AUTOMATED DATA ACQUISITION FOR LOW-VOLUME ROAD INVENTORY AND MANAGEMENT

Local governments need suitable inventories and condition surveys to accurately determine and rank their road funding needs. The data can be collected and processed by a central inventory management group. The inventory should include pavement characteristics, roadway geometrics, and roadside features. A concept is presented for a second-generation vehicle-mounted photologging system that can, in a single pass, photolog the roadway and automatically record measurements necessary to inventory and rate roadways. The major functions of a central inventory management group are also described. Second-generation photologging systems use either camera or video systems to record visual data. Particulars of those methods are presented and compared. Sensors for additional data measurement, including grade, superelevation, and road roughness, are described. Data recording methods are discussed with emphasis on data storage technological improvements. The function of the inventory management group is to obtain data and convert it to a usable form. This consists of five basic activities: operations management, data acquisition, data reduction, data interpretaion, and inventory preparation. Data reduction includes sorting and editing visual records (film or videotape) and digitizing analog recordings. Several methods for addressing those records and cross-correlating visual and sensor data are discussed. They range from manual sorting techniques to computerized, laser-disc data-processing systems. Data interpretation requires a review of acquired data in its formatted, addressable form. Analyses can include a combination of visual and sensor analyses for pavement condition and roadway geometrics. Other geometric-related analyses can be based almost entirely on visual recordings of roadside features. In some instances, such as unpaved roads, in which few accepted standards exist, new standards or criteria should be used. The road rating process and methods employed to rank pavement and traffic safety-related rehabilitations are discussed. The interaction between the central inventory management group and the low-volume road agency in preparing the final compiled inventory is also discussed.

Media Info

  • Media Type: Print
  • Features: Figures; Photos; References;
  • Pagination: pp 67-73
  • Monograph Title: FOURTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON LOW-VOLUME ROADS. VOLUME 2
  • Serial:

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00473133
  • Record Type: Publication
  • ISBN: 0309044545
  • Files: TRIS, TRB
  • Created Date: Sep 30 1987 12:00AM