Western Australia is currently rolling out a replacement system for the management of road assets, known as ROMAN II. The package includes RAMM, the software used throughout New Zealand to manage road assets; dTIMS, the internationally renowned predictive modelling tool; as well as a full support and training arrangement. It will replace the previous ROMAN pavement management system used by the majority of WA Local Governments. There are many different ways to view and manipulate the information stored within the ROMAN II system. This paper will briefly review the ROMAN II system, the implementation phase of the project and then present several case studies that demonstrate the potential of the system for housing a wide range of asset information, such as inventory, condition and risk ratings. Further ways to maximise the potential of the system and how it could, and should, fit into the wider asset management picture of local government will be a key theme of the paper and ROMAN II’s place in the asset management cycle will be examined. This also includes looking at ways to make the best use of ROMAN II for the benefit of stakeholders (levels of service, etc) and to meet the organisation’s asset management goals.

1. LEVERAGING THE ROMAN II ASSET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Damien Douglas
Asset Management Engineer, Opus International Consultants (PCA) Pty Ltd, Perth, WA, Australia
Abstract
Western Australia is currently rolling out a replacement system for the management of road assets,
known as ROMAN II. The package includes RAMM, the software used throughout New Zealand to
manage road assets; dTIMS, the internationally renowned predictive modelling tool; as well as a
full support and training arrangement. It will replace the previous ROMAN pavement management
system used by the majority of WA Local Governments.
There are many different ways to view and manipulate the information stored within the ROMAN II
system. This paper will briefly review the ROMAN II system, the implementation phase of the
project and then present several case studies that demonstrate the potential of the system for
housing a wide range of asset information, such as inventory, condition and risk ratings.
Further ways to maximise the potential of the system and how it could, and should, fit into the
wider asset management picture of local government will be a key theme of the paper and ROMAN
II’s place in the asset management cycle will be examined. This also includes looking at ways to
make the best use of ROMAN II for the benefit of stakeholders (levels of service, etc) and to meet
the organisation’s asset management goals.
Key Words: ROMAN II asset management system, maximise potential, leverage
opportunities
dTIMS performance modelling
Introduction software delivered by Deighton
Associates Ltd of Canada;
ROMAN II is the new road asset
management system that has been Provision of customised deterioration
developed for use in Western Australia. It has models by ARRB Group Ltd;
been adopted by the vast majority of Local User support and helpdesk
Governments with only a handful opting to assistance; and
use an alternative system.
Training services.
The project to replace the previous ROMAN
pavement management system was initiated Opus International Consultants (Opus) have
by the Western Australian Local Government provided impartial advice and project support
Association (WALGA) with the support of to WALGA since 2007 through the
Main Roads Western Australia (MRWA) and procurement, negotiation and development
the Institute of Public Works Engineering phases of the ROMAN II project. The author
Australia (IPWEA). In 2009 an agreement has been part of the Opus project support
was signed with ARRB Group Ltd to deliver a team since mid-2010 and has been involved
ROMAN II package including: in testing the ROMAN II system during the
development phase. He has also given
RAMM (Road Assessment and advice to WALGA, and to Local Governments
Maintenance Management) asset on their behalf.
management software delivered by
RAMM Software Ltd of New Zealand;

2. The Rollout So Far Data Views and Manipulation
At the time of writing, the rollout of the One of the key advantages of using a
ROMAN II system to Local Government commercially available asset management
subscribers was due to commence in a system such as ROMAN II is the wide variety
matter of weeks. The intention was to deliver of data viewing options.
a RAMM database to each Local
Government, translated from their previous The main RAMM application allows users to
ROMAN database, through a Perth-based view each asset type in a grid view or a
hosting service or as a standalone version to detailed view. These are two simple ways to
be installed on the organisation’s own view a number of different assets at once or
computer system. Read-only access would to focus on a particular asset in detail. For
be granted to subscribed users until their example, a user could view a grid of all signs
initial training had been provided. that are located on a particular road, on a
selection of roads, or by applying a filter on
Initial training was planned for approximately any number of fields. Filters are a powerful
30 separate groups of Local Government way of managing data for the everyday user.
users across Western Australia. This training
was to cover the basics of using RAMM as There is a third option available in the main
part of the ROMAN II system, including application that allows users to display the
viewing and summarising data, loading data assets in a map view alongside other layers
and using the reporting tools. of information such as cadastre. The spatial
viewing of data is becoming more common
and the benefits of visualising data in this
Informed Decision Making way are substantial. For example, using
appropriate filters you can view the location
ROMAN II will provide huge benefits to Local of all the sections of road that are rougher
Governments in Western Australia simply by than a defined threshold.
assisting them to better inform their asset
management decision making. ROMAN II also provides tools, such as the
RAMM SQL application, that help optimise
Collectively, subscribers to ROMAN II are in the adaptability of asset data for a variety of
a unique position, having been delivered a purposes. The RAMM SQL application allows
powerful, common system to manage their the user to write their own SQL (Structured
road assets without having to commit huge Query Language) script to manipulate data
resources to sourcing and developing it. This for their specific requirements. This gives
should allow Local Governments to more advanced users an opportunity to
concentrate their resources on realising summarise data in different ways to those
potential benefits to their asset management provided by the core application. For
practices. example, when assessing sites for
deficiencies you are able to summarise the
The commonality of the system could also condition indicators that are relevant to your
potentially be an issue should ROMAN II not organisation’s levels of service.
meet an organisation’s specific requirements.
To address this issue, the ROMAN II project Many useful condition indicators are already
team have considered feedback from users summarised within RAMM against treatment
and worked towards an outcome where the length sections. However, it is often useful to
system should meet most Local look closer at some data in ways that are
Governments requirements. Additionally, it is different to the default summarisation process
a system that is scalable to their needs. and in line with an individual organisation’s
drivers. Examples of data that could be
summarised against sections of road in this
way, provided it is populated in the database,
are:

3. Routine maintenance costs; time loading data and more time on analysing
and using it.
Condition data (including roughness,
macrotexture, skid resistance, visual Some examples that demonstrate the
rating, etc); potential of using asset data in innovative
Number and type of accidents; ways, are discussed below.
Surfacing/pavement type and age; In the first example, street light asset data
Valuation data; was used to determine areas of a road
network where lighting was inadequate. This
Predictive modelling results; and was possible because of the extent of data
Planned work. that can be stored about street lights in the
ROMAN II system. The structure used in
RAMM to define street lights is based on
Maximise Potential three core components of a pole, a bracket
and a light. Each pole has a unique ID,
There are many features available in the location, purpose, owner, material and
ROMAN II system that have not previously dimensions. Each bracket must be connected
been commonly available to Western to a pole and has a unique ID, type, outreach
Australian Local Governments. Firstly, using distance, angle, etc. Each light is then
RAMM software there is a far greater connected to a bracket and has a unique ID,
opportunity to store information about a wider manufacturer, gear type, lamp, etc.
array of assets associated with a road
network than was previously possible in Using this information it was possible to
ROMAN. Specifically, users are able to store determine the theoretical illuminance,
detailed inventory, condition, risk and measured in lux, across a road network using
valuation information about assets such as ArcGIS software.
bridges, retaining walls and street lights.
However, the way to maximise the potential
of the system is not just to populate it with
information. It is more about how the
information is used as part of an
organisation’s asset management regime.
Typically, there will be many common ways
of using the asset data populated in RAMM
that have previously been onerous or time
consuming with the old ROMAN system. A
simple time-saver is the ability to bulk load or
Figure 1: Street Light Illuminance Plot
update data into RAMM. For example, in the
past when users were loading visual
Plotted spatially, in Figure 1, the illuminance
condition rating data it usually had to be
of the street lights on a portion of the road
manually entered into a ROMAN data entry
network was able to be presented clearly to
template. In RAMM the same data can be
an audience and be used to determine
bulk loaded using the import function in the
sections of the road network that were not
RAMM Manager application from a
adequately illuminated.
spreadsheet or other accepted file format.
This method involves a number of validation A second example of innovative uses of road
steps to ensure the quality of the data being asset data is the development of a
loaded. Alternatively, data can also be programme of sites for collection of falling
manipulated and updated using SQL for weight deflectometer (FWD) data. This data
those users with adequate SQL ability. This is is commonly used to calculate the strength of
just one example where users can spend less pavements which is an important input into
pavement performance models, such as the

4. one which is available for use in the dTIMS Figure 2 is a thematic map of the former
modelling software component of ROMAN II. Franklin District, in New Zealand, which
shows the geology of the district and the
ROMAN II allows organisations to store their pavement strength of its road network. Using
FWD data in a table in RAMM. RAMM also maps such as this one, created using
includes a pavement strength calculation tool geographic information systems (GIS), it is
that utilises the FWD data in its calculations. possible to perform analysis on the available
strength data for the network. Strength data,
As RAMM also allows the storage of traffic including that gathered using the method
and pavement loading data in one of its explained earlier in the example, and
tables, this creates an opportunity to work to geological data can be linked to make
define useful samples of sites to capture assumptions about the strength of other
strength information for. Using pavement age pavements in a network.
data and pavement loading data it is possible
to divide a road network up into separate As alluded to, pavement strength data is an
equivalent bins. Specifically, the cumulative important input into pavement performance
equivalent standard axles (ESA) for each modelling. Therefore, this type of information
section of road would be calculated from should be a key focus for Local Government
design guides using the current life of the organisations wishing to make use of the
pavement, and a back calculation of AADT powerful dTIMS tool available as part of
and percentage of heavy vehicles. A ROMAN II.
representative sample can then be sought by
applying a weighting to the percentage of A third example highlights the burgeoning
road sections in each bin that have not had importance of asset data as an input into
FWD testing carried out. Commonly it is road safety initiatives.
found that higher-trafficked newer roads have
a higher proportion of strength data available, Davies, Cenek and Henderson (2005) have
hence this method would often help shift the described a method of combining detailed
focus to collecting data on older pavements. information on road geometry (horizontal
curvature, gradient and cross-fall), road
Once the appropriate bins to target have surface condition (roughness, rut depth,
been identified, sections of road can be texture depth and skid resistance),
selected for FWD testing by ordering them in carriageway characteristics (region,
terms of their heavy vehicle percentage and urban/rural environment and traffic flow) and
their length. Efficiencies can be gained by crashes. Their study was made possible due
ignoring road sections of shorter length (i.e. to geometry and surface condition data that
less than 300 metres). had been collected on New Zealand state
highways, and subsequently stored in
RAMM, since 1997.
The data sources described were able to be
statistically modelled, enabling crash rates to
be compared with road characteristics. This
resulted in the development of a crash
prediction model that could be used to predict
the expected number of crashes per year on
sections of road.
The crash prediction model has subsequently
been used to analyse the performance of an
18.2km length of state highway that travels
through the Karangahake Gorge between the
towns of Paeroa and Waihi in New Zealand.
The model was used to compare predicted
Figure 2: Franklin Network Pavement Strength crash densities with actual crash densities,

5. and to analyse the following interventions to ROMAN II Work Selection Tool (WST). This
determine their likely effect on crash tool can be utilised to optimise decisions
reduction: curve realignment; surface about the sections of road where treatments
treatment to improve skid resistance; and are to be performed. The WST uses a script
surface treatment to improve ride quality which defines the rules and logic used to
(Cenek & Davies, 2006). This road safety analyse the available condition data. A list of
improvement study won Opus a Silver Award treatments will be recommended under a
of Excellence at the Association of Consulting scenario, which can be compared with
Engineers New Zealand (ACENZ) annual alternative scenarios using different
Innovate NZ awards in 2009, acknowledging parameters. These parameters include
outstanding technical innovation and service intervention criteria, variables and treatment
to the client (NZ Transport Agency). costs. A chosen scenario can be constrained
to a budget and determine treatments based
on a prioritisation method.
The Asset Management Cycle
It is also clear the system will be beneficial to
Asset data and information systems are an any Local Government that is intent on
important part of the total asset management progressing towards an advanced level of
process. It is impossible to implement asset management as defined in the
worthwhile asset management solutions International Infrastructure Management
without adequate knowledge of your assets Manual (2006). In particular, the dTIMS
and their performance. component lends itself to long-term, whole of
life, cost, risk and performance optimisation.
This leads to an acknowledgement that asset If the ROMAN II system has been integrated
management information systems play a into the organisation’s overall IT structure,
significant role in the asset management there is no reason why an iterative process of
cycle. A system such as ROMAN II will be an continuous improvement cannot utilise the
important building block for future system to great effect. Accurate and detailed
improvement in asset management asset data will support efforts to produce risk-
processes in Local Government based strategies and appropriate use of
organisations in Western Australia. predictive methods to make optimised
decisions.
ROMAN II is a system that is easily capable
of providing the necessary tools for asset For any organisation, selecting an
management at a core level as defined in the appropriate asset management level may
International Infrastructure Management come down to a number of factors. Many
Manual (2006). The manual states that Local Governments in Western Australia may
practices undertaken at a core level should be content with reaching a core level. This
include: identification of critical assets; asset decision could depend on their own
registers; condition/performance data; ratepayers’ expectations and how these
optimised decision making; and levels of expectations relate to the size, condition and
service based on historical information. The complexity of the Local Government’s assets.
RAMM software component allows users to
store the minimum required data fields about Whatever the level may be, it is important to
their assets or to populate a vast array of gain commitment from throughout the
detail. organisation. There is limited value in
attempting to implement an asset
One example of the detail available is the management improvement programme
ability to store risk and condition ratings unless there is a strong commitment
against individual assets. Knowing the corporately and from the staff who are going
condition of assets is important to their to implement it.
ongoing management and a key input into
the development of forward works
programmes. Pavement condition data stored
in RAMM is available to be used in the

6. Levels of Service Conclusion
A fundamental question to consider in asset The ROMAN II road asset management
management is how can you measure the system provides a genuine opportunity for
performance of your assets if you haven’t Western Australian Local Government
defined their level of service? organisations to progress their asset
management practices. ROMAN II provides a
In considering levels of service we also need multitude of ways to work with asset data.
to understand if we are getting value for Through a number of data views and other
money and optimising the whole of life cycle manipulative procedures, such as filtering or
costs of the asset. SQL queries, it is possible to summarise data
to meet an organisation’s specific needs and
Levels of service are based upon customer inform their asset management processes.
expectations, legislative requirements and an There are also many new features that were
organisation’s objectives. Defining levels of not available in the previous ROMAN system.
service allows a Local Government to inform Organisations can store detailed inventory,
customers of the level of service being condition, risk and valuation information
offered to them, develop strategies around about a far greater range of assets found in
the required level of service, measure their road corridors.
performance, identify costs and benefits of
particular services, and enables customers to The key to maximising the system’s potential
assess for themselves the suitability of the is how the information is used as part of an
services provided (International Infrastructure organisation’s asset management regime.
Management Manual, 2006). However, Using ROMAN II it is now possible to save
before setting levels of service it is important time on the menial tasks and focus on higher
to know what the current levels of service level analysis. For example, users can focus
being delivered actually are. on analysing the illuminance of street lights,
the strength of pavement sections or road
ROMAN II can clearly store and analyse safety risks. A system such as ROMAN II will
information on asset ownership, physical be a building block for future improvements in
condition, performance, utilisation, failure asset management processes in Local
modes, treatment rankings, works Government organisations in Western
rationalisation and optimisation. Using this Australia.
information it is possible to determine the
current level of service being provided to ROMAN II is not only highly capable of
customers (i.e. ratepayers) in terms of a supporting the needs of organisations who
variety of technical levels of service or wish to have a core level of asset
performance measures. Some of this management; it also lends itself to the
information has been highlighted in the case progression towards an advanced level.
study examples given.
Typically technical levels of service won’t be References
suitable to use for consultation as they would
not be easily understood by the majority of Cenek, P.D. and Davies, R.B. (2006).
customers. Therefore, technical levels of “Modelling and Analysis of Crash Densities
service are predominantly for the use of for Karangahake Gorge, New Zealand”,
internal management and to provide Australasian Road Safety, Policing and
measurable targets. As previously described, Education Conference, Surfers Paradise,
ROMAN II provides a possible source for Queensland, Australia, 25-27 October 2006.
much of the information needed to measure
these technical levels of service or Davies, R.B., Cenek, P.D. and Henderson,
performance measures. R.J. (2005). “The Effect of Skid Resistance
and Texture on Crash Risk”, International
Conference on Surface Friction for Roads

7. and Runways, Christchurch, NZ, 1-4 May
2005.
International Infrastructure Management
Manual (2006). International Edition 2006.
Author Biography
Damien is an Asset Management Engineer
based in the Perth office of Opus
International Consultants. He started his
career with Opus in New Zealand and has
experience managing road asset information
on behalf of a number of New Zealand and
Western Australian local governments.
Damien’s pavement performance modelling
experience using dTIMS, and intimate
knowledge of RAMM, have allowed him to
maximise the power of the ROMAN II system
in WA. He has also assisted the ROMAN II
project team during testing and advised a
number of local governments on data
requirements.
Contact Details:
PO Box 174
Osborne Park
WA 6917
Australia
damien.douglas@opus.com.au