The inaugural Indian Ground Penetrating Radar Symposium in 2024 spanned two days, during which we, as primary sponsors, spotlighted a diverse array of GPR systems. Our exhibition showcased the specifications of MALA Easy Locator Core, MALA GeoDrone 80, MIRA Compact, and the Concrete scanner, emphasizing their applications in utility mapping. With over 100 attendees from across the nation, the event hosted a series of technical sessions fostering engagement and networking. On the first day, we established valuable connections with participants, leveraging the opportunity to showcase our capabilities and learn about emerging technologies in demand.
The event provided a platform for us to showcase our expertise and interact with attendees seeking insights into our showcased equipment, particularly the MALA Easy Locator Core and Concrete Scanner, which were available for live demonstrations. Our stall garnered significant interest, with numerous delegates and participants eager to grasp the functionality and operations of the equipment. The second day involved hands-on fieldwork for comprehensive data collection, followed by detailed processing to facilitate easier data interpretation. Through this experience, we realized the reciprocal nature of knowledge sharing, as attendees gained insights into GPR functions and the importance of adept data processing and interpretation.

IIT Roorkee organized a two-day meet on Instrumentation & Real-Time Monitoring of Hill Slope in April wherein our company was invited and actively participated in the discussions on the way forward. This meet was primarily to gather ideas for developing guidelines for hill slope monitoring. This meet was chaired by Shri D. Sarangi, DG & Special Secretary, MoRTH, and presentations on subject matter were made by Principal Investigator Prof. N. K. Samadhiya and Convenors & co-PIs Prof. Akanksha Tyagi and Prof. Alok Bhardwaj from IIT Roorkee's Civil Engineering Department.

During the brainstorming sessions, valuable insights on cost-effective monitoring solutions were presented and discussions were carried on long-term remedial measures for landslide-prone areas. With a focus on precise data interpretation, the meeting targeted on proposing sensor systems, and geospatial techniques for real-time data collection. We suggested that though instrumentation is important, meaningful interpretation of the data collected vis-a-vis geotechnical and geophysical environments is very important. A step in this direction would be to create a digital twin through geospatial techniques and then model the same in the laboratory. Baby/Incremental steps, utilizing one or two instruments instead of gamut of instrumentation would be more feasible. We advised the use of Telemetry Tiltmeter which logs highly accurate rotational tilt data for this application:

• The tiltmeter is frequently utilized for Slope Stability monitoring, the devices can be mounted directly to a rock face or fixed to a post driven into the ground, as the Earth moves the pole rotates and the tilt meter records and transmits this.
• The device can be set to log data from the X and Y axis and transmit at preset time intervals. A standard configuration would be to log every 1 hr and transmit every 6 hours which is a good balance of battery conservation and data upload.
• Devices can transmit immediately and out of their cycle if they detect a movement change that exceeds a threshold
• Data is received and managed in Orion Cloud software
• All device configurations can be remotely changed using the unique two-way communication capability.

As you are aware we are the integrators of ROMDAS Network Survey Vehicles in India and have in the recent past supplied more than 10 nos of LCMS systems( 3D NSVs as per the requirement laid down by NHAI) apart from several 2D and 1D systems. We today have more than 45 ROMDAS systems in India. In our endeavor to ensure that the NSVs supplied by us to various consultants in Northern and Central India are properly calibrated, functioning well, and giving a true reflection of the pavement condition, we had organized “ROMDAS CLINIC” from 3rd -9th August, Saturday and Sunday inclusive. Some of the pictures are attached.

In this “CLINIC” we have addressed the issues which ROMDAS users have with the operation, data collection, and analysis. This would ensure that the data being presented by the consultants to NHAI/MORTH/PWDs gives the true picture of the pavement condition. In case you have any doubts about the data being presented by them, please do feel free to contact us and we shall download the original data collected in the field in the form of .rbf files, and analyze the same for you. Whenever a survey is conducted, a backup file, called the .rbf file is created, which can not be altered.

This “CLINIC” hopefully will not only benefit the users of ROMDAS NSV but will also ensure that the data which is being collected and presented to NHAI/MORTH/NHIDCL//PWD etc gives a true reflection of the pavement distresses.

A baby step ….but a huge leap in trust.

Conference Themes

1. Resilient & Sustainable Rural Roads Infrastructure - Lowering the Carbon Footprint
2. Transforming Rural Economy through Access – Enhancing Integration & Inclusivity
3. Management and Maintenance of Rural Roads – Effective Governance Framework