be references the LRP Chainages which consist
of the ID and distance from the last LRP.

The Location Reference Point (LRP) Survey is used to establish the chainage of the various LRPs. As
discussed in Section Error! Reference source not found., these LRPs are any permanent fixture a
djacent to the road, for example km posts. By having regular LRPs the data collected in the
roughness survey can be accurately related to the same sections of road, even when the survey is
conducted in different years.

LRPs can be surveyed using either a dedicated LRP survey or during another survey, such as a
roughness survey.

It is strongly recommended that LRPs be defined in a separate survey to the roughness survey.
There are two principal reasons for this:

 The LRPs are the basic description of your network and they should be located as accurately as
possible. Since the roughness vehicle will generally be travelling at a speed above 30 km/h such
accuracy is difficult to achieve;
 If you have existing markers, such as kilometre stones, it is often necessary to stop the vehicle to
read the marker, to remove grass or debris which may be obscuring it, or even to find the
marker. This is impossible during a roughness survey.

LRP SETUP OPTIONS

To go Tools | Options | Location Reference Points

 LRP Reset Method: This option determines how LRP current chainage are to be recorded.
Manual resets mean that the operator must press the ESC key to physically record the current
chainage of the LRP; Automatic resets automatically reset the readings when the vehicle
chainage corresponds to that of the LRP chainage in the LRP file (i.e. it is assumed that the
vehicle will record the same chainage at the LRP as that recorded in the LRP file). It is highly
recommended that this parameter be set to MANUAL since there will always be slight
differences in the LRP chainage between surveys.
 Chainage Reset on LRP Reset: If set to Yes (the default) the survey chainage is reset to zero as a
LRP location is marked all subsequent chainages are then relevant to the Last LRP.

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 Sampling Intervals reset on LRP Reset: If set to Yes (the default) is yes as normally the sampling
intervals should be reset at LRP’s
 Warning Beep in Advance of LRP’s: Setting this to “Y” warns the operator through audible beeps
that an LRP is approaching. Beeps are given every 25 m before an LRP, starting at 100 m. It is
recommended that this be enabled.
 Default LRP Settings in Survey. This option defines whether or not to default to using LRPs. The
options available are:
Yes: Use an existing LRP file
No: Don’t use LRP’s
Define: Add or define new LRPs
If you are defining LRPs (D), consider using the Predefined LRP option (see Section Error! R
eference source not found.). This allows you to define a short keycode associated with a longer
description, making it easier to ensure consistency during the survey.
 Take Digital Photos when defining LRP’s: This option is used to assign digital photo numbers
when defining specific LRPs. In the survey the vehicle will stop adjacent to the LRP and take a
photo with a digital camera. Upon noting an LRP the operator will record the LRP data as in the
standard survey. If this option is selected they will be asked to enter the digital photo number.
 Name of LRP Definition Table: The default table name in the …/ROMDAS/Setup/LRP.MDB file is
LRP_DEF. This can be changed by entering another table name here.
 Use Predefined LRP entries: As described in Section Error! Reference source not found., it is p
ossible to predefine the LRP descriptions. This means that during the survey the operators only
need to enter a short code to insert the full LRP description entry. Setting this option to Y means
that these definitions can be accessed when the ALT key is pressed during the survey.

PRE-DEFINING LRP ENTRIES

When defining LRP’s in surveys the operators must type in a description of the LRP. To simplify the
process and ensure consistency of the LRP descriptions it is recommended to use the Predefined
LRP’s. A list of LRP descriptions are each associated with a short-cut key. When the operator defines
a LRP during the survey the complete LRP description is selected with the short-cut key. This feature
is enabled under Tools | Options | Location Reference Points.

To create pre-define LRPs follow the below process:

1. Select Tools | LRP Utilities | Pre-Define LRPs

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2. Enter the key for the short cut

3. Enter the full LRP description. The screen to the right shows how entering ‘4’ would have the
LRP description stored as ‘Intersection Riversdale Road’.

4. To use the Predefined LRP’s during a survey the feature needs to be turned on under Tools|
Options | Location Reference Points.

The Name of LRP Definition table can also be set here. The LRP definition tables are located
in ‘...\ROMDAS\Setup\LRP.mdb’.

USING LRPS DURING SURVEYS

During a survey the screen below will be shown. Since LRP surveys must always start at an LRP, the
start name must be entered to continue.

During the survey, when an LRP is reached press the INS key to enter the new LRP. The window
below will open and the LRP description is entered.

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The display will list the distance from the last LRP as well as the total distance travelled (see below).

Instead of using the INS key to record an LRP and type the LRP description, you can use Predefined
LRPs automatically define the LRP. Pushing the ALT key (instead of the INS key) will bring up the Pick
Predefined LRP list. Select the predefined LRP key or you can return to the Define LRP dialog to
enter your own description if required. In fact you can change back and forth between the Pick
Predefined LRP and Define LRP dialogs by using the ALT and ESC keys.

At the completion of the survey press the F10 key and enter the description of the final LRP.

IMPORTING LRP FILES

Importing LRP Files LRP files are generally created through an LRP survey (see Chapter Error! R
eference source not found.), but sometimes the data may be available in existing files, such as from
a pavement management system. ROMDAS LRP files are in a Microsoft Access table in the LRP.MDB
file in the Setup folder.

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This data from other sources can be put into the required format for use in surveys.

REVERSING LRP FILES

LRP files are created with the LRPs in the order that they were surveyed in the original LRP survey. It
is necessary to reverse the LRP files when the surveys are done in the opposite direction to the
original LRP survey.

The table below shows the differences between original and reversed LRP files.

Original Direction Reversed

LRP Distance Name LRP Distance Name

1 0 Km 0 4 0 Km 4

2 985 Km 1 3 992 Km 3

3 2005 Km 2 2 2012 Km 2

4 2997 Km 3 1 2997 Km 1

Currently this will have to be done manually in Microsoft Access or by exporting the data to Excel for
data sorting.

KEYCODE EVENT RATING FEATURE

Visual keyboard rating surveys are done to record the locations of various features or ‘events’ along
the road. This is done by assigning different events, such as pavement condition, roadside inventory,
etc. events to keys on the computer and having an observer press the key when the event is
observed. The position of the event, in terms of distance along the road and GPS co-ordinates (if GPS
is in use) is recorded along with the description of the event.

OPERATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS
The task of keyboard rating can be demanding so it is recommended that a separate operator be
assigned this task. There are special 20 or 58 ROMDAS rating keyboards available which are designed
to facilitate condition rating surveys (see below). Each key can be individually programmed to any
key on the computer keyboard. These greatly simplify the visual rating process. Two or more Rating
keyboards can also be simultaneously connected by USB to the same computer.

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20 Key Keyboard 58 Key Keyboard

See Rating Keyboards section for more details on programming keyboards

The rating keyboards are connected to the USB port on the data collection computer and the data is
logged when the keys are pressed.

TYPES OF EVENTS
Before the survey starts the events must be defined as point or continuous or switch events:

 A point event is something which exists at a single point in space, such as traffic signs or LRPs;
or,
 A continuous event is something which exists over a section, such as pavement condition.
Continuous events have two chainages: a beginning and end chainage.

There is a special type of continuous event called a switch event. This can be understood as a series
of continuous events. For example, you may define a ranking for pavement condition from 0 to 5.
These are continuous events so one would normally have to press two keys when changing; one to
end the previous condition and one to apply to the new condition. Switch events remove the need
to press two keys. When the second key is pressed the first event is automatically ended and the
next event starts. ROMDAS defaults to having the user switch only between switch events; you
cannot have ‘no’ event. However, this can be overruled in the keycode event setup options using the
Turn off switch Event Group with Second Key Push parameter in the ROMDAS Settings.

Switch events are allocated into Switch Groups. Each Switch Group contains a set of related mutually
exclusive continuous events.

You can only have one event activated in each group at any one time and another key press of any
event in that switch group will turn off the currently activated key and activate the new key in that
group.

In the example on the right the Switch Groups are

• Defects
• Drainage Condition
• Pavement Type
• Pavement Width
• Rut Depth

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Most Switch Groups will need to be recorded for the whole road section being surveyed and will
need to be activated before the survey starts.

Continuous events and switch events are recorded the same way in the keycode table with both a
start and end chainage.

DEFINING KEYCODES
The principles behind keyboard rating were given in Section Error! Reference source not found.. The e
vents are defined under the setting:
Setup|Survey Setup Files|Define Keycode Events

Selecting this entry gives the form displayed below.

The keycode system can work with the keyboard set to be either having case sensitivity set to Yes or
case sensitivity set to No. The default is Case Sensitivity set to No. With Case sensitive set to No the
case of the letters are ignored, i.e. A = a; B = b; etc. if case sensitivity is Yes the A is different to a; B

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to b; etc. Using case sensitivity enables up to 160 keycodes to be defined compared to the 134 keys
available with no case sensitivity. This setting is done under the Tools|Options|Keycode Settings
menu. If using the computer keyboard for keycodes then generally the setting should be left at the
default as it becomes very difficult for the operator to operate too many keys. If however more
keycodes are needed and the ROMDAS rating keyboards are used (allowing different keys assigned
to each case of the one letter) then the case sensitivity should be turned on. The screens (below)
show the different options depending on the setting.
In addition to letters there are many special keys, function keys and key combinations that can be
used for keycodes.

Keys Number Comment

A-Z 26
a-z 26 Need to set ROMDAS Case Sensitivity option
to activate
0-9 10
`-=\[];’,./ 11
(Shift_0-9) !@#$%^&*() 10 Numbers with Shift key combination
(Shift)~_+|{}:”<>? 11
F2, F3, F4, F6, F7, F8, F9 7 F1, F5 and F10 are ROMDAS special keys
HOME, END, PGUP, PGDN 4 May need key combination on some laptops

Ctrl key combinations Ctrl key must be held down while key is
pushed
CTRL_a – CTRL-z 26 Lower case only – case sensitivity has no
effect
CTRL-0 - CTRL-9 10
CTRL_HOME, CTRL_END, 4
CTRL_PGUP, CTRL_PGDN

NUMBERPAD Keys
NUM_0 – NUM_9 10 Only available on the keypad (may need key
combination on some laptops)
NUM_/,NUM_*, NUM_-, 5 Only available on the keypad (may need key
NUM_+, NUM_. combination on some laptops)

Defining Point and Continuous Keycodes

The same procedure is used to define a point or continuous event:

 Select Point event from the menu

 Select the key to activate the event
 Enter the event description

The screen below shows how the letter E would be assigned to a Point Event - Intersection.

Defining Switch Keycodes

Switch events are special types of continuous events. When one of the keys is pressed it cancels the
previous key.

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 Select Switch event from the menu

 Define a new Switch Group Name or select an existing group

 Optionally enable a particular Switch Group Name or select an existing group

Keycode Actions
The Actions group defines various setting options to be associated with individual keyboard events.

 Roughness Exclusion during Event. The option is only available with Continuous or Switch
events. This option halts the roughness meter from recording while the event is selected. It is
used, for example, to exclude recordings on bridges, during road works, etc. The advantage of
using this method for Roughness Exclusion rather than the F5 manual Exclusion key is the that
the reason for the Roughness exclusion can be documented in the Keycode description or
Keycode comments. When activated, the Equivalent Roughness during Exclusion option is
available. This is described in Chapter 0.
 Take Digital Photo. Indicates whether a digital photo is associated with the event. The type of
digital camera can be defined for the event.
 Add Text Comment. If selected, Text Comment box will appear for either a comment to be typed
or selected from the Predefined Comment list.
 Voice Recording. If selected, a voice recording is associated with the event. The user can define
how the recording will be made.
 Laser Distance Measurement. If selected, a Laser Surveyor Measurement is associated with the
event to give GPS co-ordinates of the object. The user can define how the recording will be
made (see Section Error! Reference source not found.).
 Moving Traffic Count Survey Event. This defines the event as a moving traffic count survey
event. When this is selected, the moving traffic count survey group box at the bottom right is
activated. This is described below.

KEYCODE SETUP OPTIONS

The menu at Setup Options|Keycode Settings is used to define the following global keycode
settings.

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 Keycode Key Button Push Delay. This is the time delay (in seconds) for pressing a keycode event
key twice. It is used to prevent incorrect readings due to the same key being pressed twice by
mistake in rough conditions.
 Turn off Switch Event Group with Second Key Push. Switch events are usually used to apply a
condition rating which applies to all sections of road. Thus, if the condition is being rated from 0
to 5 it must always have a value, even if it is 0. Under certain situations users may wish to have
sections of road not assigned any value. In this instance this option should be set to Y and the
switch group will be turned off with the second key push of any member of that switch group.
 Keycodes are Case Sensitive. It is possible to have 61 or 119 keycode events defined. For most
applications 61 is more than sufficient so this is the system’s default. If additional keycode
events are required this option should be set to Y and upper and lower case keys will be treated
as different keycodes.

USING KEYCODES DURING A SURVEY

Open a new survey (see Conducting a Survey later in this section). Before pressing the Space Bar and
starting the survey you will see the Active Key Codes window. This is used as a reference of the
active continuous or switch keycodes. Keycodes which have been entered are logged in the Survey
window.

Pre-survey Keycodes
Some events (usually switch events) can be activated from the start of the survey. Any Keycode can
be pushed before the Space Bar is used to start the survey. These preliminary keycodes will all be
recorded at the survey start distance in the Keycode table.

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During the Survey

As events are observed the keys are pressed. The location (in terms of the chainage) is displayed for
the event.

All events types are recorded in the Survey Dialog List.

The currently activated Continuous and Switch events are also displayed in the Active Keycodes
Dialog. A Continuous event will stay on until the key is pressed for the second time, indicating the
end of the event.

A Switch Event will stay on until another Switch event in that Switch Group is pressed (or if the
current key is pressed for a second time and the option Turn off Switch Event Group with Second
Key Push is turned ON)

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In the above Active Keycode dialog the first two events are Switch keys (as they are part of the
Pavement Type and Pavement Width switch groups). The Construction Works event is continuous as
it has no entry in the Group field.

EXAMPLE OF DATA
An example of the key data from the survey is shown below.

KEYCODE TEXT COMMENTS

Text comments are used during surveys to record any pertinent information about the keycode. It is
typically used for storing details on roadside features such as bridges, environmental or social
features. The information may either be typed in at time of recording the keycode or selected from a
list of Pre-Defined Keycodes.

A Keycode can be enabled to automatically require entry of a text Comment or text Comment can be
added to any keycode on an ad hoc basis.

The setting up of a keycode to be enabled automatically for Text Comments is done in the Define
Keycodes Events by checking the Add Text Comment checkbox in the Actions Section.

Setting Up Pre-Defined Comments

Currently there is no form provided in ROMDAS for directly editing the Pre-defined Keycodes. These
need to be entered by directly entering and editing the COMMENT field in the COMMENT_DEF table
in the …\ROMDAS\Setup\Keycode.mdb file. The mdb file will need to be opened and edited using
Microsoft Access.

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Ad Hoc Text Comment During the Survey

There are two ways to entering comments during the survey

The comment can either be typed in directly Key Code Comment field or by pushing the ALT key the
Pre-defined key codes will be displayed as below.

Use arrow keys and Enter key to select the Predefined Comment.

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To enter a Text Comment to a Keycode on an ad-hoc basis where the Keycode has not been
automatically enabled to add a text Comment the following can be done.

To enter a Comment any Keycode the following needs to be done before the Keycode key is pushed.
Either
• Push the F6 key before the event key
• Push the Comment/F6 button in the Active Keycodes dialog before the Event key

This can be very useful if the operator needs to enter a comment about a particular Keycode but not
all of that particular keycode.

PREDEFINE SURVEY IDS

The Survey ID file is used to control the survey options. The data are typically generated from a
standard database to ensure that the correct data are used during the survey. The operator enters
the Survey ID and then the other data are automatically inserted into the appropriate field.

Under Tools | Define Survey Ids. The screen to the right shows the data associated with each Survey
ID:

 Survey description
 File name
 LRPs (Yes/No/Define)
 Existing or new LRP file name
 User defined fields

As an example, the screen to the right shows the data that would have been entered to the survey
definition screen after the user entered ‘SH16’. The description and file name were defined based on
the entry in the screen given above.

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TRAVEL TIME SURVEY FEATURE

The speed survey option is designed to collect data on travel times and accelerations. It is used for
floating car surveys as well as congestion evaluation through the acceleration noise. The system is
designed to calibrate the HDM-4 Congestion Model.

The data are collected at user defined sampling intervals (default = 1 s) and consist of the cumulative
distance travelled and the cumulative time when the observation was made. The interval can be
changed as described in this Section.

In common with roughness surveys, it is recommended that LRPs be used in all speed surveys. This
will ensure that data from successive surveys can be correlated with each other. This is particularly
important for travel time surveys which are used to evaluate level of service on road networks.

The Travel time survey can be used simultaneously with any other ROMDAS survey option.

The Travel Time survey requires no operator input during the survey.

Setup Options

 Use in Surveys: This defines the setting on the survey opening screen. If you are always using the
Travel Time survey set this value to Y.
 Sampling Interval: The data is recorded at this frequency.

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Data Processing
The time, speed and acceleration profile calculation uses the raw travel time data to calculate the
average speed as well as the instantaneous speeds and accelerations:

 average speed: this is defined as the cumulative distance travelled divided by the cumulative
time. When LRP’s are used the value represents the average speed between LRP’s. It is reported
in km/h.
 instantaneous speed: the instantaneous speed is the speed over the last observation interval. It
is the change in distance divided by the change in time. It is reported in km/h.
 instantaneous acceleration: this is calculated as the change in instantaneous speed divided by
the change in time. It is reported in m/s2.

DIGITAL ODOMETER SURVEY FEATURE

The ROMDAS Odometer System option allows the PC to be used as a digital odometer. It is designed
to replicate a dual display trip meter with both continuous and elapsed distance counters. This is also a
useful option for checking the odometer calibration.

Setup
For the top and bottom counters the user can enter two items of data:

 Initial Chainages: This is the chainage to start the display at. The values can be entered for the
Continuous Distance Counter or the Elapsed Distance Counter.

For example, one may be 1000 m from the beginning of the road and wish to use this as the initial
chainage. By setting this value as the initial chainage the Odometer display would start at 1000 m and
increment upwards.

 Display Distance Decimal Data: The Odometer display by default only displays whole metres. If
you have a DMI with Odo Calibration factor greater than 10,000 you will have better than 0.1 m
resolution and you can select this option to display to 0.1 m.

When these data have been entered, the F10 key should be pressed.

Using the Odometer

The vehicle should be positioned at the start of the section. The user then has the option of pressing
the F2 key to start both distance counters, or the F3 key to start the Continuous counter only. The
screen shot below is an example of the display with both distance counters operating.

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The Continuous and Elapsed Distance counters are controlled independently. Pressing the Hold (F10)
key will pause the display of the top Continuous distance counter. However, even though the display is
paused the cumulative distance is still being recorded. Thus, pressing the Hold (F10) key again will
return the display to the current cumulative distance. This is useful for noting the distance of events
during a survey.

The bottom counter is used to measure the elapsed distance between two points. Pressing the SPACE
bar toggles and resets this counter.

CONDUCTING A SURVEY
Once the equipment and software is setup and you are ready to perform a survey to do File | New
Survey

SETUP A SURING
When the New Survey menu option is selected, the Survey Setup screen is displayed. The data
entered are as follows:

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 Survey ID: A unique code identifying the survey. The F5 or Alt-F5 Key will bring up the list of
predefined or existing Survey ID’s in the Survey Definitions.mdb file.
 Survey File: The name of the file where the data are stored. This defaults to the Survey ID.
 Description: A description of the survey.
 LRP Reset: How LRPs are used in the survey (No/Yes/Define). This setting can be set to default to
any of these options under LRP Setup.
 LRP Data Files: The name of the data file with the LRPs (if ‘Yes’ selected for LRP reset).
 Start LRP:
 User Defined Fields: There are up to three User defined fields available. Any user defined fields
need to have the appropriate data entered.
 Start Chainage: Refers to the distance along the road being surveyed. This will usually begin at 0.
However, some surveys may only begin part way down the road, for example, on a 100km long
road, the road may be surveyed in 10km sections, starting the first survey at 0 (chainage) and
the second survey at 10000 (chainage) (10km).
 Length: You can optionally enter the Road length if known and have the ROMDAS software
automatically stop the survey when this length is reached (if the Survey to End When Survey
Length Reached field is set)
 Direction: This indicates if the measurements are increasing (Increment) or decreasing
(Decrement). For example, a road section starting at 0 and going to 1000 m is increasing, with
the other direction being classified as decreasing.
 Lane: If surveying multiple lanes, the lane number can be identified here.
 Operator: The name of the operator for the survey. Defaults to last used.
 Vehicle: The vehicle used in the survey. The data are selected for a list based on the vehicle
calibrations.

This data is all recorded in the Survey_Header output table.

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Select devices for survey: Make sure the survey devices are selected as appropriate. These would
normally be enabled automatically from the settings in Default to Use in Survey fields for each
instrument.

Once all the survey setup data is entered select F10 to get to the Survey screen.

DURING A SURVEY
During a survey the operator will be able to see the status windows of all devices connected to the
system. These windows will allow the operator to confirm the system is functioning correctly and
enter in information such as event keycodes (see Keycode Feature for details) and LRPs.

Once the survey windows open press Space Bar to begin the survey.

See each module section for information of their survey status window.

ENDING A SURVEY
At the completion of the survey press the F10 key. The screen below will be shown.

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Sometimes the operator has something to note about the survey. The Make Survey Notes button
allows user to enter comments on the survey when the survey ends. This data is stored in the Memo
field of the Survey_Header table in the output file.

PROCESSING ROMDAS SURVEY DATA

Upon completion of a survey all ROMDAS data (except for survey imagery) is saved in a secure .RBF
file. These files can be found in the default Data folder location (usually C:\ROMDAS\Survey
Data\Data). These .RBF files cannot be opened or edited to preserve the integrity of the data. The
ROMDAS software is then used to process the .RBF into usable Microsoft Access Databases (.MDB)
files. These .MDB files can then be opened, viewed, formatted exported or integrated into and used
DataView software (ROMDAS’ specialized post-processing software).

To process an .RBF into an .MDB database follow the below steps;

1. Go to File | Data Processing and then;

2. Then select the .RBF file or multiple files to process and Select Open

3. Click Next

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4. From the list of available datasets select the types of data you want to process. Note: the
available datasets will depend on the type of modules used during surveys. Then Click Process

5. In some cases you will need to choose if you want to select from specific calibration settings to
apply (e.g. Bump Integrator calibration coefficients or TPL datum). You may also be asked to
apply the processing options used when surveying or the current processing options for certain
data sets.

6. Once the data is processed it will pop up with the following error log screen. Note if any errors
occurred during processing they will be listed in here. Click OK to go back to main ROMDAS
menu

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7. To view survey data files and processed data files these are stored in ROMDAS folder
C:\ROMDAS\Survey Data\Data and can be also accessed from ROMDAS menu under View |
View Survey Data

ROMDAS DATA FORMATS

All survey data is recorded in a binary format file (rbf). The rbf files can be processed to produce
Access .mdb files. The file names are taken from the Survey File field in the Survey Setup dialog. For
example, a Survey File of SH16 would result in the file SH16.mdb. The various survey exported raw,
header and processed information is stored in Access tables within the Access mdb database file.

PROCESSED DATA: TABLE STRUCTURES

Once your survey data has been processed from raw .RBF files into Microsoft Access databases, each
database will include tables containing different types of data.

Below is a list of data table structures. The data tables present in your databases will depend on the
type of data collecting when survey as well as which datasets were selected when performing data
processing.

Note: Data tables relating to specific ROMDAS modules (e.g. TPL, Laser Profilers, Bump Integrator
etc…) can be found in the specific module section (e.g. see Geometry section for Geometry related
data tables.

SURVEY HEADER TABLE

Function: Records key data for the survey
Location: Survey Data/Data folder
File Name: Survey File.mdb (e.g. SH16.mdb)
Table Names: Survey_Header (e.g. Survey_Header)

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TRAVEL TIME HEADER TABLE

Function: Contains Travel Time header data
Location: Survey Data/Data folder
File Name: Survey ID.mdb (e.g. SH16.mdb)
Table Names: TravelTime_Header_Survey ID (e.g. TravelTime_Header_SH16)

TRAVEL TIME DATA TABLE

Function: Contains Travel Time raw data
Location: Survey Data/Data folder
File Name: Survey File.mdb (e.g. SH16.mdb)
Table Names: TravelTime_Raw_Survey ID (e.g. TPL_Raw_SH16)

TRAVEL TIME PROCESSED DATA

Function: Contains processed Travel Time data
Location: Survey Data/Data folder
File Name: Survey File.mdb (e.g. SH16.mdb)
Table Names: TravelTime_ Processed_Survey ID (e.g. Traveltime_processed_SH16)

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KEYBOARD RATING TABLE

Function: Contains keyboard rating data
Location: Survey Data/Data folder
File Name: Survey File.mdb (e.g. SH16.mdb)
Table Names: Keycode_Raw_Survey ID (e.g. Keycode_Raw_SH16)

LRP TABLE
Function: Contains LRP data
Location: Survey Data/Data folder
File Name: Survey File.mdb (e.g. SH16.mdb)
Table Names: LRP_Survey ID (e.g. LRP_SH16)

ROMDAS REMOTE SUPPORT (RRS)

Under the Help menu there is Remote Support sessions are conducted from New Zealand where the
time zone is GMT+12. The appointment time to conduct a Remote Support session will be made
between Monday and Friday during New Zealand work hours.

Appointments on days or times outside New Zealand work hours are not covered by an Annual
Maintenance Subscription and may be charged for.

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https://romdas.com/technical-support

HARDWARE INTERFACE
The ROMDAS hardware interface is a core component of any ROMDAS system. It is responsible for
interacting between the ROMDAS software and controls several key devices, including the DMI and
power/triggering of the Lasers Profilometers.

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Hardware Interface (Top)

Power Distribution Box (Bottom)
INSTALLING THE ROMDAS INTERFACE
When installing, ensure the device is secured inside the vehicle in a location where the operator can
easily see it. It should also be positioned in a location where all cabling from the external sensors can
reach it (for example: Installing the interface in the rear of the vehicle may mean the cables from the
Laser Profilers mounted on the front of the vehicle may not reach).

The front panel includes status LEDs when data is being received by specific devices (e.g. Odometer,
odometer reverse signal, minimum speed, Bump Integrators etc…). It also includes the laser safety
key switch. When activated this key switch supplies power to the Laser Profilometers.

UPDATING THE INTERFACE

The microcontroller board inside the interface may require periodically require firmware upgrades.
This is done using the factory Microbootloader software. Note: new interfaces are always supplied
with the latest firmware and you should only upgrade the interface firmware if instructed to do so
by a ROMDAS technical during technical support.

POWER SUPPLIES
ROMDAS features several different versions of Power Supplies. Each system is supplied with a power
box according to the equipment that is to be installed. ROMDAS uses 12VDC as a standard supply of
power, however, some exceptions are made for specific equipment (eg. USB – 5VDC, Rack computer
– 240VDC). There are 3 main types of power supplies;

1. HW-POWER BOX-BASIC
This is a small power box used with very simply ROMDAS systems (e.g. ROMDAS + Bump
Integrator only systems),

2. HW-POWER BOX-V2 / HW-POWER BOX TPL-V2

This is a mid range power box used with most ROMDAS systems.

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3. HW-RACK INTERFACE
This is an integrated power box and hardware interface unit. It is used exclusively with the
rack mounted computer systems supplied with LCMS or LRMS systems. It is also required to
install a 2nd 12VDC battery, charge controller and UPS as part of this power supply setup.

INSTALLING HW-POWER BOX-BASIC

This power box is normally supplied with a very basic ROMDAS or miniROMDAS system. This unit is
connected directly to the vehicle battery (12VDC) which ensures the system continues to function
even if the vehicle is turned off, or during ignition.

The HW-POWER BOX-BASIC is supplied with the following components:

Description Qty Notes

This power box features a light-weight,
small power box, which uses the following
OUTPUT connections:
 2-Pin Power connection: This power
output is to power the mini ROMDAS
HW-POWER BOX BASIC interface.
 Cigarette Lighter Socket: This is a
1 generic cigarette lighter socket, any
equipment using a 12V cigarette
lighter plug can be powered via this
socket. (12VDC)
 USB Power: The Mini ROMDAS Power
box features 2 x USB power outputs
(5VDC).

This power cable connects from the

vehicle battery to the power box. It
CAB-POWER BOX BASIC:
includes battery lugs to connect to the
vehicle battery, a fuse holder and 10A
1
fuse to protect the circuit, a connector
block to connect the wires after routing
cables and a 3-Pin XLR to connect to the
power box’s hard-wired power cable.
Total of 5 x 10A blade fuses are supplied
10A Blade Fuses 5
with this power box.

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Schematic Layout

Installation Instructions

Identify a route for the power cable from battery to power box. This includes
finding a way into the vehicle from the engine bay. It is recommended to try
and use existing holes or through rubber grommets in vehicle firewall.

1. Planning

Figure 1: example of power cable

run through rubber grommet

Run power cable into the engine bay from inside the vehicle and connect
power cable to battery terminals – Red to positive and black to negative.
2. Routing Power
Cable If required disconnect the connector block from the CAB-POWER BOX BASIC
cable to make threading cable through hole easier.

CAUTION: re-connect cable to connector block BEFORE connecting cable to the

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vehicle battery)

Ensure the cable is secured tightly to the battery terminals and secure the
cable through the engine bay using cable ties to reduce cable movement.
(NOTE: keep cable away from all moving parts and route away from heat)

Figure 2: example of secured Figure 3: example of power cables connected to

cables in engine bay battery

Find a location inside the vehicle for the power box to be mounted

Ensure the power cable can reach the power box and the cable is not too tight
and sufficient slack is provided (there will be minor movement from the
vehicle).

Mount the power box using screws or Velcro strips.

3. Mounting
Power Box

Figure 4: mounting the

power box

4. Connecting the Connect XLR plug from the Power box to the XLR plug on the power cable
Power Box Ensure the power LEDs are ON and unit is receiving power.

INSTALLING HW-POWER BOX-V2 / HW-POWER BOX TPL-V2

Most ROMDAS systems are supplied with this type of power box. If you are using a Transverse
Profiler Logger (TPL) then the unit will include an additional 4 pin XLR output for connecting the TPL.

This unit is connected directly to the vehicle battery (12VDC) which ensures the system continues to
function even if the vehicle is turned off, or during ignition.

The HW-POWER BOX-V2 / HW-POWER BOX TPL-V2 is supplied with the following components:
Description Qty Notes
The Version 2 power box is often customised to
HW-POWER BOX-V2 or HW-POWER BOX fit customer’s requirements, adding or
1
TPL-V2 removing extra power outputs according to the
system requirements. This power box features

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the following OUTPUT connections:

 3-pin mini XLR: There are 4 to 6 mini XLR
power outputs (depending on system).
These are a 12VDC supply and are used to
power equipment such as the ROMDAS
Interface, Ethernet switches, GPS units, USB
hubs (12VDC ONLY), POE injectors for
camera systems and more (12VDC). These
Power box (bottom) and interface (top)
are the primary power outputs used for
equipment supplied by ROMDAS.
 Cigarette Lighter Socket: This is a generic
cigarette lighter socket, any equipment using
a 12V cigarette lighter plug can be powered
via this socket. (12VDC)

This power box is fitted with a IEC Power

Socket; this is the INPUT connection from the
batter to the Power Box
This power cable connects from the vehicle
CAB-POWER BOX BASIC: battery to the power box. It includes battery
lugs to connect to the vehicle battery, a fuse
1 holder and 30A fuse to protect the circuit, a
connector block to connect the wires after
routing cables and an IEC plug to connect to the
power box.
30A Blade Fuses

Total of 5 x 30A blade fuses are supplied with

5
this power box.

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Schematic Layout:

Installation Instructions

1. Planning

Figure 5: example of power cable

run through rubber grommet

Run power cable into the engine bay from inside the vehicle and connect
power cable to battery terminals – Red to positive and black to negative.
If required disconnect the connector block from the CAB-POWER BOX-LARGE
cable to make threading cable through hole easier.
2. Routing Power CAUTION: re-connect cable to connector block BEFORE connecting cable to the
Cable vehicle battery)

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Figure 6: example of secured Figure 7: example of power cables connected to

cables in engine bay battery

Find a location inside the vehicle for the power box to be mounted.

Ensure the power cable can reach the power box and the cable is not too tight
and sufficient slack is provided (there will be minor movement from the
vehicle).

Mount the power box either into rack unit or in another secure location using
screws, or Velcro strips.
3. Mounting
Power Box

Figure 8: location for power box mounting

Connect IEC plug on the power cable to the IEC connector on the power box.

4. Connecting the
power Box
Figure 9: example of connecting power to
power box (IEC)

Turn on power switch on Power Box and ensure power LEDs light up.

INSTALLING THE HW-RACK INTERFACE

The HW-Rack Interface is a combined Hardware Interface and Power unit. This section will focus on
the setup of the power supply to this unit.

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This unit is supplied only with a rack mounted computer system. Because of the 240VAC
requirements, the Rack Mounted Computer system it is also required to install a dedicated 2nd
12VDC battery, UPS and dual battery charge controller.

For setup instructions see SURVEY COMPUTER – INSTALLING RACK MOUNTED COMPUTER SYSTEM
for installation instructions

POWER SUPPLY TROUBLESHOOTING

There are very few possible issues with the power boxes, as they do not feature many electrical
components. Below explains what can result in loss of power, and how it can be remedied:
 Circuit Breakers tripped: If the circuit breakers have been tripped, you will see flashing
lights below the tripped circuit breaker, and the circuit breaker will be extruding from
the power box (if system has a second battery and charge controller, there is also a 150A
Circuit breaker in-line with the cable between the two batteries). This can be a result of
power surge or shorting. To remedy this, push the extruding circuit breaker back in.
NOTE: If there is an electrical short in the system, it must be repaired and cannot be
remedied by pushing the circuit breaker back in.
 Fuses Blown: If the fuse is blown, the wire connecting the two terminals inside the fuse
will be broken. This will require a replacement of fuse. Simple remove the broken fuse
and replace with another fuse of the same amperage (30A). NOTE: The amperage of
fuses is important and must not be replaced with a fuse showing a different amperage
value.
 Broken Cable: Spare cables are available through ROMDAS and can be easily supplied
from New Zealand. If you keep a spare power cable in stock, replacing the power cable is
the remedy to a broken cable.
 Dead Battery: If the vehicle battery is dead, it must be charged, tested and replaced or
replenished. (NOTE: when the vehicle’s alternator is not working, the batteries will not
be charged)
 Dead Second Battery: If the second battery is dead, check all cables and ensure charging
light on the charge controller is on during operation, if not, check wiring and connection
to fuse box or ignition (this fuse can also blow, replace accordingly). If it is the battery
and not the charge controller, the battery must be charged, tested and replaced or
replenished. (NOTE: when the vehicle’s alternator is not working, the batteries will not
be charged)

TIPS & TRICKS

1. When Trouble shooting power loss: follow the cable from the power box all the way to the
battery, checking all connections and components along the way, while checking for cuts in
the cable.
2. Before mounting power box: Always ensure the cables are long enough BEFORE mounting
the power box.

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3. Plugging/Unplugging cables: Connect or disconnect plugs holding the plug, not the cable.
This will reduce strain on the cable connection inside the plug. NOTE: Always check for
buttons or release springs on plug connectors before using force to unplug.

SURVEY COMPUTERS
INSTALLING A LAPTOP

INSTALLING A SEMI-RUGGED PC

Schematic

Installing Semi-Rugged PC

INSTALLING A RACK MOUNTED COMPUTER SYSTEM

Schematic

Install Rack Enclosure

Install Power Supplies

The Rack Mountable Power Box is a combination of the ROMDAS interface and a Power box. This
Power box internally powers the ROMDAS interface which is in-built into the enclosure. This power
box is usually recommended for larger systems (eg. LCMS). This power box features the following
OUTPUT connections:
 3-pin mini XLR: There are 4-6 mini XLR power outputs (depending on system). These are
a 12VDC supply and are used to power equipment such as Ethernet switches, GPS units,
USB hubs (12VDC ONLY), POE injectors for camera systems and more (12VDC). These are
the primary power outputs used for equipment supplied by ROMDAS.
 Cigarette Lighter Socket: This power box features 2 Generic cigarette lighter sockets,
any equipment using a 12V cigarette lighter plug can be powered via these sockets.
(12VDC)

This power box is fitted with a IEC Power Socket; this is the INPUT connection for the Power Box:
 Directly to vehicle battery: The Rack Mountable Power box connects directly to the vehicle
battery terminals.

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SETTING UP A CENTRAL ROMDAS SYSTEM

CAB-POWER BOX-LARGE:

This power cable connects from the vehicle battery to the power box. It includes battery lugs to
connect to the vehicle battery, a fuse holder and 30A fuse to protect the circuit, a connector block to
connect the wires after routing cables and an IEC plug to connect to the power box.

Instructions:

Figure 10: Schematic

1. Planning:
a. Identify a route for the power cable from battery to charge controller. This includes
finding a way into the vehicle from the engine bay.
Recommended to try and use existing holes or through rubber grommets in vehicle
firewall.

Figure 11: example of power cable

run through rubber grommet

2. Routing Power Cable:

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a. Run power cable into the engine bay from inside the vehicle and connect power
cable to battery terminals – Red to positive and black to negative.
If required disconnect the connector block from the CAB-POWER BOX-LARGE cable
to make threading cable through hole easier.
CAUTION: re-connect cable to connector block BEFORE connecting cable to the
vehicle battery)
b. Connect second battery inside HW-CHARGE-CONTROLLER using the lugs provided on
the charge controller and cables from vehicle battery.

Figure 12: Battery inside charge controller

c. Secure an earth connection for HW-CHARGE-CONTROLLER. This earth connection
must connect to bare metal attached to the chassis of the vehicle.

Figure 13: example of earthing charge controller to

metal inside the vehicle
d. Connect sense wire (thin blue wire) from second battery in HW-CHARGE-
CONTROLLER to the specialised fuses provided and connect fuse to an unused
socket or replace a fuse. (NOTE: be sure to check amperage of fuses before replacing
fuses)

Figure 14: Diagram - setting up a charge controller

e. Ensure the cable is secured tightly to the second battery’s terminals and secure the
cable through the vehicle to the rack using cable ties and cable tie mounts to reduce
cable movement and risk of tripping.
(NOTE: keep all cables away from all moving parts and route away from heat)

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Figure 15: example of secured cables in Figure 16: example of power cables
engine bay connected to battery

3. Mounting Power Box:

a. HW-RACK-INTERFACE is to be mounted in a rack unit (19”, 2U mounting).
b. Ensure the power cable can reach the power box in the rack and the cable is not too
tight and sufficient slack is provided (there will be minor movement from the
vehicle).
c. Mount the power box into rack unit using cage nuts and bolts provided.

Figure 17: example of HW-RACK INTERFACE in 19" rack unit

4. Connecting the power Box:

a. Connect IEC plug on the power cable to the IEC connector on the power box.
b. Test power box/Interface.

Figure 18: example of connecting

power to power box (IEC)

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VIDEO LOGGING MODULES

INTRODUCTION
A video camera can be used to record data on the pavement right-of-way or the surface. This is
connected to a GigE Ethernet port, USB3 or Firewire card. Survey chainages and other basic data are
recorded to an overlay on the video image. Multiple cameras can be used during the survey, for
example to record the right-of-way as well as the roadside areas.
In this module we will explain the step by step process of installing cameras onto the vehicle and
setting up ROMDAS software to record video.
ROMDAS Offers 3 main types of video logging modules:
1. Right of Way (ROW),
2. Pavement View,
3. 360 camera,

Figure 19. ROW Video System (3-cameras) mounted on survey vehicle

Figure 20. Pave Camera System and 360-degree Video System mounted on survey vehicle

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Note: The only difference between the ROW and PAVE camera systems is the resolution of the
cameras supplied inside the enclosure. The ROW camera has a recommended resolution of 1600 x
1200 and PAVE camera has a maximum resolution of 2448 x 2048.

RIGHT OF WAY (ROW) CAMERAS: HARDWARE INSTALLATION

COMPONENTS
To record video images data, the following components are supplied:
 ROMDAS Video camera installed inside enclosure
 Ethernet Cable 7m IP67
 POE Injector 2.1mm
 Power DC 2.1 v2 cable
 ROW Magnetic Mount or Pavement Camera Roof Mounting
 Magnetic Cable Clips

Figure 21. ROMDAS Video ROW Camera System

HARDWARE SETUP INSTRUCTIONS

1. Mount camera enclosure onto ROW magnetic mount.
(Note: camera is already installed inside enclosure before shipment)

Figure 22. Camera enclosure mounted onto ROW magnetic mount

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2. Position and place ROW magnetic mount onto vehicle so that it has clear view of the right-
of-way

Figure 23. Example of 3 ROW cameras positioned onto vehicle with 1 PAVE camera facing down on the right side
of the vehicle photo above.

Note: the enclosure should not be left mounted on the vehicle overnight or when the camera
is not in use to stop condensation forming in camera and lens.
3. Plug POE Injector 2.1mm Ethernet connection end cable into GigE Port on PC or laptop and
the power end of Power DC 2.1 v2 cable to Power Distribution Box to supply power to the
camera (Step 5)

Figure 24. Example of 2 x POE Injectors 2.1mm plugged into GigE Port on PC

4. Connect Ethernet Cable 7m IP67 between the POE Injector 2.1mm and Ethernet socket on
the Camera Enclosure. Ensure the Ethernet cable is secured using cable ties or magnet cable
clips.

5. Plug Power DC 2.1 v2 cable into Power Distribution box supplied with ROMDAS

6. Turn on power on distribution box to provide power to the camera.

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PAVEMENT CAMERA: HARDWARE INSTALLATION

COMPONENTS
The following components are supplied with the Pavement Camera module:
 ROMDAS Video PAVE camera installed inside enclosure
- Camera Model: Zebra2 ZBR2-PGEHD-50S5C
 Ethernet Cable 7m IP67
 POE Injector 2.1mm
 Power DC 2.1 v2 cable
 PAVE Rack Mount

HARDWARE SETUP INSTRUCTIONS

1. Install PAVE Rack Mount onto vehicle. (This will usually be done by ROMDAS installation
specialist. If you require more info contact DCL)
2. Mount camera enclosure onto PAVE Rack mount.
(Note: camera is already installed inside enclosure before shipment)

Figure 25. Camera enclosure mounted onto PAVE Rack mount

3. Position Camera onto vehicle so that it has clear view of the PAVEMENT facing downwards

Figure 26. Example of PAVEMENT Camera Mounted on the back of the vehicle facing down towards PAVEMENT

Note: the enclosure should NOT be left mounted on the vehicle overnight or when the
camera is not in use to stop condensation forming in camera and lens.

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4. Plug POE Injector 2.1mm Ethernet connection end cable into GigE Port on PC or laptop.

Figure 27. Example of 2 x POE Injectors 2.1mm plugged into GigE Port on PC

5. Plug the power end of Power DC 2.1 v2 cable into the Power Distribution Box to supply
power to the camera

6. Connect Ethernet Cable 7m IP67 between the POE Injector 2.1mm and Ethernet socket on
the Camera Enclosure.

7. Turn on power on distribution box to provide power to the camera.

ROW & PAVEMENT CAMERAS: PC PREPARATION

Once the hardware installation is completed in the previous section, the following software is
required to be installed on the PC to run a ROMDAS video survey.
- ROMDAS Software
- VLC Media Player (recommended)
- Camera Factory Software (used for testing cameras) below:
o Point Grey FlyCapture software (can also be downloaded from Point Grey website
here)
o GigE Configurator software which is included in the Point Grey FlyCapture software
install package.

Note: These are already pre-installed onto customer PC or laptop IF purchased with your order
before shipment.
The next section will step you through instructions on how to use the third party software to test
your camera connections and setup of camera before using it with ROMDAS software

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SETTING IP ADDRESSES
1. Ensure camera power is turned on.
2. It is important to ensure the IP settings of the camera and the Gig Ethernet port is
compatible. On ROMDAS PC, click on Control Panel | Network Connections & Sharing
|Change Network Adapter Settings and Right Click on the Network Card to be used and
Click “Properties”

3. Under “Networking” tab Select “Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)” and click
“Properties”

4. For Single ROW or PAVE camera set the computer IP Address to:
IP Address: 192.168.1.250
Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0

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The above assumes the IP Address of the camera is

192.168.1.XXX
Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0

If using multiple cameras then each camera will be connected to a separate Gig Ethernet
port. An example of IP Addresses when using Multiple Cameras is;

Camera IP & Subnet PC Gig Ethernet Port IP

Address & Subnet
Camera 1 192.168.1.10 192.168.1.250
255.255.255.0 255.255.255.0

Camera 2 192.168.2.10 192.168.2.250

255.255.255.0 255.255.255.0

Camera 3 192.168.3.10 192.168.3.250

255.255.255.0 255.255.255.0

IMPORTANT Note:
o If multiple cameras are being used with ROMDAS, then it is required to use the
ROMDAS Semi-Rugged PC which has several Gig Ethernet Ports installed. The Semi-
Rugged PC will be fully setup before shipment, so no need to re-configure GigE ports
on the PC. Details of these settings will be in the ROMDAS Customer TEST REPORTS
supplied with the ROMDAS Equipment.

o If using multiple cameras - each camera will require it’s own DEDICATED GigE
Ethernet Port. The IP settings of each camera need to be set accordingly.

SET JUMBO PACKETS

1. On ROMDAS PC, click on Control Panel | Network Connections & Sharing |Change Network
Adapter Settings and Right Click on the Network Card to be used and Click “Properties”

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2. Click on Configure

3. Go to Advanced and under “Jumbo Packet” set it to “9014” or “9K”

TEST CAMERA IN FLYCAPTURE

1. Open FlyCapture software by clicking on Start | Point Grey Flycapture2 SDK | Point Grey
FlyCap2

2. The following window will show the camera is connected successfully. Press F5 to refresh list
of cameras connected. IP Address of the camera will be on the ROMDAS Customer Test

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Reports supplied with your order. If the IP Address are not set correctly they will appear as
RED in the side panel.

Note: If multiple cameras are connected you will see the following window for example with
two cameras connected as shown below.

3. Then Click “OK” you should see the image on the camera as shown below and ensure the
LED is “Green” as shown below in the bottom left corner. This ensure the camera is
connected, getting power and communicating correctly. If the indicators is Red for more
than 10 seconds then it likely means there is a streaming problem. This often relates to the
IP or Jumbo Packet Settings not being set correctly.

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4. Close FlyCapture.

ROW & PAVEMENT CAMERAS: ROMDAS SETTINGS

Once the camera is installed, PC setup and the camera is functioning in the FlyCapture software,
open the ROMDAS software and perform the following steps.

ADD THE CAMERA/S IN ROMDAS.

Go to Tools|Options|Video.

Select ADD and a list of available cameras will appear.

Select the camera you want to add click “OK”.

The below camera configuration window will appear:

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 Name = A suitable name for the camera. This name will be appended to the video AVI filename
and Video_Proccessed_ table name.
 Capture Image Every (m) = The interval (in m) when frame captures are to be recorded is defined.
 Format = Most imaging devices will give a choice of Video resolution which can be selected here.
A higher resolution will increase the file size.

Typical ROW Camera Settings:

It is possible to change these settings to meet your specific needs. For example
• Capture Image Every: This distance can be increased or decreased to suit. For example a
10m distance would be suitable for most situations and will use less memory per km. or if
performing mobile mapping then a 5m trigger distance would be better. It is recommended
to perform some test surveys to determine the best end result for your needs.
• Format: Different colour formats will give slightly different results and use different amounts
of bandwidth. It is recommended to use YUV 422 or YUV 411 as these allow for higher
resolution while using less bandwidth.
• Resolution: a ROW camera has a maximum resolution of 1600x1200. However smaller
resolutions can be selected if required which will use less memory per km.

Once the settings are correct click “OK” and then “Apply” and the following window will confirm the
ROW camera has been added successfully in ROMDAS.

Repeat the process for any additional ROW cameras. Ensure the camera names are all different.

Typical Pavement Camera Settings:

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It is possible to change these settings to meet your specific needs. For example
• Capture Image Every: Normally this is set to the length of the Pavement Image. For example
is the image coverage a 4m view (i.e. top to bottom) then set this setting to 4m. This will
mean that the bottom of an image will correspond with the top of the next image.
• Format: The pavement camera streams very high resolution images therefore it needs to be
set to Mono 8 (i.e. black and white images).
• Resolution: a Pavement camera has a maximum resolution of 2448x2048. However smaller
resolutions can be selected if required which will use less memory per km. Although note
this will reduce the ground distance covered by the image.
• Pavement View Settings: This can be used to add markers to the edge of pavement view
images. Simply select “graduated scale” and add the X axis distance (i.e. width across the
road you can see in the image) and Y Axis distance (i.e. length of pavement you can see in
the image).

Once the settings are correct click “OK” and then “Apply” and the following window will confirm the
PAVE camera has been added successfully in ROMDAS.

SELECT OUTPUT SETTINGS

The latest versions of ROMDAS support the exporting JPEG images. If you intend on using the images
in DataView or Horus Mobile Mapping software then it is required to collect JPEGS. AVI’s are not
compatible with the DataView image calibration (i.e. you will not be able to record measurements
from the images), or with the HORUS Mobile Mapping software.
Therefore for both ROW & Pavement camera select:
Video Codec = MPEG Motion (JPEG)

CONFIGURE AN IMAGE OVERLAY

An overlay can be added to the top of each image. The overlay can include information about the
images, including the Survey ID, date, GPS coordinates, Chainage etc…
To add an overlay to ROW & Pavement cameras click on the “FlyCapture” tab in the video settings.
To enable/disable overlay you can do this by ticking the checkbox below for “Overlay Information
on Video Capture”

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To edit Overlay settings you can do this by Clicking “Overlay Settings” to show the following Window
with options to customize overlay to be added to image

Note: The Roughness data displayed is for the last Roughness Sampling Interval and
therefore the current frame may not be displaying a pavement surface that necessarily is
representative of the roughness value shown.
• The Overlay Background Colour setting controls the colour of the overlay background while
the font type, size and colours can be changed in the Overlay Parameter Font and Overlay
Value Font options. These should be selected for the best contrast.
• Selecting the Display Settings opens the screen below. This enables the user to select which
information to display on the overlay. Contact DCL if you have any special customisation
needs of what will appear on the Overlay.

TEST VIDEO USING ROMDAS SOFTWARE

After configuring the cameras using third party software as shown previous section, you can now use
the ‘Test Video’ option in ROMDAS to test cameras to ensure that images are being received in
ROMDAS before running a survey. See below on how to test Video
1. Open ROMDAS and ensure that cameras have been added under Tools | Options and Select
“Video”

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2. Select Test |Test Video

3. Select Video Camera to be tested. For example: ROW

4. Then Click “OK” and the video preview window below will be shown.

Note: For PAVE cameras, the image will be in Black and White by default as shown below
as it uses Mono8 Pixel Format.

5. If the window above previews video images ok, then you have successfully setup Video
Cameras in ROMDAS. You are now ready to start a ROMDAS Video Survey. See Conducting
video surveys section for more details.

360° CAMERA MODULE: HARDWARE INSTALLATION

LADYBUG5 INTRODUCTION

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The Ladybug®5 spherical imaging system boasts an impressive 30 MP resolution covering 90% of a
full sphere; a 5 Gbit/s USB 3.0 interface; and a ground-breaking post-processing workflow that
provides high dynamic range, superb image quality and maximum user flexibility. It is an excellent
choice for applications in geographic information systems (GIS); vehicle-based photogrammetry;
situational awareness; and entertainment solutions for lighting models, full dome projection
content, and other immersive experiences.

SETTING UP 360° CAMERA

1. Install the 360° Camera Mount onto survey vehicle using the mount instructions
2. Install 360° camera onto Camera mount
3. Connect USB cable from camera to PC
4. Connect Power cable from camera to Power source
5. Configure ROMDAS software and test

Mounting Instructions
1. Clean roof & magnetic feet of dust

2. Loosen all handles

3. Place mount on roof. Ensure mount is parallel with vehicle and all feet are flat on the
roof

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4. Level Mount using leveller as shown below and tighten handles

5. The mount should look like the following below after installation

SAFETY Driving Instructions:

• Avoid heavy breaking and accelerating
• Drive carefully on unpaved or rough roads. Excessive vibrations may cause mount to
move.
Note: Installation will usually be done by the DCL installation specialist team. If you need
further info on installation, please contact DCL

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Figure 28. Example of 360° camera installed on Survey vehicle

360° CAMERA MODULE: ROMDAS SETTINGS

Once the hardware installation is completed in the previous section, the following software is
required to be installed on the PC to run a ROMDAS video survey.
- Install Point Grey Ladybug5 software: This installs the USB drivers for camera before
plugging in the 360 camera.

Note: These are already pre-installed onto customer PC or laptop IF purchased with your order
before shipment.

ADDING 360° CAMERA IN ROMDAS

1. Open ROMDAS,
2. Navigate to the ROMDAS settings menu. Once there, in the left list there is an entry for
Video. Select this option to view the following:

3. Make sure the camera is plugged in and powered on before continuing.

4. Click the Add button to get to view a list of all detected Ladybug cameras.

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5. If your camera does not show up in the list, please make sure it is sufficiently powered and
try adding it again. You can also check if the camera is working correctly by viewing it in the
Point Grey Ladybug Capture software.

6. Select the correct camera from the list and press OK to continue.

7. You will then be able to name the camera and select the sampling interval, data format and
processing method for the camera. Select Data format as “JPEG 8 (Color Sep)” and
Processing option as “Downsample 4” to use with ROMDAS

Note: To determine the best data format and processing method to use, please refer to the sections
Image Data Formats and Color Processing Methods respectively.

CONDUCTING VIDEO SURVEYS

Video surveys can be conducted simultaneously along with any other ROMDAS module connected to
the system. Follow the below process to include Video with your surveys.
1. When setting up a new survey select “Video Logging”.

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Then press F10 to proceed to the Survey screen.

A display window will appear for each camera.

2. If the image is not optimal for the lighting conditions then you can adjust the Exposure or
Gamma settings before starting the survey. To do this click on Setup on the camera window.
Note you can set Exposure and Gamma settings for bright and low light conditions by
selecting the Bright or Low button on the camera window and then select Setup.

3. Then press the Space Bar to start surveying. Note: the camera image will only update when
it passes the trigger distance and captures a new image. It will not stream images
consistently.

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4. Press F10 to end survey and then choose to “Save and exit” to save and then click “OK” to
exit.

PROCESSING VIDEO DATA

There are 2 types of useful data recorded when performing video surveys. The JPEG/AVIs images and
an MS Access tables which includes the location references about each frame. The MS Access tables
are used by DataView (ROMDAS’s post processing software) and Mobile Mapping software to
perform features like video event rating or mobile mapping.

The images can be found in the following default location C:\ROMDAS\Survey Data\Video\[survey
ID]

Example of JPEGs

PROCESSING MS ACCESS TABLES:

When processing ROMDAS survey files into MS Access Databases ensure you select at least the the
Video: Process Data option. The Export Raw Video Data is only useful when troubleshooting and is
not used for DataView or Mobile Mapping post-processing.

1. Once Video data is processed it will pop up with the following log screen.
Note if any errors during processing it will be listed in here.

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6. Click OK to go back to main ROMDAS menu

VIDEO DATA STRUCTURE AND DEFINITIONS

Open the processed MS Access Database to view the below tables;

SURVEY HEADER TABLE

Function: Records key data for the survey
Location: Survey Data/Data folder
File Name: Survey File.mdb (e.g. SH-22.mdb)
Table Names: Survey_Header (e.g. Survey_Header)

VIDEO HEADER TABLE

Function: Contains Video header data
Location: Survey Data/Data folder
File Name: Survey ID.mdb (e.g. SH16.mdb)
Table Names: Video_Header_Survey ID (e.g. Video_ Header_SH16)

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VIDEO RAW DATA TABLE

Function: Contains Video raw data
Location: Survey Data/Data folder
File Name: Survey File.mdb (e.g. SH16.mdb)
Table Names: Video_Raw_Survey ID (e.g. Video_Raw_SH16)

VIDEO PROCESSED DATA

Function: Contains processed Video data
Location: Survey Data/Data folder
File Name: Survey File.mdb (e.g. SH16.mdb)
Table Names: Video_Processed_Survey ID (e.g. Video_Processed_SH16)

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TROUBLESHOOTING
SHOWS BLACK SCREEN IMAGE DURING SURVEYS
• Check the camera power,
• Check the camera can be opened in the factory Flycapture software, if not then check IP
settings.
• Ensure and check that firmware of ROW/PAVE camera is version 2.6.3.0 or above

NO CAMERAS DETECTED IN ROMDAS

Try the following if no cameras are shown in preview screen:

• Check Ethernet cable connections and POE connectors are plugged in,
• Ensure power is supplied to camera,
• Ensure FlyCapture software is closed,
• Close and reopen ROMDAS.

IP ADDRESS OF THE CAMERA CHANGES EACH TIME IT IS TURNED OFF AND ON:
It could be caused by the “persistent IP” setting not being selected in the camera settings. Try the
following:
1. Go to next section GigE Configurator Software – Check PERSISTENT IP is enabled to ensure
GigE ports are configured correctly using GigE Configurator before using it with
ROMDAS.GigE Configurator Software – Check PERSISTENT IP is enabled
2. Click on Start | ALL Programs | Utilities | GigE Configurator as shown below

3. The GigE Configurator Setup window with settings configured will show up.
Do the following:
• Check and ensure the camera IP address is correctly setup as for example:
192.168.1.251 (if not sure check Customer HW-Video ROW-GigE Test report
included in the shipment.
• Ensure settings under “Check IP address Arrangement Configuration” section has
(DHCP – disabled, “LLA” – enabled and “Persistent IP” – enabled) as shown below:

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4. Once the settings above are confirmed, ROMDAS will now be able to see the cameras. See
section Error! Reference source not found. for configuring ROMDAS software before r
unning a Video Survey

IMAGES ARE OUT OF FOCUS

The camera lens will be focused and the exposure set prior to delivery. However if over time the
image loses it focus it can be refocused. This process is only recommended after trying to correct the
issue using the software settings that control the resolution or camera exposure and gamma in the
ROMDAS software.
Note: This process of focusing camera is already done on the cameras before shipment to customers
(Focus at 5m for ROW cameras and 2m for PAVE camera). Please contact DCL if you require more
info.
Setup and Equipment Required
Preferably the ROMDAS system and camera/s should be setup on the vehicle as if ready to survey.
Having the cameras setup on the vehicle will ensure the new focus for the camera is suited for
where the camera is positioned on the vehicle.
It is also recommended that a printed camera focus chart is used during this process. These can
easily be obtained online by performing an image search for “focus chart”.

The lighting conditions should also be daytime with no strong contract between sunlight and
shadows in the image.
Focusing Process (PAVE & ROW)

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1. Open the ROMDAS software and select 'TEST | Test Video' from the taskbar, then select the
camera name from the list you wish to re-focus. This will open the camera and stream
images.

2. Position the focus chart in the centre of the image.

NB: The distance from the focus chart to the camera should represent the typical distance to
the intended objects of importance. For example, if focusing a pavement view camera then
the focus chart should be placed on the ground. If using a ROW camera, then the focus chart
should be position the approximate distance to sign or other asset (i.e. 5-7m away from the
vehicle).

3. Open the environmentally protective camera enclosure to access the internal camera and
lens.

Figure 29. ROW Camera inside enclosure

4. On the camera lens there are two dials. One is for adjusting the exposure (i.e. the amount of
light the lens takes in) which controls how bright and dark the image is. The other dial is for
adjusting the focus.
Note: it is important not to touch the lens glass with your fingers. If the lens glass needs
cleaning, then an appropriate lens cleaning solution and cloth should be used.

Figure 30. ROW Camera Lens

5. Adjusting the Focus Dial

Slowly adjust the Focus dial up or down while looking at the image of the focus chart on the
survey computer. The line at the centre of the focus chart will become clearer as the focus
improves. It is important that the dial is turned slowly as the perfect focus may only be a
matter on a couple of mm. It is recommended to continue turning the dial until the image
starts losing focus, then reverse until it is back in its perfect focus. This back and forth
motion will ensure you have reached the perfect focus. Once focused, carefully tighten the
locking screw and ensure the dial is locked in position. It is recommended to the place a

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label or small amount of screw locking solution on the screw to ensure it does not come
loose.
6. Close the camera enclosure.

BLURRY IMAGE ON CAMERAS OR WHITE VERTICAL LINES ON CAMERA IMAGES

If the image is very bright or dark or has white vertical lines then it usually relates to the exposure
settings. Exposure closely relates to the brightness of the image. First go to Test |Video and open the
problematic camera. Then click on Setup and try adjusting the software Exposure and Gamma
settings. The camera lens will be focused and the exposure set prior to delivery. However if over
time it is possible that the exposure dial on the lens has come lose. It is first recommended to adjust
the Exposure and Gamma settings in the ROMDAS software to. however if this does not resolve the
issueloses it focus it can be refocused. This process is only recommended after trying to correct the
issue using the software settings that control the resolution or camera exposure and gamma in the
ROMDAS software.

Adjusting the Exposure Dial (ROW cameras only)

The exposure dial should not normally need adjusting. However, if the image is very bright or very
dark then this can be adjusted. First ensure the Exposure software setting is adjusted first to try and
resolve the brightness issues. If this doesn’t help, then open the camera enclosure and adjust the
focus dial. It is important that the exposure dial is set about 60-70% open for ROW cameras, this will
help the shutter speed stay low and reduce the possibility of blurry images while at the same time
let in enough light for each image.

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360° CAMERA: NO GPS DATA IN INITIAL CAPTURED FRAMES

When capturing images with the GPS device enabled, if you start a survey too quickly then the
Ladybug camera and the GPS device may not have had time to get properly synchronized. You
should wait around three seconds before starting the survey to allow them to sync.

360° CAMERA: FAILED TO GRAB INITIAL IMAGE

When starting a survey, you constantly receive the following message
“Could not grab initial image…”
Restarting the camera by unplugging both the power and USB cords and plugging them back in.

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GPS MODULES
INTRODUCTION
Using a GPS receiver with a ROMDAS system will allow you to log GPS coordinates as you survey.
This is commonly used for GPS centreline surveys or referencing other datasets with GPS
coordinates. Collecting georeferenced data makes GIS mapping an easy and efficient process.
ROMDAS offers 2 common GPS receivers. These are:
1. Trimble SPS461
2. GARMIN GPS 18

However ROMDAS can read most GPS receivers which outputs NMEA to a computer via a COM port.
If using a GPS receiver not supplied with your ROMDAS order, or an old GPS receiver not covered in
this manual please contact [email protected] for assistance.
This section provides details on;
• Types of GPS receivers commonly used with ROMDAS
• How to configure and install GPS receivers with ROMDAS.
• How to execute ROMDAS GPS survey
• How to process ROMDAS GPS survey
• Details of ROMDAS GPS settings
• Troubleshooting and tips

SETTING UP A TRIMBLE SPS461 GPS RECEIVER

Below is the basic step by step guide to install SPS461 receiver
1. Installation Instruction
2. Configure ROMDAS settings
3. Test GPS

COMPONENTS
The Trimble SPS461 GPS receivers contain the following components:
 GPS Receiver
 Trimble splitter cable
 Antenna
 Antenna cable
 Null Modem cable

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Connector Type Description

1 TNC Not installed, system without internal radio (note: this port only exists in
SPS461 released prior 2016)
2 TNC PORT1 - Connect to GPS Antenna 1 for GPS position. OmniSTAR correction
only available on this port.
3 TNC PORT2 - Only use for 2nd Antenna connected for vector and heading. This
port does not support OmniSTAR. Not currently used with ROMDAS
4 High Density DB26 Connection to data/power cable
5 Vent Plug

HARDWARE INSTALLATION

SPS461 GPS Schematic Diagram

1. Mount the GPS receiver inside the vehicle. Try to position it so that the ROMDAS operator
can see it when operating. Fix it using double-sided Velcro or another secure method.

2. It is common to run the antenna BNC cable through an open window, although if it is going
to be permanently mounting on the vehicle then it is better to drill a small hole in the
vehicle and pass the cable through the hole. If you drill a hole ensure it is silicone to prevent
water leaking into the vehicle. This method will minimise the potential for damage to the
cable.

Antenna BNC Cable

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3. The antenna should be securely mounted on the roof of the vehicle using a magnetic mount.
Alternatively it could be bolted to the LCMS or Pavement Camera roof mounting if these
mounts are installed. The antenna should have an unobstructed view of the sky.

4. Connect the antenna BNC cable to the antenna.

5. Connect the other end of the antenna BNC cable to Port 1 on the SPS461 receiver

6. Connect the null modem cable from the Trimble splitter cable to Serial Port on the computer
(or USB port if you are using the USB to Serial converter cable),

Trimble Splitter Null Modem

7. Connect an Ethernet cable from the Trimble splitter cable to the Ethernet port on the
computer. (This is used for configuring the GPS receiver, not required when running
surveys),

8. Once the cable has been positioned, double-sided Velcro should be affixed to the GPS
receiver and to the vehicle to keep the receiver secure and out of the way. Ideally, the status
lights should be in view of the operator.

NOTE: Some Previously Supplied SPS461 Receivers used the below splitter cable

If using the above cable then the following needs to be connected for ROMDAS system use.
1. ROMDAS connects to the DE9-S plug labelled “Serial 3”
2. The 2 Pin plug (replaces the DC Jack) should be connected to the ROMDAS Power
Distribution Box
3. For setup and diagnostics with the Web Browser interface an Ethernet cable can be
connected by the RJ45 plug

DGPS: OMNISTAR VBS SIGNAL SETUP

The SPS461 can connect to the Omnistar VBS signal. If connected to this signal it will collect real-time
sub-meter GPS accuracy. Omnistar subscriptions are a paid service and can be purchased directly
from Omnistar or through DCL. Contact [email protected] for Omnistar pricing information.

If you have purchased an Omnistar VBS subscription then perform the following steps to set this up
with the SPS461 receiver.
1. Contact DCL or Omnistar to arrange a time for an activation signal to be broadcast.
2. Open the Web Browser Interface and log into the unit. See the GPS Troubleshooting section
“How to access SPS461 GPS receiver using web browser” if you are unsure how to log into
the Web Browser Interface.

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3. Your GPS unit will need to be switched on, outside and see the relevant OmniSTAR satellite
during the activation process. Go to Satellites | Skyplot to confirm the OmniStar Satellite is
visible.

4. Once the activation signal has been received by the unit the expiry date on the OmniSTAR |
Subscription page will be updated.

5. Another way to verify it is activated is to go to the Receiver Status | Position page and the
Omnistar satellites should be listed under “used” and the estimated accuracies should be
<1m). Note: it might take several minutes for the receiver to initially connect to the
Omnistar satellite.

ROMDAS SOFTWARE SETUP

Open the ROMDAS software and perform the following steps to setup the GPS receiver for use
during surveys.
1. go to Tool | Options | GPS | GPS Settings | GPS Com Port: Set.

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2. Set GPS Com port settings to match the below:

Baud rate: 38,400 8-None-1

3. Set Receiver Output Protocol to – NMEA Compliant

4. Click OK and then Apply

TEST GPS IN ROMDAS SOFTWARE

The ‘Test GPS’ option is used to test the receiver to ensure data is being received. A successful test
shows the receiver has been configured correctly and streaming NMEA data through the correct
COM port, as well as the correct settings have been set in the ROMDAS software.
1. Select Test |Test GPS,
2. Select Start
3. The NMEA strings from the GPS receiver will appear in the “Data Received” field. You will
also see latitude, longitude and all other fields populated at this time. The below screen is an
example of such data. If the NMEA strings appear and the data fields are populated then it is
ok to survey.

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NOTE: It is common for receivers to take several minutes to connect to the minimum number of
satellites and provide a position.
The following should be noted with regard to this test:
 If the GPS time is displayed but there is no position information (latitude, longitude, and
altitude) this is because there are insufficient satellites in view. Try moving the antenna
 If there is no GPS time:
 Ensure that the antenna can see satellites (i.e. is it outdoors in an open area?)
 If an error appears that you cannot connect to the GPS receiver then check the GPS power and
Com port settings
 If no NMEA strings appear then check the COM port and GPS power,
 If the strings appear but they contain strange symbols and none of the other top fields are
populated then check the Baud Rate is set correctly in the ROMDAS settings.

If no or partial data appears in the test and the problem does not relate to the ROMDAS or COM port
settings then use the web browser interface to log into the unit directly and check it’s status. See
GPS troubleshooting section for instructions on how to do this.

SETTING UP A GARMIN 18 GPS RECEIVER

The Garmin 18 GPS is a low cost unit compatible with the ROMDAS system. It will collect
approximately 10m accuracy GPS under good conditions. If can connect to several of the free SBAS
(e.g. WAAS or EGNOS) signals to then collect 3m accuracy, however these signals are not available in
most countries. Below is the basic step by step guide to install Garmin 18 GPS receiver
1. Installation Instruction
2. Configure ROMDAS settings
3. Test GPS

COMPONENTS
The GARMIN GPS 18 receiver has antenna and receiver integrated into one complete unit:

 Connect communications cable to the ROMDAS computer,

 Connect the 12V cigarette lighter to the Power Distribution box,
 USB to Serial converter cable
HARDWARE INSTALLATION
The receiver needs to be positioned so that the antenna can have a clear view of the sky.

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1. Mount the antenna on the roof by running the cable through an open window and placing
the antenna (which is magnetic) on the roof. If this is a permanent installation, it is better to
drill a small hole in the vehicle and pass the cable through the hole. This will minimise the
potential for damage to the cable. Apply silicone sealant to the hole to prevent water leaking
in the vehicle.
2. Connect the cigarette lighter plug on the Garmin unit into the cigarette lighter socket on the
ROMDAS Power Distribution Box.
3. Connect the Serial (I/O) plug on the Garmin unit to the computer/laptop. If the
computer/laptop does not have a Serial port then use the USB to Serial converter cable
provided.
CONFIGURE ROMDAS SETTINGS
1. Open ROMDAS software and go to Tools|Options|GPS and select GPS COM Port Set

2. The below window will open. Change the Com Port to the appropriate COM# and change
the Baud rate to 4800. Then click OK.

If you are unsure which COM # to use you can go to Windows Device Manage and look in
Ports (COM & LPT) section.

3. Ensure the Receiver Output Protocol is set to NMEA Compliant

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4. Click OK and then Apply.

TEST GPS IN ROMDAS SOFTWARE

The ‘Test GPS’ option is used to test the receiver to ensure data is being received. A successful test
shows the receiver has been configured correctly and streaming NMEA data through the correct
COM port, as well as the correct settings have been set in the ROMDAS software.
4. Select Test |Test GPS,
5. Select Start
6. The NMEA strings from the GPS receiver will appear in the “Data Received” field. You will
also see latitude, longitude and all other fields populated at this time. The below screen is an
example of such data. If the NMEA strings appear and the data fields are populated then it is
ok to survey.

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If no or partial data appears in the test and the problem does not relate to the ROMDAS or COM port
settings then try reconfiguring the Garmin 18 unit using the factory software. See GPS
troubleshooting section for instructions on how to do this.

OTHER ROMDAS SETTING & OPTIONS FOR GPS

The GPS options are defined under Tools|Options|GPS. This option will only be active if you have
purchased the GPS option (unless you are using the evaluation software which has all options
available for 30 days). When selected, the form below will be shown.

 Default to Use in Survey. This entry sets the default in the Device selected in order to have the
GPS in a survey.
 Receiver Output Protocol. This is the type of GPS receiver.
 NMEA Compliant. Used for receivers capable of outputting in the NMEA 0183 2.0 protocol.
Depending on what data is required the sentences that should be enabled are:
RMC (has position, heading, time, date)
GGA (for altitude (MSL))
GSA (for PDOP)

Other supported NMEA sentences:

GSV - Sats Ava
ZDA - GPS Time, GPS Date
VTG - Heading
 Trimble TSIP. – it is only historical Trimble GPS Receivers - Pro XRS, Pro XT and Pro XRT that
use this protocol (Trimble Standard Interface Protocol).
 Antenna Height Above Road. This is the height of the GPS antenna above the road surface. It is
deducted from the GPS altitude to get the altitude of the road surface.
 Offset Direction from Antenna. To accurately record the road centre-line when travelling down
the lane the recorded GPS positions need an offset and direction applied of the location of the
centreline in relation to the GPS antenna on the vehicle. The GPS positions will have this offset
direction and amount applied so they locate the road centreline and not vehicle position. The
GPS Offset and direction are displayed in the Survey GPS dialog so that operator can check that
the correct settings are used for the road being surveyed.
 Offset Distance to centreline (m). The offset distance in (meters) applied in the direction of the
Offset Direction parameter.
 Warn if PDOP. This will issue a warning to the ROMDAS operator if the PDOP is greater than a
certain value.
 Warn if Loss of Satellite. This warns the operator when there is a loss of satellite.

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 Select Co-ordinate System. GPS positions always come from the receiver as latitude, longitude,
and height relative to the WGS-84 datum. However, you may need or want to work in a different
coordinate system. Some coordinate systems are used for maps. These are called grid
coordinate systems and the spherical coordinates of latitude, longitude and height are
translated into planar coordinates of northing, easting, and elevation. Worldwide there are a
number of standard grid coordinate systems defined.

 System. This field specifies the coordinate system. The ROMDAS software provides over 650 pre-
defined1 coordinate systems and zones, covering most major regions of the world.

 Zone. The Zone list box contains all the zones belonging to the selected coordinate system.
Select the specific zone required for the area in which you are working.
 Datum. The Datum field is usually read-only, and simply displays the datum associated with your
selected coordinate system and zone. However, if you selected the Latitude/Longitude or
Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinate system, you must also specify the appropriate
datum in order for the ROMDAS software to correctly interpret coordinates.
 Altitude Measured From. Altitudes are heights above one of two different base levels:

- Mean Sea Level (MSL) or Approximate Mean Sea Level

Altitudes are displayed as a height above (or below) the mean sea level. This is the usual
altitude reference for printed maps. The ROMDAS software computes heights relative to
mean sea level using a geoid model. The default geoid model used is the EGM96 global geoid
model. You can change the geoid model associated with each coordinate system or zone by
selecting Other, then choosing the required geoid model from the list of available geoids in
the Geoid field. The accuracy of altitudes relative to mean sea level depends on the quality
of the geoid model used.
- Height Above Ellipsoid (HAE)
Altitudes are displayed as a height above (or below) the current ellipsoid, as determined by
your selected coordinate system, zone and associated datum. Altitudes relative to an
ellipsoid are precise, but may be meaningless for your application.
 Coordinate and Altitude Units The Units field specifies the units to be used by the ROMDAS
software when computing or interpreting coordinates.

1 Contact Data Collection Ltd if you have a local coordinate system or Zone that is not predefined in ROMDAS.

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GPS PROCESSING SETTINGS:

There are a number of settings which affect the output data in the processed Access file that are set
under the GPS Processing tab.

 Interpolate GPS Readings: Positions between actual measured GPS poitions are interpolated if
needed from distance and heading data. Default is Yes.
 Maximum PDOP Value for a valid GPS reading: Position Dilution of Precision (PDOP) is a
measure of the satellite geometry. The lower the PDOP value, the more accurate the GPS
positions. A PDOP mask is set on the receiver (under Trimble GPS Settings) to esure that only
data of the required accuracy is collected. However further filtered can also be applied to the
processed data if a stricter requirement is needed. The default PDOP mask is 8.
 Extract with Distance Intervals: Exactly/Not less than x (m). The Exactly setting will only work if
Interpolate GPS Reading is set to Yes
 GPS Processed Output (Extract Distance intervals): This is how frequent ROMDAS samples the
GPS data.

CONDUCTING GPS SURVEYS

GPS surveys can be conducted on their own or in conjunction with any other ROMDAS module (e.g.
Laser profilers, Transverse Profilers, Cameras, LCMS, Geometry etc…)

This chapter opens with a discussion of the principles of GPS measurement and how GPS surveys
should be planned. A proper understanding of these two issues is essential for accurate data
collection. This is then followed by how the GPS data are analysed and exported to other systems.
The report ‘Using ROMDAS for Network Referencing and Mapping Surveys’ describes the procedure
for GPS surveys and data processing in detail. This is available on the ROMDAS website
(www.romdas.com).

PRINCIPLES OF GPS MEASUREMENTS

The Navigation Satellite Timing and Ranging (NAVSTAR) GPS is a space-based satellite radio
navigation system developed by the U.S. Department of Defence. There are a series of 24 satellites
placed in 6 orbital planes about 20,200 km above the earth’s surface. The satellites are in circular
orbits with a 12-hour orbital period and inclination angle of 55 degrees. This orientation normally

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provides a GPS user with a minimum of five satellites in view from any point on Earth at any one
time.

Each satellite continuously broadcasts a radio frequency signal. To determine a range, the GPS
receiver measures the time required for the GPS signal to travel from the satellite to the receiver
antenna. The timing code generated by each satellite is compared to an identical code generated by
the receiver. The receiver’s code is shifted until it matches the satellite’s code. The resulting time
shift is multiplied by the speed of light to arrive at the apparent range measurement.

Since the resulting range measurement contains propagation delays due to atmospheric effects, and
satellite and receiver clock errors, it is referred to as a “pseudorange”. Changes in each of these
pseudoranges over a short period of time are also measured and processed by the receiver. These
measurements, referred to as “delta-pseudoranges” are used to compute velocity.

A minimum of four pseudorange measurements are required by the receiver to mathematically

determine time and the three components of position (latitude, longitude, and altitude).

The below shows how three satellites are used to triangulate a position. This figure does not include
the fourth timing satellite.

After the four range equations are solved, the receiver has estimates of its position and time. Similar
equations are then used to calculate velocity using the relative velocities instead of pseudo-ranges.
The position, velocity and time data are generally computed once per second.

ACCURACY OF MEASUREMENTS
The accuracy of GPS measurements depends upon a variety of factors but the three main ones are:
 Quality of Receiver & Antenna. Receivers can be placed into two general categories: consumer
grade and survey grade. Consumer grade receivers are low cost and relatively low accuracy.
Survey grade receivers cost much more but will give greatly improved results and often have
much the ability to connect to a Differentially Corrected Signals (a.k.a. DGPS signals).
 Differential Correction (DGPS). This covers a variety of signals which provide enhanced
triangulation and high accuracy location. These signals include, but not limited to, Base Stations,
Beacons, commercial satellite networks (e.g. Omnistar) and SBAS satellites. These signals enable
compatible receivers to triangulate a higher accuracy position. Some signals allow receivers to
do this in real-time (e.g. Omnistar VBS signal), while other require post-processing to be done by
office software.
 GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System). From other satellite systems can be used to further
enhance the accuracy and availability of positions – e.g. using the Russian GLOANASS satellites.

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The best results will be obtained using survey grade receivers which are differentially corrected.

WHEN TO DIFFERENTIALLY CORRECT DATA

The question which is often asked is ‘are differential corrections always necessary’? The answer is
no. Adequate results can be obtained without differential corrections so the benefits of the
improved accuracy need to be weighed against the additional costs. However, with the industry
trend towards GIS mapping the requirement for sub-meter GPS is becoming more commonly
requested. If performing Mobile Mapping of assets & inventory then a minimum of sub-meter GPS
accuracy should be used.

Note: If you are using high accuracy GPS data then careful attention must be paid to the GPS offset
settings from the vehicle to the road centreline so that the positions collected actually reflect the
road centreline and not the path travelled by the vehicle.

GPS ALTITUDE
The GPS altitude can be measured in two ways:
 Height Above Ellipsoid (HAE)
 Height Above Mean Sea Level (MSL)

As shown to the right, the MSL is a geoid which is an imaginary surface determined by the earth’s
gravity. An ellipsoid is a reference which approximates the earth’s surface.

ROMDAS stores the altitude in terms of HAE in the ROMDAS rbf file but this can be converted into
any co-ordinate system using the ROMDAS co-ordinate transformer utility.
SURVEY PLANNING
Since GPS satellites orbit the Earth on six different orbital paths, during the course of every day the
number of satellites overhead changes as the satellites move. This affects the accuracy of the GPS
measurements (as represented by the PDOP and so it is necessary to plan GPS surveys to ensure that
they are timed to avoid periods of poor PDOP.

GPS mission planning is an easy and accurate way for GPS users to determine the number of
satellites available and the quality of their arrangement over any period of time.

Mission planning software such as Trimble’s Planning software can be used to plan GPS work to
coincide with the optimal satellite conditions.

Further details about using the Trimble Planning Software please contact [email protected]

RUNNING A GPS SURVEY IN ROMDAS

Select New Survey menu option and enter the survey data into the Survey Setup window. Select
GPS in the ‘select devices for survey’ section below along with any other ROMDAS devices connected
to the system. Press F10 to proceed to the Survey screen.

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Once the survey windows are open press the Space Bar to start surveying. Below is an example of
the GPS Status window displayed when surveying.

 Lat/Long: decimal degrees, WGS 84

 Altitude: meters – Height above ellipsoid (HAE)
 PDOP (Sats): The number to the left is the current PDOP reading. In the brackets is the (number
of satellites used / number of satellites in view). Some satellites in view may not be used
because they are below the minimum elevation mask or the minimum Signal to Noise ratio etc.
 GPS Time: Current GPS Time in UTC.
 Status: Current GPS Status.
 DGPS: Current status of the real-time differential correction. Possible values are:
 A real-time differential source is selected and corrected positions are being received
 A source is selected but corrected positions are not being received
 No DGPS source selected
 Offset: Current GPS offset direction and distance (m) to road centre line. The operator should be
aware of the offset amount and vehicle position in relation to the road centreline if high
accuracy is to be maintained.

During the survey all GPS data is saved into the survey .RBF file. When processing the survey .RBF
files into a MS Access database, which contains all datasets, the GPS data is referenced to chainage
and a variety of other datasets.

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Press F10 to end the survey.

PROCESSING GPS DATA

To process GPS data after conducting a survey which included GPS; select File | Data Processing

2. Then select the .RBF file or multiple files to process and Select Open

3. Click Next

4. Tick GPS: Process Data to process the GPS_Processed data table and also reference GPS to
other applicable datasets. It is also possible to Export Raw Data which includes every GPS
value recorded, however this is usually only useful when performing troubleshooting. GPS
Geometry is not currently an active feature. the Click Process

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5. Choose Process Option from menu below. From Survey File means to apply the GPS settings
used during the survey. Current Settings means to apply the GPS settings currently set on
the processing computer.

6. Click Start to process GPS data.

7. Once GPS data is processed it will pop up with the following log screen. Note if any errors
during processing it will be listed in here. Click OK to go back to main ROMDAS menu

GPS DATA STRUCTURE AND DEFINITIONS

This section provides details of table structures for ROMDAS survey database files that have been
processed after GPS survey. You will require Microsoft Access Installed to view processed files.

TABLE STRUCTURES – HEADERS AND RAW DATA

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ROMDAS parameters for each instrument are processed into the Header tables for reference of the
values used in the processing of the survey data.

Raw survey data output can also be processed for some instruments. Normally the raw data tables
would not be processed unless additional information is required.

GPS Header Table

Function: Contains GPS header data
Location: Survey Data/Data folder
File Name: Survey File.mdb (e.g. SH-22.mdb)
Table Names: GPS_Header_Survey ID (e.g. GPS_Header_SH-22)
Height of GPS Antennae above road (m)

GPS_Processed Data
Function: Contains processed GPS data
Location: Survey Data/Data folder
File Name: Survey File.mdb (e.g. SH16.mdb)
Table Names: GPS_Processed_Survey ID (e.g. GPS_Processed_SH16)

Raw GPS Data Table

Function: Contains raw GPS data
Location: Survey Data/Data folder
File Name: Survey File.mdb (e.g. SH16.mdb)
Table Names: GPS_Raw_Survey ID (e.g. GPS_Raw_SH16)

GPS MAINTENANCE

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GPS ANTENNA (ALL SYSTEMS)

 Keep the ceramic antenna dome clean and free of scratches, as antenna dome imperfections will
impact the GPS receiver's performance.
 Inspect all antenna cables and connections once a year for loose cable ends, frayed cable
insulation and scratched or damaged antenna surfaces.
 Replace any damaged components.

PREVIOUSLY SUPPLIED RECEIVERS

 Trimble Pro XT/XH
 Trimble Pro XRT
 Trimble Pathfinder Pocket
 Trimble GeoExplorer GPS receivers
 Trimble Pro XRS/XR
 GARMIN GPS Map 60
 GARMIN 12XL
 KVH Heading Gyroscope

COMPONENTS NO LONGER USED

Please contact DCL for information of setup of the following receivers and instruments previously
used with ROMDAS.

TROUBLESHOOTING
HOW TO ACCESS SPS461 GPS RECEIVER USING WEB BROWSER.
All GPS receivers supplied with ROMDAS will already have an IP address configured before shipment
and will be located on GPS Test report included with the delivery of equipment. The SPS461 can be
accessed through a web browser using the IP Address. The web interface allows users to view the
status and availability of the satellites. It is also used to setup DGPS signals (e.g. Omnistar VBS), as
well as configure specific output settings to ensure the NMEA strings are compatible with ROMDAS.
If you are having problems is ROMDAS with connecting to, or streaming data from the SPS461 units
then it is good to check that the configuration of the unit is correct.

To connect using a web browser follow the below steps;

1) Enter the IP address of your receiver into the address bar of the web browser as shown:

(Note: this is the default IP Address set by ROMDAS technicians prior to shipping). If you
cannot connect using this IP address then first check the Ethernet cable is connected, then
press the  button on the receiver twice and the IP address will be displayed on the receiver
screen. Also ensure that the ROMDAS computer has the IP address of 192.168.1.250 and
subnet mask of 255.255.255.0).

2) Enter the logon details

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The default login values for the receiver are:

– User Name: admin
– Password: password
3) The most common problem is to

RECONFIGURING SPS461 GPS RECEIVER TO WORK WITH ROMDAS USING WEB BROWSER
To set up the NMEA output for ROMDAS: Note that this should have been setup before delivery.
1) Go to I/O Configuration – Port Configuration menu.
2) Select Serial 2/ modem 1 from the drop down box
3) Network Configuration - a fixed IP address should be assigned and DHCP turned off if used
with other IP devices (TPL/Laser profilers) and access to the Trimble Web Browser Interface
is still required.

4) Confirm that baud is at 38,400 and leave Parity at the default None (N)

5) Set the following NMEA settings

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- GGA and RMC both need to be put to a value that you require for ROMDAS survey (1 – 5
Hz).
- GSA needs to be set to 1 Hz.
- Turn off HDT (which is set to 1 Hz by default)

NO VALID GPS DATA COMING THROUGH IN ROMDAS.

- Check that antenna is connected to Port 1 on SPS461 receiver,
- Check that antenna has clear view of the sky to receive GPS data,
- Check baud rate & COM port number is set correctly in ROMDAS

Reconfiguring the Garmin 18 Receiver for use with ROMDAS

If the Garmin 18 unit has been purchased with the ROMDAS system then the Garmin 18 should
already be setup for use with ROMDAS. However if you have problems receiving data from the unit
in ROMDAS then follow the below process to reconfigure the unit.
The GPS Sensor Configuration SNSRCFG software is available from the Garmin website.

Once the factory software is installed perform the following steps;

1. Open SNSRCFG software
2. Select the GPS 18 PC/LVC option.

3. Select the Comm Setup dialog and set the Serial Port and Baud rate (or select Auto if Baud
rate unknown – new unit default is 4800 baud).

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4. Select the Comm Connect option

5. A message will be displayed as to whether the connection is successful or not.

6. Click Config | Sensor Configuration or Press “F6”

7. Then set the baud rate to 9600 (or more). All other options should be left at that the default
values.

8. Click Config | NMEA Sentence Selections or Press “F7”

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9. Then select the following NMEA sentences and click “OK”

10. Click Send Configuration to GPS option as shown below.

11. You’ll see the following progress window and once the GPS configuration is loaded to GPS
receiver the window will disappear.

12. Turn power off and on again then go back to the ROMDAS software to setup/test.

TPL VERSION3 MODULE

LASER PROFILOMETER MODULE

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ROMDAS GEOMETRY MODULE

The ROMDAS Geometry Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) is used to measure Grade, Horizontal
Radius of Curvature and Cross slope.

The following sections describe the design of the ROMDAS Geometry system and how the geometry
information is calculated from the IMU data.

ROAD GEOMETRY THEORY

Cross slope is a geometric feature of pavement surfaces; the transversal slope [%] with respect to
the horizon. It is a very important safety factor. One task is to make water runoff the surface to a
drainage system, as Cross Slope is the main contributor to Pavement Drainage gradient. In horizontal
curves, the cross slope is banked into super-elevation, in order to reduce hazardous lateral forces.
Typical values range from 2% for straight segments to 10% for sharp superelevated curves.

To measure the Cross slope the angle of the best fit of the line through the road profile and the roll
angle of the vehicle from the IMU are subtracted from each other.

The Road profile data can be from a ROMDAS Transverse Profile Logger (TPL).

Grade or Gradient is also expressed as a percentage, the formula for which is 100 X rise/run which
could also be expressed as the tangent of the angle of inclination times 100.

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Horizontal Radius of Curvature as the proper design of the radius of curvature of a roadway at a
horizontal curve is vital to making the roadway safe for its users at the design sped. Also because of
the relationship between super-elevation and the radius of curvature, knowledge of the radius of
curvature at a location is essential in checking the adequacy of super-elevation of that location.

GEOMETRY INSTALLATION: HARDWARE

COMPONENTS
The ROMDAS Geometry unit contain the following components:
 ROMDAS Geometry unit with USB and patch antenna attached,
 4 x self-tapping mounting screws,

INSTALLATION STEPS
1. Position the geometry unit enclosure as close to the centre of the vehicle floor. Ensure the
“Front” arrow on the side of the enclosure is point towards the front of the vehicle.

2. Open enclosure and use 4 x self-drilling screws the mount enclosure to the floor. It is
recommended to use a bubble level to level the unit as best as possible. Ensure the unit is
secure and cannot vibrate or move.

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3. Close the enclosure lid

4. Run the USB cable to the survey computer (or USB hub if required). Do not connect the USb
to the computer yet. Ensure the cable is secure and not exposed where it can get caught or
pulled by lose equipment or operators.
5. Run the patch antenna outside the vehicle and place on the roof. If it is not magnetic then
apply adhesive Velcro or secure using adhesive.

GEOMETRY INSTALLATION: SOFTWARE

Note: if you purchased the survey computer with your ROMDAS system then these drivers will
already be installed.

Before connecting the USB cable to the computer/USB hub it is required to install the geometry unit
software drivers.

Follow the below process:

1. Go to the ROMDAS website (www.romdas.com) and login using your unique customer ID &
password. Once logged in go to the Software Downloads page and download the geometry
unit drivers. If you cannot find the drivers or do not have your login details please contact
[email protected] to obtain this information.
2. Once downloaded, run the install file and follow the default prompts and locations.
3. To verify the drivers have been installed correctly, open Device Manager. Then plug in the
Geometry unit’s USB cable. Under the Sensors category the below device will appear. If the
drivers have not been installed correctly then the device will instead appears as an
“unknown” device.

4. Install ROMDAS data acquisition software (if not already installed. See ROMDAS Data
Acquisition Software section).

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ROMDAS SETTINGS & OPTIONS

After the hardware and software have been installed; open ROMDAS data acquisition software to
setup the Geometry unit in preparation for surveys.

The Geometry options are defined under Tools|Options|Geometry. This option will only be active if
you have purchased the Geometry option (unless you are using the evaluation software which has
all options available for 30 days). When selected, the form below will be shown.

 Default to Use in Surveys This defines the setting on the survey opening screen. If you are
always using a Geometry IMU in the survey then select this box.
 Processing Interval (m). The processing interval that data is summarised over in metres. Default
is 10 m.
 Vehicle Body to Road Angle Derived from. If TPL is selected it will use the transverse profile
data from the TPL to calculate the dynamic roll of the vehicle. This will help ensure accurate
cross-slope data. If NONE the reported Cross slope is the vehicle roll only. Take extra care to
ensure that it is installed at exactly the same height on both sides of the vehicle.
 Vehicle Direction. Select the direction of travel when surveying using the dropdown box.
Note: this is the side of the road the vehicle drives on. Not the position of the driver inside the
vehicle.

TEST GEOMETRY UNIT IN ROMDAS

To ensure the unit is connected and communicating with ROMDAS to go Test | Geometry. Real-time
status, pitch, roll and yaw are displayed.

Note: if the vehicle is stationary the yaw may not be stable until the vehicle starts moving.

Additionally if the vehicle is not outside with a clear view of the sky, the status may say “no GPS fix”
which is normal. Once the unit is outside and can connect to GPS satellites the status should change
to OK. Below is an example of the test window.

GEOMETRY UNIT CALIBRATION

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The Geometry unit will need to be calibrated. Because the unit may not be installed perfectly flat,
this simple calibration will calculate the roll and pitch offsets which need to be applied to the raw
data.

To perform the calibration follow the below steps;

1. Position the vehicle on a flat surface,

2. Go to Test | Geometry in the ROMDAS software. The below window will open,

3. Wait 5-10 minutes to ensure the Geometry unit is warmed up and stable.
4. Select Self Test. Ensure that all internal sensors pass.

5. Load the vehicle with people and equipment. The number and position of the
people/equipment should replicate how you intend to survey (for example if you intend to
have a driver and only 1 operator in the front passenger seat then have people sit in the
driver and front passenger seat only). This will ensure that the neutral displacement of the
vehicle is the same as when conducting a survey,
6. Select Zero Inclination. A warning window will appear. Press Yes to proceed.

CONDUCTING SURVEYS
Select New Survey menu option and enter the survey data into the Survey Setup window. Select
Geometry in the ‘select devices for survey’ section along with any other ROMDAS devices connected
to the system.

Press F10 to proceed to the Survey screen. The survey status windows will open for all devices.
Below is an example of the Geometry status window.

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Press the Space Bar to start surveying.

The Pitch, Roll and Yaw angles are shown in real-time in the Geometry window. The Status box gives
a message on current status of IMU and GPS availability.

When surveying there is no input required from the operator relating to the collection of Geometry
data. During the survey the raw Geometry data is saved into the survey .RBF. The data is referenced
against chainage at the sampling interval set in the Geometry Settings.

Press F10 to end the survey.

PROCESSING GEOMETRY DATA

After the Geometry data have been collected it is necessary to process the data into the final
Gradient, Radius of Curvature and Cross-slope formats. This is done using the DATA PROCESSING
feature in the ROMDAS Data Acquisition software.

1. Select File | Data Processing

8. Then select the .RBF file, or multiple files, to process and Select Open

9. Click Next

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10. Tick Process Geometry Data to process the Geometry_Processed data table. If you are using
ROMDAS DataView and Mobile Mapping software then also process Export Raw Data. If
processing other datasets then also select these. then Click Process

11. ROMDAS will start creating the MS Access database and populating with the processed data.
The default location for the processed MS Access databases is C:\ROMDAS\Survey
Data\Data.

12. Once data is processed it will pop up with the following log screen. Note if any errors during
processing it will be listed in here. Click OK to go back to main ROMDAS menu

GEOMETRY DATA STRUCTURE AND DEFINITIONS

This section provides details of table structures for ROMDAS survey database files that have been
processed after a Geometry survey. You will require Microsoft Access Installed to view processed
files.

GEOMETRY HEADER TABLE

Function: Contains Geometry header data

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Location: Survey Data/Data folder

File Name: Survey File.mdb (e.g. SH16.mdb)

Table Names: Geometry_Header_Survey ID (e.g. Geometry_Header_SH16)

GEOMETRY DATA TABLE

Function: Contains raw Geometry data

Location: Survey Data/Data folder

File Name: Survey File.mdb (e.g. SH16.mdb)

Table Names: Geometry_Raw_Survey ID (e.g. Geometry_Raw_SH16)

GEOMETRY PROCESSED DATA

Function: Contains processed LRMS data
Location: Survey Data/Data folder
File Name: Survey File.mdb (e.g. SH16.mdb)
Table Names: Geometry_Processed_Survey ID (e.g. Geometry_Processed_SH16)

TROUBLESHOOTING
CAN’T CONNECT TO GEOMETRY UNIT IN ROMDAS SOFTWARE
Try the following. After each step close and open ROMDAS software and retest.
1. Close and open ROMDAS,
2. Check the USB cable is connected,

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3. Check Device Manager and ensure the geometry unit appears in the Sensors category. If it
doesn’t then try unplugging and plugging in the USB cable again. If it still doesn’t appear in
the Sensors category then try reinstalling the software drivers,
4. If none of the above resolve the issue try contacting [email protected] for assistance.

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ODOMETERS
INTRODUCTION
All ROMDAS systems supplied with an odometer, a.k.a. Distance Measuring Instrument (DMI). The
Odometer is critical for accurately referencing data to road chainage and in some cased used to
trigger specific devices at an exact chainage. It is important the Odometer used by your ROMDAS
system is accurately calibrated and regularly validated as all other data will depend on it’s distance
measurements.

Depending on the system configuration ROMDAS will use one of the below Odometer modules.

Proximity Sensor High Resolution DMI (HRDMI)

 Proximity sensors use magnets and a sensor fixed to the driveshaft or axel of the vehicle. As the
vehicle moves the magnets pass the sensor and the sensor records a pulse. Through a calibration
process a Pulses per KM coefficient can be calculated which allows ROMDAS to then calculate
accurate distance data. The proximity sensor is robust and is ideal for rough or unpaved
conditions. These are the default odometer shipped with all ROMDAS systems (unless an HRDMI
has been purchased with the system).
 High Resolution DMI (HRDMI) is a wheel mounted odometer which uses a high resolution rotary
encoder. It measures extremely high resolution distance and is required when operating Laser
Profiler, LRMS or LCMS modules as they require <5mm triggering. The HRDMI should only be
used on sealed roads.

HOW TO INSTALL PROXIMITY SENSOR ODOMETER

COMPONENTS
The Proximity Sensor system contains the following components: (see Error! Reference source not f
ound.)

 Proximity Sensor with cable attached.

 Adhesive (Epoxy)
 Mounting bracket
 Set of 6 x Magnets (DMI Proximity 10x3mm)

Proximity Sensor Components

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The proximity sensor is mounted on the vehicle and magnets are affixed to the driveshaft or some
other moving part of the vehicle drive train. As the magnets move past the sensor they provide a
‘Hall Effect’ connection which sends pulses to the ROMDAS interface.

Diagram of Proximity sensor & Magnets attached to drive shaft

Below show examples of 3 types of Installations for Proximity sensor that can be used with ROMDAS
1. Magnets mounted to front end of driveshaft closer to engine

Magnets mounted to the front end of driveshaft closer to engine - This photo shows a typical
installation to a drive shaft or axle. The magnets must be mounted at a point where they will
not move relative to the sensor. This mounting works well

2. Magnets mounted to hub shaft

The photo shows an installation where it is not possible to use the brake shield. A bracket has
been made which attaches the sensor to the strut. The magnets are mounted to the hub shaft.

3. Magnets mounted to rear end of driveshaft

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This photo above shows magnets mounted at the rear end of drive shaft.

MOUNTING THE PROXIMITY SENSOR BRACKET

Ensure the bracket is securely fixed to the underside of the vehicle. It should be as short as possible
to prevent excessive vibrations. If it is too long the bracket may vibrate and cause the sensor to
intermittently miss magnets and cause inconsistent distance measurements.

The sensor should be position approximately 1cm away from the magnets. If the sensor is too close
it will hit the magnets and damage the sensor. If it is too far away then it will miss some of the
magnets and cause inconsistent distance measurements.

ATTACHING MAGNETS
The magnets need to be fixed using strong epoxy glue (some epoxy glue is provided with each
sensor). Follow the below process for attaching the magnets:
1. It is helpful to jack the vehicle up and release the handbrake so allow the drive shaft to spin.
Ensure all safety precautions (including block under the wheels) to ensure the vehicle will
not move while it is jacked up,
2. Clean the magnet and driveshaft and remove all grease and oil,
3. Mix a small amount of epoxy glue,
4. Apply some epoxy glue to the driveshaft,
5. Place the magnet on top of the epoxy glue. Ensure the south pole of the magnet is facing
towards the proximity sensor (i.e. away from the driveshaft). The south pole of the magnet
will be painted for easy identification. If the south pole is not facing toward the sensor then
the sensor will not detect the magnet,
6. Apply more epoxy glue around the magnet,
7. Repeat this process for the other magnets.
8. Once all magnets have been glued, wrap tape around the magnets and driveshaft. This will
help hold the magnets in place while the glue dries. Note it can take up to 24 hours for
epoxy to fully cure.

PROTECTING ODOMETER CABLE

For all installations be careful to protect the wires attached to the sensor. The best way to route the
wires from the wheel is to attach them to the brake hydraulic line with nylon cable. The brake line is
usually routed such that it will not be stressed as the suspension does its job, and also is least prone
to breakage from road hazards.

The wire should enter the inside of the car at the earliest possible point, and care should be taken to
ensure it is not crimped at the point of entry.

Run the cable to the ROMDAS interface installed inside the vehicle.

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HOW TO INSTALL HIGH RESOLUTION DMI (HRDMI)

COMPONENTS
The High Resolution DMI system (HRDMI) contain the following components: (see Error! Reference s
ource not found.)
1. HRDMI Rod and Cable clips
2. Encoder cable with plugs
3. HRDMI Wheelplate
4. HRDMI Collar & Grub screw
5. HRDMI Magnet Swivel
6. Nut Extension Spacers
7. Encoder angle mount and encoder
8. Nut Extension set
9. Clevis and pin

High Resolution DMI Components

In the Wheel nut Clamp Item 8 in the above picture consists the following components.

Nut Extension set (3 x per HRDMI)

1. Wheelplate Attachment M6 bolt

2. Wheelplate Attachment M6 spring washer
3. Wheelplate Attachment M6 x 24mm flat washer
4. Hex Lug
5. Clamp

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6. M6 Spring washer
7. M6 Flat washer
8. M6 Plain Nut

The ROMDAS High Resolution DMI sensor (HR DMI) has been developed for applications where high
distance resolution distance is required, for example when using LCMS, LRMS or Laser Profiler
modules. The rotary encoder is programmable, but usually set to 3,000 pulses per wheel revolution.
The ROMDAS interface can also interpret the different ranges within the signal to then calculate a
resolution of 12,000 pulses per wheel revolution. Although the encoder has IP67 environmental
rating it should generally not be used on unsealed roads for extended use. For use on unsealed roads
the Proximity sensor should be used.

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTION FOR HRDMI

Always install HRDMI sensor on the rear wheel of the vehicle on the driver-side of the vehicle (as this
better follows the distance of the road centreline).

1. Note that the encoder is supplied with Encoder angle mount already installed as shown
below.

Encoder with encoder angle mount attached

2. Attach HRDMI collar (#4) to Wheelplate (#3) using M6 bolt, M6 spring washer and M6 flat
washer supplied. (See below)

Wheelplate attached to HRDMI collar

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3. Place wheelplate against the wheel as shown below, then align it with the wheel nuts so that
3 x slotted holes are in line with the wheel nuts and mark them. The slots in the wheelplate
have been designed so that it will fit any wheel nut configuration and effectively be self-
centring. The centre of the wheelplate must be located in the centre of the wheel

Align slotted holes with 3 of the wheel nuts

4. With the 3 x wheel nuts that were aligned - Insert 3 x Nut Extension (#8) onto them and
tighten them as shown below

Attached 3 x Nut extension to wheel nuts

• Fit appropriate number of spacers (#6) to suit wheel nut size

• Do not apply more than one more spacer (#6) on one side than the other
• Do not over tighten screws

See diagrams below to help setup either a Short wheel nut OR Long wheel nut depending on survey
vehicle tyre wheel nut size.

Setup for Short Wheel

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For larger sized wheel nuts, fit spacers to match wheel nut size.

Setup for Long Wheel

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5. Attach and bolt wheelplate with HRDMI collar to the Nut Extension (#8) as shown below
using 3 x M6 bolts and washers supplied. You will need to rotate the wheelplate so that the
holes line up with the wheel nut extender holes.

Bolt wheelplate onto nut extensions

6. Attach encoder onto HRDMI collar on the wheelplate and tighten using grub screw as shown

Attach encoder to HRDMI collar and tighten grub screw

7. Ensure the right angle mount bracket with the 2 x holes on the side is facing front of vehicle
as shown below:

8. Attach HRDMI Magnet Swivel (#5) on side of vehicle. It should be positioned so that the
stabilisation rod will be in line with the suspension movement; otherwise extra pulses will be
generated unrelated to forward movement of the vehicle when the suspension moves up
and down. This can generally be done by positioning the vehicle rod mount so that the
stabilisation rod and the vehicle shock absorber are in line.

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Attach Magnetic swivel to vehicle

9. The encoder will now rotate freely so it is necessary to stabilise it in one place. This is done
using the stabilisation rod. The rod is attached to the clevis pin on the encoder angle bracket
at one end. The other end of the rod slides through the vehicle magnetic swivel (#5) so as to
allow for vehicle suspension movement as in the next step

Attach clevis and pin to Encoder angle mount bracket then screw one end of rod to it

10. Insert the other end of the stabilisation rod through the ball on magnet swivel as shown
below. Fit another nut to the end of the stabilisation rod that has been passed through the
ball swivel joint and tighten. This will help to prevent losing any components should
something become loose or break.

Slide rod through the ball on magnet swivel and place nut onto this end of the rod

11. Adjust the ball swivel joint so that the stabilisation rod is at approximately 90 degrees to the
encoder shaft when looking forward along the line of the vehicle.

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Adjust swivel ball to approximate 90 degrees

12. Run the encoder cable along the rod and tie it loosely in place. This should be connected to
the ROMDAS Interface either directly or through an odometer extension cable. Once
installed the final system will be as shown in the following photo.

Attach cable to encoder

13. Check all bolts and the shaft collar grub nut are tight before testing. You will need a 3 mm
Allen Key to tighten the grub screw.

Line of
suspension
movement

Alignment of suspension and stabilisation rod

The ball swivel joint thread should be adjusted to ensure that the stabilisation rod is as close as
possible to a 90-degree angle to the encoder shaft.

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Vehicle
Wheel-rim
Mount Vehicle

HR
DMI

ODOMETER CALIBRATIONS
FREQUENCY
Every 5000 km (or immediately on tyre change)

EQUIPMENT REQUIRED
The following equipment is required:

 DMI and Roughness Calibration log

 ROMDAS vehicle with DMI operating and computer installed
 Chalk for marking tyre
 Tyre pressure gauge
 Tape measure (the longer the tape the easier to maintain accurate measurements – 50 m or
greater is preferred)
 Paint for marking start and end of section.

LOCATING AND MARKING THE CALIBRATION SECTION

It is necessary to locate a section of road which is flat and straight with little traffic for the calibration
and which is at least 200 m long (preferably 300 m or more).

 Locate the start of the section at a permanent feature, such as a traffic sign.
 Mark this start location with paint.
 Measure along the road with the tape measure to a second permanent feature.
 Mark this end location with paint.

Note: For future reference and audit it is imperative that the Odometer Calibration section
is well marked, maintained and easily identifiable. This site will now become the distance
reference standard for all your ROMDAS surveys so care and attention are vital.

CALIBRATION PROCEDURE
Preparing the Vehicle
 Drive vehicle for minimum of 10 km to ensure that tyres are at operating temperature
 Check pressure with a tyre gauge and ensure that tyres are at their manufacturer’s
recommended operating pressure2.
 Park vehicle with a wheel over the pavement paint mark

2 Manufacturers recommended pressures usually on sticker on back of driver’s side door frame.

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 Mark tyre with white chalk where tyre meets pavement paint mark (if using low resolution DMI
– see below)

Running the Calibration

 Start the ROMDAS software
 Select Calibrate|Odometer|Run Odometer Calibration
 Use the Add New Vehicle button to enter the name of the vehicle to be calibrated or select an
existing vehicle from the drop down Vehicle list (see below).
 Press the Space Bar to start calibration
 Drive to end of the test section3

The next steps will differ depending on the resolution of the DMI. If you are using a HI RES DMI then
just stop exactly on the end of calibration section mark and press Space Bar otherwise:
 Continue past the end of calibration section mark and stop vehicle at place where the point
marked by chalk on the tyre meets the pavement
 Press Space Bar to end calibration
 Measure the distance travelled past the end of calibration section mark
 Enter the distance of the calibration section (plus the distance travelled past if required as
above)

 Press Calculate and the calibration factor will be displayed

 Record the number of pulses and data of calibration in the Odometer calibration spreadsheet
 Repeat for 5 runs

CALCULATING ODOMETER COEFFICIENT

A workbook template Odometer Calibration.xlt is available on the ROMDAS website for the
calculations. This template is shown below.

3
It is important that the vehicle does not move backwards at any time during the calibration as this will give false distance
pulses.

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 Enter the data for each of the runs

 If the error tolerance is < 0.1%, the 90 and 95% confidence intervals will show the word ‘Pass’. If
it is greater than 0.1% it will show ‘Fail’. In this instance additional runs should be done.

ENTERING RESULTS TO SOFTWARE

Every time a calibration survey is run the last calibration factor is stored for use. This value should be
replaced by the Mean calibration factor calculated from the multiple runs in the Odometer
Calibration workbook.

 Select Calibrate| Calibrate Odometer| Edit Odometer Calibration Factor

 Select the appropriate vehicle
 Enter the mean calibration factor from the spreadsheet
 Enter the tyre pressure used for calibration (usually the manufacturers recommended tyre
pressure) with units.
 Enter the vehicle odometer amount with units

 Select Apply

ADDING VEHICLES IN ROMDAS

ROMDAS can allow users to use same ROMDAS laptop/PC to execute surveys on different vehicles.
This can be done by adding a different vehicle in ROMDAS taking into consideration the calibration
details for each vehicle. Below are instructions on adding a new vehicle in ROMDAS
To add new vehicles with ROMDAS.

 Click Calibrate | Odometer | Edit Odometer Calibration Factor

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 The following window below will appear then Click “New”

 Then enter in the details for the new vehicle as shown below then click “Apply”

 The new survey vehicle for example “Survey Vehicle 2” in this example will be added as shown
above, then Click “Close” to finish adding vehicle

 The final step is to setup ROMDAS to point to the vehicle you want to use for surveys as shown
in the next step using the Options menu.

SET A DEFAULT VEHICLE TO USE WITH ROMDAS

 Click on Tools | Options

 Under General Program Settings, check and ensure the correct vehicle is selected under
“Default Vehicle” as shown below then click “Apply” For example: “Survey Vehicle 2” will be
used in this case with the calibration details entered in the previous step

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UPDATING HARDWARE INTERFACE SETTINGS

Once a calibration factor has been entered or updated in the ROMDAS software it is important to
then upload this new factor into the ROMDAS hardware interface. This will ensure the hardware
triggering on devices like the Laser Profilers are correct.

 Select Calibrate | Odometer | Update Hardware Interface Settings

 The following window will appear and then Click “Yes”

 Configure settings below depending on Survey criteria for minimum speed, which side of vehicle
the HRDMI encoder is mounted and, the sampling trigger distance you want the Lasers to collect
data using ROMDAS

 IMPORTANT: Note “Laser Safety Minimum Speed (km/h)” setting ONLY applies if you have
modules such as TPL, LRMS and LCMS connected

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 For the setting “Sampling Trigger Distance (mm)” above: 1mm is used for texture & roughness
and 25mm for roughness only Note: IF data is collected with 25mm it will not be possible to
process texture data

MAINTENANCE
It is recommend to regularly validate the accuracy of your odometer. This can be done be measuring
a reference length (e.g. 200m). Then park the vehicle’s front wheel on the start line, start a survey
and then drive along the section. Ensure the front wheel stops exactly on the end line. The distance
travelled should be very accurate. A common accuracy standard is 0.1% or 1m variance over 1km.
However the accuracy standards are usually set by domestic survey industry. If calibrated correctly
an HRDMI should easily meet the aforementioned standard, but will be harder to achieve with a
proximity sensor (but not impossible).

If not using the HRDMI for long periods of time is it recommended to remove it to avoid unnecessary
ware of the device.

Below is an example of a comprehensive calibration log.

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ODOMETER CALIBRATION LOG

(use this sheet if you do not have access to the ROMDAS odometer calibration spreadsheet

Date of Last Tyre

Date: Vehicle: Operator: Tyre Pressure:
Balance:

DMI Calibration Site: Nominal Length (m):

Run 1 Run 2 Run 3 Run 4 Run 5 Average

Calibration Factors
(as calculated by
ROMDAS software after
each calibration run)

Enter the Average Calibration Factor into the ROMDAS software.

BUMP INTEGRATOR V2 MODULE

The ROMDAS Bump Integrator is used for roughness surveys and is a class 3 response type meter for
measuring and calculating IRI. The raw roughness data from the BI can be recorded either directly on
to a notebook computer with the full ROMDAS System or on to a Pocket PC with the MiniROMDAS
System. A well calibrated Bump Integrator excels in rough, unpaved or wet conditions where laser
based profiling is unusable. Due to its ability to collect data at low speed (10km/h) it can be operated
in areas of high congestion unlike accelerometer based equipment. A ROMDAS System with a Bump
Integrator requires little‐to‐no operator interaction and all readings are shown in real‐time on the
survey computer.

ITEMS INCLUDED:

Figure 31: Bump Integrator (HW-BI-V2)

The Bump Integrator features an encoder mounted in an internal enclosure. This encoder is fitted
with a reel that is spring loaded. With the wire connected to the axle or differential of the vehicle. As
the suspension bounces up and down the wire turns the BI reel. The encoder inside the Bump
Integrator measures the turning reel and send pulses (850 pulses per revolution) to the hardware
interface.
✓ CABLE…
✓ AXEL BRACKET with slotted screw, washers and nylock-nut …
✓ WIRE…
✓ 4 x Self-tapping screws for mounting base plate to vehicle floor

TOOLS REQUIRED:
- 20mm Drill bit (or stepped drill bit supplied)
- Electric Drill
- Spanner set or adjustable crescent (commonly 10mm – 13mm)
- Phillips-head Screw Driver (#2)
- Allen-key set
- Pliers
- Safety equipment (including glasses, gloves etc.)

INSTALLATION
The ROMDAS Bump Integrator (BI) is illustrated below. It is installed in the rear of the vehicle but is
small enough to be relatively unobtrusive.

BUMP INTEGRATOR V2 MODULE

Figure 32: example of BI without external cover

The BI is mounted to a base plate and has an external protective cover. The base plate with the BI
unit is attached to the floor of the vehicle via screws (supplied) or bolts (not supplied). The BI wire is
fed through a hole in the base plate, and the protective cover is then fitted. The BI cable is then
connected through a hole in the side of the external cover. The figure below shows a cross-section of
the BI with the protective cover in place.

MOUNTING OPTIONS
As shown in below there are several options for installing the BI in a vehicle:

BUMP INTEGRATOR V2 MODULE

 Solid Rear Axle. If the vehicle has a solid rear axle it should be installed over the centre of the
differential. This will measure what is termed a ‘Half-Car’ roughness.
 Independent Rear Suspension - 2 BI Units. If there is an independent rear suspension it is
recommended that two BI units be installed: one for each wheelpath. Each of these will measure
a ‘Quarter-Car’. The average of these two will give the overall roughness.
 Independent Rear Suspension - 1 BI Unit. The use of 1 BI unit with an independent rear
suspension is possible, but not recommended. This is because the vehicle will still measure a
‘Quarter-Car’ but the roughness measurements will be dominated by the roughness in the single
wheelpath—it does not matter which one—being monitored. It will prove difficult to have a
good calibration of the meter because the roughnesses will vary between wheelpaths and
between test sections.
Roughness
Meter
1

Single BI used with solid rear axle

(Half-Car)
Roughness Roughness
Meter Meter
1 2

Dual BI used with independent rear suspension

(Quarter-Car)
Roughness
Meter
1

Single BI used with independent rear suspension

(Quarter-Car)

Figure 33: Installation options for BI

PLANNING: CHECK POSITION OF BI, AXEL BRACKET & CABLE

1. The BI unit must be vertically in-line with the fixing point on the axel bracket. This is achieved by
lining up the BI and bracket before drilling a hole in the vehicle floor.

BUMP INTEGRATOR V2 MODULE

3. Find a location to mount the bracket on the differential/axel.

4. Find a location for the BI unit directly above the bracket mounting point
5. Ensure there are no obstructions between the BI mounting point on the vehicle floor and the
axel bracket mounting point under the vehicle. (NOTE: The Axel Bracket can be bent to shape as
required)
6. Check the length of the BI cable and ensure it can be routed from the Interface to the BI unit.

MOUNT BI AXEL BRACKET

An aluminium bracket is supplied as shown below. This should be attached to the differential and
then attached to the BI wire. The wire must be vertically straight and should not touch the sides of
the hole in the vehicle floor. Alternatively, if two BI units are to be used or there is an independent
suspension, it should be mounted on the side of the axle.

Figure 34: Axel Bracket assembly

1. Find location to mount the Axel Bracket; There are usually bolts fitted to the differential or the
axel of the vehicle that can be used.
2. Bolt Axel Bracket to the selected mounting point using the bolt from the vehicle (bend bracket if
required).
3. Bounce the rear of the vehicle and check clearance between the vehicle and the bracket.

BUMP INTEGRATOR V2 MODULE

Figure 7: Bracket on centre of differential (with BI

Figure 8: Bracket on side of Axle (2 x BI)
wire attached)

DRILL 20MM BI HOLE

Once you have found a location for the Axel bracket and BI unit, and have determined a
clear and straight line to where the BI is going to be mounted, it is time to drill the hole for
the BI wire.
a. Use a piece of string with a weight at the end to determine a vertically straight line from
the vehicle floor to the Axel Bracket.
b. Mark the bottom of the vehicle accordingly
c. If possible drill pilot hole from underneath the vehicle, if this is not possible estimate
location of hole from above and bend bracket accordingly.
d. Expand the hole to 20mm using the stepped drill bit provided.
e. File around the circumference of the hole to remove sharp metal
f. Place rubber grommet into the hole if necessary or concerned about BI wire rubbing
against the side of the hole

CONNECT BI WIRE
Connecting the wire requires two people.
a. Place the BI over the hole drilled in the floor directly above the Axel Bracket fixing point.
b. Pull the Metal Stop attached to the wire to the Axel Bracket or a MAXIMUM of 200mm
(note: there is a coloured mark on the wire 200mm from the Metal Stop which can be
used as a reference). (DIAGRAM BELOW)

BUMP INTEGRATOR V2 MODULE

c. Loosen the nylock nut on the Axel Bracket and create a space between the 2 washers.
(DIAGRAM BELOW)

d. Feed the wire through the slotted screw fixed to the bracket and wind the wire around
the screw once.
e. Tighten the nylock nut to grip the wire between the washers. (Caution: do not
overtighten the nut as you may break the wire).
f. Ensure the wire is vertical and guided through the centre of the hole in the floor

POSITION AND MOUNT BI

Before mounting the BI unit on to the vehicle floor, you must ensure the wire is routed
through the CENTRE of the 20mm hole in the floor. This is achieved with the help of a
second person:
a. One person will need to be positioned under the vehicle and will need to communicate
direction to move the BI unit.
b. The second person will need to be inside the vehicle where the BI is to be mounted to
move the BI to the communicated position.
c. Once the wire has been centred through the hole in the vehicle floor, the BI unit should
be held in position while screwed down using BI self-tapping mounting screws provided.
The second person should ensure the BI unit does not move while being screwed into
the floor.
d. Check that the BI unit is fixed to the floor securely and is not moving.

CONNECT BI CABLE

BUMP INTEGRATOR V2 MODULE

Connecting the BI cable is a simple step, but care needs to be taken when connecting the
cable to the BI unit and the ROMDAS Interface. The connectors contain small pins that can
be bent if not carefully connected.
a. Connect the BI cable to the ROMDAS Interface inside the vehicle by lining up the pins
and grooves and pushing the plug into the socket gently.

b. Route the cable through the vehicle (under carpets and through pre-drilled holes if
necessary) into the section of the vehicle where the BI unit is mounted.
c. Line up the pins and grooves on the screw connector with holes and grooves on the BI
unit socket. Push the plug in gently and begin to screw the connector into the socket in a
clockwise direction.

d. Secure cable throughout the vehicle using cable ties.

SAFETY GUIDELINES
When installing or maintaining the Bump Integrator, it is important that safety equipment is worn,
including safety glasses, gloves and dust masks. Caution must be taken when Drilling holes and
installing the Bump Integrator, and when changing BI spring.

ROMDAS SETTINGS & OPTIONS

Go to Tool | Options | Roughness Bump Integrators to modify available BI settings.

 Auto Reset at Sampling Intervals: Normally, one defines a sampling interval for roughness
surveys which is a fixed length (e.g. 100 m). ROMDAS then automatically resets the roughness
counts at the end of this sampling interval. However, if you wish to manually reset the roughness
at the end of a sampling interval you would enter “N” here. The resets would then be done by
pressing the ESC key. In practice, this is only done with long sampling intervals, such as 1000 m,
and is not normally recommended.

BUMP INTEGRATOR V2 MODULE

 Roughness Sampling Interval (m): The roughness sampling interval is the regular interval over
which to sum the roughness counts. It is recommended that 100 m be used for the minimum
sampling interval. Even if data are only required at longer intervals, for example 1000 m, by
sampling at short intervals the data can be aggregated upwards. However, if a large sampling
interval is used the data cannot be disaggregated downwards. It is not recommended that
intervals less than 20 m be used since, particularly on roads with low roughnesses, they can give
misleading results.
 BI Minimum Speed Warning. This is the minimum survey speed. If the average speed in the
roughness survey over an interval drops below the minimum speed, the computer will beep at
the end of the interval. The data file is flagged as having a speed below this level.
 Use Roughness Exclusion at Low Speeds. When this option is selected ROMDAS will automatically
discard all measurements below the user specified speed and calculate the equivalent roughness.
The user must define the speed below which this option is to be implemented.
 Display Calibrated Roughness During Survey. When this option is selected ROMDAS will
automatically discard all measurements below the user specified speed and calculate the
equivalent roughness. The user must define the speed below which this option is to be
implemented.
 Roughness Coefficients for display. Select the appropriate Roughness Calibration Coefficients to
display the Calibrated Roughness of the Bump Integrators during the survey.

 Equivalent Roughness on BI Exclusion. During a roughness survey the roughness meter can be
temporarily halted. This is used, for example, when travelling over a road in the process of being
reconstructed. It can be done either by halting the BI with a keycode event, by pressing the F5 key
or with BI Exclusion at Low Speeds settings.

If this option is selected as “Y” ROMDAS will calculate and record the equivalent roughness based
on the length measured. Otherwise, ROMDAS will record the actual roughness.

 Distance to Extend Sampling Interval at LRP. When approaching an LRP the situation may arise
where the sampling interval may end just in advance of the point where the LRP reset is pressed.
This would lead to a short section of data between the end of the sampling interval and the LRP.
To avoid this, ROMDAS will extend the last sampling interval before the LRP by the distance
specified here.

BUMP INTEGRATOR V2 MODULE

 Include Measured and LRP Chainages in Roughness table. The Chainages of the LRPs should be
baseline values against which all other measurements are referenced. During the roughness survey
the vehicle is travelling at a speed and even a slight delay in pressing the LRP reset key will lead to
an error in the chainage recorded. This option will use the LRP chainage from the LRP file to
replace the chainage recorded by the vehicle. By always replacing the recorded Chainages with the
LRP file Chainages the data in successive surveys will always have the same start and end
Chainages. ROMDAS will automatically adjust the measurements to these Chainages. This greatly
facilitates importing the data into road management systems since the location referencing is the
same for each section from year to year. For this reason this option defaults to “Y”.

This is the distance after an LRP before the program increments to the next LRP along the road. This
feature allows for a delay in noting an LRP. The default setting is 100 per cent of the sampling
interval.

It is recommended that this value be set to a multiple of the sampling interval since this greatly
facilitates reconciling the data when there are missed LRPs.

BUMP INTEGRATOR CALIBRATION

OVERVIEW
Each vehicle responds differently to roughness due to variations in the springs, dampers and tyres. It
is therefore essential to calibrate each roughness survey vehicle against a known roughness so that
its measurements can be accurately converted into roughness values (e.g. IRI).

The general process when calibrating the BI is as follows;

1. Setup roughness calibration sites
2. Drive the vehicle over each site at multiple speeds and record the raw BI values
3. Graph the raw BI values against the known IRI values to calculate coefficients
4. Enter these coefficients into the ROMDAS software.
5. The ROMDAS software will then automatically apply these coefficients to calculate IRI (or
other roughness indexes) during surveys

Frequency
Before each major roughness survey or every 5000 km

Equipment Required
The following equipment is required:
 Roughness Calibration Spreadsheet,
 Survey vehicle with ROMDAS system (including BI) installed,
 Roughness (IRI) calibration sites (measured using Class 1 roughness reference device),
 Traffic management and safety equipment (as required),

PREPARING THE VEHICLE

During calibration, the survey vehicle is driven over each calibration site. Ensure the below is
completed prior to arriving at the calibration sites.:
 Calibrate the Odometer,
 Drive vehicle for minimum of 10 km to ensure that tyres are at operating temperature,
 Check pressure with a tyre gauge and ensure that tyres are at their manufacturer’s
recommended operating pressure. Maintain this pressure for all surveys.

BUMP INTEGRATOR V2 MODULE

 Load the vehicle to the same weight that it will be during surveys (e.g. Driver, operator,
equipment, fuel)

PREPARING CALIBRATION SITES:

Identifying & Marking Calibration Sites
The objective of calibration section profiling is to obtain an accurate representation of the road
profile. It is necessary to identify calibration sections which cover the full range of roughness the
survey is likely to encounter4. These sections should have the following characteristics:
 the sections should be 200-300 m long (400-450 if using MERLIN as the reference IRI device)
with adequate geometry before and after the section to ensure that they can be travelled at
a constant speed;
 the roughness should be relatively uniform along its length. Try to avoid having a mixture of
very high and very low roughness sections within a single calibration site;
 the surface should not be broken (i.e. potholes or bad depressions) so that the reference
profiler can get the true profile;
 they should have low traffic volumes so that the roughness will not change significantly over
time and so that you will survive the calibration survey;
 Avoid having combinations of rigid and flexible, or machine laid and hand laid, pavements
within a single site since these can have different roughness properties. Although this is not
always possible in some countries if one wants to cover the full range of roughnesses,
 the beginning and end of sections should be clearly marked with nails or another form of
permanent marker. This will enable resurveys to be done on the section. When calibrating
the vehicle it is useful to put a post in adjacent to the start of the section so that it can be
readily identified from the moving vehicle. Alternatively, a paint strip across the pavement
will suffice. During recalibration you can then readily remark the wheelpaths. (see below)

Figure 35: example of measuring and marking both

wheel paths

Number of Calibration Sites

The number of test sections required is calculated by dividing 4500 by the site length in m, with a
minimum of 8 (Sayers, et al., 1986). For example, with 300 m test sections 15 sites would be
required. (check this with Paul)

Cleaning Calibration site

It is useful to walk the site and clear off any loose stones and debris which may interfere with the
reference profiler.

Measuring Reference IRI in Both Wheelpaths

Each site needs to be measured using a reference IRI device. This is needed to so that a relationship
between the actually IRI of sites and the number of BI counts. Sections should be measured at
maximum intervals of 300 mm using one of the techniques below:
 ROMDAS Z-250 Reference Profilometer

4 This can be done using an uncalibrated roughness meter to differentiate between sections with different roughness levels.

BUMP INTEGRATOR V2 MODULE

 TRL MERLIN;
 TRL Beam;
 A rod-and-level survey5;
 DIPSTICK;
 Laser Profilometer (ASTM950 and Class 1).

Irrespective of what method is used, the device should be calibrated before the survey. Each
instrument will have its own procedures for calibration and these should be carefully followed as per
the manufacturer’s instructions.

When measuring a site, measure both wheelpaths individually with the reference device and then
average the two wheelpaths to calculate a lane IRI. This value is then recorded in the BI calibration
spreadsheet under the “Site IRI” column (see below sections relating to using BI calibration
spreadsheet.)

PERFORMING BI RUNS
The survey vehicle needs to be driven over each site to record raw data which is then used to
calculate BI Coefficients.

Choosing appropriate speeds

The BI can be calibrated at multiple speeds to ensure accurate results over a wide operating range.
Generally, you should select at least 2 speeds which cover the range of common survey speeds you
will drive (for example 40 and 80km/h). Typically, these consist of low speeds (eg 30-50 km/h) and
high speeds (eg 80 – 100 km/h). When driving over a site the average speed should be within ± 2.3
km/h of the target calibration speed. At the end of this process and once the BI calibration
coefficients have been calculated, the ROMDAS software will automatically apply the appropriate set
of coefficients specific to the speed the vehicle is travelling.

Recording BI Calibration Data

Position the vehicle 100-200m ahead of the section as the vehicle will need to be travelling the
required calibration speed before reaching the beginning of the site.
1. Open the ROMDAS software
2. Select Calibrate|Calibrate Roughness Bump Integrator
3. Enter the test section ID, description and select the vehicle to be calibrated
4. Enter the length of the calibration section

5 For a description on using a rod-and-level survey for profiling test sections see:
Visser, A.T. (1982). A correlation study of roughness measurements with an index obtained from a road profile
measured with rod and level. Technical Report RS/2/82. National Institute for Transport and Road Research,
CSIR, Pretoria.

BUMP INTEGRATOR V2 MODULE

5. Press F10 to complete survey preparation,

6. Accelerate the vehicle to the appropriate speed,
7. When the vehicle reaches the start of the test section press the Space Bar to start logging.
The software will record for the distance entered (in the example above 300 m) and then
automatically stop.
8. Select “Save & Exit” to save the data,
9. Go to File/Data Processing. Then select the survey .RBF file for the calibration run you want
to process. Then select Next

10. Select to process Roughness – BI/export raw Data

This will create an MS Access Database containing the total raw BI counts.

11. Open the MS Access Database and then Roughness_Raw table. Then calculate the sum of
the raw BI counts over the entire site. This is the BI count values to be added into the
calibration spreadsheet.

BUMP INTEGRATOR V2 MODULE

12. Repeat the above process for a minimum of 3 runs at each speed. If the raw BI data is not
consistent then repeat with additional runs as required.
13. Repeat for each calibration site.

ENTER RESULTS INTO THE BI CALIBRATION SPREADSHEET

An excel template Roughness Calibration.xlt is available on the ROMDAS website. It is located on
the ROMDAS customer downloads & support webpage www.ROMDAS.com.

1. Fill in the fields in yellow at the top of the sheet.

2. Enter the reference IRI values of each site into the Site IRI column (as recorded with Class 1
reference device such as ROMDAS Z250).
3. Enter the calibration speeds of the vehicle run in the Calibration Speed Column.
4. Enter the BI Count data from each of the three runs in ROMDAS Raw BI Count columns.
5. If the mean is not statistically significant at 90 or 95% confidence intervals the data will show Fail
in Pass/Fail columns. In this case, perform additional runs until Pass is shown. It may also be
appropriate to delete outliers.
Note: If two bump integrators are used then create 2 separate calibration spreadsheets (i.e.
separate spreadsheets for each BI). The above example is for a single BI only.

DETERMINE CALIBRATION CO-EFFICIENTS

Once all calibration data has been entered into the spreadsheet. Go to the Roughness Plot Sheet.
This sheet graphs the Raw BI Counts (average per km) vs the true site IRI. By adding a trendline and
equation (this should be visible by default) you will be able to see the a1 and a2 coefficients for each
speed.

ROUGHNESS(IRI) = a2x BI + a1
where x = BI,
y = ROUGHNESS

It is also important to ensure the R2 value is above 0.9. This is linked to the repeatability and
therefore reliability of the BI results.

BUMP INTEGRATOR V2 MODULE

A2 A1

The figure below is an example of these equations in the linear form.

COPY COEFFIENTICNTS INTO ROMDAS SOFTWARE

Once the BI coefficients have been calculated for each speed in the Calibration Spreadsheet, you will
need to enter these coefficients into the ROMDAS software. ROMDAS will then be able to calculate
IRI from the raw BI counts.
1. Open ROMDAS software
2. Select Calibrate|Calibration Files | Edit Roughness Calibration Coefficients
3. Select the Vehicle which the coefficients will apply to.
4. Enter the calibration Speeds into the table.
5. Enter the coefficients for BI 1 and, if used, BI 2. The screen below shows the entries for the
following equations to be applied at the calibration speeds of 50 and 100 km/h for 1 BI:

VALIDATION
To validate that the Bump Integrator is calibrated correctly, a simple process can be followed:

BUMP INTEGRATOR V2 MODULE

1. Determine reference sites with known IRI (if reference sites are limited then this can be
performed over the calibration sites),
2. Perform short BI surveys over these sites,
3. Process the data and ensure to select the Process Roughness Data tickbox,

4. Open the processed Access file and compare the data in the CALIB_RGH column to reference
IRI data for validation.

CONDUCTING SURVEY WITH BUMP INTEGRATORS

Roughness surveys are used to record the roughness over a sampling interval (default of 100 m), the
roughness can be recorded using one or two bump integrators. During the roughness survey
additional data can be recorded from any other ROMDAS modules connected to the system.

STARTING A SURVEY
Select New Survey menu option and enter the survey data into the Survey Setup window. Select
GPS in the ‘select devices for survey’ section below along with any other ROMDAS devices connected
to the system. Press F10 to proceed to the Survey screen.

Once the survey windows are open press the Space Bar to start surveying.

Select New Survey menu option and enter the survey data into the Survey Setup screen and
proceed to the Survey screen.

Press the Space Bar to start surveying.

BUMP INTEGRATOR V2 MODULE

DURING A SURVEY
During the survey the roughness will be displayed from each bump integrator, along with the
distance travelled. At the end of each roughness interval the total raw BI count and the average
speed is displayed.

If keyboard rating is performed during the survey this will be displayed. Above is an example of
recording a bridge.

ENDING THE SURVEY

At the completion of the survey press the F10 key. See Section Error! Reference source not found. f
or further options when ending the survey.
ROUGHNESS EXCLUSION FEATURE
During surveys there are often times when it is desirable to pause the roughness recording
(roughness exclusion), for example:

 If there are road works

 On bridges
 Over fords
 At low speeds (below the BI calibration speeds)

This can be done in three different ways

 manually by pressing the F5 Manual Roughness Exclusion key
 by associating a keyboard continuous or switch event with Roughness Exclusion during Event
(see Section Defining Keycodes).

BUMP INTEGRATOR V2 MODULE

 By setting the Roughness Exclusion at low speeds parameters (see Section Error! Reference s
ource not found.)

ROUGHNESS EXCLUDE PROCESSING OPTIONS

There are two options for processing the roughness data when roughness is excluded during a survey:

 Actual Roughness Count: This is the actual roughness recorded over the sampling interval when
the measurements were not paused; or,
 Equivalent Roughness Count: This is the roughness over the interval based on the measurements
that were actually made.

The equivalent is calculated as follows:

ECOUNT = COUNT * SAMPLEIN / MEASURED

where ECOUNT is the equivalent roughness count in counts/sample interval

SAMPLEIN is the sampling interval in m (usually 100 m)
MEASURED is the length of the sampling interval roughnesses were measured over in
m

For example, if you measured for 70 m out of a 100 m interval and there were 10 counts, the
equivalent roughness would be 14.

This option is set under Tools|Options|Roughness Bump Integrators.

PROCESSING DATA
After the Bump Integrator data have been collected it is necessary to process the data into IRI
output. This is done using the DATA PROCESSING feature in the ROMDAS Data Acquisition software.

2. Select File | Data Processing

13. Then select the .RBF file, or multiple files, to process and Select Open

14. Click Next

BUMP INTEGRATOR V2 MODULE

15. Tick Process Roughness Data. If processing other datasets then also select these. then Click
Process

16. You will be asked to select the vehicle and BI Coefficient table to use during processing.
Select the relevant options and then select start processing.

17. ROMDAS will start creating the MS Access database and populating with the processed data.
The default location for the processed MS Access databases is C:\ROMDAS\Survey
Data\Data.

18. Once data is processed it will pop up with the following log screen. Note if any errors during
processing it will be listed in here. Click OK to go back to main ROMDAS menu

BUMP INTEGRATOR V2 MODULE

DATA STRUCTURE AND DEFINITIONS

This section provides details of table structures for ROMDAS survey database files that have been
processed after a Bump Integrator survey. You will require Microsoft Access Installed to view
processed files.

RAW BI ROUGHNESS TABLE

Function: Contains Roughness data
Location: Survey Data/Data folder
File Name: Survey File.mdb (e.g. SH16.mdb)
Table Names: Roughness_Raw_Survey ID (e.g. Roughness_Raw_SH16)

ROUGHNESS PROCESSED DATA

Note: if you have calibrated the BI to output IRI data. Then these can be seen in the C_Rough_1 (IRI
from BI 1), C_Rough2 (IRI from BI 2) and Calib_Rgh (average IRI) fields.
Function: Contains processed Roughness BI data
Location: Survey Data/Data folder
File Name: Survey File.mdb (e.g. SH16.mdb)
Table Names: Roughness_Processed_Survey ID (e.g. Roughness_ Processed_SH16)

BUMP INTEGRATOR V2 MODULE

MAINTENANCE & TROUBLESHOOTING

REPLACING THE BI SPRING
It is sometimes necessary to replace the BI spring. This section describes how this is done.
NOTE: It is recommended that a spare BI spring be available at all times.

Removing the BI Wire

Firstly, you will need to remove or secure the Bump Integrator Wire attached to the Bump Integrator
Unit. Either secure the wire around the spindle with a rubber band or similar or remove the wire as
follows:

Undo the nylock nut to free the grip on the wire by the washers and remove the wire from the
slotted bolt (see below image).

Removing the BI Spindle

Tape the wire on to the spindle to avoid un-coiling the wire and remove the spindle bolt using an
allen key, hold the spindle while un-doing the bolt.

Figure 36: Removing Spindle

Removing the BI Spring

The BI spring is held in place by a retaining M6 bolt and a groove in the collar.
Pull the BI spring from these retaining bolts carefully.

BUMP INTEGRATOR V2 MODULE

Figure 37: Removing the BI spring from the collar and retaining bolt

Installing the BI Spring

A new spring supplied by Data Collection Ltd comes in a metal retaining ring which holds together as
shown below. Note that the spring must be installed in the right way around so that the spindle is
tensioned in the right direction.

Figure 38: New BI spring with retaining ring

Pull the tail end of the spring out enough to reach the retaining screw. (shown Below)

Figure 39: Pulling spring out further to extend tail of

spring

Attach the outer Spring retaining hook to the spring retaining screw attached on the inside of the BI
enclosing bracket and the inner retaining hook to the groove in the collar.
Care needs to be taken to insert the spring into the collar the correct way. (see below)

BUMP INTEGRATOR V2 MODULE

Figure 40: example of direction that the spring needs to be

installed
Push the spring down on to the collar and bolt. (see below)

Figure 41: spring pushed down on to collar and

retaining bolt

Ensure the wire is still passing through the hole in the base plate, then fit the wire spindle to the
collar and gently fasten back on to the collar using an allen key. (see below)

Figure 42: tightening bolt for wire spindle while holding firmly

Hold wire spindle and tighten firmly using the allen key. (see below)

Figure 43: re-fitting wire spindle to collar

Remove the tape securing the wire to the spindle.

Hold the BI unit on it’s side (spindle facing down) and pull the wire until the retaining spring releases
and lightly shake the device until the spring retaining ring drops out. (see below)

BUMP INTEGRATOR V2 MODULE

Figure 44: Pulling BI wire to release spring retainer Figure 45: Spring retainer dropping from BI unit

Pull BI wire several times to check the tension of the spring. (see below)

Figure 46: Pulling BI wire to check tension

Re-Install BI Wire
Lower the BI wire through the hole in the floor and re-attach to the slotted screw on the bracket.
Tighten nylock nut to grip the wire firmly.

Re-Install into Vehicle

Check that the spindle can turn approximately four turns, and then re-mounted back into
vehicle.
The Bump Integrator should be re-calibrated after the installation of a new spring.

LRMS Module

LRMS MODULE

LCMS MODULE

RATING KEYBOARDS
OVERVIEW
The rating keyboard works alongside standard keyboards, or as a standalone keyboard. It is designed
to simplify keyboard rating by allowing for a dedicated keyboard with the rows corresponding to up
to 5 different types of distresses, the columns 4 different levels of severity for each distress.
Alternatively, the keys can be assigned to different inventory items, or anything that can be visually
recorded. Rating Keyboards are available in 20 and 58 keys with USB connections.

The keyboard comes with a key puller. This enables you to remove the plastic caps on the keys and
to label the keys. There are several ways available to label the keys.

• Pre-cut legend sheets are included to make it easy to hand inscribe labels for your keys
• X-Keys MacroWorks III (or higher) Software. This software is installed from the ROMDAS CD
for use with USB Rating keyboards.

A logical layout with clear labelling and colour coding make the Keyboard rating easier to manage.
Note also the Title labels for each group of related keys in the samples below affixed at the top of
the columns.

RATING KEYBOARDS

KEYBOARD SETUP

INSTALLING MACROWORKS SOFTWARE

The installation of the MacroWorks software is required to operate the USB Rating Keyboards.
Please do not plug in the USB Rating Keyboards until the software is fully installed.

MacroWorks is a runtime application which translates the "layout" into actual keystrokes, mouse
clicks etc understandable by the operating system. The MacroWorks software is designed to run on
Windows XP, Vista or 7.

To install MacroWorks:

1. Exit any applications you are running.

2. MacroWorks III installation requires the removal of earlier versions of MacroWorks. Please
uninstall earlier versions of MacroWorks before installing MacroWorks III.
3. Install using the CD provided with the rating keyboard (or contact [email protected]) for
a link to download the latest version)
4. Follow the installation instructions.

INSTALLING THE RATING KEYBOARD

After the MacroWorks software has been successfully installed on the computer the Rating
Keyboard can be connected to the computer USB port.

RATING KEYBOARDS

PROGRAMMING THE USB RATING KEYBOARD

1. Decide upon the distresses—or any other keycode events—to be assigned to the rating
keyboard.
2. Decide upon the levels of severities to be used.
3. Create a ROMDAS keycode event file with these distresses and severities,
4. Programme the Rating Keyboard

To Program throw the programming switch to open the Device Programming window (or open this
window by selecting the device from the taskbar menu).

The programming switch is located in the upper right corner. Sliding the switch up will open the
Device Programming window. Sliding it down will close the programming window.

A slowly blinking indicator means the Rating key is in Programming mode and ready for you to select
a key for programming.

Double click and key on the keyboard display and the Macro Window will open. Ensure that you
enter as a keystroke under the Keystrokes tab.

RATING KEYBOARDS

Type your text or Macro. The keystrokes you type will be displayed in the window. Press the button
on the rating keyboard again or click the “OK” button with the mouse to complete programming.
The keystrokes you have recorded will be displayed on the key in the Device Programming Window.

Repeat the steps above for as many keys as you wish to program.

USEFUL PRINCIPLES OF ROAD SURVEYING

Before describing the ROMDAS and its features, it is important to appreciate some of the principles
of road measurement. A proper understanding of these principles will ensure that the ROMDAS
system is used to its full potential.
Terminology

The following terminology is employed in this User’s Guide:

 Chainage: the location along a road from a start point (in m).
 LRP: Location Reference Point. A permanent marker or feature adjacent to the road used as a
reference point for surveys.
 Keyboard rating: recording events with the PC (or external rating) keyboard.
 Continuous event: an event on, or adjacent to, the road which applies over a section of the road
(e.g. a cracked section)
 Point event: an event on or adjacent to the road which applies to a point (e.g. a traffic sign or
culvert).
 Sampling interval: the interval over which data are recorded. It is usually 100 - 1000 m for
roughness surveys.
 Transverse profile: the pavement profile across a lane.
 Longitudinal profile: the pavement profile along a lane.

PLANNING & PREPARING FOR A SURVEY

OVERVIEW
The importance of survey planning and preparation cannot be over-emphasised. Experience has
shown that every hour spent planning a survey to ensure that it is executed smoothly can save up to
8 hours in post-survey data processing/corrections etc.

This chapter focuses on the following components of survey planning and preparation:
 Safety Guidelines. Safely planning your survey and adhering to your local safety guidelines, for
road use and bystanders.
 Choosing Types of Data to Collect. How to save time and money by selecting and planning
which Data is to be collected.
 Calibration (if required). Calibration and pre-survey checks to be performed.
 Defining Keyboard Events. Setting up the keyboard to record visually identified features during
a survey. See Chapter Error! Reference source not found. for further details on setting up and d
efining the Rating Keycodes.
 LRP File Utilities. Ways in which LRP files can be modified:
 Importing Data. Creating an LRP file from an existing data source
 Reversing LRP Files. Reversing the order of an LRP file to allow for the survey to be done in the
opposite direction.
 Creating a Survey Route. Combining individual LRP files into a single file representing a
continuous survey route.
 LRP Definitions. Short-cut definitions that can be used when defining LRPs in a survey
 Survey ID Definition. Creating a file which contains key survey data, such as the description and
file name, so that when the operator enters a Survey ID all other data and survey options are
correctly set.

SAFETY GUILDELINES

USEFUL PRINCIPLES OF ROAD SURVEYING

The most important thing to consider when planning for a survey is your own safety, along with the
safety of all operators and bystanders surrounding the survey. Ensure your vehicle is up to local
safety standards and ensure all operators have been trained in both; road safety and keeping
bystanders safe while running surveys. Safety Guidelines may vary by your location.

CHOOSING TYPES OF DATA TO COLLECT

There are specific questions that need to be answered during the planning stage of a survey
regarding what type of data is to be collected:

 What decisions do we need to make to manage the network?

 What data are needed to support these decisions?
 Can we afford to collect these data initially?
 Can we afford to keep the data current over a long time period?

The recommended method of planning surveys is as follows:

 Confirm whether the data are actually required. A RMS is often used to assist in making
management decisions. If the data does not have a bearing on either the RMS output or
management decisions, it should not be collected. A common problem arises when
agencies try to collect project-level data for network-level analyses (see below). This
means that data are collected in a much more detailed manner than is required for
analysis, thereby wasting time and money.
 Consider the total cost. With any RMS, the commitment is not for a one-time needs
survey. Some inventory data need only to be collected once and require updating when
there are changes in the network, such as new roads or realignments. However, some
data changes rapidly, especially data on auxiliary information such as signs and
markings. Implementation of a road management process is a commitment to a
permanent change in the way roads are managed. This means that the data collected
must be kept current -- this can be both difficult and expensive if excessive data are
collected.
 Minimize data collection. Generally, the greatest temptation is to collect too much data,
or in too much detail. When this proves to be unsustainable, data collection will cease,
compromising the value of the RMS. If the data are not kept current, management
decisions may be misguided and the RMS could become irrelevant to planning.

The guiding principles should always be:

 Collect only the data you need.

 Collect data to the lowest level of detail sufficient to make appropriate decisions.
 Collect data only when they are required.

CALIBRATIONS & VALIDATIONS

Some modules require calibration (e.g. Bump Integrators and odometers) before conducting your
first survey. Each module section of this manual includes calibration instructions (if required). It is
important to ensure calibration procedures are follow closely as the quality of your data will depend
on it.

While not all devices need calibration it is good to regularly validate your equipment. This can be as
simple as collecting data over reference sites and comparing the data. Normally it is good to
measure your reference sites regularly (e.g. annually) and with a device that is equal or higher
accuracy that the devices you are validating. For example a Laser Profiler (Class 1 device) can be

USEFUL PRINCIPLES OF ROAD SURVEYING

used to collect reference IRI data for another Laser Profiler (assuming the original Laser Profiler has
been validation recently), but a calibrated Bump Integrator (Class 3) device could not be used to
collect reference data for a Laser Profiler because in theory it is less accurate.

LOCATION REFERENCE POINTS

WHEN TO USE LRPS
When conducting a survey, the most important single consideration is the location referencing
system. The location referencing system used in ROMDAS is a linear system i.e. the survey starts at a
given point and progresses along the road. The survey chainage increases as you drive away from
the start point and decreases when heading back along the same road towards the start point.

Surveys are always done between a start and end point. The common practice is only to record
these two chainages, however, this is inadvisable. No matter how well calibrated a distance/speed
sensor is, there will be variations in the lengths recorded between different surveys on the same
road. This will create problems in reconciling data.

A better approach is to have regular Location Reference Points (LRPs) along the road. These can be
existing km stones, culverts, buildings, signs, or any physical feature which will not change between
surveys. By selecting LRPs at regular intervals, generally 1 km, one minimises the errors between
different surveys, particularly those conducted in successive years. This is done by resetting the
chainage at each LRP thereby expressing all data in terms of the offset from the last LRP.

To illustrate the importance of using LRPs and resetting the chainages at each LRP, consider Figure
47. This consists of a road which has been accurately surveyed and has LRPs at 1000 m and 2000 m.

Figure 47: Implications of LRP Resets on Survey Chainages

No matter how well calibrated the odometer is, it will never read exactly the same in two surveys of
the same road. This applies not only to the ROMDAS, but to any distance measuring device. Proper
calibration limits these effects, but they can never be eliminated. Thus, in each subsequent survey
the sections will not be identical, with the chainage errors accumulating as one travels along the
road.

In Case 1, the odometer is underestimating the distance. As a consequence, the actual sampling
intervals are greater than the target 250 m. At the first LRP there is only a small difference, however,
as one continues along the road the errors accumulate so one eventually has the target segments
completely out of synchronisation with the actual segments.

USEFUL PRINCIPLES OF ROAD SURVEYING

However, were one using LRP resets the errors would not accumulate and would only pertain to the
last sampling interval. This is illustrated in Figure 47 under “Case 1 - Reset” where the final sampling
interval before the LRP reset is shorter than the others. At each LRP the data are resynchronised
thereby ensuring that the errors are confined to each section. It is also important to note that the
data, for example the roughness, is calculated on the actual distance measured so the value will be
representative of that actual segment, even though they are measured on a shorter segment.

Case 2 arises when the odometer is over-estimating the chainage. As in Case 1, the error
accumulates so the sections are soon unsynchronised. In this instance, ROMDAS synchronises the
sections depending upon the distance after the last sampling interval when the LRP is recorded. Two
situations arise:

 the user can specify a distance after the LRP to increment to the next LRP. By default, this is set
at 100 per cent of the sampling interval. If the LRP is recorded within this zone, the data will be
stored as in “Case 2 - Reset A”;
 if the LRP is not recorded within this zone, the data are recorded as “Case 2 - Reset B”.

IMPLICATIONS OF ODOMETER ERROR

To illustrate the importance of resetting chainages at LRPs, consider the following example from a
typical (and real life) odometer calibration. Three runs were made with the vehicle over a 200 m
section. The number of odometer pulses recorded were 973, 975 and 977 over the section. These
corresponded to 4865, 4875 and 4885 pulses per km. Assuming that the mean of 4875 is
appropriate, the following is the distances that would have arisen with each of these values:

The above data show that the small difference of 2 pulses over 200 m can translate into an error of
100 m over 50 km. Over short distances, such as are used with LRP resets, the error is small enough
to be ignored.

IMPORTANCE OF LRP RESETS

The importance of using LRP resets cannot be overemphasised. Highway agencies which
do not use these invariably have problems reconciling their data from year to year. Many
have to resort to sophisticated (or not so sophisticated!) processing algorithms (“rubber
banding”), while others simply give up in frustration. ROMDAS has been designed in such
a way that you can easily avoid these problems. Because of that we STRONGLY recommend the use
of LRP resets.

ROMDAS has been designed to make full use of LRPs. The software will let the user supply a file
containing a list of LRPs and their chainages, as recorded in a previous survey. As the survey

USEFUL PRINCIPLES OF ROAD SURVEYING

progresses, the ROMDAS informs the operator that the vehicle is approaching an LRP established in
a previous survey along with a description of the LRP. The operator will then press the ESC key when
the vehicle is adjacent to the LRP. The recording is then reset thereby ensuring that the data
corresponds exactly to the measurements made in previous surveys. The end chainages can be
synchronised by replacing the surveyed chainage with the measured chainage from the LRP survey.
It is also possible to insert new LRPs into an existing file or even to create an entirely new LRP file
during a survey.

It is recommended that the chainages of the LRPs be established either in a separate survey or
during the first roughness survey. These LRPs can then be used in all future surveys to ensure
sampling consistency.

DISTANCE MEASUREMENT ACCURACY

The above discussion of LRPs touched upon the issue of measurement accuracy. It must be
appreciated that the accuracy of your distance measurement is directly proportional to the number
of pulses measured per km. With a Proximity odometer vehicles generate 2000 - 7000 pulses/km.
This corresponds to 0.5 - 0.14 m/pulse which is adequate for most applications.

The exception to this is when looking at acceleration behaviour in travel time surveys. Unless there is
approximately 5000 pulses/km one finds that the results are insufficiently accurate to get a good
estimate of the acceleration behaviour. The ROMDAS High Resolution Distance Measurement
Instrument (HRDMI) is available for situations where high resolutions are required.

RECORDING EVENTS
PRINCIPLES
The principle behind keyboard rating is to use the survey vehicle to establish the chainage of
features, pavement condition or other roadside events.

TYPES OF EVENTS
Before undertaking keyboard rating it is necessary to break down the items to be measured into
point and continuous events:

 a point event is something which exists at a single point in space, such as traffic signs or LRPs; or,
 a continuous event is something which exists over a section, such as pavement condition.
Continuous events have two chainages: a beginning and end chainage.

There is a special type of continuous event called a switch event. This can be understood as a series
of continuous events. For example, one may define a ranking for pavement condition from 0 to 5.
These are continuous events so one would normally have to press two keys when changing; one to
end the previous condition and one to apply to the new condition. Switch events remove the need
to press two keys. When the second key is pressed the first event is cancelled6.

ASSIGNING EVENTS
It is necessary to allocate an individual key on the computer keyboard to each event. These should
be carefully selected so as to be both easily accessible and easy to remember. It is good practice to
tape small labels to the keys identifying the event.

6 Normally, one has events that apply continuously along a section of road. For example, there will always be either
no cracking or a level of cracking. ROMDAS defaults to having the user switch only between switch events; you
cannot have ‘no’ event. However, this can be overruled in the keycode event setup screen.

USEFUL PRINCIPLES OF ROAD SURVEYING

When recording pavement condition it is recommended that the severity of the event also be
recorded. This is done by allocating several keys to the same event, each with differing severities, for
example:

Key Description
A No cracks
S Low cracking
D High Cracking
F Extreme Cracking

It is strongly advised that any severity rating system must include a ‘no defect’ condition since many
models which use condition data have different functions for ‘no’ versus ‘some’ distresses.

When selecting the number of distresses to record, and their severities, always bear in
mind the practical limitations of the operator. The greater the number to record the more
difficult it is to get reliable and repeatable results.

USING RATING KEYBOARDS

There are special 20 or 58 ROMDAS rating keyboards available which are designed to facilitate
condition rating surveys. Each key can be individually programmed to any key on the computer
keyboard. These greatly simplify the visual rating process. The programming of these keyboards is
described in Error! Reference source not found..

20 Key Keyboard 58 Key Keyboard

For example, one can assign different distresses to the rows and different severities to the columns.
This greatly simplifies the correct identification of the key to press for a distress. For inventory
surveys the keys could be labelled with different inventory items. The figure is an example of how a
58 key rating keyboard could be labelled to collect different data. Here, the condition is being
expressed in terms of the Surface Integrity Index which is a 0 to 5 scale7.

7 Paterson, W.D.O. (1993). A Standard Surface integrity Index of Pavement Condition: Definition and Measurement
Procedure. Internal Paper, the World Bank, Washington, D.C.

USEFUL PRINCIPLES OF ROAD SURVEYING

It is possible to record keyboard events before the survey actually starts. This allows the
operators to mark the events so that they are recorded at the survey chainage. For further
information on Preliminary Keycodes see Section Error! Reference source not found.

SURVEYING ADJACENT SECTIONS

THE PROBLEM
A problem can often arise when measuring two adjacent lanes on a two-lane road.

When the survey of the first lane is completed the vehicle must be turned around to measure the
second lane. Roughness is measured over regular sampling intervals but the last interval is usually of
a shorter length than the sampling interval. When measuring the roughness in the second lane
unless the first interval length is the same as the last interval for the previous lane, the survey results
will be staggered and not correspond to exactly adjacent sections. This problem can be visualised as
under diagram (a).

ROMDAS allows the user to terminate a survey, reposition the vehicle and start the survey on the
other lane. It adjusts the first interval length so that it is the same as the last interval for the previous
lane. This ensures that the results of a roughness survey apply to adjacent samples. This is illustrated
below under diagram (b).

The user does not need to survey the other side of the road immediately. By opening an existing file
the operator will be prompted if they want to continue an existing survey or survey the other side.
This makes it possible to plan the surveys in the most efficient manner possible.

USEFUL PRINCIPLES OF ROAD SURVEYING

NOTE: This option cannot be used in conjunction with LRP resets. In such a case there
should be separate files of LRPs for each lane. It will also not work if you are manually
defining the end of the roughness sampling interval.

PROGRAMMING A SURVEY
To improve the efficiency of the survey programme it is often necessary to interrupt what should be
a continuous run to measure roads running off from the primary survey route. An example of this is
shown below. The procedure to follow is:

 The operators shall terminate the main survey at an LRP or other roadside feature which will be
easy to return to (Run 1). It is generally recommended that this be past the point where the
other surveys are to commence.
 They may then execute the other surveys (Run 2 and Run 3).
 They shall return to where they ended the previous survey they enter the same Survey_ID as
was used previously. They will then be given the option to Continue the previous run. The data
collection will be started where they left off and, once processed, both components of Run 1 will
be integrated.

Run 2 Run 3

LRP or Roadside Feature

Run 1 Continuation of Run 1

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