Survey of the network is a key part of the job for Eryri's wardens. The CAMS Mobile app allows efficient data collection in the field, integrating with the device's camera and GPS. As network coverage can be unreliable, it was important that the mobile app could function completely offline, without an internet connection. All the data and background mapping are held on the device for use in the field, and a one-touch operation allows the data to be synchronised with the main system when a connection is available. To help ensure quality and consistency of data, we configured the app to make certain data fields mandatory, and to ensure all updates from the field had a photo associated with them. It was also important for Eryri that the app could also be used in the Welsh language, so we worked with them to implement translations and allow the app to switch between Welsh and English at the touch of a button.

Eryri wardens have a rolling programme of rights of way to survey, and tools built into the CAMS Pro and CAMS Mobile solution assist with this. A task is created for a warden to survey a path by a particular date, and when that task is completed, the system automatically generates the next survey task based on the priority of the path and when it was surveyed this time. This process saves Eryri's senior wardens a lot of time from having to manually identify and reassign links to wardens for survey. From the perspective of the surveyors, they get a prioritised, date-based task list that they can work from, so they always know their priority tasks.

Field survey is only part of the story. In the office, Eryri staff need a system that helps them manage the rights of way network and respond to problems. The CAMS Pro solution provides this. An intuitive, easy-to-use web application provides a portal for members of the public to report issues on the path network, and for officers to track these issues through to completion. The system assists with prioritising issues and setting target dates, based on the authority's published rule base, and allows office staff to record tasks for field teams to work on. Operating fully bilingually, the website allows members of the public to submit reports of issues they encounter, and to see the and be notified about progress of their reported issues. This self-service frees up officer time to work on resolving the issues.

For officers, the public portal makes their job easier as the issue reports come to them in a standardised format, linked to a map location and using standardised descriptors. Photos may also be included. A simple interface takes the officer through the workflow of reviewing the issue, accepting or rejecting it in the system, and assigning appropriate tasks to wardens. Wardens receive all the information about their jobs on their tablets, and can update the information in the field, whether that's adding further detail for specialist teams, or signing the issue off when the work is done. This closes the loop, and the system automatically updates the complainant to let them know their issue is now resolved.

Further information from Timothy Derbyshire

We worked with Staffordshire County Council to agree the standards for the survey and produce the survey manual, and after an on-site Pilot to confirm the standards, the fieldwork began in earnest. The survey ran from their live CAMS solution, so all the data collected immediately went back into their live CAMS and was instantly available to officers. While the surveyors were collecting data and photographs in the field, Exegesis consultants in the office worked on other areas of the project. We completed a GIS exercise to calculate the gradients along the route by intersecting the route with the 5m contour data, and used this information to identify the maximum gradient along each of the link sections. We also identified useful facilities on or near the route (such as car parks, EV chargers, accommodation providers and public conveniences) by buffering the route and intersecting this with the OpenStreetMap data.

A number of issues were identified during the survey, and for each of these we identified suitable next steps for mitigating or resolving these issues. Each of these actions had cost estimates associated with them, allowing us to produce a costed summary of the work required to resolve these issues. By classifying each of the issues by their effect on the user, and giving each a priority, we were able to break the cost down by the priority of the issues, as well as by those on the circular walks compared to the Staffordshire Way itself. A new form of analysis which we undertook was to give each issue a score based on the impact it had on the user and to total these scores for each link on the Staffordshire Way and associated walks. What this showed was that while some links were impacted by one serious issue, others had a larger number of smaller issues whose cumulative effect was just as significant.

After the fieldwork was completed, we collated the data from the analyses and the survey to provide useful reports for Staffordshire Council. A key area of interest was around accessibility, and being able to provide potential visitors with the information about where potential barriers were. The gradient analysis was obviously a key part of this, and we used this information alongside the data from the fieldwork about stiles, steps and similar items of furniture to show areas where accessibility could best be improved, as well as maps showing gradients and barriers. In addition, we produced atlases of the road crossings and sections of the route that followed roads, with photos, comments from the surveyor, details of any specific problems, and assessment of the provision and visibility.

All the information was loaded into Staffordshire's CAMS solution, where it is easily searchable and updatable by Staffordshire's public rights of way team.

Further information from Timothy Derbyshire

The Rights of Way network in Calderdale comprises nearly 1,400km of moorland, steep valleys, and urban areas. The fieldwork was completed in three months, using a team of five surveyors armed with rugged tablets using our CAMS Mobile app. Our surveyors collected information on every furniture item and every issue/problem and captured over 27,000 photos. This gave officers at Calderdale Council a complete picture of their public rights of way.

Rather than simply handing back static report files, Exegesis loaded all the information from the survey into our new cloud-based CAMS Pro solution. This provides powerful searching capabilities, interactive mapping and photos integrated via LibraryLink in an accessible, intuitive website interface. But CAMS Pro is more than just an interface for viewing the survey data; it also includes tools for prioritising the issues, assigning tasks to officers, and tracking the progress of issues through to completion. A wide range of reports can be run from the system, and the interactive map allows the information to be visualised in different ways. In addition, CAMS Pro facilitates engagement with the public by allowing Calderdale Council to easily publish their register of applications for Definitive Map Modification Orders & Public Path Orders. To help keep the data up to date when working in the field, we also provided Calderdale Council with CAMS Mobile for their own use as well, allowing offline edits to the data, and synchronising directly with their CAMS Pro system when signal is available.

This project provided Calderdale Council with a comprehensive, up to date dataset of their public rights of way, along with easy-to-use tools to enable them to manage the data and to get the most value from it.

Further information from Timothy Derbyshire

Given the dynamic nature of the sand dune habitat, it was not possible to use historical mapping, MasterMap or any of the datasets that are normally used for digitising Rights of Way networks. We instead used the most recent available aerial photography to identify and capture the walked lines of the paths.

Once the network had been captured, it was loaded to the CAMS Mobile solution for the fieldwork. This allowed the surveyor to capture details of the furniture items and issues on the network, using the tablet's GPS to assist with positioning and capturing images on the tablet's camera. The data, including the digitised network, were then all synchronised back into the client's CAMS dataset, with all the photos linked to the records.

Further information from Timothy Derbyshire.

The Greenlane Association (GLASS) commissioned Exegesis to rebuild their TrailWise website, a site that maps the byways of England, Scotland and Wales for 4×4 vehicle drivers. TrailWise2 has been designed with the importance of route conservation and responsible driving at the forefront, with each route recording closure status, permit system and driver experiences.

The site allows users to view the routes on a full-screen map or individual details page where they can see details about responsible authority, closure status and permit system. GLASS will be working to record byways in areas where their data is incomplete and to keep the details for the current data up to date.

Further information from Crispin Flower.

The first stage was to digitise the route of the new section into the Authority's CAMS. This included correcting the alignment of the path against OS MasterMap and dividing the route into Link sections.

The data were then loaded to the CAMS Mobile table application for survey in the field. The information captured included spatial and text data on all the signage, gates seating and other furniture along the Trail, along with photographs. In addition, detailed information, including mapping and photographs, was captured of all problems encountered along the Thames Path.

The collected data were analysed and loaded into the client's CAMS solution, and copies of map layers, geo-tagged photos and reports were made available to Transport for London.

More information from Timothy Derbyshire.

The surveyor found the system easy to use in the field, and was impressed with the performance, GPS response and camera quality in the tablet. The 16% survey equated to about 140km of public rights of way, and this was completed in the field in just a couple of weeks.

After the fieldwork was successfully completed, the data were synchronised into the authority's CAMS system, allowing them to generate reports and plan for the future maintenance of the network.

Further information from Timothy Derbyshire

The site of the path was steeply sloping with significant vegetation cover, making it difficult for standard GPS receivers to get an accurate fix.

Working with the National Park authority, exeGesIS used high-precision GPS equipment to mark the line of the path, achieving sub-metre accuracy. These GPS data were used to create a map layer that could be incorporated into the authority's CAMS and GIS applications.

Further information from Timothy Derbyshire.

Each of the statements and statutory declaration documents relating to a Section 31(6) Deposit was scanned into a separate PDF document. The boundary of each deposit was then digitised, with multiple boundaries created if the boundary changed between statements / statutory declarations. 

The digitised boundaries were then linked to the associated attribute data to produce a digital layer so that Powys staff can undertake spatial searches to check whether a planning application is affected by Section 31(6) deposits.

Further information from Claire Lush

We then provided a website that would enable South Downs Way volunteers to enter condition survey information, previously recorded on paper maps, onto the web. This condition survey information was then be uploaded directly to the exeGesIS Countryside Access Management System (CAMS) software for analysis and reporting.

In addition to fault reporting, developments to CAMS Web now enable registered volunteers to:

• View a list of surveys that have been assigned to them
• Record the condition of assets
• Record any issues found
• Sign off issues found to be completed
• Sign off surveys
• Record the time taken to complete surveys

National Park Officers can also assign additional tasks to volunteers through the website.

The National Park has subsequently expanded the use of the website to volunteers completing park-wide Best Value Performance Indicator (BVPI) surveys.

Further information from Kathryn Steemson.

The data collected in the field, in common with other rights of way surveys carried out by exeGesIS, included locations and details of all the furniture items along the trail and any problems that required work to be carried out, along with photographs. These data were processed into the CAMS used by the Kintyre Way managers, and also into the separate CAMS used by the team in Argyll & Bute Council.

Training was then provided to all the users in the council offices in Lochgilphead, to maximise the benefit that both teams could get the from the data collected. In addition, reports were developed to the users’ requirements so that the data could be presented to other interested parties. This work provided the managers of the Kintyre Way with a means to not only identify where work was needed, but also to prioritise that work and to inform local interest groups of the improvements made to the trail.

Further information from Timothy Derbyshire.

The client required an affordable, mobile system for data gathering in the field. A key requirement was the ability to synchronise the data wirelessly with CAMS Desktop in the office from anywhere at any time.

CAMS Mobile gives you:

• Live data collection in the field
• Portable, lightweight Smartphone / tablet
• Fast, accurate GPS
• Fast, simple recording of data
• Mapping and intuitive forms
• In-built camera
• Seamless data sync 

CAMS Mobile is ideal for:

• Carrying-out condition surveys
• Ad hoc recording of work
• Information resource in your pocket
• Populating asset registers
• Recording issues
• Recording details of site visits

Download a flyer. Further information is available from Simon Allen.

Natural England asked exeGesIS to assist in developing the methodology for the baseline survey, which could then be applied in subsequent years to monitor the condition of the Trail. While Natural England's own surveyors carried out the fieldwork, exeGesIS provided the survey equipment and technical support to the surveyors during the six-week survey period.

The survey produced an inventory of all the assets on the Bridleway, from larger structures like bridges, through to gates, signs and smaller items like water troughs and mounting blocks. Any problems or issues on the trail were recorded, and GPS tracking functionality was used to produce a corrected and updated line of the route. After these data had been collected, exeGesIS produced a corrected map layer of the Trail and analysed and reported on the data collected. The data, including photographs, were loaded into the exeGesIS CAMS software to allow further analysis.

Further information from Timothy Derbyshire.

The initial stage was to work with the authority to develop a methodology for the survey, deciding what data needed to be collected and what standards should be applied: there is always an element of subjectivity in determining what criteria should be met for an asset to be considered satisfactory, and this was an area where exeGesIS were able to bring considerable experience to bear. Once the methodology was agreed, exeGesIS collated the existing data from the authority and completed preparations for the fieldwork.

The fieldwork was completed in just six weeks by one of exeGesIS’s experienced public rights of way surveyors. This involved the collection of information on over 1,800 assets and over 900 issues, and the capture of more than 3,000 photographs. All of the data were uploaded into the exeGesIS Countryside Access Management System (CAMS) software for analysis and reporting.

In addition to a series of reports, both summary statistics and detail reports, the data collected were loaded into the South Downs National Park Authority’s own CAMS solution, allowing them to interact with the data and carry out their own searching, reporting and analysis. This also provided them with a wealth of information that can be used and updated in their ongoing management of the trails.

Further information from Timothy Derbyshire.

exeGesIS worked with Bristol City Council to develop the methodology for the survey. We then used our Path Surveyor application to complete the survey, loading all the existing data onto handheld devices so that they were visible to the surveyor in the field. This enabled the surveyor to see what information already existed, update data on existing features where it was out of date and capture new features from scratch. This was done whilst retaining information that was still relevant.

A particular requirement for this survey was the capture of photographs for all features, not only for all furniture items (both new and existing) and for all issues, but also general photographs of the paths were required as well. These photos were captured on survey and processed via Field Data Manger into LibraryLink, where they are visible from the Council’s CAMS application.

Further information from Timothy Derbyshire.

In addition to the survey, the actual path line for the Wales Coast Path was digitised and categorised based on BS7666 standards.   

The survey was completed with the goal of providing a summary of the condition of the Wales Coast Path. It was also intended to act as a resource for local authorities responsible for maintaining the path as it passes along the coast.

After the survey all data was made available to NRW via a dedicated data management system. The Wales Coast Path Quality Management System is hosted and supported by Exegesis and available to NRW staff for the purposes of managing the Wales Coast Path.

For more information, please contact Simon Allen. 

The technology used by the project is based upon a number of open source and open standards frameworks and may be deployed across a wide range of Android and iOS smartphones in the market today. The technical solution developed by the project follows a modular design and has been configured for use in each of the two mobile apps (Norfolk CC and Zeeland). This modular design is important as it allows additional functionality to be added by future projects and also allows existing modules to be re-developed or even removed as native technology in mobile devices develops. It also means that new mobile apps requiring a different set of functionality can be rapidly developed using existing modules with different configurations.

Further information from Laine Skinner.

exeGesIS has worked closely with Powys County Council over several years to provide this service. The process involves analysis of the current network’s state to create a 5% sample, preparation and organisation pre-survey plus supplying and supporting the surveyors whilst they are out in the field.

A 5% sample of the Powys Path Network is approximately 420km. exeGesIS surveyors complete this within a few weeks. The data is then processed and imported back into the PCC CAMS and reports are provided to indicate the condition of the network. 

For more information, please contact Simon Allen or Timothy Derbyshire.