Network data management is vital to underpinning wider asset management activities and our team comprises experienced GIS consultants and technicians with local authority network management backgrounds. This combination of skills brings an important understanding of the benefits of a well-managed 'fit for purpose' network.
Highways asset management networks are varied in terms of how they are defined, what attributes they contain, and what services they support. Our network management services range from full network management resource support, including the provision of PMS and Gazetteer management solutions, to specific network quality reviews, associated hierarchy reviews, and other bespoke network reviews.
Local Street Gazetteer (LSG) Reviews
Available as periodic reviews or as an ongoing service, our LSG reviews highlight road sections that may be missing from the LSG as well as the accuracy of the geometry and data currently being held. This review focuses on elements of LSG management that are not ‘fit for purpose’ from the perspective of pavement management guidelines.
As part of the review, our experienced consultants will work with you to define and evaluate the source network against latest available data.
We also operate an LSG software module within XA©, running on a hosted server to allow you to manage and maintain your LSG internally. Features include:
- Compliance with all the DTF 8.1 requirements to submit to GeoPlace
- Access all LSG functions from a central switchboard
- Sort and filter data using a variety of attribute fields
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Pavement Management System (PMS) Network Management
PMS network management is an ongoing process that requires an understanding of how network and attribute data needs to be defined and maintained on a continuous basis. Through our experienced consultants, we look to take away the burden of maintaining your network through our network management services.
Updates to the PMS network are undertaken monthly based on refreshed GeoPlace data on new additions, edits and deletions. This service focuses on the ‘drift’ between a PMS road network and the LSG, aligning those networks with a view to single network management in the future. Where ongoing network maintenance is not required, our team also undertaken periodic network reviews.
Effective network management brings several practical benefits:
- Maintain full visibility of your highway network and attributes - supporting accurate inventory, hierarchy reviews, and consistent asset decisions
- Secure correct funding - align network data to your LSG for funding, asset valuation, and GRC reporting - meeting DfT Incentive Fund and Transparency Report requirements
- Plan capital works more effectively - better network understanding enables smarter prioritisation based on function, condition, and risk
- Reduce liability through complete inspection coverage - ensure the entire maintained network is routinely and defensibly inspected
Network Review Services
Pavement Maintenance Heirarchy Reviews
A maintenance hierarchy is a grading of the risk and consequences of not maintaining a road or footway. The purpose of assigning a maintenance hierarchy is to assist in the prioritisation of condition monitoring and treatment interventions. Maintenance hierarchy reviews use data and local knowledge against a documented process for the assigning of a hierarchy status. As road layouts, uses, and risk evolves over time, so will a maintenance hierarchy. As such, the hierarchy structure should be reviewed every 3-4 years as part of effective asset management practices.
Our reviews align with all ‘Well-Managed Highway Infrastructure: A Code of Practice’ recommendations, and our consultancy team will work collaboratively with you to ensure we understand your local network and priorities.
Resilient Network Reviews
The resilient network is the proportion of the authority’s road network which is considered critical to sustaining vital services during periods of extreme weather, major incidents, and other disruption. A resilient network focuses on key strategic routes that enable emergency response, maintain health, care, and economic function, support access during severe weather or crises, and prioritise vulnerable users and communities therefore.
As an authority’s vital services and related asset locations change over time, so must the resilient network. An exercise in establishing strategic locations and creating a connected resilient network should be undertaken every 3 years. This review has been developed in alignment with all ‘Well-Managed Highway Infrastructure: A Code of Practice’ recommendations.
Cross Boundary Reviews
This review aims to collate and understand the maintenance arrangements for all roads or footways that cross to another local authority.
The review involves consultation with neighbouring authorities to ensure a collaborative and coordinated approach is being taken to cross-boundary asset management and maintenance activities.
Speed Limit Reviews
Speed limits assist various asset management processes including condition monitoring regimes, risk management processes, asset performance modelling, traffic flow management, and journey time reliability.
This review collates up to date speed limit information and applies it to the PMS network. Where real world vehicle speed information is available, a comparison assessment against speed limits would be included in this review.
Winter Service Reviews
A winter service review - as outlined in the Well-managed Highway Infrastructure: A Code of Practice guidance - is a regular, risk-based assessment of how a highway authority plans and delivers its winter maintenance service, such as salting, snow clearance, and ice control. Our winter service reviews address several key questions:
- Do winter service operations, both planned and undertaken, align with the client's policy?
- Do the documents align with the NWSRG and other national guidance?
- Is the required supporting documentation up to date e.g. risk assessments, material selection, spread rates etc?
- Does documentation align with other highway asset management documentation within the authority e.g. road class, network and maintenance hierarchy, resilient network etc?
Our experienced consultants will work with you to define the primary objectives, delivering a locally-focused solution.
Asset Data Management Services
The CIPFA Code of Practice and Highways Infrastructure Asset Management Guidance both highlight a need for condition data to be available across all infrastructure assets including carriageways, footways, and other assets such as street lighting, signage, drainage, structures, and road markings.
How can you adequately manage your assets if you don’t have an up to date and accurate asset register, which outlines the assets you have, where they are located, what condition they are in, and ultimately what value they hold or what would it cost to replace them?
Whether you are a pavement engineer, asset manager or council member, asset inventory data is a pre-requisite for an effective asset management solution and is also a fundamental part of being able to produce Gross Replacement Costs (GRC), Depreciated Replacement Costs (DRC), and life cycle plans.
Through our asset data management services, we ensure you hold the requisite asset data and that an effective process is in place for maintaining that data. We provide the following:
- Data repository services
- Data migration services
- Data review services / ongoing monitoring
- Client-focused workshops to establish operational asset data collection and update processes, for ensuring records are maintained long-term
Through our iV 360˚ video surveys, we also collate detailed asset inventory data on site, which can supplement our comprehensive asset data management services. For more information on our 360˚ video surveys, click on the link below.
Why Choose XAIS-PTS?
At XAIS-PTS our team has a wealth of experience, and we deliver comprehensive network and asset data management services in support of our surveying, software, materials testing, certification, and design services.
If you have any questions or queries about our services, please contact us today – our team will be more than happy to have a conversation with you regarding your project requirements!