How can we find a pothole before it appears

Using Severn Partnerships Leica Geosystems mobile mapping solutions to survey the road safely for that tiny crack is the start of the problem. But how does it work, and what impact does it already have when looking after our roads and infrastructure better?

Peter Haddock found out all this and more from Ben Barnard when he spent the day with Severn Partnership, and his colleague Luke Blakemore showed me the data in 3D models we collected the same day. 

When Peter joined them for the day, the team were testing out the brand new Pegasus TRK 700 Neo mobile mapping technology from  Leica Geosystems. Having already been using the previous generation, Severn Partnership wanted to experience the power of the latest solution.

And Peter wanted to learn all about it, so he hit the road with Christopher Gibbons from Leica Geosystems.  As they drove around, they captured over a million points of data per second. So by the time they got back to the head office, they had captured billions of points. This was already in a hard drive in the boot, which was then taken up to the technical team and miraculously turned into a 3D model before my eyes. 

The team then used some clever software to identify road damage and other things like overhanging trees.  Peter: “It was incredible to see, and for me, with Potholes being so painful for us all to deal with, this technology can really make a difference. “In addition, knowing you have a pothole problem arriving in the not too distant future means teams can also plan ahead and put resources in the most needed locations.  And for James Harper and his team in Stoke on Trent, this is perfect for spotting the next road they can use the JCB Pothole Pro on.”