| The Municipality of Medemblik, The Netherlands
How can municipalities best respond to a doubling of the road network to be managed? The municipality of Medemblik in the Netherlands has found a solution with Unihorn and Inspech.
Mark Roelofsen is the municipality’s policy advisor for management and maintenance. He is happy to talk about his experience with the advanced ‘digital twin’ of the road network, which saves time and prevents capital loss.
200 kilometers of additional roads: doubling the area to be managed
Due to restructuring, the municipality of Medemblik will have to cope with a doubling of the area it has to manage. What is the state of the 200 kilometres of additional roads to be managed? However, a completely new solution - the digital twin - turns out not to be the most efficient solution.
Most of the extension consists of ‘residential access roads’ with a speed limit of up to eighty kilometres per hour,” explains Roelofsen. We needed to get an accurate picture of the current state of the road network, the history of which we did not know. With the same team, we now have to effectively manage a much larger area of roads, plan maintenance and optimise budget allocations. This is no easy task. We needed a solution that could support our inspectors in all of these areas.
Capital destruction from overdue maintenance can almost always be avoided with the right (IT) solution
Efficiency and the shortest possible implementation and training time are important when choosing the IT solution for the municipality of Medemblik. And there is another challenge lurking: overdue maintenance. In road management, overdue maintenance is still one of the main reasons for capital destruction.
Roelofsen and his team soon ended up at Unihorn, which scans the roads and records the video data. On Unihorn’s advice, it was decided to create a digital twin of the road network using IT solutions from INSPECH .
Roelofsen explains that accuracy, efficiency and user-friendliness were the main reasons for choosing INSPECH. In addition, INSPECH is not a generic solution, such as an integrated asset management system that covers everything, including green areas, lighting and traffic signs. This type of system is too complex or superficial. The INSPECH solution focuses specifically on road maintenance. It quickly gives us the in-depth insights and optimisations we need to address the unique challenges of our road management.
The digital twin: fast and accurate
Accuracy, efficiency and user-friendliness are all equally important in keeping the roads in the municipality of Medemblik in top condition. The digital twin, which is now in place and in daily use, ticks all the boxes.
The result is everything Roelofsen had hoped for and more: This solution has contributed to even better operational efficiency. We can process data faster and make informed decisions. The maintenance plans we make are proactive. This extends the life of the infrastructure and saves costs. Accurate and detailed inspection data also keeps us on top of the measures. And last but not least, we prevent capital being destroyed by overdue maintenance.