U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000
Federal Highway Administration Research and Technology
Coordinating, Developing, and Delivering Highway Transportation Innovations
| REPORT |
| This report is an archived publication and may contain dated technical, contact, and link information |
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| Publication Number: FHWA-HIF-19-089 Date: August 2018 |
Publication Number: FHWA-HIF-19-089 Date: August 2018 |
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Various sectors of highway project and service delivery, including highway construction, have witnessed an increasing use of geospatial technologies. However, the uses have largely been opportunistic and driven by a maturity of understanding in specific application areas. There is a need to develop a more holistic and cross-functional use of the technologies that benefit highway asset creation and service delivery. Focusing on this need, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) conducted a study to assess how state departments of transportation (DOT) and contractors were using the various geospatial technologies. Several state DOTs, contractors, vendors, and service providers were interviewed to document the state of the practice and identify challenges for implementing geospatial technology. Four specific case studies were conducted to document the innovative uses of the available technology as well as capture the benefits and costs associated with implementation. The emphasis of the research was on creating an approach that state DOTs can use to evaluate geospatial technology both from a technical and investment perspective, which will enable making informed decisions for implementation. The research documented the state of the practice for using unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), light detection and ranging (lidar), photogrammetry, structured from motion (SfM), and global navigational satellite systems (GNSS) for highway applications. This research yields effective practices for implementing geospatial technologies in a number of construction applications. These effective practices include a benefit-cost analysis (BCA) approach for determining return on investment (ROI) for implementing geospatial tools for different types of project applications and data collection needs. Lastly, this final report discusses current technological, regulatory/legal, and financial challenges and opportunities regarding their use.
Cheryl Allen Richter, Ph.D., P.E.
Director, Office of Infrastructure
Research and Development
Notice
This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the use of the information contained in this document.
The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers’ names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the objective of the document.
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Technical Report Documentation Page
| 1. Report No.
FHWA-HIF-19-089 |
2. Government Accession No.
N/A |
3 Recipient's Catalog No.
N/A |
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| 4. Title and Subtitle
Effective Use of Geospatial Tools in Highway Construction |
5. Report Date
August 2018 |
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| 6. Performing Organization Code
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| 7. Author(s)
Jagannath Mallela, Alexa Mitchell, Jonathan Gustafson, Michael Olsen,Christopher Parrish, Dan Gillins, Matthew Kumpula, and Gene Roe |
8. Performing Organization Report No.
WRSC-UNR–201710–01E |
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| 9. Performing Organization Name and Address
WSP USA Inc. |
10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS)
N/A |
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| 11. Contract or Grant No.
DTFH61-15-C-00042 |
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| 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address
Federal Highway Administration |
13. Type of Report and Period Covered
Final Report |
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| 14. Sponsoring Agency Code
N/A |
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| 15. Supplementary Notes
Contracting Officer's Representative: Morgan Kessler |
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| 16. Abstract
Geospatial technologies such as photogrammetry and global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) have been an integral part of highway mapping for decades. However, geospatial technologies continue to evolve, and new technologies are becoming more accessible for a wide range of highway construction applications. Tools such as unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), lidar, aerial imagery, GNSS, automated machine guidance, and their derivative products offer many benefits to the highway construction industry. These benefits include improved efficiencies and streamlined processes, as well as more accurate and reliable data. The key to using these technologies successfully to optimize benefits is to correctly select the appropriate tool for the application and understand limitations. In many cases, data from each of these technologies will be integrated for a project to develop the necessary survey products. This research investigates effective uses of geospatial technology for a wide variety of highway construction and maintenance applications; identifies a number of tools and their related accuracies; offers recommendations for tool selection, workflows, and strategies for conducting benefit-cost analysis (BCA); and analyzes future directions of these technologies in highway project and service delivery applications. The research explores several case studies using these technologies to document their benefits and limitations. In particular, the research determines the return on investment (ROI) associated with using these technologies in several of those case studies. |
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| 17. Key Words
geospatial data, geospatial technology, UAS, GPS, GNSS, lidar, photogrammetry, automated machine guidance, construction, surveying, ROI, BCA |
18. Distribution Statement
No restrictions. |
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| 19. Security Classification (of this report) Unclassified |
20. Security Classification (of this page) Unclassified |
21. No. of Pages
230 |
22. Price
N/A |
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| Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) | Reproduction of completed page authorized |
