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Road Profiles (ProfilingPRO)

Import ProfilingPRO CSV or GeoJSON profiles, merge split runs automatically, and export survey-grade elevation data.

9 min read

What Are Road Profiles?

Road profiles are high-resolution chainage/elevation datasets captured in the field (for example with ProfilingPRO or GNSS equipment). Unlike the automatic route elevation profile, road profiles carry survey-grade vertical data with a declared vertical datum, making them suitable for grounding analysis and CAD deliverables.

Syncing from ProfilingPRO

Profiles captured with the ProfilingPRO mobile app upload to your survey automatically through the cloud integration — no manual file transfer. Synced profiles appear in the Road Profiles panel with a measured source label (RTK, GNSS, or NMEA log) and their datum metadata intact, and behave exactly like imported profiles from there on: view, merge, link to a route, and export.

Importing a Profile

1. Open the Road Profiles panel from your project map

2. Click Import a CSV profile and select one or more ProfilingPRO profile exports

3. Confirm the vertical datum (ellipsoidal or orthometric + geoid model) and the data source

4. Review the preview chart, then save

ProfilingPRO profile data imports directly from detail CSV, full-session CSV, and profile GeoJSON exports. Detail and full-session CSV files provide chainage and elevation; for a full-session file, RoadScope uses the embedded profile records rather than the interleaved raw GNSS fixes. `#` metadata headers (datum, geoid, source) are read automatically. Files with latitude/longitude columns can be projected onto a route corridor at import time.

A profile GeoJSON can be imported even after another GIS tool has stripped its properties: RoadScope derives chainage from the LineString coordinates and reads elevation from the coordinate Z values. When the original properties are present, it also keeps the supplied chainage, elevation, timestamps, and quality context.

Provenance Sidecars

Select a matching `*_provenance.json` sidecar with its profile export whenever you have one. RoadScope pairs the files automatically and uses the sidecar as the authoritative source for vertical datum/geoid information, RTK-fixed percentage, smoothing, and other survey provenance. If no file or sidecar declares a datum, the profile is clearly flagged as undocumented instead of assuming one.

Multi-File Import with Automatic Merge

Long runs are often auto-split into ~50 km files. The import picker accepts multiple files at once:

  • Segments are ordered by their `segment N of M` markers from the filename, metadata, or provenance sidecar; unmarked files use natural filename order (`run_2` before `run_10`)
  • Deliberate overlapping samples at each seam are removed automatically, and chainage is re-derived from GPS coordinates when every segment carries them
  • A gap greater than **50 m** between consecutive GPS segments is refused: it indicates separate recordings, not one split run
  • You preview the full merged profile before confirming

    • Files with different vertical datums or geoid models are refused — mixing vertical referentials would corrupt elevations.

    Files That Are Deliberately Not Imported

    ProfilingPRO summary and alerts exports are derived from the same source profile, while `gnss_raw` files contain raw fixes whose antenna-height treatment is not suitable for a road profile. RoadScope recognizes these files and explains why they are skipped; choose the detail CSV, full-session CSV, or profile GeoJSON instead. Malformed or truncated profile files are refused without a partial import — for example, a GeoJSON `point_count` that does not match its coordinates is treated as truncated.

    Merging Existing Profiles

    Already imported the pieces separately? Select 2 to 10 profiles in the Road Profiles panel and click Merge. Profiles are joined in your selection order, a new profile named "(merged ×n)" is created, and the originals are kept untouched.

    Linking to a Route Corridor

    Attach a profile to one of your routes to enable chainage-to-map projection (required for GeoJSON export) and optional resampling at a fixed step. Note: resampling a merged profile removes its segment split metadata, since the original file boundaries no longer map to real samples.

    Exporting — Complete or Split by Segment

    Export formats: CSV, GeoJSON, SVG, PNG, LandXML, and DXF. If the profile was created by a merge, a Scope selector appears in the viewer: export the complete profile or any individual source segment. Segment exports keep the merged chainage so they stay consistent with the corridor projection and the complete export.

    The vertical datum always travels with the deliverable (CSV header, GeoJSON properties, SVG legend, DXF text, LandXML coordinate system). LandXML export is refused when the datum is unknown.

    Grounding Check & Report

    The viewer includes a grounding verdict based on a two-support model (interaxle spacing + ground clearance): a crest between the supports can ground the load, while a dip actually improves clearance. Generate the Road Profile report from the Reports Hub for a formatted deliverable with the chart, grounding verdict, and datum declaration.