visualisation, virtual reality & associated data handling · techniques of presenting to and...

Visualisation, Virtual Reality & Associated Data Handling

Highways Report HR4

The Universityof Reading

Volume 3 of 3Phase 3, Final Report Recommendations

Highways Agency Research Project 3/763

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

HIGHWAY VISUALISATION

Traditionally UK roads have taken 9-12 yearsto be designed and approved prior toconstruction. This has meant that priorities inroad construction and the balance ofenvironmental concerns over new roads havechanged before schemes could be built. Thisreport recommends changes the HighwaysAgency need to make to improve thissituation; the research investigated how tochange the way the Highways Agency schemedevelopment process operated from a paperbased system to a computer data basedsystem. The main focus was on advancedvisualisation, information technology, decisionsupport techniques for planning routes andtechniques of presenting to and consulting thepublic when designing roads.

A consortium of three companies comprisingWS Atkins Consultants Ltd., Taylor WoodrowManagement Ltd., and led by AdvancedConstruction Technology, a research group atThe University of Reading, secured the proofof concept research project. The researchapproach was to look for an integratedapproach, al lowing complete highwaydevelopment process improvement, ratherthan purely providing a methodology forcreating virtual reality models. This demandeda complete analysis and understanding of theexisting highway development processes sothat visualisation opportunities could beidentified. Having identified the visualisationopportunities and reached agreement of thelikely productivity improvements theappropriate tools were in turn identified ordeveloped for the Highways Agency. Thisreport shows how the team satisfied thecriteria established in the project InceptionReport.

Research Phases

The research project was initially intended onlyto be a single project with no phasing,however as the research progressed moreopportunities presented themselves to theHighways Agency and the project team.Therefore, in time further areas to be explored

were added to the research remit. For this tobe achieved additional phases were added andmore resources made available.

Phase 1 Research

Phase 1 of the research explored how timespent on the existing approach to highwaydevelopment could be reduced to incorporatehigh levels of design information early on. Itwas found that by employing a developediterative process to early highway design andcontinually refining it, design and cost certaintywould be the result as well as providing visualinformation to inform and influence projectstakeholders.

The focus of this stage of the research wasprimarily on the development of new roadschemes and not on maintenance andcapturing historic information. The researchapproach involved taking an existing schemethrough the revised process, challenging thetechnology to provide the requiredinformation.

Phase 2 Research

Phase 2 of the research built on the success ofthe previous phase and promoted thetechniques developed within the HighwaysAgency. The promotion involved the use ofmulti media presentations to select groupswith the Highways Agency and externalpartners as well the provision of presentationsoftware for the Highways Agency. In additionto this the project team also created a Website as an alternative route to view the projectdevelopments. A video of the total process wasalso made for wider circulation.

The research also identified a number ofsoftware applications that allowed existing andproposed structures such as housing, officedevelopments, landscapes and bridges to bemodelled quickly and effectively, to appreciatethe impact of proposals

In addition some of the techniques developedin Phase 1 were further refined and a reportwas prepared outlining suggested changes thatneeded to be made to introduce changes intothe Highways Agency’s current process.


Phase 3 Research

Phase 3 research project extended the earlierwork, which focused on new build, tooperation, maintenance and improvement ofthe existing road network. The researchfurther extended the visualisation aspect of theproject, but also looked at how informationcould be shared to the whole of the HighwaysAgency, including its subcontractors. Inaddition the project team explored the likelyimplementation issues facing the HighwaysAgency when introducing the newly developedtechniques.

The aim has been to develop recommend ac-tions from the whole study to allow differentparts of the Agency to see how it could benefitthem and their stakeholders from theintroduction of the system to the HighwaysAgency.


PROJECT PARTICIPANTS

HIGHWAYS AGENCY

Jon Wallsgrove Client Representative March 1997+Joe Burns Client Representative up to March

1997

ADVANCED CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY

Richard Barlow Project ManagerNeil BowmanProf. Norman FisherNaomi GarnettMarek Suchocki

TAYLOR WOODROW MANAGEMENT LTD.

Ronan BoccaroChris CookDavid SmithRichard Vertigan Taylor Woodrow Project

Co-ordinator

WS ATKINS PLC.

Tim BroydScott KerrColin MunzMike Russell WS Atkins Project Co-ordinatorHugh Woods


COMPANY INVOLVEMENT:

Many individuals and organisations havecontributed to the success of this project. Inparticular the researchers would like to thank:

1. The Highways Agency2. WS Atkins Consultants3. Taylor Woodrow Project Modelling

Group4. The University of Reading5. UK Robotics6. Ordnance Survey

COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

Where appropriate, text and diagrams fromthe software and other company’s web-siteshave been included and/or adapted to thepurposes of this reports. Copyright of the origi-nal material is acknowledged.

CONTENTS

Executive Summary ........................................................ 3

Project Participants ........................................................ 5

Introduction ...................................................................... 9

Objectives ...................................................................... 9

Recommendations ........................................................ 11

Current Highways Agency Procurement Process ................ 15

The Commission Documents ........................................... 17

Changes to the Procurement Process ............................. 19

Changes to Commission Documents ................................... 20

Application of Changes ................................................ 22

The Highways Agency’s IT Policy .................................... 25

CONTENTS PAGE


INTRODUCTION

The recommendations are listed here forresearch project 3/76 between the HighwaysAgency and a research consortium led by TheUniversity of Reading and involving TaylorWoodrow Project Modelling Group and WSAtkins Consultants. This forms part of the maindeliverable of the 2½ year research projectand should be read in association with the otherdocuments set out below:

� Final Report Volume 1 (Issued at the endof phase 1)

� Final Report Volume 2 (Issued at the endof phase 3)

In addition a better understanding of theissues will be achieved by reviewing thedemonstrator systems provided – either on theInternet or on the demonstration systemsprovided to the Highways Agency

The recommendations in this document arebased upon the findings of the final reportdocuments and the lessons learnt fromcreating the demonstrator systems.

The earlier phases of the research, phases 1and 2 studied the application of visualisationto the highway procurement process. Phase 3of the research project explored the datahandling issues and further expanded on thevisualisation areas explored in phase 1 and 2in addition to modelling structures, urbanschemes, operation, maintenance andimprovement and the implementation issuesof the whole of the research to the HighwaysAgency.

From phases 1 and 2, the research defined anumber of software methods that could helpthe Highways Agency produce designs thatmeet the operational and environmentalcriteria, in a shorter time.

From phase 3, the research found that anumber of data handling strategies could helpthe Highways Agency produce better systemsfor handling large volumes of graphical datarelevant to phase 1. The research alsoidentified a number of software methods

allowing structures, such as houses, offices andbridges to be modelled quickly and effectively.

OBJECTIVES

A major objective of the research was toenable the Highways Agency to benefit fromthe electronic information used by itscontractors and suppliers.

Historically, the current HA commissiondocuments do make reference to some use ofcomputer data, however the procurementprocess is still primarily paper-based within theorganisation. The research aim is to explorehow the current power of computer hardwareand software can now change this focus to aprocess using computer data, in addition tothe legally important paper archives.

A second major objective of the research wasto reduce the design time for developing newviable scheme designs to effectivecommunicate intentions to the public.

This report identifies specific areas in whichthe computer methods would improve thecurrent process and suggests means ofintroducing them into the commissiondocuments. It then sets out examples of theirimplementation based on the experience of theresearch project, and this represents BestPractice at the time of writing. However, it mustbe recognised that the rapid rate of softwaredevelopment means that the contents mustbe reviewed regularly, and frequent updatesare likely to be necessary.

The provision of accurate good qualityinformation earlier in the process than normalopens up many opportunities. One of the mostbeneficial aspects identified is the ability to starta meaningful dialogue with the general publicearlier in the process where the valuableinformation that they provide can be put tobest use, and subsequent reworking of designproposals can be minimised. This two-waycommunication in association with theincreased communication of intent using I.T.should produce better schemes with publicapproval.


Improvements in the way scheme designinformation is communicated to the generalpublic should allow greater understanding tobe generated and improve the publicconsultation process.

As well as providing reports on the applicationof new computer based techniques,highlighting the changes required to move frompaper based systems to computer basedsystems, the project team also providedactual software demonstrator systems toillustrate the techniques in action.


RECOMMENDED CHANGES TOTHE HIGHWAYS AGENCY’SPOLICIES AFFECTING I.T.

Changes are recommended to the currentHighways Agency IT policy to accommodatethe methods and techniques outlined in thefinal report. Associated changes to thecommission documents are discussed andrecommended in the next section.

These recommendations are made from astrategic view of the Highways Agency’sprocesses, and will have an impact onorganisations outside the Agency. In order toachieve the full benefits of these changes, itwill be necessary to involve the HighwaysAgency’s supply chain partners in the processimprovements and in defining the boundariesof responsibility.

1 . Visualisation and ModellingRecommendations

A. A clear coherent strategy of the intendedpurpose of any visualisation work, withthe level of detail to be defined to reflectthe intended use and the audience.

B. Where the project information ismissing or largely incomplete it isrecommended that for large structuresthe Highways Agency consider the useof Laser Scanning, which is a fast, costeffective technique of regeneratingproject information on site. It isrecommended that this is undertaken ata pace and sequence dictated by thestructural repairs and alterationsprogram.

C. It is possible to create CAD drawings frompaper drawings and it is recommendedthat this be undertaken, where cost andtime considerations can demonstrate thatthis is effective. It is recommended thatthis task is undertaken as required whennew schemes are proposed.

D. In order to provide visualisations andproject models the Highways Agencynow needs to move towards a policy ofworking in a 3D CAD environment,otherwise current schemes’ 2D CAD files

will need to be converted into 3D fileswhich will be time consuming and anavoidable costly process.

E. To effectively model road schemesusing the techniques defined in thereport the correct GIS data must beavailable quickly in the correct format andto the correct level of detail. The level ofdetail required must reflect the intendeduse of the data and realistic resourcesand time made available to create theappropriate model.

F. It is recommended that for maintenancepurposes visualisation is useful formodelling voids inside structures. Thiscan be used to identify workingmethods (health & safety) and to createvoids in structures in the design phasesthat are appropriate to the anticipatedmaintenance activities. Animations canbe created to help in the training ofmaintenance technicians using 3Dvisualisations.

G. It is recommended that visualisations beused to give a clearer understanding ofthe public consultation process outliningthe implications on the scheme. Thevisualisations should be navigable bynovice users so that personalcircumstances relating to schemelocation can be identified quickly anddiscussed constructively. Thevisualisation could be via an Intranet webbrowser or on a stand-alone computerat the public inquiry location.

H. It is recommended that the HighwaysAgency use external agencies to developstandard models of reusable designcomponents for use in their designprocess and the design processes of theirsubcontractors. This could be achievedby letting a contract for development orby purchasing standard componentsfrom developers.

I. It is recommended that the HighwaysAgency insist that the ownership ofstandard component models developedby subcontractors for use on HighwaysAgency projects resides with theHighways Agency.

J. It is recommended that the Highways

RECOMMENDATIONS


Agency initially pay for the provision ofstandard components for use on suitableprojects. However, the Agency should notpay for subsequent use of the standardcomponents for subcontractors to use.

K. It is recommended that all preparationof visualisation be carried out byorganisations external to the HighwaysAgency.

L. Presentation techniques identified, suchas Augmented Reality, should beexplored as they can give a greatlyimproved perception of how changes toa particular scheme will affect theexisting landscape.

2. Data Access Recommendations

A. Intranet technology provides easy accessto corporately owned central anddistributed data sets. We recommendthat the HA should build on its trialsystem by establishing a plan to moveto Intranet information deliverymechanisms.This will require consider-able analysis of the availability and own-ership of data so that it can be linked toform useful information. A data entityanalysis is required to inform the Intranetdesign. Process maps will also be re-quired to ensure that information sys-tems support the necessary businessprocess.

A clear strategy on user requirementsfor such needs to be defined so that auser policy can be defined and publicised.This would define user rights andpermissions for users with differing needsand levels of access to projectinformation. One important outcome ofthis analysis will be guidance andforecasts on bandwidth requirement. Thestorage system needs to deliver to theuser the functionality required tomanage the development andproduction of both production anddesign drawings

B. It is recommended that the networkbrowser typically, Internet Explorer,Netscape, Opera, becomes the preferredtool for accessing project information via

the Web-enabled server so that theappropriate information can be retrieved.

C. It is recommended that where projectIntranets are used a collaborativeworking environment be establishedwhere users are required to publishinformation to central project web pageson a project Intranet. The collaborativeworking environment should be used toprovide all project information withaudit trails made visible to show owner-ship, publication date and changes made.

D. There are issues relating to the transferof information to Governmentdepartments that may cause difficulty,specifically the Government SecureInternets (GSI) policy. The HighwaysAgency is at the lowest level of securitybut GSI still needs to be considered. Webbased technology allows the possibilityof centralised working through proxyservers. The relationship with externalagencies needs to be reviewed, withaccess given via firewalls that meet theGSI Policy, and it is recommended thatthe relevant government departments beconsulted.

3. Hardware and Data StorageRecommendations

A. In order to provide a web server basedinformation depository the HighwaysAgency needs to define the anticipatedusage and size the hardware accordingly.This will require the results of theanalysis from section 2A above.

B. In analysing the hardware and bandwidthrequirements, it is recommended that theHighways Agency replicate and mirrordata to distributed nodes on the system,thereby reducing the requirement forlong-distance downloads of regularlyused large data files.

C. The location of the web server is not amajor concern to users but it needs tobe in a location where physicaladministrative tasks can be carried out.Most other administrative tasks can becarried out from remote locations. It isrecommended that the servers arelocated on the premises of the


organisation responsible for continuity ofservice.

D. It is recommended that the bandwidthsprovided by the web-enabled networkshould reflect the needs of the users interms of functionality, network accessand response time. Due to the difficultyof obtaining precise forecasts, it is alsorecommended that the Highways Agencyobtain bandwidth from a commercialprovider on a contractual basis thatallows flexibility to upgrade withoutprohibitive costs.

E. There is a push by the Highways Agencyfor Thin Client Technology at satelliteoffices with web servers and ExchangeServer being used. The project teamrecommends that this policy be pursued.

F. Having established the needs of theusers and the degree of access given tothe different users in the above section2A, it is recommended that the clientsoftware be configured to provide adefined level of user service. Forexample, a simple user may only needto view information (e.g. GIS and CADinformation) and browser plug-ins maysuffice. A power user who is involved inthe production process is likely to needaccess to the file depository; this can beprovided via a password facility.

G. Many of the drawings held by theHighways Agency are not in CAD format.The paper-based hard copies are storedmanually in regional offices all over thecountry making retrieval timeconsuming and inefficient. It isrecommended that the Highways Agencyaddress this problem.

H. It is recommended that the HighwaysAgency, when giving access to legacyCAD and GIS data provide informationon the formats available; for example,with CAD, these formats would typicallyinclude AutoCAD, MicroStation, and DXF.

I. It is recommended that when storingvector data, such as GIS information andCAD files a raster files index or visualdrawing register be provided, withvector files available for download onlyafter location via index.

4. Cultural ChangesRecommendations

A. It is recommended that the practice ofworking and thinking in 3 dimensions isactively promoted within the HighwaysAgency and its subcontractors.

B. It is recommended that users andinformation providers are educated in thebenefits of changing the mechanisms fordissemination of data from the traditional“push” method to the more effective“pull” method. In the “push” method thedata originator sends the information toeveryone they believe may need thedata. On the other hand the “pull” meth-odology concentrates on providing infor-mation about where and what data isavailable (meta-data) allowing users toobtain immediately the informationwhenever they need it.

C. It is recommended that the HighwaysAgency publicise to its staff and subcontractors that it wishes to positivelyencourage input from the public toscheme designs. Clearly, an opendiscussion and evaluation of potentialalterations at an early stage benefits boththe public and the Highways Agency.

D. It is recommended that clearexplanations and illustrations of both theterminology and methods of working aremade widely available on both theHighways Agency’s Intranet and in thespirit of the above recommendation 4C,the Internet.

5. Training Requirements

A. It is recommended that a period fortraining is identified in the implementa-tion schedule to allow users tounderstand how to use the new system.This will also allow management toexplain to users why there was a needfor change and the advantages of thechange to users.

B. Large-scale training of peoplethroughout an organisation can be aconsiderable drain on the HumanResources department. It is thereforerecommended that an external agencyis appointed to develop training schemes


that are tailored to the particularinstallation, and to the HighwaysAgency’s strategy.

DETAILED INFORMATION

It is recommended that any reader requiringfurther information on which to base strategicdecisions for the Highways Agency obtains acopy of the main report (volume 2) whichaccompanies this document and provides moredetails than can be accommodated in thissummary.


CURRENT HIGHWAYS AGENCYPROCUREMENT PROCESS

Since 1991 Highways Agency projects havegenerally been split into three commissionstages with model commission documents foreach stage.

� Stage one takes the scheme from itsinception to the announcement of apreferred route. Principal tasks are datagathering and the preparation of routealternatives.

� Stage two leads to the making of theStatutory Orders. The route must be fixed,together with the major features of theproject: structures, earthworks etc., whichaffect the land requirements or which maybe the subject of objections at publicinquiry.

� Stage three involves the detailed designof the works, the letting of the contractand the supervision of construction.

� Construction is at the end of thisprocess

The illustration of the Procurement processoverleaf (Figure 1) is the result of the processmapping undertaken in phase 1 of the projectand illustrates a high level strategic view ofthe development process for the HighwaysAgency. This model was developed as astarting point for the research to find the likelypoints where visualisation could be seen asproviding benefit, both in terms ofcommunication and productivity, andrepresents the process at the time of theresearch. Clearly, the details of the process willevolve, but the general principles remain valid.For example, a very significant further changein the process has recently been introduced.Now before the Highways Agency start todesign a new road scheme, an integratedtransport study of the transport corridor in theregion is carried out. This identifies whetherthe new or altered road is a transport elementthat is required. This would come beforeinception process of designing the roadscheme.

CURRENT PROCUREMENT PROCESS

There have been some changes to the basicprocurement strategy that have brought manyvariations to the model documents. Thesechanges relate to new procurement strategiesfor specific types of projects, for exampleDesign and Build or DBFO (Design, Build,Finance and Operate) contracts. Changes havealso been made to add some nonstandardproject milestones for some specific commis-sions, perhaps as a Stage 2+ project wheresome Stage 1 activities are included.


Figure 1 The Highways Agency Project Process Showing the Key Phases

Stage 2

HIGHWAYS PROJECT PROCESS

INPUTS :Study Brief

Revised BriefRevised

Brief 1.0 Investigation 1

2.0 Investigation 2 Revised Brief

PRAScheme

Brief

3.0 Scheme Development Revised Brief

1.Updated

Scheme Brief2.

Inspector'sReport

4.0 ConstructionOUTPUTS :

WorksComplete

Stage 1

Process Owner: The Highways Agency

Definition: The highways project process includes those subprocesses from the issue ofa study brief by the HA to the handover of a completed scheme from the contractor.

Stage 3

INPUTS :

1. SAR 3

OUTPUTS :

1. Inspector'sReport

3.2.1 Preparation for PI 3.2.2 Organisation of PI 3.2.3 PI Alternative

Solutions 3.2.4 Report & Analysis

3.0 SCHEME DEVELOPMENT3.2 Public Inquiry

Process Owner: Highways Agency

Definition: This process presents the scheme to Public Inquiry and iscomplete when the Inspector's Report is delivered.


THE COMMISSION DOCUMENTS

The following process details relate to theprocess map Figure 1, as noted, although theprocess is expected to evolve the keyprinciples all remain valid.

The stated objectives of all the CommissionStages are :

� To develop environmentally acceptable,economical and safe proposals to accom-modate trunk road / motorway traffic onthe route.

� To minimise the environmental impact onthe works.

� For trunk Roads: - to minimise side roadconnections and private means of accessto the trunk road consistent with makingother satisfactory arrangements for thetraffic.

� For motorways: - to minimise delays totraffic and ease congestion on andjoining / leaving the motorway.

The work thus centres on the engineering ofthe route, the effects on the environment, andthe economic implications of both. Below arelisted the tasks in each of the stages that arerelevant to visualisation, virtual reality, and datahandling issues.

Stage 1 – Development of a PreferredRoute

One of the key tasks is the collection of dataof the fol lowing types: planning,environmental, topographical, geotechnical,traffic, accident, pavement condition, andstatutory undertakers’ plant. Within theplanning and environmental categories manydetailed types of information are specified, bothfor the existing condition and calculatedeffects of the scheme on noise, air pollution,etc.

The topographical data collection is entirely in2D-plan form, with the exception of surveysfor later stages, which are commissionedunder this stage. Digital height andphotographic data were not generally availableat the time the model documents were drafted.

The relevant deliverable items, those withgeographic content, have suitablepresentation scales specified in the modeldocument. This again reflects the time ofwriting when only these scales were available.Considerable effort goes into the design of thealternative routes so that the impact of eachoption can be properly assessed. At this stagethe objective is to ensure that all the issueshave been covered so that the preferred routecan be correctly chosen.

The relevant deliverables are:

1. The Existing Planning Constraints Map;2. The Landscape Report (parts 1 & 2);3. Inventory of Landscape Features /

Landscape Assessment;4. Geotechnical Desk Study Report;5. Statutory Undertakers’ etc. Plant;6. Traffic and Accident data;7. Pavement Condition;8. Report on Initial Route Alternatives;9. Impact Assessment of Alternative Route

Corridors;10. Technical Appraisal Report (TAR);11. Public Consultation:- documents,

questionnaire, display panels, scalemodel;

12. Scheme Assessment Report (SAR).

There is necessarily a high degree of overlapin the data content of these reports.

Stage 2 – Fixing a Precise Route

The main tasks under this stage are thedevelopment of the scheme to the point thatthe land requirements are known. The form,dimensions, and appearance of all structuresare decided. The design as a whole is broughtto sufficient level of detail for Public Inquiry.

The relevant deliverable items are: -

1. Land Plans and Schedules;2. Line Orders and Side Road Orders;3. Compulsory Purchase Orders;4. Order Publication Report;5. Approval in Principle (AIP) drawings for

all structures;6. Presentation material for Royal Fine Arts

Commission;

THE COMMISSION DOCUMENTS


7. Environmental Statement;8. Orders Exhibition;9. Public Inquiry.

Stage 3 – Detailed Design, Contractand Construction

The main tasks of this stage are the detaileddesign of the project, contract letting andconstruction supervision. Areas that arerelevant to visualisation and virtual reality couldinclude the whole design, l inking tospecifications and bil l of quantities.Construction sequence and method planningare obvious candidates for VR.

The detailed design phase is the one in whichcomputer methods have been most widely usedover the last 25 years. In ground modelling,structural analysis, drainage design anddrawing production, computer methods areused routinely. However, the computer datafiles are not deliverable items under thecommission. The adoption, level of detail,completeness and accuracy of any computermodelling are at the consultants’ discretion.There is no requirement to maintain anycomputer data in an up-to-date form, nor needit be supplied to other interested parties suchas the contractor. Although computer files, inthe form of MX models (formally known asMoss) or CAD drawings, are often transferred,their quality can vary considerably.

More research is needed into the applicationof visualisation and virtual reality from detaileddesign through construction to maintenance.Object oriented modelling offers the greatestpromise, with the potential to link 3Dinformation with time, materials, specifications,and cost information.


SUGGESTED CHANGES

Changes that are required to the currentprocurement process.

The design stages identified earlier requirerestructuring if the objective of reducingdesign time is to be realised. These changesinclude:

1. To gather more site information earlierin order to prepare a Virtual Reality modelfor stage one.

2. To produce more detailed designs instage one than is currently undertakenusing Virtual Reality techniques.

3. To consult stakeholders widely using adetailed Virtual Reality Model. The aimbeing to incorporate the commentsgenerated in stage two, so avoiding longpublic inquires.

4. To use the accumulated electronicinformation developed to generate work-ing drawings without accidentally omit-ting the agreed changes and fine adjust-ments in stage three

CHANGES TO THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS


SUGGESTED CHANGES

The research recommends the followingchanges to the commission documents if theadvantages discussed in the final reportdocument are to be realised in theprocurement of new projects.

Stage 1:

1. It is proposed that as far as possible allthe information collected shall beassembled within a computer systemsuch that any chosen data sets can beviewed together, regardless of the scaleat which they were originally made.

2. The proposed computer systememployed to hold the projectinformation should al low projectmembers to gain access from remotesites to allow information to be added,removed and edited for users with theappropriate permission rights. Changesin the computer system files should beflagged to alert other users of revisions.It is recommended that the electronicmail system be connected to the systemto inform nominated users of the changesmade.

3. Some further information, namelyphotography and height data aresuggested to be included in the compu-ter system as soon as they becomeavailable. These can make a significantimprovement to the accuracy of prelimi-nary work and to the comprehensibilityof the results to interested parties andto the public.

Stage 2:

1. It is proposed that consultations, bothin confidence and with the public, shouldto a far greater degree be computerbased. The design process should bemade more responsive to interestedparties; this could be improved byface-to-face discussion using softwarethat can quickly generate and adjustroutes in plan, elevation, and crosssection.

2. The dissemination of the proposals couldbe augmented by the preparation of aweb site for each project – either in asecure Extranet for confidential stages,or on the public Internet as part of thepublic consultation or exhibition. Acomponent of the web site, or of thetraditional consultation display, could beone or more VR models.

3. Improvements in the hand-over ofinformation from each consultant to thenext, and eventually to the maintainingagents, needs to be improved, with moreemphasis placed upon the transfer ofcomputer data access.

4. At the heart of any project is anunderstanding of conventions andterminology, which must be consistentand clearly understood by all projectparticipants. It is recommended that theproject and the Highways Agency makeexplicit what the definitions andrequirements are for the common projectdata to reduce confusion and eliminatemistakes in terms of definition whenmaking changes or creating newinformation. Such conventions should beappropriate to all Highways Agencyinformation, both for new and oldschemes for comparisons to be made.

Stage 3:

1. New schemes should as a matter ofcourse store information in formatssuitable for electronic capture andpresentation on computers. The fileformat would depend upon theanticipated end use for the information.

2. It is proposed that preparation ofmaterial for the visualisation techniquesexplored in the research should becarried out by companies external to theHighways Agency. This allows theHighways Agency to reduce theirexposure to the rapidly evolving natureof the technology and the hardware,software, and training costs involved.

CHANGES TO COMMISSION DOCUMENTS


3. It is proposed that a centrally heldelectronic database or series ofdatabases be created for recordspurposes, allowing users to accessinformation on particular schemes fromremote locations.

4. It is proposed that as far as possible allinformation collected is held centrally ona Web enabled server and distributed viaa Web browser on local client machinesso that information can be viewed quicklyand easily by anyone with Internetaccess and the appropriate permissions.

5. GIS and drawing information, which isused for information purposes, should beprovided in a picture format which canbe quickly downloaded and viewed on abasic computer workstation, normally ina raster format.

6. GIS and drawing information which isintended for use in computer applicationsthat allow changes and revisions tomade, should be stored in anappropriate format that allows users todownload files on demand, normally ina vector format. It is appropriate forthe smaller raster format files to be usedas a visual index for the larger vectorfiles. Vector files although the mostuseful are much larger in size, thereforethe download is significantly slower thanfor raster index files. Recommendationson the data storage location strategiesare given earlier in this report.


APPLICATION OF SUGGESTEDCHANGES

The following text in Red Italics is thesuggested form of words to be inserted intothe model commission documents:

Stage 1 &2

1. The change of emphasis to raise theimportance to the Highways Agency ofcomputer files must be made clear atthe outset of all stages of all newcommissions.

The Consultants shall, as far aspossible, obtain data in digital form.Where geographic data is available onlyon paper the Consultants shall convertit to a suitable digital form by scanningor digitising.

2. The change in emphasis from paper tocomputer file as well as applying todrawing and GIS files also applies to textand image files. Textual information willinclude items such as contractualdocumentation, project information andreference documents, correspondenceand other official documentation. Imagesinformation would include photographicimages, document images (scannedinformation) and raster files of existingdrawings.

The computer system shall be capableof displaying and printing all projectinformation held in an electronic form.

Project participants shall be capable ofuploading and downloading informationrelating to specific projects based on theirpermission rights.

3. The current documents specify not onlythe classes of information to be collected,but the presentation scale as well. Inorder to be able to view and output anyof the data sets together at any suitablescale, they must be accessible separatelybut held in the same grid system. Untilthe detailed design stage the errors are

insignificant between National Grid anda true-measurement local grid.

All geographically referenced data shallbe compiled to a common grid, basedon the National Grid, within a suitablecomputer system.

Each dataset shall be structured in oneor more separate layers or files so thatits visibility may be individually set.

4. Even though no longer the masterinformation, printed output will remainimportant through the design process.

The computer system shall be capableof displaying and plotting high qualityplan and perspective views, of bothvector and raster information overlyingheight data, in the range of scales from1:1250 to 1:50,000.

5. Aerial photography of the site can addgreatly to the clarity of the implicationsof the alternative schemes. It is possibleto purchase 5 km x 5 km ortho-correctedtiles of the whole country. Other sourcesof photography may also be availableduring the course of the project.

The Consultants shall obtainortho-corrected aerial photography of theproject area in digital form. Thephotography shall have a resolution of0.5 m or better.

Photography commissioned by theConsultants for later 1:1250 or 1:500mapping and digital ground modellingshall be ortho-corrected and supplied indigital form with the transformationparameters to National Grid.

The format for the digital data shouldbe in a suitable form for viewing andmanipulation on computers.

6. In order to provide the general publicwith an understanding of the implicationsof the proposed schemes, presentations

APPLICATION OF CHANGES


on computer should be used, showingimplications and alternatives.

The general public should be providedwith computer based visualisations ofproposed schemes and alternatives.

7. In order to provide better disseminationof project information to the projectparties a centrally held projectinformation server is required. Theproject databases held on this servershould be computer based allowingproject parties with the correctpermissions to add, edit, and removedata from it. The information server isintended to hold and distribute all projectinformation. Access restrictions shouldapply based upon the nature of theinformation. The nature of the service islikely to be Web based technology.

All project information is to be held in asuitable format in computer data files.Data files are to be held on a centralcomputer server where all projectpartners have access to add, edit andremove information based upon theirlevel of access and permission rights.

8. In order to give the best service tointerested parties during the routeselection stage of the project, aresponsive preliminary alignment tool isneeded. This must allow repeatedadjustment to the route, while retainingthe geometric nature of the alignmentand enabling it to be checked againststandards.

The route alternatives shall be developedin an alignment system that can: quicklyaccommodate repeated amendments tothe horizontal and vertical alignmentsand the cross-sectional shape of theroad; calculate the resulting earthworkscut/fill quantities.

9. The use of height data from the earlieststages of the project brings benefits bothin the visualisation of the scheme and in

the calculation of earthworks land-takeand quantities.

The Consultants shall obtain OrdnanceSurvey height data to a scale andformat appropriate to the stage and sizeof the project. For Stage 1 either1:50,000 or 1:10,000 contour or levelgrid data shall be used. For Stage 2 theConsultants shall use either 1:10,000contour or level grid data, or heighted1:12501 or 1:2500 vector data from anOS Value Added Reseller.

10. In order to reduce confusion betweenproject partners with dissimilar roles andothers reusing the information later, it isadvised that standard terminology shouldbe added to the project language andcommon definitions encouraged.

Project parties when using languagewhich is technologically complex orwhere there is a likelihood of confusionshould clarify the terms used byproviding glossaries.

11. If live “real-time” demonstrations of thescheme are to be given as part ofin-confidence or public consultations orexhibitions, a higher specification ofhardware and software is needed.

The computer system shall be capableof panning, zooming and “flying over”the data in real time.

12. The construction of physical modelstakes a significant time, and is then fixed.It may be advantageous to supplementor replace the physical models withvirtual reality models. Potential benefitswould include a larger modelled area,greater detail of critical parts and a moreup to date model.

The Consultants may supplement or

1 OS only supply their height data in 1:50000 and 1:10000Scales at the current time, Infrasoft provide a service wherethey combine the 1:10000 scale height data with the 1:2500/1:1250 data to provide a set of 3D heighted polylines in AutoCADformat. This can be quite expensive.


replace the physical models for publicconsultation with virtual reality modelstogether with suitable equipment for theirdisplay.

13. Handover of information betweenconsultants, to the Highways Agency andto managing agents needs to be in anelectronic format so that information canbe readily reusable should the need arise.

Consultants must provide information toothers in a suitable electronic formatallowing a common basis for filetransfer and the re-use of projectinformation.

Stage 3

14. Data transfer between stageconsultants relies on compatibility andlegality. The file types, formats andtransfer media must be common to bothconsultants. The ownership of the dataneeds to remain with the HA.

All data purchased for the project shallbe the property of the Employer, whoshall reimburse the Consultant for costsincurred.

The Consultant shall ensure that the datais to an appropriate level of detail,completeness, and accuracy. It shallincorporate any late design changes.

15. A secure web site is a very flexible andintuitive way to disseminate projectinformation during scheme development.Users should be able quickly to locatethe information that is of interest. Amodel web site may be needed to givean appropriate structure.

The Consultants shall prepare andmaintain a secure web site containingall the information to be displayed at thepublic consultation exhibition.

16. The data within the computer systemsshall be made available, in industrystandard file formats, to the Employeror his Consultants for later stages of the

project. Data structure and namingconventions shall be supplied.

Project drawing register and drawing filesshould be kept on the projectinformation server in appropriate formfor different user needs. Ownership ofthe information will belong to theemployer who will manage access rightsand notify users of new drawings as theyare made available. The quality of theinformation will be the responsibility ofthe organisation publishing it to theinformation server for which records willbe kept.


THE HIGHWAYS AGENCY’S I.T.POLICY

The following information is based oninterviews with the key staff from the BIS divi-sion of the Highways Agency.

It is understood that the Highways Agencycurrent IT strategy is to remain ‘mainstream’using tried and tested technology rather thanusing new technologies which potentially haveincreased risks attached to them.

At this time there is currently an internal studybeing undertaken by BIS Division of theHighways Agency to determine what thefuture requirements are in terms of IT for theHighways Agency and to determine how theycan move forward into the next century. Thisreview is likely to cover areas including howthe Highways Agency can use external agentsto deal with project specific IT problems. Thestrategy also aims to determine what are likelyto be the main sources of IT systemsexpenditure for the future. When the report ispublished it is hoped that it will bring togetherall the functions of the HA to facilitate bettercommunication, group working and increasedliaison between professions.

It was found as part of this research projectthat the efficient use, distribution and storageof information to all project partners and thedissemination to the general public can greatlystreamline the procurement process andprovide guidance on what information to storeor archive. This will have an impact uponfuture Highways Agency policy due to theheavy reliance on moving larger files fromcomputer to computer both internally betweenregions and divisions and also to the generalpublic who may access information remotely.

Highways Agency Current IT Structure

The current IT policy for the Highways Agencyis centred about Local Area Networks which insome cases are project related and temporaryand in other cases permanent where they arebased in regional offices. This system hastraditionally worked very well in allowing the

Highways Agency and its partners based onthe local LAN to share information.

Network Structure Policy

The Highways Agency IT infrastructureconsists of approximately twenty-six Local AreaNetworks (LAN’s) connected by a Wide AreaNetwork (WAN) managed by BritishTelecommunications. The network protocol isto move toward TCP/IP network connectionsusing Windows NT servers serving Windows95 client machines. The current networksoftware is based around Novell GroupWiseNetWare software, however this will bereplaced gradually with Microsoft Exchange andother Microsoft server software. The move toMicrosoft servers particularly Exchange is finefor routine network activities on typical LANnetworks. However, if the findings of the projectare to be implemented the data transfermechanisms will need more than a simple Ex-change network. The project recommendationis to move towards web-enabled servers suchas Apache (free) or the Microsoft equivalent -Internet Information Server (IIS).

Highways Agency Software Applica-tions Policy

Current Highways Agency policy places norestrictions on the type of software individualprojects may use but there are publishedguidelines. Currently the Agency uses at least60 recognised software applications in variousparts of the organisation.

In the future, the Highways Agency standardclient desktop computer is likely to bepre-installed with Microsoft Office 97 withaccess given to corporate intranet/internet(where available) through Microsoft InternetExplorer.

No restrictions are to be made on plug-insoftware or media players which can be usedto increase the power of Internet Explorer atpresent but the use of Active X and Java Scriptsare restricted. Access to the World Wide Webis restricted to approved sites only – a whitelist system is employed rather than the use ofa network monitor to check for user access towebsites on a blacklist.

CURRENT HIGHWAYS AGENCY IT POLICY


Data Storage Policy

Some regions of the Agency are alreadystoring drawing data electronically, however,normally the policy relating to data storage isto keep information, such as GIS and drawinginformation locally and not to share it with otherparts of the organisation across the WAN dueto bandwidth restrictions and the limitation ofclient computers.

Archiving data is proving to be an area ofconcern to the Highways Agency. This doesnot just relate to the storage of historicinformation that in some cases is incomplete;but also relating to working strategy of whatnot to store. This is particularly true of trafficinformation, which in some cases is providedby live 24-hour data feeds, that produce vastamounts of time stamped information. Thecurrent policy is to store every piece ofinformation captured and discard none.Unfortunately, this is proving unrealistic, ascollating, sorting, and indexing information forfiling is proving cost prohibitive.

The information was categorised into a numberof types. This included live data feeds fromtraffic systems, historical information such asbridge and road pavement data, rate of roaddecay predictions, land acquisition andmaintenance information. A major issue wasthe dependence on legacy systems that holdspecialist information such as employeeinformation, etc.

The IT strategy document currently in theprocess of production by the Highways Agencywill clarify the data handling issues todetermine what to discard. Storage of theinformation is likely to be on a whole-lifebasis, considering the particular route and itsrelated features. This is likely to involvekeeping all the information on a particular road,bridge, structure, etc; together so that allinformation pertaining to it would beaccessible quickly and easily which mightinvolve central storage of information. Thiscould mean those current systems such as theStructures Management System (SMS) andPavement Management System (PMS) mightwell be accessible from a single source.

Data Access

It is becoming clear that some subjects suchas data definition, which is seen as sensitive,need to be tackled so that bettercommunication can be achieved. Unfortunatelyconsistency of terms is proving a difficult areathat currently no department wants to own orchampion. This is a vital area that needs to beaddressed which is a fundamental requirementfor changing to better data storage and dataaccess systems.

Currently the Highways Agency have a trialIntranet which is said to have been wellreceived by test users. The Intranet isexperimental and may be difficult to maintain.Not all relevant information has been put onthe system; some still runs from Visual Basicapplications on local servers in local domains.There is no strategy to change this. However,the Highways Agency do have a number ofprojects with external agencies that are usingExtranets to share and store information. Thephysical location of the servers is normally inone of the external agency offices. Agreementon the location of the server is deemed vital inthis type of scenario because of securityconcerns and administration requirements.