Digital Cameras

This a personal topic really, but you may find it useful. 
From being a boy I have always had a keen interest in photography, this is the main reason I have such a library of photographs to draw upon related to highways matters. 
For most of this time I have been an ardent user of SLR (single lens reflex) cameras with a range of lenses. 
Recently my stock camera has been a SLR and a 35-70mm. zoom, this being quite a small item but offering quite a wide range of facilities.
I gave up processing my own films a long time ago finding that a local processing house could give me excellent 7x5 inch prints cheaper than I could, and with a lot less mess.
I still have to scan these prints to have images for the web and other small items of publishing I undertake, but modern I.T. equipment is very good and not expensive so again not really a problem.
However this all takes time, so recently I put aside my prejudice and purchased a relatively inexpensive (£99:99) 1.2 mega pixel digital cameral produced by a well known manufacturer. 
I was amazed at the quality I could obtain, (as long as you fill the little LCD with the subject) and the ease, and speed, at which I could download the images so that I had immediate detailed visual evidence of materials and processes that were happening on site.
Once you have the images on your P.C. they can quickly be distributed to anybody who will benefit from knowing what is happening "out there", and some of those images are now on this website.
The organisation I work for has recently purchased a 2.1 mega pixel camera and the results obtained from that are even better. I find you can almost use this model has a "microscope" to take a detailed look at road surface characteristics once you have downloaded the images and displayed at 100% on a decent sized monitor.

Personally, I am now saving up for a 3 mega pixel model with a three times optical zoom and macro facilities. 
Then of course I will need a new, faster P.C., and of course a better printer if I want to convey the quality to a picture, I knew there was a catch somewhere.

But I really can recommended a basic digital camera, at least 1.2 mega pixels, preferably a 2.0 mega pixel model, as an excellent site/office piece of equipment. 
If your bosses are anything like mine you are unlikely to get them on to site, so the next best thing is to bring the site to the office, and a digital camera can do that quite easily and inexpensively.
If "they" are "un-appreciative" of seeing what you are showing them, well that is their problem, and you have done your best.

Local Authority Estate Road Specifications

Whilst trawling the internet I am finding an increasing number of excellent local authority estate road specifications presented as part of their larger local authority website.
You will find links to some of these websites on the page I call,
LINKS FROM OFFICIAL AND SEMI-OFFICIAL SOURCES 
All of these sites present the information in a slightly different manner, but all are excellent, with some offering a download facility, and all are worth a visit.
It is my opinion, and I have to stress that these are my personal views, that these documents are far easier to understand and work to than the current Specification for Highway Works (SHW), that always used to be taken as the highway construction/maintenance "bible".
It is my opinion that the SHW is becoming so complicated, with many clauses now deferring to other bodies, that it is now very difficult to understand and use as a reference document.
Some of us can longingly remember the "Blue Book", this was the last SHW that came in A5 format and was small enough to fit in your "donkey jacket" pocket. If you had two pockets you could carry the Notes for Guidance as well.
I am not convinced that writing more and more options in to any specification is doing anybody any favours, not the Engineer, the Contractor or the Supplier.
This may be why local authorities are publishing such excellent, understandable estate road specifications, well, that is my opinion.
Check a few out and see what you think, of course a good specification needs good supervision, but then I would say that would I not, and a specification that is able to be understood by all concerned is easier to comply with and be supervised. 

Motto of the Month

"Do not raise your voice, improve your argument."