The National Transport Research Organisation (NTRO) has achieved a significant step in the advancement of data reform and capture for horizontal infrastructure. As CEO Michael Caltabiano explains, the NTRO’s world-first technology is providing unprecedented data speed and accuracy for industry.
The National Transport Research Organisation (NTRO) is reshaping how transport agencies understand and manage their networks.
Over the past three years, the organisation – regarded as one of the nation’s foremost pioneers in transport solutions – has undergone significant evolution.
With a clear goal of staying one step ahead of industry requirements, the NTRO foresaw rapid change around the sourcing, treating and application of asset management data.
As Michael Caltabiano, Chief Executive Officer – NTRO explains, the organisation’s ambition was focused on three key deliverables: deep data sets, available in real time, and highly accurate.
“The National Transport Research Organisation has been on a journey over the past three years to deeply engage with our state transport agencies and local governments across Australia,” he says.
“Consistently they have been saying to us, ‘We need accurate data, we need deep data sets, and we need them in real time’.”
The first step to achieving this was growing the NTRO’s road survey fleet, which now encompasses six new vehicles across four distinct platforms in addition to the large existing fleet.
At the heavy-duty end is the iPAVE4, (intelligent pavement assessment vehicle) a semi-trailer, which measures pavement deflection at highway speeds and captures large volumes of structural and surface condition data. Supporting this are Automated Crack Detection (ACD) vehicles: two Mercedes Sprinter–based units, and two Isuzu ute-based units, which use the industry-standard LCMS2 sensors to detect roughness, rutting, texture, cracking and potholes.
Caltabiano notes that the NTRO’s focus not only lies on collecting data, but on turning it into clear, actionable insights that can support rapid decision-making, particularly when communities expect instant information about road conditions, access and safety.
“We formed the data and technology team three or four years ago, which now has deep skills in both building the equipment and developing the computing software for this new technology,” he says.
“The future is going to be about aggregation and absorption of lots of data sets.”
A shining example of this objective is the organisation’s newly developed SALUS platform.
This dashboard brings together multiple data sources into a single, Geographic Information System-based environment. SALUS can ingest the NTRO’s own condition data from platforms such as iPAVE and ISAVE, as well as client assets including LiDAR, camera feeds, traffic and speed data, Bureau of Meteorology information, crash records and more.
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By layering these data sets, the platform helps agencies probe the underlying causes of incidents and deterioration. This may include network geometry, speed, pavement condition or even driver behaviour, all supporting the ability to apply the right treatment at the right time, in the right place.
“We’ve given data meaning, we’ve given the accuracy required to give deep insights, and now we’ve delivered a visualisation platform in real time where data collected today can be visualised tomorrow,” Caltabiano says.
Importantly, this technology also greatly accelerates the time required for processing and interpretation.
The new fleet is equipped with high-performance onboard computing (using NVIDIA chips), which allows data to be processed as it is collected, rather than waiting for manual offloading and post-processing back in an office. Once processed, the information is uploaded via Starlink satellite connectivity straight into NTRO’s cloud environment.
Adaptability, globally
This innovation is also about scalability and affordability. SALUS is designed to be configurable for very small rural councils as well as large metropolitan networks, with dashboards and visualisations tailored to different audiences.
From mayors and CEOs through to infrastructure managers, SALUS can provide high-quality, timely data at a price point that local governments can realistically afford, broadening access to capabilities that were once only viable for larger agencies.
This scalability and adaptability have allowed this technology, and the survey fleet, to be deployed at multiple locations around the globe, as Caltabiano explains.
“We already have two of our next-generation vehicles in India with the National Highways Authority. They love the SALUS portal and the fact they can get data sets in 48 hours, with no interference – straight from machine to the cloud,” he says.
“We’re also working across the Pacific – we have a vehicle in Tonga to service Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and Vanuatu – and we have a next-generation iPAVE in New Zealand.”
This international expansion and additional developments, such as the acquisition of Australia’s first fully automated bus, reflect the NTRO’s long-term vision. That is, catering for a more data-rich, automated and intelligence-driven future for managing transport infrastructure, both in Australia and across the world.
“Change in NTRO is our constant,” Caltabiano says. “There’s not a year that goes by that we don’t massage our organisation to be at the forefront of next generation thinking in road pavements, airfield pavements, asset management and infrastructure measurement technology.”
This article was originally published in the June edition of our magazine. To read the magazine, click here
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