A similar prototype but which is technically more complete to that used in Google for its “street view” tool collects all type of data on the condition of the road.

Extraco participates of an ambitious R&D project which will enable creation and adaptation of modern technological systems to improve road safety and to reduce maintenance costs. All in all, the initiative, of which other companies from Galicia and the University of Vigo take part, and which is co-financed with European funds, develops technology and software for the inspection of infrastructures with the purpose of optimizing decision-taking on the needs for execution or not of rehabilitation works in bridges, tunnels, pavements, viaducts and embankments.

In concrete, researchers are creating a similar prototype to that used in the Google car to take all the images which are introduced to the “street view” map tools but with new and specific technological applications and a cent metric precision. This way, a vehicle where the instrumentation is installed travels the road collecting all type of necessary data on the spot to establish a diagnosis of the condition of the road. This prototype has different sensors, such as a scanner laser, which enables massive taking of data and creation of images as from clouds of points, infrared thermography, photogrammetry, video, geo-radar, laser profilometry and global localization system.

All the data collected will later on be transferred to a geo-referenced database at a main computer thanks to the design of monitoring software which synchronizes all the systems and enables establishment of a diagnosis of the actual situation of each infrastructure. This system facilitates the carrying out of studies on the signalling of roadways or about the entry into or exiting of roads.

One of the main advantages of this project is that it is time and cost saving as regards road maintenance works. On a data-taking day, the car can register information for more than 200 kilometres, so several days of field and technical equipment and teams of qualified and specialized personnel in different fields become necessary now. The system also enables reviews on the condition of the road to take place more frequently, thus establishing priorities as regards the execution of conservation actions, especially taking into account the actual economic scenario. Even so, fewer resources do not imply that road safety is to be disregarded.

The work, which is known as the Sitegi Project, is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), within the 2007-2013 Technological Fund Operative Program and by the Centre for Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI). This research effort is shared by Extraco and the following companies from Galicia: Misturas, Insitu Ingeniería, Enmacosa y Lógica, as well as the TF1 Research Group of University of Vigo. The project, which is in the middle of its three years plan for execution, has a budget of more than 3.7 million Euros.

The Sitegi Project has at least ten specific objectives:

1. To design and manufacture an integrated infrastructure inspection system, with a basic prototype of a mobile unit where all the necessary devices will be integrated for massive data intake.
2. To develop protocols for inventorying of road infrastructures.
3. To define documentation methods for roads and their associated infrastructures through non-destructive sensors integrated in the mobile inspection unit.
4. To develop methods for evaluation in order to diagnose the condition of a certain road.
5. To identify maintenance requirements for an adequate preservation of roadways.
6. To enhance cooperation among companies and knowledge transfer from research centres to the production sector.
7. To reduce the economic cost which infrastructure maintenance has in the Spanish territory and to increase road safety.
8. To enhance the use of the technologies which make the participating companies more competitive at a global level and which favours internationalization.