At SHEPHERD we pride ourselves on delivering practical and innovative Asset Management solutions that work.
With a wealth of experience in local government we understand the importance of accurate road survey data to inform condition-based models, renewal programs and forward budgets.
Our unique RACAS® (Road Asset Condition Assessment System) is a powerful and cost-effective road asset survey tool that allows authorities to quickly capture condition data and develop renewal models, works programs and defect logs.
RACAS® is currently being utilised by Road Managers in 30 councils and road authorities across Australia, and SHEPHERD’s own RACAS® team has captured more than 100,000 kms of road capture on behalf of our clients.
We’ve built RACAS® from the ground-up to service an identified industry need, and we continue to innovate RACAS® technology in response to our clients.
Set-up quickly and mounted to any vehicle, RACAS® works by capturing high resolution images every 10 metres, precision GPS, and roughness data as you drive the network. Inside the vehicle, the Inspector uses a laptop to start and stop the survey and has the option to record points of interest and high priority defects during the survey using a clicker.
Back at the office, data captured by RACAS® can be viewed in our user-friendly online RACAS® Road Management Hub for desktop assessment or integrated with existing GIS and Asset Management systems.
Our clients use RACAS® technology to support their existing road management processes as it is adaptable to multiple applications.
Equally suited for sealed and unsealed roads, once a RACAS® run has been completed the road survey data can then be used as a single point of truth throughout Council.
Road authorities throughout Australia are using RACAS® datasets for:
The user can also export any location photo and electronic data into easy formats of Excel, mapping files (Shape file format), and Google Earth for further analysis.
Quickly and accurately capture the condition of your sealed road network using the new generation RACAS® Midline. Designed specifically for AI (automated defect detection), the RACAS® Midline is equipped with a high resolution cinema camera, high precision GPS and class 4 roughness device.
As the saying goes, a picture paints a thousand words. This is one of the key advantages of displaying your road management data in a simple and visually engaging way using the online RACAS® Road Management Hub.
View your road capture data at a high-level view or dive into the detail using our dynamic analytical tools and dashboards, the RACAS® Hub improves communication to your key stakeholders.
Quickly and accurately capture the condition of your sealed road network using the new generation RACAS® Midline. Designed specifically for AI (automated defect detection), the RACAS® Midline is equipped with a high-resolution cinema camera, high precision GPS, and class 4 roughness device.
The new camera delivers outstanding clarity even in challenging light conditions, and importantly, roads can now be surveyed at 100km an hour increases the efficiency of inspections and resulting in crisp imagery.
The RACAS® Midline is purpose built for the image clarity demands of AI (currently only available for sealed roads). This also results in superior imagery on unsealed road networks, making the Midline ideal for DRFA flood pick-up surveys.
The future of road management is here with SHEPHERD’s RACAS® AI.
Using data capture from RACAS® Midline, this module provides high priority defects that are identified by AI and can be used to help plan sealed road maintenance.
High priority road defects, such as potholes, edge-breaks and failures, are detected and logged within 24 hours of capture using RACAS® cloud technology. This allows for the development of quick and accurate works programs. Defect data outputs can integrate with various road management systems through csv exports, with plans to develop API integration in partnership with our AI clients.
By working closely with our clients, the RACAS R&D team have built and continue to refine the most practical road management tool in Australia.
The online RACAS® Road Management Hub, available to view from any browser, is a user-friendly interface designed to present complex road management data simply.
View and analyse data captured at the network and the road level, delve into the condition data using built-in dynamic analytical tools, drive roads virtually or view individual defect photos.
Export data using default reports, customise your own reports or export a CSV file for integration with other applications.
Engage key stakeholders with a high-level and visually dynamic snapshot of your road network with automatically updated road condition statistics.
RACAS® integrates with Reflect to allow the in-car ‘Clicker’ to be used to identify defects, which then creates a draft defect in Reflect. This has the added safety benefit of keeping Inspectors in the car and off the road. This system uses an automated API to streamline the data transfer process meaning safer and more efficient road inspections.
Our RACAS® to Reflect Backlog Review Portal displays all open defects from REFLECT in a GIS viewer with RACAS® images and provides the ability to flag completed defects that can be removed from the backlog.
This advanced module is applicable when Council is using RACAS® to regularly collect roughness data on unsealed roads and intervention levels are used to drive the grading program. This module can produce an automated Unsealed Roads Maintenance Program on the back of Council’s RACAS® Road Inspection process as well as dynamic dashboards to analyse the effectiveness of the grading program.
SHEPHERD can provide additional support to embed improved road management practices within Council which assists with the engagement of stakeholders to manage the change to an intervention-based grading approach.
The module includes recognised Treatment Types relevant to your State Authority which allows for quicker identification of flood damage to create DRFA submissions. Data is exported to GIS and with additional processing (either by Council or SHEPHERD’s DRFA Technical Team) can be formatted to suit DRFA format requirements.
This system works particularly well when Council has pre-disaster RACAS® survey data RACAS® provides very strong evidence to support the DRFA submission. With support from SHEPHERD DRFA team custom viewers can be created to support DRFA submissions. Submissions presented in this format also improve the efficiency of assessment for the approving agency which in turn means a quicker turnaround for Council.
The RACAS® Slimline is our entry level model and uses streamlined technology. The rugged RACAS® Slimline is purpose built for unsealed roads as it is speed limited to 60km an hour and best image results are captured between 9am and 3pm.
Unlike the Midline which is more of a permanent install, the Slimline can be easily moved between vehicles. The slimiline also captures rougness data but imagegy is not suited to AI defect detection.
Limited Budget? Limited Resources? Limited Time? RACAS® is the answer, with user-friendly features and integrated technology that deliver outstanding value for money.
There are several options available to procure RACAS® depending on your budget, available internal resources, and road network size.
For short-term engagements, RACAS® can be hired and with one day of training your team will be up and running. RACAS® is so user-friendly that both technical and non-technical staff can be trained to perform a road survey.
For longer term engagements we offer the option to lease RACAS® over a three-year term.
SHEPHERD also offers a complete RACAS® service including road surveying, defect logging, and condition assessment through to producing three year works programs and GIS data.
Options can be tailored to suit individual requirements, so talk to us today – Your leaders in practical and innovative Road Management Solutions.
To gain a full appreciation of the practical outcomes delivered by SHEPHERD’s innovative RACAS® tools, we highly recommend contacting us to arrange an obligation free online demonstration.
We are continuously developing and refining our RACAS® suite of products and services and look forward to demonstrating the latest features to your team.
