The goal of road asset management is to enable more effective resource allocation and utilization via quality informa¬tion and analyses, and to address infrastructure maintenance, operation, and improvement issues. Visualization of road condition data and road inventory data is important to achieve these goals. Due to this reason, more and more road controlling agencies have adopted geographical information system (GIS) as a useful tool for data visualization and integration. However, most of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) GIS software such as ArcGIS and MapInfo are expensive and require GIS specialists to operate and maintain them, which make it difficult to share the information in them by personnel working in different organizations. As a geographic browser, Google Earth (GE) provides a free, easy and fast and robust environment for users to explore the entire earth and to share annotations by using the keyhole markup language (KML). In this presentation, method and examples for applications of GE to visualize road condition data and inventory data through KML will be presented. The road condition data (either in network level or project level) can be shown in GE includes data collected from high speed data collection equipment (IRI, rutting, texture, skid resistance and geometry) and data from low speed equipment like FWD. The road inventory data can be shown in GE includes road maintenance works, road accident data and road images/video etc. Possibilities of road asset data integration through GE will also be discussed.

1. Google Earth Applications in
Road Asset Management
Dr Wei Liu
Mr Bryce Tinkler
Pavement Management Services Ltd

2. What is Google Earth
• An interactive 3D mapping software capable
of displaying any geography-related data;
Google calls it “A 3D interface to the
planet”
• “Google Earth combines satellite imagery,
maps and the power of Google Search to
put the world's geographic information at
your fingertips.” From Google Earth web site.

3. Inspiration for Google Earth
• “Father of GIS” Roger Tomlinson, who in
the late 1960’s wrote that the ultimate GIS
which would be a computer globe of
interactive data…
• Michael Jones, CTO of Google Earth,
Described Google Earth as GIS “for the
5.999999 billion people of the world’s 6
billion population who don’t know or care
what GIS is”.

4. Google Earth Data
• Satellite Imagery and Aerial Photos compiled
from many different sources to cover the entire
globe
• 15m spatial resolution at coarsest, much higher
for many areas
• U.S. high resolution for many locations (1m,
0.7m, 0.3m). 0.15m aerials for Cambridge, MA
and Google Campus.
• Global: some 1m, some 0.7m in urban areas,
UK has 15cm (6in)
• Most less than 3 years old. Imagery being
updated all the time

5. Features of Google Earth
• 3D buildings in major cities across the World
• 3D terrain showing mountains, valleys, and
canyons around the world
• Integrated Google Local search to find local
information
• Fast, dynamic navigation of driving directions
• Easy creation and sharing of annotations among
users using KML (Keyhole Markup Language)

6. 3D Buildings

7. Driving Directions

8. 3D Terrains

9. How does Google Earth work
Retrieves satellite imagery
Google Earth Google Earth
Server Client Software
Data encapsulated
In KML format

10. How does Google Earth work
• Three-dimensional geospatial data are
managed in Google Earth using KML (Keyhole
Markup Language) files
• KML files are often distributed as KMZ, zipped
KML files
• The KML file specifies a feature (a placemark,
image, or polygon) for Google Earth
• It contains a basic description of the place,
longitude, latitude, tilt and other information

11. Keyhole Markup Language (KML)
• xml grammar and file format for describing
geographic features in google earth/maps
– Points
– Lines
– Polygons
– Models
– links
• Google Earth processes kml files like web
browsers process html files.

12. Your Data and KML
• You have interesting
data
• How accessible is it?
• Is it viewable in it’s
geographic context?
• How easy is it to
share your data?

13. Your Data and KML
• KML files can link to each
other to represent arbitrarily
large data sets.
• KML is the universal format
for presenting your data in
Google Earth
• Google Earth has *lots* of
users. Users benefit from the
common navigation UI in
Google Earth.
– Level of Detail
– Zooming in/out
– Flying around the virtual globe

14. Google Earth Applications in Road
Asset Management
• The goal of road asset management
is to enable more effective resource
allocation and utilization via quality
information and analyses.
• Visualization of asset management
data is important to achieve these
goals.

15. Google Earth Applications in Road
Asset Management
• However,
– We don’t always make
information easy to
access…
– Did not provide data in
an “easy-to-use” format
– Did not provide the
spatial, temporal, or
sector specific
resolution many people
need

16. Why Google Earth?
• Generally up to date
• Fast and robust
• Large user community
• Developer/programmer friendly
• Easy to learn and use
• Convenient for share and collaboration
• Platform independent

17. Google Earth Application Examples
• Visualization of Pavement Condition Data
– Roughness
– Rutting
– Texture
• Integration of Pavement Condition Data with
Inventory Image
• Integration of Rehabilitation Works with Videos
• Presentation of Road Sign Recognition Results
• Presentation of Road Accident Information

18. Roughness

19. Rut Depth

20. Texture Depth

21. Integration of Pavement Condition with Inventory Image

22. Integration of Rehabilitation Work with Road Video

23. Presentation of Road Sign Recognition Results

24. Presentation of Road Accident Information

25. Demo

26. Summary
• Google Earth has just came out and it is
already a popular software tool.
• We are just beginning to see the ways
that this application will be able to more
easily convey information.
• Tool that help us increase our knowledge
and understanding of our world

27. Summary
• Integration+Visualization+Collaboration
• Low-cost, scalable publishing platform
• It may become the next platform for
surveying and mapping data visualization

28. Thank you!
If any question or comment,
please feel free to contact us
wei.liu@pmsnz.co.nz
bryce.tinkler@pmsnz.co.nz
Phone: 07-8470499