Transportation Infrastructure Assessment through the Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Advances in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology have enabled these tools to become easier to use and afford. In a budget-limited environment, these flexible remote sensing technologies can help address transportation agency needs in operations, maintenance, and asset management while increasing safety and decreasing cost. The ever expanding diversity of types and sizes of UAVs also allows for their application to a variety of transportation needs. This paper will cover UAV applications for traffic monitoring using a blimp, confined space assessment using a micro quadcopter, and bridge deck inspection using a hexacopter to loft a high resolution digital camera and thermal camera. These demonstrations showed that UAV technologies provide many advantages to helping transportation agencies cost-effectively assess, manage, and maintain its resources, providing benefit to staff and the traveling public.
-
Supplemental Notes:
- This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AHD10 Standing Committee on Maintenance and Operations Management.
-
Corporate Authors:
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC United States 20001 -
Authors:
- Brooks, Colin
- Dobson, Richard
- Banach, David
- Cook, Steven J
-
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; References;
- Pagination: 13p
- Monograph Title: TRB 96th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Airships; Digital cameras; Drones; Inspection equipment; Thermal imagery; Traffic surveillance
- Identifier Terms: Michigan Department of Transportation
- Subject Areas: Aviation; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01627770
- Record Type: Publication
- Report/Paper Numbers: 17-05629
- Files: PRP, TRIS, TRB, ATRI
- Created Date: Feb 27 2017 5:12PM