Database Department

Department for Database and GIS

The main activities of the Department for Database and GIS include the development, management and maintenance of databases in line with the latest technologies and modern international practices. As part of its regular activities, the Department collects, updates, controls, verifies and analyses data relating to various thematic areas, with a specialised database established for each area. In order to meet users’ data needs and automate business processes, web-based application solutions are developed and enhanced for data viewing and manipulation, as well as for the automatic generation of reports. The Department also analyses and processes data using specialised software, on the basis of which reports on traffic flows and the spatial and temporal distribution of road accidents are prepared. It also presents data on the functional characteristics of carriageways, road structures on the state road network, etc.

The activities of the Department for Database and GIS are based on the provisions of the Law on Roads and the road manager’s obligation to maintain records on public roads and road traffic and technical data.

The Department has developed specialised databases on roads, traffic counting, road structures, traffic signage and equipment, railway crossings and road accidents, as well as a central geospatial database containing the most important data from the specialised databases and other data.

The Department for Database and GIS is responsible for the development and management of the following databases and associated application solutions:

Road Database contains basic data on the state roads of the Republic of Serbia, as well as records and information on the condition of road assets collected within the project “Assessment of the State Road Network Condition”, implemented in 2019/2020. In order to enable users within “Putevi Srbije” to access the database from any location and view data on road section characteristics, road assets, pavement condition, traffic flows, the state road reference system, etc., a replica of the original database was created and can be accessed via a Web GIS application. The application enables users to view data on an interactive map and in tables, perform searches and spatial selections, use other basic GIS tools, and export data in various formats.

Traffic Count Database

As part of the activities aimed at establishing and improving the traffic counting system on the state road network, “Putevi Srbije” LLC began implementing the existing automatic traffic counting system on the state road network in 2010. Based on the Methodology for Traffic Counting on State Roads in the Republic of Serbia, automatic QLTC traffic counters were installed, operating on the principle of inductive loops embedded in the pavement structure. These counters enable accurate vehicle detection and classification into 10+1 categories, significantly contributing to the quality and level of detail of the collected data. Currently, there are approximately 500 automatic traffic counters of this type on the state road network.

Data from automatic traffic counters are stored directly in the specialised Traffic Count Database. Using a server-based application, the engineers responsible for the Traffic Count Database have access to the data and can monitor the status of each individual traffic counter. The application enables users to select a predefined time period (day, week, month or year) and view the data in several different formats and time intervals – 15-minute, hourly and daily intervals. Data can also be viewed by vehicle category and direction of travel.

Based on the data collected from automatic traffic counters, the Department for Database processes and analyses traffic flow data and prepares annual reports. As a result of these activities, the Traffic Count Database contains data on changes in traffic flows over time, as well as data on traffic flow characteristics, including: Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT), AADT by main vehicle categories on road sections, hourly distribution of traffic flows over the 8,760 hours of the year, distribution of hourly traffic volumes by direction throughout the year, total monthly traffic, average monthly daily traffic, maximum and minimum daily traffic, and speed distribution.

The Traffic Count Data Presentation is published annually in both printed and electronic form and is available on the company’s website. Data on Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) by main vehicle categories on road sections are publicly available on the “Putevi Srbije” website and can be viewed and downloaded at the following address: https://www.putevi-srbije.rs/index.php/sr/brojanje-saobra%C4%87aja

The locations of automatic traffic counters and their attributes, as well as Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) data by vehicle category, are publicly available on the “Putevi Srbije” GIS Portal: https://gisportal.rs/smartPortal/gisjpps. The data can be viewed and downloaded from the Traffic Counting System - AADT.

The Road Structures Database contains data on bridges, tunnels and retaining structures, including inventory data and data on the condition assessment of structural elements, special transport requests, load-bearing capacity inspection reports, photographic documentation, etc. The data stored in the database can be accessed through web-based application solutions specifically developed for all three groups of structures. In addition to viewing data, the web application can also be used to assess the structural condition of road structures. The database contains data obtained from professional inspections of road structures, as well as data from the designs of newly constructed structures handed over to the Road Manager for maintenance.

The Traffic Signage and Equipment Database contains data collected within a pilot project covering 100 km of state roads. In 2019, the pilot area was surveyed using LiDAR technology, providing spherical imagery as well as a 3D terrain model. 

The Railway Crossings Database contains data on railway crossings on state roads, obtained by cross-referencing, harmonising and verifying data from various relevant sources.

The sources include:

  • railway infrastructure management companies and authorities responsible for the supervision of state roads,
  • data collected using LiDAR technology within pilot projects conducted in 2019 and 2020, covering 43 railway crossings,
  • field surveys of individual crossings carried out between 2019 and 2022,
  • the RRSP-RNCS State Road Network Survey Project, 2017–2020,
  • inventory sheets from 2021.

The data are regularly updated at periodic intervals. Data from both databases can be accessed and processed through a single web-based application, which provides tools for visualisation, spatial analysis, preparation of interactive reports, viewing spherical imagery and 3D terrain models, etc.

The Road Accident Database for state roads was established as a basis for the systematic monitoring of road safety and the evaluation of the effects of implemented measures aimed at improving road safety on the state road network.

To ensure the reliability, accuracy and completeness of the data, continuous quality and logical checks are performed on the database. Primary road accident data are collected by the Ministry of the Interior, which provides the master database to the Road Traffic Safety Agency. Through an established data exchange service, the Road Traffic Safety Agency makes these data available to “Putevi Srbije”, thereby ensuring timely and reliable access to data for road safety analysis, planning of measures and management decision-making.

The Central Geospatial Database contains various types of spatial data, with each data class described by a specific set of attributes. For the purpose of establishing the geospatial database, real-world objects represented as points, lines and polygons were georeferenced. The data were obtained from various sources, such as other specialised databases, various alphanumeric databases, projects and studies carried out within “Putevi Srbije”, as well as through field data collection using GPS and other dedicated devices and sensors for recording various values and indicators. The frequency of data updates varies depending on the type of data. Some data are updated periodically, at intervals of a certain number of days or months, while others are updated in real time through direct data transmission from measuring devices.

The “Putevi Srbije” LLC GIS Portal is a web application that provides centralised and comprehensive access to data from the company’s Central Geospatial Database by visualising its contents on a single interactive map, with the possibility of performing various spatial analyses, searches, overlaying different types of data, generating reports, etc.  Since the Central Geospatial Database also stores data from specialised (native) databases, the “Putevi Srbije” GIS Portal provides access to key data on: the state road reference system, traffic counts, axle loads, road network condition assessments, road structures, unstable occurrences, railway crossings, ITS equipment elements, toll stations, roadside facilities, bicycle paths, road accidents, data from various projects and studies carried out within “Putevi Srbije”, road maintenance areas, energy management, the European road network, the register of spatial units, organisational units of the Ministry of the Interior, as well as orthophoto imagery of the Republic of Serbia.

For the purpose of presenting data to the general public, a dedicated version of the “Putevi Srbije” LLC GIS Portal has been developed, featuring selected content of interest to the general public. Public access is provided through the official “Putevi Srbije” website.

In addition to database development and management, the Department for Database and GIS carries out other important activities, including:

The Department for Database and GIS collects data on the functional characteristics of pavement surfaces. Data collection includes surveys of the longitudinal and transverse pavement evenness using DYNATEST road network survey equipment installed on a specialised vehicle. The collected data are processed and entered into the Central Database and subsequently presented through the “Putevi Srbije” LLC GIS Portal.

The Department provides support to other organisational units and sectors in projects aimed at automating business processes, as well as in activities involving the preparation and analysis of data required for the implementation of various business tasks.

Participation in Major Projects

Representatives of the Department for Database and GIS participate in numerous working groups and teams involved in the implementation of various projects, the most significant of which include:

  • Cooperation with the Republic Geodetic Authority aimed at establishing the National Spatial Data Infrastructure and data metadata catalogue;
  • Participation in the “DANUBRIDGE-CONNECT” project, led by “Hrvatske ceste” company, aimed at analysing and comparing the results of conventional and modern (drone-based) inspections of cross-border bridges;
  • Participation in the process of aligning and harmonising the INSPIRE Directive with the laws and bylaws of the Republic of Serbia;
  • Cooperation with the Secretariat of the Transport Community to provide the data required for the implementation of the TODIS project and for updating the TODIS database (Transport Observatory Database / Information System);
  • Cooperation with the Road Traffic Safety Agency and the Traffic Police Directorate of the Ministry of the Interior on the development and updating of the Integrated Database on Key Road Safety Features;
  • Project: Development of the National Transport Development Strategy of the Republic of Serbia for the period up to 2030;
  • Educational campaigns aimed at raising road safety awareness:
    • “3 Seconds, a Whole Life”
    • “Do Not Drive in the Emergency Lane”
    • “Do Not Block the Emergency Lane, Do Not Stop Life”;
    • “Don’t Damage Traffic Signs – A Sign Means Life”
    • “Safely through the Tunnel”
    • “We Are Not Alone in the Tunnel”;
    • “Use Winter Equipment! Don’t Let Winter Take the Wheel!“
    • “Winter Maintenance Is Working for You! Drive Patiently!”
  • Preparation of the Rulebook on the Manner of Crossing of Railway Lines and Roads, Pedestrian or Bicycle Paths, Locations Where Crossings May Be Established, and Measures for Ensuring Safe Traffic;
  • Cooperation with the Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, Serbian Railways Infrastructure and the Railway Directorate regarding application software for working with data from the geospatial database on traffic signs and railway crossings;
  • Submission of proposals for amendments to the Law on Roads;
  • Harmonisation of the TEN-T network with the new version of the state road reference system

 

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