15 years of NDIC: a milestone in projects for the Road and Motorway Directorate

One of the key projects in the modern history of VARS BRNO - the National Transport Information Centre - celebrated its fifteenth anniversary in autumn 2023. The project, which established a successful cooperation with the Road and Motorway Directorate, represented an exceptional challenge. VARS BRNO supplied technical equipment for the newly established centre based in Ostrava, but above all it developed a completely new control system, which was in successful operation until 2017.

It was then modernised, again by VARS BRNO. The modernisation ensured the conversion of the system to an open architecture. The system is now modular, scalable and open for the integration of third-party modules. Thanks to this openness of the system, the operator can compete, for example, its maintenance. However, VARS BRNO remains a service partner of NDIC.

NDIC refers to the central control room of the Road and Motorway Directorate, through which traffic is monitored on the entire road network managed by the Road and Motorway Directorate, i.e. motorways, expressways and class I roads. The system primarily collects traffic data from various sources – from traffic detectors, Integrated Rescue System systems and others, verifies these data and creates verified traffic information based on them. This data is then used as a data platform for traffic management, maintenance of the road network and other activities that the Regional Directorate of Transportation and Traffic Management provides as an administrator.

The information provided by the NDIC is an up-to-date and, above all, reliable source for other traffic information consumers, such as providers of dynamic navigation for cars and others.

In addition to the actual output via the data distribution interface, the NDIC system itself can provide traffic control. Based on predefined scenarios, it controls traffic light information boards on motorways. The output from the NDIC system is also an important resource for traffic engineers and traffic planning.

This exceptional project has deepened the previous cooperation with the Road and Motorway Directorate and opened the way for another series of contracts, thanks to which VARS BRNO has established itself as one of the key partners of the Road and Motorway Directorate in the field of ITS. Here is a list of the most important ones.

Pavement management system
2019 – 2023 with support for the next 4 years

The project is a complete system for central planning of continuous maintenance and repairs of roads and objects (bridges). The system runs on several levels, at the network level it models and proposes repair plans for individual administrations and plants of the Regional Road Directorate based on data. At the project level, the system keeps track of the implemented actions, their technology and prices. By comparing the actual repairs carried out with the plans, the system optimises the calculation algorithm and thus refines the design of the plans.

Measurement of variable parameters
continuously from 2019 to date (previously from 2012-2015)

The long-term project focuses on the continuous assessment of the surface quality of roads and motorways managed by ŘSD. VARS BRNO uses a unique measuring vehicle, the CleveRA Car, which is capable of sensing and measuring the surface with an accuracy of 1 mm at a speed of 80 km/h. From this data, VARS BRNO produces a detailed report on the changes in surface condition. The measurement of variable parameters is an exceptional basis for the planning of maintenance, repair and reconstruction work. In 2023 alone, the VARS BRNO team measured more than 16,000 lane-kilometres of roads and motorways managed by the RDSD.

System for continuous monitoring of traffic dynamics on the road network of the Czech Republic (FCD)
04/2019 -04/2024 – five-year service contract

The area monitoring telematic system for monitoring the dynamics of traffic flows on the road network of the Czech Republic consists of a computing module and a presentation layer (display and analysis module). VARS BRNO delivered and commissioned the IT infrastructure, ensures data collection from floating vehicles on the network and continuously compiles the database from the collected FCD data for the purpose of their evaluation and display within the System. Applications using FCD data are used by tens of thousands of users.

Central Defects Register (CEV)
in operation 2018 to date

The successor application to the Road Inspection System provides a unified record of inspections carried out on roads and defects detected during their execution, a unified record of buildings and structures on roads, a unified record of the subject and scope of warranties and warranty periods, a record of maintenance works and other related activities, the generation of handover reports of works carried out and the possibility of creating management outputs and other documents that are input to the SHV. The system is currently used by more than 350 internal users and 900 external users.

Geoportal and Videopasport
in operation since 2016

One of the most widely used GIS applications of the Czech Road Directorate. The Geoportal provides an overview of data over the road network from various systems across the Czech Road Directorate allowing a comprehensive view of the managed road network. The application is used for the internal needs of the CRSD and for the professional public.

Videopasport provides users with access to photo documentation of roads taken by the Road Databank Ostrava, both current and historical images are available.

ISUD – Information System for Highway Maintenance
in operation since 2017

ISUD serves the needs of the Highway Management and Maintenance Centres. The system is used for efficient maintenance management and control. It allows planning the use of equipment and human resources, monitors vehicles and tasks in real time, keeps online logs of winter and routine maintenance and transmits information to the National Transport Information Centre. It also generates information for the HELIOS economic system. The system has more than 300 active users.

Passport of microcracks, grouting and jointing on the CBK motorway network
4-year contract 2021 – 2024

The scope of the contract is to perform a condition documentation of the CB pavement overlays on an annual basis, repeated over a 4-year period, with a focus on analyzing and identifying locations with microcrack development, including a condition classification of identified breach locations, and identifying the condition of asphalt cross joint patching, breaches, or deterioration. The analysis also includes the condition of the edges including the analysis of the breaches. As part of the delivery, a methodology for the evaluation of micro-cracks was developed in cooperation with the Czech Road Transport Authority to track the evolution of CBK pavement breaches over time.

Mobile line management
from 2021 including service provision

The mobile line management kits delivered by VARS BRNO to the Road and Motorway Directorate make a significant contribution to traffic calming during traffic congestion on motorways. Based on sensor data, the fully automated system changes the traffic signs to make traffic in the restriction as smooth as possible. VARS BRNO provided the complete hardware and software for controlling the system. Each system consists of eight variable message signs, two Wavetronix detection radars, four Bluetooth sensors and ten power points.

Central register of road closures and special use of roads
in operation since 2007

The system, which was part of the Single Transport System project approved by the Government in 2005, has been an invaluable tool for providing information on road closures for more than 15 years. The system is now in use by 1810 users, while road authorities are also legally obliged to provide information to both the CEU for the coordination of closures and to the JSDI and NDIC.

Bridge Management System – BMS
since 2004

The project, implemented jointly with PONTEX spol. s.r.o and Viapont s r.o, was originally carried out in the framework of science and research. The aim was to unify the methodology of condition assessment and bridge management system for all bridge managers in the Czech Republic. The system has been continuously upgraded and updated and is still in use today. The main users are regions and cities; the Regional Directorate of Transport has its own implementation of the BMS, thanks to which it records bridges, culverts, underpasses and other structures. Currently the system contains 14485 objects and has more than 700 users.

Digital Motorway Passport
1999

The first ever project for the Directorate of Roads and Motorways. It is the first system enabling the keeping of motorway passport records.

Property and Passport Information System
2008 – 2012

The ISMaP Property and Passport Information System enables uniform recording and location of data relating to property and activities. It enables the unification of the methodology for recording and assessing the condition of assets. It is possible to record physical phenomena (e.g. structural layers of the roadway, pavement markings, traffic signs) and variable parameters (IRI, rutting, pavement failures, etc.). The first object-based data model of property records was created within the information system.

Global Network
since 2006 so far

Global Network is a joint project of CEDA Maps, Road and Motorway Directorate – Road Databank Ostrava and VARS BRNO, which consists in creating and updating a road network model for locating events on the road network. The Global Network serves the National Transport Information Centre and all suppliers of traffic information providing data to the Centre.

Diagnostic system for the acquisition of a photomosaic of roads under implementation with completion in 2024

VARS, as the leader of the consortium of PONYSTAR spol. s r.o. and Geovap spol. s r.o., is involved in the delivery of the diagnostic system. The system consists of the supply of equipment for a diagnostic vehicle with a modern mobile mapping system and the supply of software for data processing and publishing. The vehicle will be used to continuously collect information on the state-owned road and motorway network. The data will feed into the Roadway Management System.