Road Surface Manager is a road modelling software package that can be used as a standalone module or in conjunction with Conquest.
The main function of RSM is to assist Councils to present and defend their budget requirements based on an objective assessment of the cost required to maintain the road network in a suitable condition.
The development of the Road Surface Manager is based on a pavement management process that includes:
•Establishing relevant segment information. Road asset management requires dividing the network into segments. Segments are portions of a road of suitable length to be represented by a single set of condition data, and to undergo a single treatment. Appropriate segmentation is the key to maintaining the integrity of the information about the road network.
•Developing a consistent methodology for data collection. All segments must have consistently determined conditions so that the Road Surface Manager’s model is relevant to the entire network.
•Assigning additional priority factors to segments (other than condition). The Road Surface Manager calculates a seal condition score to create a list of candidate segments for treatment. If a budget allows only a portion of the candidate list to be treated, the Road Surface Manager uses the priority score to rank the segments in the model and allocate treatments to the most important roads. This prevents an illogical works program that treats road segments indiscriminately and possibly selects unimportant segments before vital ones.
•Scenario modelling for selecting budgets to achieve a target network condition. The Road Surface Manager calculates the condition of all segments over a budget period (typically 20 years). In each year, a segment definitely undergoes condition deterioration, and may also undergo a condition improvement if available funds and priority ranking allow a treatment. The combined condition rating of all segments yields a network condition. Part of the modelling is deciding whether a particular budget produces an acceptable network condition.
•Establishing financial plans and works programs. The Road Surface Manager’s output is a network condition, a budget, and a list of treatments on the segments that the budget allows. The list of treatments and associated costs provide a financial plan and a works program. It is best to regard the 20 year works program as the initial instalment of a rolling works program, which will be re-run periodically with updated renewal and condition information.
•Monitoring implementation of maintenance strategies against the plan.
•Updating segment condition progressively as treatments are undertaken.
•Re-rating the condition of the network at regular intervals (e.g. 3 years for sheeted roads and 5 years for sealed roads). The actual conditions of the segments that have not been treated are determined objectively. They are entered into the system to reflect current reality rather than relying on long extrapolations of network conditions.
•Recalibrating deterioration curves continually after resurveys to improve the reliability of future predictions.
•Capturing relevant maintenance history to create a knowledge base and to assess the performance of treatments over time.