Methods in use for the evaluation of performance of pavements are normally a mixture of observations of signs of distress and measurement of parameters like permanent deformations, crack length and width, area of patching etc. Data collection requires a system for storage and retrieval which is normally handled by available computerized systems. The usefulness of the data depends entirely on the correctness with which it has been collected. This paper reviews briefly the current methods used in the UK for evaluation of road performance and presents the development of an expert system named "Pavement Expert" which is operated by a portable microcomputer and which is mounted in the inspection car used for the survey of a pavement.

Pavement Expert guides the engineer on the selection of road sections for evaluation, and on the proper evaluation procedure ensuring that the evaluation is adequate and that it can be independently repeated by other engineers. The system also allows the engineer to ask for help on specific aspects of the evaluation process.

Pavement expert operates in two modes, i.e., dialogue and data logging modes. The dialogue mode is controlled by the Savoir shell interphase which controls the dialogue between the engineer and the system. The system makes decisions "Intelligently" concerning the length of the section to evaluate, extent and severity of some of the observed damages and calculates and stores the final indices for evaluation of performance. The system follows the information given by the engineer and checks for any inconsistencies. The data logging mode acts as an intelligent data logger recording specific observed damages. The engineer presses a particular key on the keyboard as soon as he observes a specific damage. The computer captures the key strokes, identifying them and recording their exact location. The system presents the information graphically on the screen to allow the engineer to make alterations if he wishes to do so. Five phases constitute the system developed. These range from identifying the road to providing a full report on the general conditions of the pavement. The system is operational on a IBM microcomputer under "MS DOS" operating system. The Savoir shell was used to develop the system and "Propascal" to write the external functions.

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