On 7 October 2024, the EU-funded OMICRON project in conjunction with the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) will hold the online kick-off meeting for a CEN Workshop Agreement (CWA) process. The objective of the ‘Intelligent Road intervention processes’ workshop is to develop two CWAs related to the automation of road maintenance technologies.
A CEN Workshop Agreement is one kind of standardisation deliverable that can be agreed in the community of CEN or CENELEC (European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization) members or technical bodies. The creation and approval of a CWA by this community is an important step for the scale-up, innovation, and results exploitation activities of any project.
Following the procedures of CEN-CENELEC, the 7 October kick-off meeting will be followed by further meetings to refine the draft CWA. The final deliverables are expected to be finalised in December 2024.
Follow further developments and get the most up-to-date versions of the documents via the CEN-CENELEC event webpage.
About the OMICRON CWAs
The workshop is an initiative by OMICRON aimed at enhancing road maintenance, renewal and upgrades, through robotic technologies and intelligent decision support tools. These advances aim to improve road user and personnel safety, reduce maintenance costs and increase the efficiency of road interventions, thereby minimising traffic disruptions.
The workshop’s main goal is to provide a methodology for implementing these tools, rather than a case study, through a comprehensive framework outlined in the envisioned CEN Workshop Agreement (CWA). This framework will guide the use of XR (extended reality) technologies and data-driven road management without prescribing specific technologies.
Tentative scope:
- The first OMICRON CWA specifies a protocol that aims to cover the usage of XR technologies in road maintenance operations in combination with a Robotic Modular Platform. This methodology involves the use of AR (augmented reality) for on-road operator support, with digital instructions and communication with other technologies such as V2X (vehicle-to-everything) for alerts. In addition, the use of VR (virtual reality) for training and for teleoperation by the remote operator is also considered.
- The second OMICRON CWA defines a Decision Support Tool for the optimal planning of road maintenance interventions and resources, moving towards advanced maintenance strategies.
About OMICRON
OMICRON aims to foster the industrialisation and automation of road construction, inspection, and maintenance technologies. The project integrates a broad portfolio of intelligent solutions with the ultimate goal to reduce traffic disruptions and maintenance costs while increasing the safety and efficiency of road interventions and improving the capacity of Europe’s ageing road networks.
The project involves collaboration among 16 partners who bring research, robotics, digital, engineering, drones, communications and other expertise to address these challenges and ensure comprehensive implementation and success.
Further information
Learn more about CEN Workshop Agreements and the CEN-CENELEC communities and activities.
OMICRON’s CWA activities are organised with the support of UNE. For any queries about the OMICRON CWA process, please contact Workshop Secretary, Javier Idiago, (fidiago@une.org).
