Appendix C_Scheduling Pre-Data Collection Information and Vehicle Certifications Verifications.pdf

Appendix C

Scheduling, Pre-Data Collection Information, and Vehicle Certifications/Verifications

Appendix C outlines the data and information provided by EFLHD to the contractor before visiting a collection site. It also describes the data verification tests and certification requirements expected to be performed by the Contractor. With concurrence with EFLHD, all deliverables can be edited/changed to optimize the workflow between the contractor and EFLHD.

A. Schedule & Timeline:

1. Locations and Frequency: The tentative data collection schedule is planned to span five years and cover data collection on the mileage for sites listed in Appendix A. Changes to the schedule may occur at the discretion of the EFLHD and will be communicated to the contractor at the start of each Task Order. An outline or grouping of sites for data collection will be provided with each

Task Order and the Contractor will be responsible for developing the detailed schedule with proposed dates for data collection. The NPS Cycle 7 schedule is set up to collect road condition data such that:

a. All sites with paved roads get one collection (approximately 235 park units with 5,545 miles)

b. Sites with 5 or more paved miles get a second collection (approximately 123 park units with 5,391 miles)

c. Sites collected twice shall not be collected in consecutive years. A gap of 2-3 years is the ideal collection frequency.

d. This contract is not responsible for manual assessments of roads/parking areas. A small number of NPS sites with paved roads are identified as not being suitable for data collection vehicle assessments and they will not be part of the Contractor’s schedule. This also includes some manually assessed paved roads within sites that the vehicle visits.

e. Approximately 2,500 to 3,000 miles will be collected each year, with the base year including fewer miles to ensure data collection and analysis are fully acceptable. EFLHD shall provide a 6-month notice should more than 3,000 miles be collected annually.

f. This contract covers data collection for the continental United States (Lower 48 States and District of Columbia). The Contractor is not responsible for park units outside of this area.

g. The EFLHD and the Contractor will meet for a kickoff meeting after contract award to review the schedule and plans for Cycle 7 data collection. Subsequent meetings to review/update the schedule will occur at the start of each Task Order or as needed.

2. Factors Affecting Scheduling: The Contractor shall make the best attempt at scheduling data collection during ideal time periods. Important factors that affect nationwide data collection schedule at NPS sites:

a. Flexibility is required due to the wide variety of geographic locations and climate/weather conditions that may prevent access to sites and roads during periods of the year.

b. NPS roads often have seasonal closures that make access difficult or viewing the pavement surface more difficult such as when fallen leaves/debris and snow are on roads

(i.e. a closed campground, picnic area, or roads at high elevations).

c. Roads with active construction projects may be partially collected or skipped altogether.

EFLHD will attempt to identify roads impacted by construction before data collection.

The contractor shall notify the EFLHD of construction impacts in daily status reports.

3. Communication of Schedule: The EFLHD and the Contractor shall have monthly meetings to review the Contractor’s proposed collection schedule at individual sites.

a. Contractor shall provide collection dates 4 months in advance of the data collection at an individual collection site.

b. At the start of each task order, Logistics and any unusual circumstances that are unique to individual sites shall be shared by EFLHD to the Contractor based on the EFLHD’s communications with the partner agencies or previous experience working at each site

(e.g. estimated number of days, special collection situations, general GIS/Route ID information, etc).

c. Monthly meetings may not be required if 4-month collection plans are current and both the EFLHD and the Contractor are successfully communicating clear collection plans and expectations.

4. EFLHD Provided Information: EFLHD shall provide the contractor with site-specific data and information outlined in Section B (below) at least 2 months before the contractor is scheduled to be on site collecting data.

5. Unforeseen schedule changes: These may occur either before or during data collection at no fault of the Contractor. The Contractor or EFLHD shall communicate any unforeseen schedule changes immediately to each other. Both EFLHD and the Contractor will agree on schedule revisions. For example, changes due to vehicle maintenance needs, government closures, or other factors listed above in Section A.2 (above).

6. Trip Information Approval: Prior to collection the contractor shall review and approve the pre-collection deliverables from EFLHD and follow up with EFLHD on any questions at least 10 business days before the trip start date.

B. Pre-Collection Trip information provided by the EFLHD:

1. Contact Information and Planning Notes: a document provided to the Contactor with general information for each collection site.

a. EFLHD contact list – point of contact (project manager, PM) within the EFLHD Road

Inventory Program for communicating questions/concerns before, during, or after collection at a site.

b. Site contact list – contact information for onsite staff at the collection site. The onsite staff may be able to assist the contractor during data collection (for example, providing access and permission to drive some roads).

c. Notes about any collection issues that the contractor may experience during the site visit.

This will include information about gated/locked areas and how to access, construction projects, and other special events and closures that could happen during data collection.

2. Route ID Report: a comprehensive route inventory for each site. Routes that the Contractor is responsible for collecting will be clearly indicated. In advance of the collection trip, a EFLHD

Project Manager will coordinate with individual sites to review and update the road inventory as needed. This will identify changes to road locations and approximate lengths changes before the collection trip. The Route ID Report shows the most current inventory and includes the following information:

a. Route Number

b. Route Name

c. Route Direction/Description (From/To description)

d. Route Length

e. Pavement Surface Type

f. Functional Class

g. Route Comments – to describe unique situations about a road

h. Cycle Matching Flag – used in conjunction with route shapefile to match to previous cycle geometry and length when route alignments do not change. See Appendix B for processing information regarding matching geometry and lengths.

3. Data Collection Route Database and Spatial Data: EFLHD shall provide the contractor with files that meets the file type needs of the contractor’s data collection system. For example, file geodatabase, shapefiles, etc. These file types shall be defined in the Contractor’s proposal and through post-contract award meetings.

C. Routine Maintenance and Certification/Verification Tests – See Table C-2 for definitions

1. Equipment Maintenance by Contractor: EFLHD wants to ensure the Contractor is adhering to regular maintenance schedules to provide consistent and high-quality data. The Contractor shall submit documentation on the regular maintenance schedules for their collection equipment – including, but not limited to the following:

a. Roughness Lasers

b. Roadway Cameras

c. Pavement Cameras

d. Distance measuring equipment

e. On-board computers

f. GNSS system

2. Equipment Verification: Contractor shall submit results to EFLHD based on the agreed upon schedule for equipment verifications. It is the Contractor’s responsibility to differentiate between different vehicles and where they are used for collection. The vehicle information shall be reported to EFLHD. All vehicles used by the Contractor on this project will be subject to the standards listed in Table C-1.

3. Verification Data Submittal: Data collection from vehicles without verification results, or without results from tests outside of the frequency specified, will not be accepted. Clear notation on which vehicles have performed which tests will need to be communicated to EFLHD.

4. Camera calibration: Contractor shall submit procedures for how cameras are calibrated and how the calibration is verified. Contractor shall also submit results of camera calibrations and how often they are performed.

5. Longitudinal Profiler Certification: Any vehicles used for collection on this contract shall be certified for ride quality using TxDOT Test Method Tex-1001-S or AASTHO R56-14 at a location such as Texas A&M Transportation Institute, National Center for Asphalt Technology or similar site with EFLHD approval. The contractor shall provide certification results for all vehicles used for data collection on an annual basis.

6. Pre-Collection Control sites: determined based on Task Order locations of collection sites.

Contractor shall adhere to AASHTO R 56-14. Results shall be submitted to EFLHD prior to any data collection.

7. On-Location Verification sites: Verification of IRI and rutting will be performed by the

Contractor. Verification tests shall be performed at higher mileage sites (>10 miles). A single verification may be performed for groups of sites in close proximity to each other. Each task order may specify when verification sites are needed at parks < 10 miles in length. Protocols for verification sites are as follows:

a. A self-established verification site shall be set up at a length of not less than 528 feet, in the vicinity of each high mileage site. This verification site shall be run a minimum of three times immediately before data collection, and three times immediately after data collection at the site.

b. Compare IRI and rutting between the first set of individual runs for repeatability and reasonableness. Compare IRI and rutting between the second set of individual runs for repeatability and reasonableness. Further, compare the average of the first set of runs to the average of the second set of runs for compatibility between IRI and rutting.

c. Determine average IRI, for each run, for left wheelpath and right wheelpath. No single wheelpath IRI determination should vary by more than 5 percent from the average of the total number of runs in each set, per wheelpath. The average of the first set of runs should not vary more than 5 percent from the average of the second set of runs in each wheelpath.

Table C-1: Standards for Certification/Verification of Operators and Equipment

Equipment and Tests Standards Timeline/Frequency for Submittal Vehicle Operator Certification and Training

Properly qualified operators and drivers shall be used for data collection activities.

Operator(s) certification / training documents shall be submitted yearly.

Profile Verification

• Block Test (Height Verification)

• Bounce Test (Stability Verification)

• Distance (DMI) Test (Length Verification)

AASHTO R 56-14

AASHTO R 57-14

Repeat weekly while collecting data.

Contractor shall submit results of these tests on monthly basis or other agreed upon schedule.

Rutting Verification / Transverse Pavement Profile Testing

Equipment shall incorporate automated calibration and validation procedures, including a straightedge or string line surface test to ensure that the measured rut depth of a flat surface is zero and block tests to ensure that rut depth amplitudes are accurately measured.

Contractor shall work toward adhering to:

AASHTO PP106-21, PP107-21, PP108-21,

PP109-21

COR will advise on frequency of tests.

Location Verification <50ft on 100% of network Comparison to existing GIS and supporting base maps.

Ongoing review with each data submittal.

Camera Calibration Per contractor’s equipment and protocols.

Contractor shall submit their procedures for how their cameras are calibrated and how the calibration is verified.

Verified via field checks and submitted annually.

Profiler Certification TxDOT Test Method Tex-1001-S or

AASTHO R56-14

Repeat yearly for each vehicle.

Pre-Collection Control Sites AASHTO R 57-14 Performed within a month of each site’s collection for each vehicle or other agreed upon interval.

On-location Verification Sites See general procedure above (Sec C.7)

AASHTO R 57-14

Repeat for each site with 10 or more miles, or when otherwise directed.

Macrotexture Protocols Contractor will advise in coordination with NCHRP 964 (Appendix)

COR will advise

Table C-2: Definitions: Calibration / Certification / Verification

Calibration Certification Verification A set of operations which establishes, by reference to standards, the relationship which exists, under specified conditions, between an indication and a result of a measurement.

A third-party attestation related to products, processes, systems or persons.

A set of operations which is used to check whether the indications, under specified conditions, correspond with a given set of known measurands within the limits of a predetermined calibration diagram