GEODIS Tested Mobile Mapping System on Railroads

GEODIS, tested the use of a complex mobile mapping system called MOMAS on railroads.

GEODIS, the largest geo-information company in Central Europe, tested the use of a complex mobile mapping system called MOMAS on railroads. The test took place in the VUZ (Výzkumný Ústav Železniční, a.s.) Velim Test Center which is a significant European test center. Its uniqueness rests especially in the possibility of reaching speeds of up to 250 km/h on the railroad tracks.

"Although the manufacturer of the main parts of the system has experience with several railroad projects, this was a first for us, the operators, and for MOMAS as a whole" commented Jan Kohout, a specialist on mobile mapping of GEODIS. The Velim test circuit was traversed eight times in total, with a total mileage of 32 km. Operation with as well as without trolley voltage was tested, as well as speeds of 40 and 80 km/h. It was found that the influence of voltage on the quality of the resulting data is negligible and that mapping is easily possible even at higher speeds without problems.

In contrast to classic survey measurements, which were used to record railroad tracks and their surroundings until now, the use of mobile mapping systems has two main advantages. The first of these is a significantly increased measuring safety, since MOMAS represents non-contact survey technology. The second significant advantage is high mapping speeds. When measuring with classic methods, the measuring time of a several kilometer track would take several days, while MOMAS allows us to document the same area in several hours without interruption of railroad operation. "We can map not only objects on the railroad, but also surrounding areas without any limitation of railroad operation" confirmed Jan Kohout, a representative of GEODIS.

GEODIS is preparing to implement the use of this system to map the railroad and its surroundings into practice in the near future, especially thanks to the very positive test results and long-term experience from practice. Information and data obtained by GEODIS in this way may be further used as a basis for many end user applications. The implementation of MOMAS on railroads represents a large step ahead in the area of railroad mapping, since its outputs are just as precise as classic surveying and subsequent utilization is much wider and more efficient.