This page provides initial information about the Geotechnical Events module of GDMS. Further details will be added in future.
Geotechnical Events are defined in CS 641 as "a geotechnical defect that poses a threat to the safety of users, workers or other parties such that immediate action is to be taken".
If a geotechnical defect meets the definition of a geotechnical event, then it is a requirement of CS 641 to record a new geotechnical event, in addition to recording the defect in GAD.
In GDMS, geotechnical events are recorded as a point location. The event record can be linked to a nearby condition set in GAD.
Geotechnical events held in GDMS can be searched and viewed by the following means by all users of the system nationally:
a map layer shows all events, which can be clicked to show a popup including a hyperlink to the full details
all events can be viewed in a summary grid, accessed from the Main Menu > Events > Events Summary
users with "Manage" or "Review" permissions for geotechnical events, can access open or recently added/updated events from the Dashboard
Users with "Edit" or "Manage" permissions can add a geotechnical event within the Area(s) they hold those permissions. The steps are as follows:
Start the process by selecting Main Menu > Events > Create Event.
A wizard interface appears next to the map to take you through the process of locating the event and snapping it to the NH road network. When linking to the road network you can only select from road sections that are near the event location, and only those in the Area(s) you have access.
A form will appear allowing further details to be entered. Because only limited information may be known at the time the event is added, only a few fields are mandatory at this time. Other information can be added after the event has been saved.
RMMS Category may not be known for your geotechnical event. If the event is safety critical then select Category 1. For non-safety critical events select Category 2.1 or 2.2 (less severe).
Before a geotechnical event can be closed, it must either be linked to a nearby condition set or a reason given for why a link cannot be made. If the condition set cannot currently be added due to a lack of information, then it would normally be expected to wait until this information is available, rather than adding a reason in order to close it.
From the geotechnical event page, an Edit or Manage user can select the Link to Condition Set button. This will show a wizard interface next to the map to guide you through the process of entering a reason for not linking if appropriate, or selecting a condition set that is within 200 metres of the geotechnical event.
After linking a geotechnical event to a condition set, it is possible to navigate in both directions between the pages for these records.
It is only possible to link each geotechnical event to one condition set; however, it is possible to link more than one geotechnical event to the same condition set (e.g. due to multiple separate events due to the same defect). The condition set page will display a list of all geotechnical events that have been linked to it.
A "Manage" or "Review" user can use the Mark As Seen button to record that they have viewed a geotechnical event in GDMS at a specific date/time. This is shown as an entry in the audit log. No other change is made to the event data.
If a "Manage" user is also making any edits to the event at the same time, then these are captured in the audit log, and it is not necessary to additionally mark it as seen (although this will not have any adverse impact).
In common with most other viewing actions on GDMS, the action of viewing a geotechnical event is not otherwise logged.
The information about a geotechnical event falls into the following categories:
fields that are mandatory to initially add an event or edit it while it is open
fields that are not mandatory to add the event or edit it while it is open, but are mandatory to close it - this includes:
numerous text, numeric, date or picklist fields that must not be blank
the event must either be linked to a condition set or a reason for not linking provided
at least one cause must be specified, including a description if "other"
fields that are optional at all times
In order for a user with "Manage" permission to close an event, all information in the first two categories above must be provided. Until this time, the Close button will be disabled.
After an event has been closed the following restrictions apply, compared to when the event was open:
"Edit" users cannot edit closed events; they can only be edited by a "Manage" user (if required)
fields that are mandatory for closing an event cannot be cleared and left blank when editing
closed events cannot be deleted
closed events cannot be set back to "open" status
If a geotechnical event is "open" status then it may be removed by a "Manage" user. This should only be carried out in limited reasons, for example if it is a duplicate of another event record or it has been entered for test purposes. A reason for removing the event is required.
Please note that although removed records are not visible in GDMS they are retained in the database, along with the reason they were removed and their audit log information.