Rail Radar^® Tie Component Inventory and Assessment system is a sophisticated rail-centered downward looking stereo digital imaging system with:

• proprietary image post-processing and feature detection environment
• automated classification and extraction of tie condition and track components parameters
• for the development of network wide inventory, from which any required condition or regulatory compliance statistics can be calculated and reported.

Rail Radar^® digital videologs are a permanent, correctly referenced and survey date encoded record of track conditions, allowing detailed office based review.

Rail Radar^® Synchronized Dual Linescan Laser Imaging System
Hi-Rail and Test Car mounted dual Linescan Laser Imaging System, configured as a position synchronized digital imaging system capable of operating during day and night operations.

Rail Radar^® Linescan Schematic

Hi-Rail mounted Stereo Imaging System

Resulting Stereo Images
• High speed digital cameras, configured as a fixed offset and position synchronized stereo imaging system
• Simultaneous assessment of both gauge and field fastener components for both rails from a single image.
• Track components are assessed through the post-processing and analysis of the combined and geo-referenced high-resolution track images. Each downward image is 1350 x 600 pixels and captures approximately 3 x 1.5m (10' x 5') providing a pixel resolution of approximately 2.5 mm (0.1 inch).
• Track component feature detection capabilities of the image analysis and post-processing environment are extensible, but typically include ties, rail fasteners, joints and other track materials
• The imaging system installs quickly on Hi-Rail vehicles, and is synchronized with Rail Radar^®'s GPR and positional referencing systems. The images are collected continuously at survey vehicle speed.

Track Component Inventory

• Integration of the Rail Radar^® downward imaging system with the positional referencing systems allows the detailed and accurate inventory of tie, joints, other track materials and features of interest
• All ties are linearly and spatially located to provide a unique and repeatable identifier for each tie
• Identifiers include geo-coordinates and tie count offset from the last milepost
• Establishes spatially referenced database (GIS) with condition and physical parameter data that can be maintained, analyzed and updated year over year.

Ties inventory attributes include:

• Location (subdivision, track, latitude, longitude, elevation, count from last milepost)
• Physical Parameters (spacing, length, skew angle, adzed surface etc.)
• Plate Parameters (size, type, number and location of spikes etc.)

Other track components inventory attributes include:

• Rail Joints (location, rail, etc.)
• Switch/Frogs (location, type etc.)
• Lubricators, Hotbox Detectors, OTM (location, type, etc.)

Track Component Assessment - Tie Quality Index (TQI)

Rail Radar^®'s tie and fastening system defect analysis is based on feature identification, characterization and classification to provide an objective Tie Quality Index (TQI). TQI analysis allows definition of client or regulatory specific attributes and features to characterize defective ties and fastening systems (spikes, anchors/clips, plates/pads). Client defined summary statistics based on TQI calculated for each tie can be reported at any interval. The Rail Radar^® track component assessment provides a permanent record of rail tie, plates, spikes, joints and anchor hardware conditions at the time of survey.

Reporting Track Component Assessment for TQI
This enhanced feature provides the ability to inspect any reported TQI parameter or network statistic using an interactive map and linked to the parameter reporting display window.

• Post-processed TQI attributes are graphically overlayed on position annotated video frames.
• Annotations include descriptive survey text, geo-coordinates, and linear referencing to uniquely identify each image frame
• Annotated videologs allow the office review of all surveys and corresponding condition assessments
• Delivery format for geo-referenced videologs is an indexed database and videolog GIS environment.

Examples of TQI parameters and the corresponding statistics include:

• Tie Condition (tie shape (broken), crack severity and density between rails, outside rails, color etc.)
• Spike and Anchor Parameters (presence, separation from tie etc.)
• Clip Parameters (shifted or missing)

Tie Assessment Review

• Graphical (GUI) tie characterization and assessment
• Multi-panel interactive viewer with data plots
• Simple red/green coding that quickly identifies defective ties, clusters, intervals and fastening systems
• Point and click’ features like zoom, ‘go to’ tie number, ‘go to’ milepost number, interconnectivity between plots and viewer, toggle on/off graphical images
• Basic or Enhanced format: both with sequential tie numbering, DGPS coordinates, mapped on either flat screen or digital orthographic images
• Can include rail joint inventory
• Statistical summary in standard commercial tabular database/spreadsheet format

By selecting any survey location point on the geo-referenced map, the corresponding annotated digital videolog frame and TQI rating information is displayed. The same environment can display all calculated statistics and indices in graphical and tabular formats.