During the summer Blom captured a pilot project for the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA). The project comprised of approximately 25 km of county roads in Sør-Trøndelag and parts of the city centre of Trondheim, using BlomSTREET 360 degree panorama technology, powered by CycloMedia.
The objective for the pilot project was to evaluate how NPRA will benefit from the BlomSTREET data capture technology and software solutions in a typical inventory project. The location in Sør-Trøndelag was chosen as a key area with on-going inventory activities while preparing for a new road maintenance contract.
NPRA has a wealth of experience in equipping cars with advanced camera systems to be used for inspection and inventory projects. The cameras point forward from the survey vehicle and a corresponding imagery management system offers functionality to measure widths of roads.
Typically objects such as traffic signs, poles and traffic barriers are inspected and documented. The objects are then given a map-reference based on the known position of the survey vehicle. This method requires the survey vehicle to stop at every location, which means that considerable time is spent in the field, and subsequently raises associated safety risks; two disadvantages that NPRA want to resolve.
“A major advantage with the BlomSTREET solution is efficiency – the car is able to take full panorama images at 5m intervals while driving at speeds up to 80 km/h. Registration and documentation tasks are completed from the office, which considerably reduces the time required in the field. Just this factor alone should save costs”, says Ole Jostein Lefstad from NPRA. “We also realise the important safety advantage of not having to stop the survey cars on the side of the road for every required measurement. Stopping so frequently could cause dangerous traffic situations”.
BlomSTREET offers the possibility to inspect measure and digitise objects directly from the imagery in any direction from the captured point. The data overlay functionality is extremely valuable for quality control and updating vector map data. The BlomSTREET solution is based on data hosting with access to software and fast online streaming of the imagery.
This hosted service has the advantages of no local data storage required, automatic software upgrades, providing data security and minimising IT maintenance – an all-round cost saving. Local installations are available for customers who require offline data. Efficient support and project management are provided to all customers as part of the service.
BlomSTREET is easily integrated into other applications, with the possibility for users to access imagery as well as the full suite of BlomSTREET editing and viewing functionality tools from within another software interface.
“We will be comparing our current routines and procedures with the possibilities that are available when using the BlomSTREET solution. These cost savings and improved methodology will be presented in a report for further internal consideration. Our aim is to integrate the panoramic imagery into NVDB (National Road Databank)”, adds Lefstad.
The pilot project is estimated to take approximately six months. Throughout the entire project Blom will be providing support to the project team at NPRA. The project also covered a two day training seminar that was held at Blom’s office in Oslo.
About Blom
The Blom Group is the largest provider of geospatial services in Europe for both government agencies and private commercial organizations and companies. Blom owns exclusive spatial databases composed of maps, images and 3D models. Focused on online services, Blom provides data and solutions to its customers in many markets and allows its partners to create high added-value applications based on Blom data models and services. This strategy is backed by Blom’s major technical capacity in aircrafts, cameras, laser scanners and mapping systems. This makes it possible for all projects to be carried out within the company, assuring a high quality product is delivered both on-time and to budget. Blom has more than 900 employees and offices in 13 countries and its HQ is located in Oslo, Norway. Blom is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (ticker BLO). For more information, visit www.blomasa.com.