Current Practice of Acquiring Public Road Inventory Data in the United States

Highway inventory data provide a basis for many transportation engineering activities. It is required by FHWA for every state DOTs to collect highway inventory data as part of their Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS). Traditionally, windshield surveys are the most popular inventory data collection method for state DOTs. However, the traditional method is inefficient, time-consuming, and hardly sustainable as gasoline price tripled in the last decade. As the recent advancements of computers, sophisticated sensors, and image processing, new technologies have been employed in the practice of inventory data collection. This paper presents the results of a survey study on the current practices of public road inventory data collection in the United States. In the study, relevant literature was reviewed; a comprehensive web based survey questionnaire was developed and distributed to state DOTs all across the country; and follow up phone interviews were made for missed information and special interests. The survey showed that, a majority of state DOTs rely on local officials to acquire local road inventory data. Data submissions to a state DOT from the local agencies are frequently in accordance with state law or policies related to highway fund allocation. Many states also utilize more advanced methods to extract or integrate available data sources.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ABJ20 Statewide Transportation Data and Information Systems.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Zhou, Yuxiao
  • Qi, Yan
  • Fairly, James
  • Wang, Feng
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 93rd Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC
  • Date: 2014-1-12 to 2014-1-16
• Date: 2014

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 18p
• Monograph Title: TRB 93rd Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Data collection; Highways; Image processing; Inventory; Performance evaluations; Technological innovations
• Identifier Terms: Highway Performance Monitoring System
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01520311
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 14-4003
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 27 2014 3:38PM