Subway Condition Assessment and Inspection:

Baltimore's mass public transit system needed to perform a detailed physical asset and infrastructure inspection.

The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) needed to perform a detailed physical inspection of their subway system. They needed a reliable method for collecting, storing and retrieving their inspection data, archiving related photos, and generating inspection reports.

Leverage new technology solutions to modernize and streamline the inspection process, and transition from paper to digital inspections.

For previous inspections, the client had used a database system that had become outdated and relied upon paper inspection forms that had to be entered into a computer. This legacy system contained data from previous inspections that had to be made available for future reference, no matter what upgrades were made.

Development and implementation of a mobile data collection platform.

Intellis customized its FOUNDATION data collection technology to allow the MDTA to electronically collect data on handheld computers with data collection menus specifically tailored to their project. The data collection screens promoted uniformity, integrity, and accuracy of entered data by performing validation and completeness checks and requirements. The user interface contained built-in logic to speed physical inspections. Intellis hosted the MDTA’s application during data collection and assisted in data upload to the hosted system.

Intellis performed the following:

• Upgrade of MTA legacy system
• Business analysis for the inspection process and required attributes
• The configuration of FOUNDATION data collection software
• The configuration of FOUNDATION mobile data entry modules
• Administration of communications for data upload
• System hosting
• System reporting configuration
• Data conversion to legacy system
• Enhancements to legacy system including inspection photo archiving feature
• System training
• Maintenance and support

Saved the MDTA time and money with a fully configured platform that improved efficiency, data accuracy, and streamlined workflows.

The FOUNDATION solution and Intellis's consultation allowed the MDTA to rapidly deploy a handheld computerized data collection system that improved efficiency and data accuracy. The system allowed the MDTA to reduce total inspection time while improving the quality of their data.

By integrating the new system with MDTA’s legacy system, MDTA was able to reconcile all future and past data, and have all of their data available for data reporting for inspection assessment. Through creating an automatic photo storage process for the new system and an archiving system for the existing photos, MDTA was finally able to have access to visual inspection evidence related to extensive inspection data for usage and reporting.

MDTA’s handheld physical inspection solution resulted in inspection efficiency gains while producing highly relevant and accessible data about the subway system and its associated components. This system was both cost-effective and time-saving for the MDTA.