FS RAMS - Master Interactive ReferenceREV C

FS RAMS — Master Reference

Interactive index of the road-asset data processes from TMH 18, TMH 22 and TRH 26, with the FS RAMP schedule. Open a process, then click any block in its diagram to see the detail and jump to the source document.

Prepared 13 July 2026 · Free State Provincial RAMS · Updated 23 July 2026 — added the Process Sequence & Feedback Map, TRH 26 / TMH 18 / TMH 14 process flows and the project WBS (Rev A).

The Annual Cycle — How It Should Happen

The FS RAMS data cycle in the order it must run. Click a step to open its full process flow, or use the green chips for the related tabs. Steps 1–2 are the once-off foundation; Steps 3–7 repeat every year. Dashed red boxes are the feedback loops that pull the cycle back.

Golden rules: the network loads before any new data · every record references the loaded network (ROAD_ID + km) · nothing loads without passing Gates 2–3.

2.1 · TMH 18 Data & GIS Process

The end-to-end annual cycle for obtaining and updating the TMH 18 data files and GIS geometry, across five responsibility lanes with three decision gates. Click any block to see its details and jump to the source document.

1.2 · Road Network Topology

How a road is subdivided so every data point is located by kilometre: Route ▸ Road ▸ Section ▸ Link ▸ Node ▸ Segment.

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• Route — signed corridor; an attribute of the road.
• Road — base unit, unique Road ID, single-LineString geometry.
• Section — administrative subdivision, own 0 km.
• Link — uniform length, node-to-node.
• Node — physical start/end of a link.
• Segment — cut wherever an attribute changes.

1.3 · Network Creation Process

The RAMS network-definition procedure — ten steps from identifying roads to writing the versioned files. Click any step for details.

1.4 · TMH 18 Link & Segment Naming

A link is a Network Definition record keyed by ROAD_ID; a segment ID is built from that Road ID.

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• ROAD_ID — e.g. DR02243_39.16_1_R4_GRAV.
• SEG_ID = [ROAD_ID]_00000 (5-digit metre-start).
• LANE_SEG_ID = [ROAD_ID]_[LANE]_00000.
• GIS_LINKID — optional geometry key.

1.5 · Change Management — Road

Controlled change process for network / GIS adjustments. Click any block for details.

2.4 · Data Submission, Validation & Invoicing

Road data submission, validation and invoicing — external upload, two-tier certification (Agent then Client), and payment only for certified & approved data. Click any block for details.

FS RAMS — Process Sequence & Feedback Map

What needs to happen when — the seven numbered steps of the FS RAMS cycle with their timing, sequence interlinks and feedback loops. This is the umbrella map that ties the individual process flows (TRH 26, TMH 18, TMH 14) together.

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• Step 1 — Classify the network (TRH 26) — once-off; review when land use or road function changes. RISFSA / RCAM class per road (R1–R6 / U1–U6) sets access management and the survey frequencies.
• Step 2 — Define the network building blocks (RSLN · TMH 22 / TMH 18) — once-off, then maintain. Route ▸ Road ▸ Section ▸ Link ▸ Segment; ROAD_ID + km is the referencing frame every record uses.
• Step 3 — Plan the annual cycle (TMH 18 Phase 1) — start of every cycle: confirm RAMS maturity & DORA needs, set frequencies from each road's RCAM class, confirm Authority ID; Gate 1 asks whether the network changed.
• Step 4 — Update & load the network first — only if something changed, always before new data: CR ▸ CAB approval ▸ locked staging ▸ new immutable baseline ▸ re-versioned network loaded & active.
• Step 5 — Collect & reference the data — TMH 14 traffic, TMH 9 visual condition and instrument surveys, per RCAM-class frequencies, on the loaded network.
• Step 6 — Validate, QC / QA & verify — TMH 18 Gates 2–3 on every submission before loading into the RAMS central repository.
• Step 7 — Load, analyse, budget & submit — LCCA / dTIMS ▸ RNIS ▸ MTEF budgets ▸ TMH 18 package to NDOT ▸ panel inspections ▸ RAMP.
• Feedback loops (dashed red) — road not serving its function → reclassify; gate rejects → fix & resubmit; km / date conflict → re-version the network; RAMP & panel outcomes shape the next annual cycle (repeat from Step 3).

1.1 · TRH 26 — Road Classification & Access Management

Functional six-class classification plus access management (TRH 26, COTO Aug 2012) — the once-off Step 1 of the RAMS cycle, feeding the RISFSA / RCAM class into the TMH 18 data files.

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• Phases 1–2 — gather maps, SDFs and statistics; set rural / urban boundaries (a rural road entering an urban area becomes urban).
• Phases 3–5 — rank trip generators, build the mobility (arterial) network per class, then the access / activity network.
• Phase 6 — assign the final class: meets all three access criteria → Access road (Class 4–6), otherwise Mobility road (Class 1–3); code as Rural R1–R6 / Urban U1–U6.
• Phase 7 — check functional requirements and length / veh-km guideline percentages; iterate the mobility network extent if needed.
• Phases 8–9 — apply access type, intersection spacing and typical features per class; retrofit (§10) where a road is not serving its function.

2.2 · TMH 18 — Creating & Updating the RAMS Data & GIS Datasets

Single combined end-to-end flow (TMH 18 · TMH 22 · TRH 26) for the annual RAMS data cycle — five phases, three decision gates.

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• Phase 1 — Plan & prepare — confirm RAMS maturity & DORA needs; set frequencies from RCAM class; confirm Authority ID; appoint service providers.
• Phase 2 — Network definition & GIS files — Gate 1: if alignment or attributes changed, capture geometry (single LineString, ≥ every 20 m, 3D), export SHP / GML (EPSG:4326), rebuild .net with version dates, produce .rcl / .lan — and load the network before any new data.
• Phase 3 — Condition & usage data — TMH 9 visual surveys (.flx .con .blc .vgi), instrument data (.cid / .fwd), traffic volumes (.adt); every record referenced to ROAD_ID + km on the loaded network.
• Phase 4 — Validation & QA — Gate 2 file format & required fields; Gate 3 km-range within the current road version + QC / QA passed.
• Phase 5 — Load, analyse & submit — load to the RAMS repository, LCCA / dTIMS ▸ RNIS ▸ MTEF, submit the TMH 18 package to NDOT, panel inspections ▸ RAMP.

2.3 · TMH 14 — Automatic Traffic Data Collection & Submission

End-to-end flow to produce a compliant Standard Traffic Data file (TMH 14, COTO Version 3.00, 2013) — the traffic leg of Step 5 in the RAMS cycle.

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• Phase 1 — Plan & prepare — confirm data-user needs, Site Identifiers and SANRAL-assigned Instrument Codes; appoint the counting service provider.
• Phase 2 — Counting-station definition — Gate 1: if site or lane configuration changed, redefine traffic streams (1…8, direction codes 0–9), number physical (≤32) and virtual (≤32) lanes; a changed site-definition datum means a new Site Identifier.
• Phase 3 — Logger configuration — parameters to measure, summary interval 1–60 min (even division of the hour), site Standard Time (no DST), classification scheme (South Africa = Scheme 08).
• Phase 4 — Assemble the RSV file — Version 3 comma-delimited: header block H0…H9 (S0 · I0 · D0 · D1 · L0 · L1 · data-description records), then individual-vehicle and/or summary records; name as SiteId-YYYY / -YYYYMMDD / -YYYYMMDD-hhmmss.RSV.
• Phase 5 — Validation & QA — Gate 2 file structure; Gate 3 content & consistency (site / lane references, intervals, clock conventions, value ranges).
• Phase 6 — Submit — accept & submit the RSV file(s) to the data user / SANRAL traffic database.

3.1 · Condition, Functional & Composite Indices (TMH 22 Part E)

The index framework TMH 22 prescribes for turning raw survey data into comparable scores — computed in WBS element 10.7, compared against national minimum standards in 10.8, and carried into the condition reports and RAMP. All references verified in TMH 22 (Draft, March 2013).

Feeds: TMH 9 visual ratings (WBS 6.0) · instrument surveys (4.0) · structures inspections (7.0) · traffic & accident data (8.0) → indices (10.7) → trends vs minimums (10.8) → situational analysis & problem statements (12.7) → RAMP (12.5).

Project WBS — Rev B

Work breakdown structure for 2522 CSRTD — RAMS Data Collection: 13 elements across four legs. ★ marks Rev A additions; † Rev B marks the TMH 22 gap-closure additions (24 July 2026).

▦ View the Rev B WBS chart (click to expand)

Click the chart to enlarge

RAMP Schedule & Task Register (linked · editable · 2026–27)

Detailed WBS with sub-tasks from the processes and finish-to-start dependencies. Anchor tasks have an editable Start; every linked task derives its Start from its predecessor, so moving a predecessor cascades to all successors. Red ⚑ marks the DORA statutory reporting deadlines.

DORA Reporting Deadlines (hard dates)

Statutory reporting dates under the Division of Revenue Act (DORA) governing the road-asset (PRMG / RRAMS) conditional grant. Fixed deadlines the RAMP schedule must satisfy.

Data-currency conditions (grant requirement)

• RISFSA Class R1–R3: visual ≤ 2 yr; bridges ≤ 5 yr; roughness / rut / texture ≤ 2 yr; structural ≤ 5 yr; traffic ≤ 3 yr.
• RISFSA Class R4–R5: visual ≤ 3 yr; bridges ≤ 5 yr; traffic ≤ 5 yr.
• All condition reports & data submitted to NDoT and the Provincial Roads Authority in COTO / TMH 22 / TMH 18 / TRH 26 format.

Sources: RRAMS grant framework (DoRA) — road-condition report to DoT by 15 March; evaluation by 30 April. General DoRA cadence — monthly reports within 15 days of month-end; quarterly within 30 days of quarter-end. Confirm exact provincial PRMG business-plan dates against the current year grant framework.

FS RAMS — Road Network Dashboard

The Free State provincial road network at a glance — extent, composition by region, service-provider allocation and the 2026–27 data-collection progress. Figures from the service-provider progress reports (May 2026) and the DORA deadlines register.

Sources: Nexor JV RAMS Progress Report (30 May 2026) — network totals per region & Nexor scope/progress · 2522-LNJV-RP-PRM Progress Report End May 2026 — LNJV & Q and A allocations, LNJV progress · DORA sheet, Planning_for_RAMP_UPDATED.xlsx. Update the figures here after each monthly progress report.

Road Network Dashboard — GIS

The full GIS-based network dashboard (v14, 24 Jul 2026) — interactive map with OSM / Esri basemaps, master network data FSP_20251127 (.NET / .RCL / .LAN — 25 835 km, 7 858 links, RISFSA R1–R5), SANRAL overlap analysis and the COTO / TMH data-readiness gap list. Runs in its own frame below; the basemap tiles need an internet connection, everything else works offline.

Source: FS RAMS Road Network Dashboard v14, 24 Jul 2026 (embedded verbatim). The summary Network Dashboard tab keeps the service-provider progress & DORA data-currency view.

RoadSense Live Dashboard

Live RoadSense project dashboard (external). If it does not display below, use the button to open it in a new browser tab.

Source: app.roadsense.co.za (shared link). This is a live external application served by RoadSense; it is linked, not stored inside this file.

Standards & Verified Reference Index

Every reference used in this document was located in the supplied source PDFs. Printed page is the page number shown on the document page; PDF page is the position in the supplied PDF file.

Reference library

The documents this reference is built on. A controlled project copy is embedded here and downloads without a connection; the rest open the publisher’s copy. Where a published edition differs from the edition cited in this document, that difference is called out on the card.

COTO standards

Departmental documents

TMH 18 CD 5.0, TRH 26 v1.0 and the Draft RAMP are embedded in this file and need no connection. TMH 22 and TMH 14 open the publisher’s copy in a new tab — send those two through and they will be embedded as well. TMH 9 and TMH 19 are cited by name only and are not held here.

Clause-to-page index

TMH 9 (visual assessment of roads) and TMH 19 (visual assessment of structures) are cited by name only — those documents were not supplied, so no page reference is given for them.

4.1 · Needs Identification and the Prioritisation Model

SOP Step 4 links every condition band to a defined treatment; Step 5 ranks the resulting candidate interventions on the weighted multicriteria model. The output is the Table B5 prioritised road list, verified on site by panel inspection before it is finalised.

Fixed weightings

• Treatment rules run from routine maintenance for Very Good sections through to reconstruction for Very Poor sections.
• The condition input is the ECI and FCI band produced in Step 3 — see the Condition Indices tab.
• Panel inspection — four internal engineering experts and four from the consultants — is a precondition for finalising Table B5.
• Any change to the weighting set requires approval by the Director: RAMS.

5.1 · Budget Optimisation and Asset Valuation

SOP Step 6 matches the prioritised needs to the available PRMG and Provincial Equitable Share envelopes while minimising life-cycle cost; Step 7 values the network for financial reporting. Together they produce the IPIP and the valuation that supports the Treasury submission.

• Unaffordable work is deferred or re-scoped and the optimisation re-run, rather than the ranking being overridden.
• Valuation derives the Current Replacement Cost, then applies consumption based on condition indices and remaining useful life to give the Depreciated Replacement Cost.
• Valuation outputs support GRAP 17 disclosure, GIAMA immovable asset management and the PFMA accountability chain.
• Statutory dates for the resulting submissions are on the DORA Deadlines tab.

6.1 · Annual Review and Continuous Improvement

SOP Step 8 closes the loop. Predicted deterioration is compared with the condition actually measured, the deterioration models are recalibrated and the survey programme, treatment rules and — where necessary — the SOP itself are adjusted before the next cycle begins.

• Delivery performance against Table B5 is reviewed alongside condition performance.
• Skills and capacity gaps identified here drive the training framework in the Contingency tab.
• Any SOP change is recorded under History of Change and re-approved by the Director: RAMS before the next cycle.

Contingency, Risk and Escalation

The SOP sets out four contingency domains that keep the RAMS office functional and compliant, plus the position the office pivots to when budget or resources are suddenly constrained. These apply across every step of the process flow, not at a single point in it.

1.6 · SANRAL Declarations & Gazette Register

Roads declared national under the South African National Roads Agency Limited and National Roads Act leave the provincial register and become SANRAL's responsibility. TMH 22 requires a single accountable custodian per asset, so every declaration must be reflected in the road network definition (WBS 3.2) before condition data is scoped — otherwise the Department either surveys roads it no longer owns or omits roads it still does.

Gazette register — Free State provincial roads declared national, 2023–2024

Two carried-forward caveats. First, the gazette number is confirmed only for GG 51639 (R.5578) and GG 54066 (Notice 7072) — the October 2023 and February 2024 tranches are pinned by date but not yet by gazette number. Second, the 674 km November 2024 notice contains a full per-road schedule that is not reproduced in any press release, so only P92 Section 1 is named above. Until the gazette PDFs are obtained and read, the per-road breakdown of that 674 km is unknown.

Reconciliation — declared extent against the plotted SANRAL layer

Kilometres below are measured directly from the geometry plotted in the GIS dashboard (FSP_20251127, WGS 84 great-circle length of each plotted section), alongside the figure the dashboard's own summary chart reports.

What the dashboard's overlap figure actually measures

The dashboard's headline 1 112 km / 52 segments "Provincial ↔ SANRAL overlap" is a geometric coincidence test between provincial paved P-roads and SANRAL centrelines — it is a scoping flag, not a record of legal transfer. Its largest pairs are P59/1–2 ↔ R64 (116.0 km), P46/1 ↔ R59 (84.7 km), P6/1 ↔ R702 (72.3 km), P56/1 ↔ R721 (72.0 km) and P18/2 ↔ R26 (61.6 km). Only one of those five SANRAL routes appears in the 2023–2024 gazette register at all. Gravel is effectively unaffected (0.3 km).

Three different quantities are therefore in circulation and must not be conflated: ±1 465 km declared by gazette · 1 112 km of geometric provincial-SANRAL overlap · 2 927 km (or 4 463 km) of plotted SANRAL routes in the province.

Open items before the register can be closed out

• Obtain the gazette PDFs for the October 2023 and February 2024 tranches and record the gazette and notice numbers.
• Extract the full per-road schedule from GG 51639 / Notice R.5578 — every road, section and kilometre point making up the 674 km.
• Resolve the internal inconsistency in the SANRAL layer: 2 927 km reported against 4 463 km of plotted geometry, and R34 charted at 366 km against 501 km plotted (N1 shows the same pattern — 230 km charted, 717 km plotted).
• Tag every SANRAL-declared section in the network definition with its gazette reference, so the asset register carries a legal basis for each exclusion (TMH 22 — single accountable custodian).
• Re-run the scoping check on the Table B5 candidate list once the exclusions are applied, so declared roads are not surveyed or programmed by the Department.

Gazette sources