Optimum Road Design Model (ORDM)
Optimum Road Design Model is developed for optimum road design of hill as well as plain roads. A detailed description of it has been attached here separately.

Optimum Terrain Model (OTM)
OTM is developed with a view to create Optimum Triangular Irregular Network (TIN) which could provide accurate results on the generation of ground surface. Generally, TIN data created by Delaunay Triangulation Method (as found in many systems including: Land Development, CREDO, and others, etc) can be further optimized to increase the accuracy of TIN surface by making them closer to equilateral. Practical experiments carried on OTM show that there could be 5 to 15 % increase in the accuracy of TIN surface data which will enhance the quality of engineering planning and design in general.

The TIN surface enhancing process can also be carried-out in a separate working window on the basis of capturing the TIN data on area-wise basis. This is a unique way of this kind to enable the user with alternative option to edit TIN surface by generating contours instantly without updating or mixing the edited TIN surface to the main TIN surface data. The process of building TIN surface is governed by the Geo-Sloping procedure which has automatic operating steps to build a reliable terrain surface. Thus user can assess the result before updating the TIN data to the main TIN surface.

Effective editing facilities of TIN are also developed to enhance the accuracy and the reliability of TIN surface which can minimize the quantity variation between the design and construction phases. The procedure of developing an accurate TIN data for digitized contour data or randomly measured elevation points can be carried-out successfully by OTM that involves different tasks which can be listed as below:

Retaining Walls Module (RWM)
RWM has been developed with a view to use the system in relation with ORDM. It can also be used as an independent system for airports, hydro-power, irrigation and other river training projects. Based on the experiences of hill road design, it is felt that the design of any bearing structure/wall should be linked directly with the DTM or with the design surface to simplify the time consuming tasks of data entry on section to section basis. Specially, the hill road design requires the designs of retaining walls, so this module can be of great help to the hill road designer. Thus, this design module does not require such additional data entry so this system has a number of functions required for conducting the design of Retaining Walls. RWM has a complete facility of considering different types of walls which could be constructed in roads, canals and river training works. The output drawings of RWM are also compatible to DXF format of AutoCAD and output results are in text formats of Excel.

Slope Stability Analysis (SSA)
SSA has been developed with a view to use the system in relation with ORDM. But it can also be used independently as separate module. This module is linked with DTM so that the ground section data could be extracted instantly. The input data can be also loaded as DXF file as section data. Other type of text data can also be entered as per the requirement of users. Any number of geological layers can be considered to supply the soil properties as per the need of the slope stability analysis. Different methods are considered to conduct the tasks of slope stability analysis.

The task of proper management of roadside slope is considered to be of vital importance. Once the road corridor in hill road project is determined by conducting the environmental hazard assessment, the slope stability analysis on section to section basis can be carried-out by using the Slope Ascend Method of Slope Stability Analysis. The Slope Ascend Method is based on the use of topography surface in which the user can build a geological map including the preparation of geological data inventory along the depth of the ground surface. The different geological and hydrological parameters essential for slope stability analysis can also be stored on boundary to boundary basis through this system. SSA software can also extract the ground points of cross-sections and longitudinal sections on which the Slope Ascend Method should be applied to determine the factor of safety of each cross-section along the whole road corridor. Most of the critical zones of the hill rods require the detail analysis of the Slope Stability on the Road Sections of the embankment and excavation as well. SSA is compatible to ORDM for conducting such stability analysis for which the input data could be imported either from the road section or from the ground surface of the digital terrain model. One can also import the input data from DXF file of AutoCAD software.

Over-head Transmission Line (OTL_CAD)
OTL_CAD is developed with complete facilities to create drawings of plan, profile and overhead transmission lines as per the standard practice required. Output of contours, plan, and profile can also be generated in DXF formats of AutoCAD. The task of planning, designing and the construction of the transmission line project work on hilly terrain needs an assessment of several geo-technical and socioeconomic factors that can help to decide the engineering designs including alignment, structures, and other stability measures required. Since the construction of transmission line in hilly region is not only complex, but also very expensive, it should be approached creatively and innovatively using fully established methodologies and techniques, which are project-specific, realistic, and cost-effective. The selection of optimum transmission line with rational plan of horizontal alignment, optimum designs of vertical profile with the most economic tower heights, and span lengths should be carried out by considering construction cost, maintenance cost, and the environmental cost.

In this context, the methods based on Operation Research are applicable for optimization purposes that can ensure the process of searching the better result through step by step or by dynamic concepts widely followed in such tasks. In optimizing the total costs, which includes construction cost, maintenance cost, and environmental, each cost has to be examined on a case-by-case basis in each phase throughout the project cycle. As a matter of fact, the construction cost can be optimized during the design phase, which includes the cost of various items like cost of foundation, cost of tower, cost of conductor, and other engineering measures that might be considered for stability purposes. The proposed model for transmission line plan and design has all the facilities as described above so that this system can really reduce the total costs. In addition, many significant aspects are also in OTL_CAD. These vital aspects are below:

Economic Analysis Module (EAM)
EAM is developed for the purpose of conducting economic analysis of determining the Net present Value (NPV), Internal Rate of Return, (IRR) and the Cost Benefit Ration, etc.

Another objective of the Economic Analysis Module (EAM) is also to provide a wide range of options to carry the tasks of determining various components of Vehicle Operating Costs (VOC) and the economic analysis of determining Net Present Value (NPV) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR). Apart from this, it will also simplify the complicated calculation in determining various components of economic analysis, which are significant in conducting the feasibility study of any project. The conventional way of evaluating the road project through subjective method seems to be insufficient. The use of general version of HDM-IV is complex in determining various components of user’s cost. EAM has been customized by considering the local rates of different items essential to determine the various aspects of users cost in Nepal, which has a possibility to change in the course of time. Thus the operating system of EAM provides an option so that these changes can be calibrated into the empirical relations on each component of the user’s cost. In addition, instant help files and tutorial examples are also prepared in order to provide the guideline and self-learning tips in all stages of the operational aspects of EAM. EAM has a facility to generate the output result in MS Excel including the graphic relations between the VOC and different significant parameters such as curvature, rise and fall, roughness and the width of the road. The operating system of EAM facilitates the conversion of graphic chart, output data, and the output report, into MS Excel or MS Word, for the ease of the road planner.

Business Plan
A Business Plan Module (BPM) is developed with a view to handle the Business Plan of Roads and Airports on the basis of considering the short-term, mid-term and long-term business plans of these organizations. Several forecasting models of air-traffic, road traffic, revenue and expenditure have been incorporated in the Business Plan Module. Finally the balanced-sheets of each five years are also developed on the basis of determining the Financial Analysis of the entire Business considered. This Module can be used by many Institutions with some modifications in the input data systems.