Road condition monitoring training

What road missions cover

Road condition monitoring missions produce data for highway authorities, asset managers and municipal engineering departments. Accurate documentation enables prioritised maintenance scheduling and supports funding allocation decisions.

• Surface condition — overall pavement surface integrity: cracking pattern type (alligator, longitudinal, transverse), surface ravelling, rutting depth
• Potholes — open surface failures with a defined extent and depth visible from public pavement or road surface
• Road markings — faded, missing, or damaged lane markings, crossings, and directional arrows
• Signage condition — damaged, obscured, tilted, or missing road signs specified in the mission brief
• Kerbs and drainage inlets — broken kerb stones, blocked or damaged drainage grates adjacent to the carriageway

Shot requirements

Road condition missions require a consistent three-shot set for each documented defect or feature:

• Wide context shot — taken from the pavement, showing the defect within its road section context. Include visible road markings, kerbing, or street furniture to establish location. Minimum 3 metres of road surface visible.
• Close-up defect shot — taken directly above or at a low angle to the defect. Fill the frame with the defect area. Include a scale reference (see below).
• Reference to street or location — a shot confirming the street name (signage or visible address) or, where street signs are absent, a clearly identifiable landmark within the frame.

Walking vs driving: safe documentation methods

Walking (preferred): Approach the defect location on foot. Stand on the adjacent pavement or cycle path. Extend your reach over the kerb edge if necessary for the close-up — do not step into the carriageway.

From a slow-moving or stopped vehicle: Some road condition missions are designed for vehicle-based documentation. If specified, capture from the driver's window at a safe, legal stop — a layby, designated pull-in, or red light stop. Do not operate the quiXzoom app while the vehicle is in motion.

If safe documentation from pavement or a safe stop is not possible due to road layout, abandon the mission and report via the app. Your approval rate is not penalised for safe abandonment.

Scale reference: how and why

The asset management systems that consume quiXzoom road data use scale references to classify defect severity. A pothole with no scale indicator cannot be classified by automated systems and will be rejected.

Position the scale object at the edge of the defect, not inside it. The object should be fully visible and not obscuring the defect itself. Capture from directly above, parallel to the surface.

GPS accuracy for road-level documentation

Road condition data is associated with asset management systems indexed to centimetre-level surveyed road centrelines. GPS accuracy directly affects whether your submission can be matched to the correct road segment.

• Always use precise GPS mode (device location set to high accuracy). Enable this in device settings before leaving for a mission, not at the roadside.
• Allow a minimum of 45 seconds of open-sky GPS acquisition before beginning captures. Moving directly from an indoor or underground environment to a mission site results in GPS drift.
• Submissions with GPS accuracy greater than 15 metres from the mission point have a significantly higher rejection rate. Check your device's GPS indicator before submitting.