Added value:
A-One is responsible for all trunk road network operations within Area 14; from gritting to grass cutting, incident management and major road renewals. Information in Area 14 was historically inconsistent, incomplete and un-reliable. Data was received in an extensive array of formats (digital and hard-copy). Halcrow was commissioned by the Highways Agency (HA) as part of the A-One consortium to develop an information management strategy, termed the Watchman. Halcrow quickly identified the potential of GIS for enhancing A-One operational decisions by allowing available network information to be viewed in a single environment.

Innovation:
The Watchman-GIS allows traffic information to be examined in conjunction with network infrastructure by an engineer from their desk. A programme of data review/capture was developed to incorporate network data (SCRIM), A-One assets (environmental estate, structures) and network operation (stakeholder correspondence, media references). The GIS also forms a major part of network resilience, providing a single information source on diversion routes and emergency responses.

A significant data component relates to the drainage network. The information received by A-One was not sufficient for the management of pollutant spillage incidents or flood events. After a comprehensive capture programme of existing hard-copy data (6000 plots), CCTV was used to capture missing drainage data. This is usually an expensive process and conventional delivery is simply an annotated plan and VHS cassette. CCTV surveys were therefore converted to digital format (to enable intra-net viewing), and geo-referenced to drainage plans, with condition information. Integration with asset data has highlighted instances where lamp-column installation has damaged pipes causing flooding on the network. This data now allows engineers to easily identify defects and with the accurate location data can develop targeted repairs allowing improved management of the HA asset.

Team work:
The Watchman-GIS is an intra-net based desktop web-mapping solution providing data about Area 14 to all A-One offices and mobile teams. The system receives regular updates from HA systems (HAPMS, HAGIS) and is served using a combination of ESRI and OSS applications.

Watchman coordinates with HA high-level target ‘reduction of congestion’, by enabling greater efficiency on running of the existing network through informed decision-making. The Watchman initiative is viewed as the example for MAC’s and local authorities to follow.