Suffolk had no grass inventory, with no record of where cuts were taking place, so could not programme effectively.
Historically, the same three contractor crews had cut the verges, however, they lacked evidence of cuts, and had no grass inventory. Suffolk County Council adopted Grass SMART, looking for efficiencies and improvements in their grass-cutting programme. Reliable data was crucial, with a clear, consistent view that could be tracked and monitored, for the most efficient use of crew time and reliable records. Efficient, proactive maintenance programmes were required, classified by road type – A, B, C or Unclassified – so the team could prioritise the programmes accordingly.
KaarbonTech collected county-wide verge data, using polygons to classify road sections within Grass SMART, for efficient programme creation.
KaarbonTech created a dataset using road classification data and then used a proximity analysis tool to identify grass verges within those roads. The tool created polygons for each road, showing every verge, so that they could then be classified by the corresponding road type they lay on – A, B, C or Unclassified. Polygons could be combined by road class, to show all roads within that category. This allowed a verge-cutting programme to be quickly and easily produced by road classification. Additional tools allowed polygons to be split at intersections, to ensure clarity when cutting round corners.
Productivity increased, with a greater understanding of the network and reliable programmes.
A clear view of verges and their classifications ensured that Suffolk could create reliable, efficient programmes. Grass SMART enabled them to quickly inspect existing polygons, increasing productivity. A ‘multi-select’ tool provided further efficiencies, allowing crews to select multiple areas at once, and additionally inspect for and report a range of other defects at the same time. Live information shared between the office and in the field ensured that all team members were viewing the same data, aiding communication and eliminating frustrations. Suffolk County Council now has a comprehensive understanding of their grass verge network and can programme and budget more accurately.
"Grass SMART replaced paper-based systems, allowing crews to work more efficiently on-site and reduce office time.
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