The Electronic Bridge Project is a work-in-progress; it aims to comprehensively monitor the state of the bridge which is exposed to various natural, human-influenced and operational factors.
The system is being created under the umbrella of REKOD Research and Production Corporation under Roskosmos.
The system comprises the following subsystems:
GLONASS/GPS navigation monitoring, distance satellite monitoring and a reference and analysis subsystem.
Information on the state of the bridge is fed from various gauges and systems at the facility's monitoring centre located near the bridge. Then, the processed information is relayed to the Krasnoyarsk territorial centre for the monitoring of bridge structures.
The navigation monitoring subsystem comprises:
- the main GLONASS/GPS navigation station at the facility's monitoring centre which provides high-precision geo-referencing of the gauges and other objects on the bridge to the adjacent territory;
- three high-precision positioning gauges using GLONASS/GPS system signals which measure the parameters of oscillation at critical points in the bridge structure;
- additional gauges of small movements (photometric gauges, accelerometers) which are synchronized according to the GLONASS/GPS timescale.
At present, one main station and one navigation gauge have been installed.
The Electronic Bridge Project will be completed as part of the territorial targeted programme the Use of the Results of Space Activities in the Interests of Social and Economic Development of the Krasnoyarsk Territory (2009-2011).
Meters will be installed, jointly with Rosavtodor, on the bridge to obtain additional information on its condition, in particular, to control the flow of traffic in real time (the number of vehicles, the load on the bridge surface, etc). The bridge distance satellite monitoring subsystem uses space images from various space objects, monitors the construction and functioning of the bridge, and helps to create electronic maps and 3D models of the bridge and the surrounding area. The reference and analysis system is an automated database on the bridge which includes diverse data on its parameters and its condition; this is being developed jointly with Rosavtodor.
The implementation of the Electronic Bridge Project revealed the need to pool the efforts and resources of Roskosmos and Rosavtodor in order to ensure the effective use of the results of space activities in managing Russia's roads in the following main areas:
- creation of systems to monitor the state of bridges, federal roads, and international transport corridors;
- development and deployment of a high-precision GLONASS/GPS navigation infrastructure on federal roads;
- monitoring emergencies, including accident-prone sections of federal highways.
To organise this and other operations, Roskosmos and Rosavtodor signed an agreement on cooperation on the programme, the Use of the Results of Space Activities in the Interests of Road Management in the Russian Federation, which envisages the development of an interdepartmental and comprehensive programme for the use of the results of space activities in the interests of road management.