FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Answers reflect the current engine-only product. Roadmap items are noted where relevant.
What is OTM Book 7?
OTM Book 7 is the Ontario Traffic Manual volume covering temporary conditions — traffic control for construction, maintenance, and utility work. It defines advance warning distances, sign types, taper lengths, buffer zones, and flagger placement based on posted speed and closure type. Project Helix generates layouts aligned to Book 7 tables.
What is ORN?
ORN (Ontario Road Network) is the province's authoritative road segment dataset — centerline geometry, posted speeds, lane counts, and street names. Project Helix uses ORN (~583k segments) to lock sign placement to real road geometry rather than approximating from a drawn polygon or uploaded plan.
What is "chain capture"?
Chain capture is how you define a jobsite today: tap consecutive ORN road segments on the map to build a centerline chain, set your work span along that chain, confirm traffic direction, then continue to the Book 7 work description form. It replaces older polygon-draw workflows — you do not upload a PDF site plan as input.
What layout types are supported?
The engine supports OTM Book 7 closure layouts including:
- Lane closure — one direction
- Lane closure — bidirectional
- Full road closure
- Shoulder work
- Intersection control
Available layouts depend on your jobsite geometry, upstream road length, and posted speed. If the requested layout cannot fit, the engine may suggest a compliant fallback or block generation entirely.
Is this only for Ontario?
Yes. OTM Book 7 is Ontario-specific. ORN data covers Ontario only. Project Helix does not support other provinces' traffic control standards today, and we do not claim general "Canadian Book 7" coverage. Multi-province support is a future roadmap item.
How is compliance enforced?
Compliance is binary. The Book 7 compliance gate is the final authority — if a plan cannot meet required upstream distances, sign sequences, or layout constraints, generation is blocked, not flagged with a warning and rendered anyway. When a compliant fallback exists within Book 7 rules (e.g. a different closure type at reduced speed), the engine may propose it with clear notice.
Can I upload PDF site plans?
No — not today. The current product uses map-based chain capture, not document upload. AI document parsing from site plans is on the roadmap and is not available in the current release.
What data is collected and used?
On device: Projects, jobsite geometry, centerline chains, and generated plans are stored locally (SharedPreferences / app data).
Sent to Canadian-hosted data services: Map coordinates and work zone envelopes for ORN segment lookup, placement lock, LiDAR elevation, and sight-line checks. See Canadian First.
Not sent in engine-only mode: Jobsite data for cloud AI plan generation, OHSA queries, or building code review — those capabilities are disabled.
Do I need cloud AI or an internet connection?
You need internet access for ORN and jobsite context lookups (road data services). You do not need cloud AI for Book 7 plan generation — the compliance engine runs on-device. Future AI features (plan explain, OHSA, etc.) will require a gateway connection when they become available.
Still have questions? Email sales@projecthelix.ca or visit support.