How to use the haul road analysis tool

Select a simulation region

To begin the analysis, you must first define the area of the site you wish to analyze.

1. Click on the Road icon on the left-hand panel.
2. Choose your region using one of the following methods:
   • Click on an existing polygon measurement.
   • Select Create new region from the dropdown menu to draw a new area.

Note: It is recommended to define a specific area of interest rather than using the whole site. This ensures the analysis processing remains fast.

Once a region is selected, the system will take a moment to process the area so it is ready for use.

Define analysis parameters

Before computing the data, you need to set the parameters based on your site's requirements.

• Min and Max Road Width: Enter the minimum and maximum expected road widths for your site.
  • Important: These values must include any berms you wish to include in the analysis.
  • Example: If your roads are 10m wide with 2.5m berms, you should select a range like 6m minimum and 15m maximum.
• Distance Between Cross Sections: This defines the interval distance between the cross-sections produced by the results (e.g., Road Width, Cross Fall and Superelevation results).
• Estimated Number of Roads:
  • Enter specific numbers (e.g., 1) to find the largest road in the region, 2 for the two largest, and so on.
  • Enter 0 to return all roads found within the site.

• Tip: If the haul road detected does not match what you expect (e.g., roads are missing or the area covered is incorrect), try modifying the Min and Max Road Width parameters. Adjusting these inputs to strictly match the physical reality of your site helps the tool filter out irrelevant terrain and focus on the actual road surfaces.

Compute and view results

Once your parameters are set, you can run the analysis.

1. Click the Compute road analysis button to calculate widths, gradients, cross falls, superelevation, and berms.
2. To view specific data, click the caret (arrow) icon next to any of the output sections to expand them.
3. Toggle outputs on or off to overlay them on the map.

Adjusting your view

• Sliders: Use the sliders to adjust the colorization for In Spec and Out of Spec ranges. Anything outside the specified range will display as yellow.
• Fine Tuning: You can manually edit the numbers in the input fields for precise control after dragging the sliders. Doing this dynamically updates the colorization.
• Inspect Values: Hover your mouse over any visible output on the screen to see the exact value for that specific portion.

Advanced settings

You can use Advanced Settings to refine your results further.

Source Elevation Data:

• DEM (Default): Uses the terrain visible in Propeller, including any terrain cleanups you have made.
• Point Cloud: Recommended for sites with large elevation changes to provide a better result for berm heights.

• Surface Profile: Choose between Flat, Hill, or Steep Area. The default recommendation is Hill.
• Berm Sampling Points: Controls the number of samples taken to calculate berm height. Increase this number if the top of the berm is not being correctly detected.
• Include Safety Berms: Toggle this off to remove center berms based on size. You can set a threshold (e.g., 200m²) to ignore berms smaller than that area.
• Edit Centrelines: You can manually draw centrelines using the Measure tab or select previously saved centrelines from the dropdown to improve road detection inputs.

Exporting your findings

Currently, there is no custom report builder for this tool. However, you can export your findings using the following method:

• Go to the Outputs tab.
• Use the existing JPEG export functionality to save an image of your results.
• Note: Centrelines created during analysis can be saved to the Road Analysis folder and reused later.

I still can't do it!

We wrote these articles to equip you with everything you need to get the job done on your own, but we understand that sometimes this isn't sufficient.

If you're stuck, the Propeller Site Support team may be able to help. You can contact our support team by emailing sitesupport@propelleraero.com.au.