Advancing Environmental Monitoring of Highways with Autonomous Camera Systems and Web-informatics

Environmental monitoring of transportation infrastructure is a critical activity for transportation agencies. Despite advances in wireless instruments and computing, environmental monitoring technology for highways lags behind that used for traffic. The authors describe the development of automated methods for web-system processing of photographic monitoring data from self- powered, cell/wireless-communicating camera systems at highways. The work flow culminates in a common strategy for taking image files from the camera supply chain and automatically creating and publishing records in a web-database. The web-system allows: 1) management of camera trap projects by authenticated users; 2) manual or automated uploading of individual or batches of images; 3) online individual or bulk “tagging” of images for animal type and activity; and 4) web-based querying of animal types and activities to support analyses. In order to integrate the cameras and web-system into transportation decision-making, environmental monitoring, and stewardship activities, the project was conducted with DOT and associated technical staff from 7 states. The combined solar-powered, cell/wireless camera and web- systems represent an advance over traditional remote cameras with desktop databases in that their output is viewable almost instantly on the web via a wireless data transportation service and project information and data is accessibly from anywhere. Systematic collection of wildlife movement information at the “right-of-way” not only benefits long-term and project related stewardship needs, but it also provides an opportunity to share wildlife data and imagery directly with the public, which is increasingly important as public knowledge and awareness of wildlife interactions with highways and traffic increases

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ADC30 Standing Committee on Ecology and Transportation.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Shilling, Fraser M
  • 0000-0001-8125-2186
  • Waetjen, David
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 96th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2017-1-8 to 2017-1-12
• Date: 2017

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; Maps; References;
• Pagination: 15p
• Monograph Title: TRB 96th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Cameras; Habitat; Highways; Intelligent transportation systems; Sustainable transportation; Wildlife crossings
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Environment; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01628838
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 17-06050
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 14 2017 10:31AM