A universal problem among municipalities, across the world, is a lack of information when it comes to their infrastructure assets. This absence of information often leads to sub-optimal decisions about maintenance and future investments. Results stemming from these decisions then lead to even less resources and thus a vicious circle is at its place. Road infrastructure plays a critical role in all of this. We hope to come and showcase, how we could tackle the problem with our method, and in Finland especially.
Inovitas (www.inovitas.ch/en), a Swiss company founded by a group of teachers and their students in 2011, has introduced their solution to this dilemma at hand - a cost-efficient stereo imagery under a product name Infra3D. Infra3D is a cloud-based and extendable platform that houses a full 3D-world. With it a user gets an access to accurate 3D view along streets, railways or other passages which makes heterogenous road ecosystems easily manageable. Every image pixel has an accurate (max. 1 – 2 cm) three-dimensional coordinate. The stereo images themselves are produced with a vehicle that has a customizable camera assembly installed on it with possible additional sensors.
Stereo imagery represents a light weight and convenient way to produce an inventory of not only the roads themselves, but also of assets on and alongside of them. Road monitoring from the images produces vital info about their condition. Inventories of traffic signs, paving, pedestrian crossings or lanes allow municipalities to update their often-outdated data bases and, in some cases, to even create them for the first time ever. To aid that, the web client has a wide selection of different analysis modules for both roads and railways.
Infra3D has revolutionized cost structure of road modeling. Especially, costs are below the other common modeling method that is laser scanning that poses significant costs which can rise to 600 - 750 € per kilometer (LiDAR scanning – Scandinavian market). With comparable technology and results, Infra3D product prices manage to stay between 100 – 150 € per kilometer. We believe to have found and resolved the most major, financial obstacle for efficient road and road side asset management.
What has been done?
Inovitas has conquered already 11 countries with Infra3D. The most has been done in Switzerland, Germany, Italy and Sweden. Approximately 70 000 kilometers of road and about 18 000 kilometers of railway have been covered in total. Railways are treasured in Inovitas, since they’re the ones that got the business started.
The results?
Infra3D has reached over 10 000 users. Among them, and over 500 completed projects, significant improvements have been achieved. They include savings of 30 – 60 % which have come into being through decreased costs in inventories and through more accurate investments. At the same time need for managing potentially dangerous surveys along busy roads has decreased, which has meant savings in safety measures. Information flows between planners and stakeholders have improved.
The future?
Now and in the future especially functionalities and integrability of the Infra3D web client are constantly improved. Recently version 3.6 was released. Apart from that, there currently are three on-going and independent research projects.
Stereo images pose a great possibility for strengthening open spatial data business ecosystem. Finnish Travel Agency is a prime example of, what kind of great results open data can achieve.
