Survai is a vehicle-mounted road assessment system that combines LiDAR, high-resolution imagery, GPS and vehicle-based sensors to collect engineering information about the road while travelling at normal speeds.

The system records the road continuously and associates each measurement with its location and imagery at 10m intervals. Depending on the configuration, Survai can measure road roughness, pavement profile, crossfall, rutting, deformation and other condition indicators while also creating a photographic record of the asset.

The collected data is processed within the Survai software, where engineers and inspectors can review measurements, imagery and defects together rather than relying on separate datasets or subjective field observations.

The objective is not simply to produce a condition score. Survai is designed to provide measurable engineering information that helps explain why a road is performing the way it is and what treatment may be appropriate.

Survai has been developed around a different philosophy from systems that primarily produce a network condition score.

Its focus is on giving engineers access to the underlying road measurements, pavement geometry and imagery so they can understand the condition of the asset rather than simply accept an automated rating.

A key difference is the integration of several types of information within the same survey:

• roughness
• LiDAR pavement profile
• imagery
• GPS location
• condition assessment
• defects
• engineering measurements
• historical survey information

This allows the same dataset to support network assessment, detailed engineering investigation, maintenance programming and works QA.

Survai is also designed to be adaptable. Assessment rules, reporting, measurements and workflows can be configured or developed around the requirements of an individual organisation.

The result is a system intended not just to identify where a road is poor, but to provide engineers with better information about why it is poor and what should be done about it.

No. Council does not need to provide any data storage or backup services.

Survai provides the storage and backup of all survey data and imagery through our alliance with AUCloud, removing the need for Council's IT department to provision or manage additional storage infrastructure.

Yes. Survai systems are supplied to Councils on a lease basis, allowing the technology to be introduced without the large capital cost normally associated with specialised road survey equipment.

The lease includes the required survey hardware, Desktop Survai software, cloud data storage, system updates and ongoing technical support and training.

Systems can also be configured to suit Council's requirements, ranging from imagery and roughness collection through to a complete **LiDAR, pavement profiling and road assessment system**.

This approach also means Council benefits from continued development of the technology rather than purchasing a system that may become obsolete.

Yes. We are happy to engage with Council on a low-risk 12 month trial to prove our system goes beyond your expectations.

Survai's LiDAR system measures the physical shape of the pavement surface across the road.

Rather than recording only the vertical movement of the survey vehicle, the LiDAR captures a cross-sectional profile of the pavement. From this profile, Survai can derive measurements such as:

• pavement crossfall
• crown shape and height
• wheel-path deformation
• rut depth
• pavement dish
• edge and shoulder geometry
• localised depressions and deformation
• drainage-related pavement shape

For unsealed roads in particular, this provides valuable information about whether the pavement has retained the shape required to shed water.

It also allows measurements traditionally made manually with straightedges or levels to be undertaken from the survey vehicle, providing much greater coverage and repeatability.

Survai is designed as an engineering measurement system, not simply a visual condition-rating tool. Wherever practical, measurements are derived directly from instrumentation and can be checked against known physical measurements in the field.

Accuracy depends on what is being measured. LiDAR pavement geometry, roughness, GPS position and image-based measurements are fundamentally different measurements and therefore cannot meaningfully be represented by a single system-wide accuracy figure.

Calibration is essential for both instrument and camera positioning, and forms part of the inspector's training program.

For example, Survai's LiDAR captures the actual pavement cross-section, allowing engineers to interrogate and independently check measurements such as crossfall, rut depth, pavement deformation, crown and profile shape. Likewise, roughness and vehicle dynamics measurements are recorded from the underlying sensor data rather than being based on an inspector's subjective assessment.

A significant advantage of Survai is traceability. The engineer can go back to the location, view the associated imagery and LiDAR profile, inspect the underlying measurements and, where required, compare them with conventional field measurements.

We regularly validate new measurements and assessment methods against known sites, physical measurements and real-world engineering outcomes before incorporating them into the system.

We also don't believe accuracy should simply be a manufacturer's claim. We are progressively publishing real-world case studies and validation results so engineers can see how the Survai instrumentation performs against known measurements and established assessment methods.

Where Council has a particular specification, assessment methodology or accuracy requirement, we can also undertake specific validation against that requirement.

A Survai survey can produce considerably more than a conventional road condition score.

Depending on the system configuration and the council's requirements, information can include:

• road roughness and ride quality
• pavement crossfall
• rutting and deformation
• pavement profile and crown condition
• drainage-related profile assessment
• defects and points of interest
• georeferenced road imagery
• road widths and other dimensional measurements
• condition and treatment information
• engineering measurements at individual locations
• historical comparison between surveys
• reporting for maintenance and works programming

The information can be reviewed spatially and alongside the corresponding road image, allowing engineers to investigate the condition behind a result rather than treating the output as a number in a spreadsheet.

Survai can also generate reporting specifically for maintenance planning, QA, asset management and network-level analysis.

Yes.

Survai is intended to complement an organisation's existing asset management environment rather than require it to be replaced.

Road identifiers, asset attributes and other council data can be incorporated into the survey workflow, and survey results can be exported in formats suitable for use in external asset management, GIS and reporting systems.

This means a council can retain its existing road hierarchy, asset IDs, inspection methodology and corporate systems while using Survai to improve the quality and quantity of the engineering information being collected.

Where required, bespoke import, export and assessment tools can also be developed to match an organisation's existing data structure or methodology.

Because roughness and pavement shape describe different aspects of road performance.

Roughness is primarily a measure of the vehicle's response to the longitudinal road profile. It is an important indicator of ride quality and pavement serviceability, but it does not fully describe the geometry of the pavement.

Pavement shape can identify engineering issues such as:

• inadequate crossfall
• loss of crown
• wheel-path deformation
• rutting
• pavement dish
• poor surface drainage
• localised depressions

This distinction is particularly important on unsealed roads.

A road may still have acceptable roughness while gradually losing its crossfall or crown. The road can therefore appear satisfactory from a ride-quality perspective while becoming increasingly susceptible to water retention, potholing and accelerated deterioration.

Conversely, a rough road may still have fundamentally sound pavement geometry and require a relatively simple maintenance treatment.

Combining roughness with pavement profile information gives engineers a much stronger basis for determining what is wrong with the road, how significant it is and what intervention is appropriate.

It is also valuable for QA because pavement shape can be measured before and after grading or rehabilitation works, allowing the finished geometry to be assessed objectively.

Yes. Survai allows users to view previous surveys alongside the current survey, making it easy to compare how a road has changed over time.

Historical imagery, condition data and engineering measurements can be accessed while reviewing the current road, allowing engineers to identify deterioration, monitor recurring issues and assess the effectiveness of previous maintenance or rehabilitation works.

This provides a clear visual and measurable record of how the asset is performing between surveys.

Council has full access to the survey data through Desktop Survai, where engineers can review the road network, imagery, measurements, defects and assessment information.

Survai is deliberately designed to keep the data accessible. Information can be exported in a range of standard formats for use outside the Survai environment, including:

Excel – export raw survey data, defects, assessments, direct assessments, widths, material types, notes, points of interest, settings and treatment-related information.

ESRI Shapefiles (SHP) – export survey data as either points or polylines for use in GIS. Defects and notes can also be exported as point layers.

AutoCAD DXF – export road survey data as points or polylines for use in CAD and engineering applications.

Original survey photographs – export the captured road imagery directly.

Watermarked photographs – produce engineering photographs containing selected survey measurements and information.

Geotagged photographs – GPS coordinates and altitude can be embedded into exported images.

Defect overlays – identified defects can be shown directly on exported photographs and video.

Video – create an MP4 drive-through of an entire road or selected road section, with selectable playback rate and defect information.

Exports can be undertaken for the entire road network, an individual road, or a selected chainage section, depending on the export type.

For spatial exports, Survai supports standard coordinate systems including WGS84, GDA2020 MGA zones and NZGD2000 / NZTM2000, allowing the information to be brought directly into Council's GIS and engineering workflows.

The intent is that Council's data is never locked inside Survai. Engineers can work with it within Survai when they want the benefit of the integrated imagery and assessment tools, or export it for use in GIS, Excel, CAD, reporting or other corporate systems.

Yes. Survai can integrate with both Reflect and Recover, allowing information collected during the road survey to feed directly into Council's existing inspection, maintenance and asset management workflows.

Importantly, Survai can record not only defects and deficiencies, but also accomplishments — work that has been completed, improvements that have been made, and positive changes in asset condition.

This provides a more complete record of the road network. Council can identify what requires attention while also documenting what has already been achieved.

Relevant information can include:

• georeferenced imagery
• defects and condition information
• completed works and accomplishments
• chainages and locations
• engineering measurements
• treatment information
• supporting photographs from other devices

Rather than creating another isolated dataset, Survai can act as the data collection and engineering assessment layer, with relevant information transferred into Reflect or Recover for ongoing asset and works management.

Integration can also be configured around Council's existing data structure and workflows where required.

Yes. Survai can use the information collected during a survey to develop prioritised, costed works programs, rather than stopping at condition assessment.

Sealed Roads

For sealed roads, Council can define the failure modes, intervention levels and treatments it wants to use. Works candidates can then be identified from a combination of:

• recorded pavement defects and condition assessments
• road roughness
• LiDAR-measured rutting
• defect severity
• road hierarchy
• location and extent of the treatment

Treatment rates can be assigned so Survai calculates quantities and estimated costs. Candidate works are prioritised by road hierarchy and severity and can then be allocated across a five-year program using Council's nominated annual budgets.

Importantly, the automatically generated candidates can be reviewed and verified by an engineer before being included in the final program.

Unsealed Roads

Unsealed roads can be approached differently, using the engineering information that is particularly relevant to their performance.

Survai can combine roughness, LiDAR pavement profile information, rutting, defects and condition assessments to help identify where maintenance or rehabilitation is warranted.

In addition to the general Works Program functionality, Survai provides dedicated unsealed-road outputs including Grading Programs, Resheet Programs, PCI reporting and Pavement Profile reporting.

This allows Council to move beyond simply identifying a "poor" unsealed road and instead use information about ride quality, pavement shape and condition to help determine the most appropriate response.

The end result can be exported as a detailed Excel works program or photographic PDF report, including road, chainage, defect, severity, treatment, quantities, rates, estimated costs and supporting imagery.

A roughness meter primarily tells an engineer how the road rides.

That is useful information, but it does not necessarily explain why the road is rough or what should be done about it.

Two road sections can have similar roughness values while having very different pavement conditions. One may have corrugations, another poor crossfall, another wheel-path deformation, and another a broad pavement depression.

Survai can combine roughness with LiDAR-derived pavement geometry and imagery, allowing the engineer to see both the ride response and the physical pavement condition.

This is particularly important when developing maintenance treatments. Roughness alone may indicate that intervention is required, whereas pavement profile information can help determine whether the appropriate response is grading, reshaping, drainage correction, resheeting or another treatment.

Yes. Survai is not limited to roads.

Council can load its existing asset GIS layers directly into Survai, allowing assets to be displayed and selected while undertaking an inspection. Survai can use Council's existing Asset ID and attribute information, so observations remain linked to the correct corporate asset.

This can be used for assets such as:

• culverts and drainage structures
• signs and roadside furniture
• guardrails and barriers
• bridge and culvert decks
• pathways and other transport assets
• other point, line or spatial assets maintained within Council's GIS

Inspectors can select an existing asset from the map and record defects, condition information, photographs and other observations against that Asset ID.

For point assets, Survai can also allow new assets to be captured in the field and added to the existing GIS layer, including their location and asset attributes.

The important advantage is that the assessment process can be configured around the asset being inspected. Different asset types can have their own defects, assessment criteria, measurements and reporting requirements.

So while Survai has extensive road assessment capability, the underlying platform can also be used as a mobile asset inspection and data collection system for other Council infrastructure.

No. Desktop Survai is a Windows desktop application, installed directly on Council's computers rather than accessed through a web browser.

This is deliberate. Road surveys can contain very large volumes of imagery, LiDAR data and engineering measurements, and a desktop application provides a much richer and more responsive environment for engineers to interrogate that information.

Desktop Survai is also digitally signed using DigiCert, allowing Windows to verify the software publisher and confirm that the application has not been altered since it was signed.

Survey data and imagery are securely stored in the cloud through our AUCloud alliance, while Desktop Survai provides the interface for viewing, analysing, measuring, comparing and exporting the data.

This gives Council the benefits of centralised cloud storage and backup, together with the performance and functionality of a dedicated engineering application, rather than being restricted to a browser-based asset portal.