Below is the uncorrected machine-read text of this chapter, intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text of each book. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.
3 Background Network-level pavement condition data are critical components of all pavement management systems. The accuracy and validity of network-level pavement condition data are crucial, for example, to assess existing and future pavement condition, to establish budget needs, to evaluate budget impacts, to support asset management, and to select projects for pavement maintenance and rehabilitation. Highway agency use of automated data collection systems has increased greatly over the last decade. In addition, the data collection technology has seen significant advancements over this same period of time. For example, rut-depth measurements have progressed from three (or five) profile sensors to systems capable of capturing continuous cross-profile measurements and from high-speed video images to three-dimensional (3D) imaging of the roadway surface. The number of agencies using automated pavement condition surveys has also increased, and it is important to capture agency experiences with implementation of automated pavement condition data collection. Documentation of agency automated data collection procedures and processes will be beneficial to agencies moving toward (or with limited experience regarding) automated pavement data collection. Synthesis Objectives The objective of this synthesis is to document agency practices, challenges, and successes in conducting automated pavement condition surveys and to showcase successful agency prac- tices, integration of automated data into pavement management systems, and efforts needed for national reporting of pavement condition. Synthesis Scope and Approach This synthesis documents and summarizes the use of automated pavement condition data collection in support of pavement management practices. The synthesis primarily focuses on the following: ⢠Pavement distress types collection using both two-dimensional (2D) and 3D technology, ⢠Postprocessing requirements (data and images), ⢠Pavement condition data quality management procedures, and ⢠Data storage and archiving requirements. A literature review was conducted to summarize pavement condition data collection infor- mation related to the state of the practice, current and upcoming developments, and the use of C H A P T E R 1 Introduction
4 Automated Pavement Condition Surveys pavement condition data within asset management, and specifically within pavement management, systems. The literature search results were used to develop an agency survey of practice that was distributed to the pavement management engineers in each state highway agency (SHA), the District of Columbia, the Puerto Rico Department of Transportation (DOT), and the ministries of transportation (MoTs) for all Canadian provinces and territories. In order to obtain more detailed information related to agency practice, follow-up questions were sent to agencies that indicated conducting automated pavement condition surveys. The questions were related to data integration and storage, data collection and analysis costs, and benefits and challenges of automated data collection. The information obtained from the literature review, the survey of practice, and the follow-up questions provided the basis of this synthesis. Report Organization This synthesis is organized into the following chapters: ⢠Chapter OneâIntroduction. This chapter provides background information and synthesis objectives and summarizes the scope, approach, and organization of the document. ⢠Chapter TwoâLiterature Review. This chapter summarizes the findings of literature review. Relevant topics covered in the literature review include semi-automated and automated condition surveys, data collection procedures and specifications, pavement condition data quality management plans, national reporting requirements, and collection and analysis of other appurtenances. ⢠Chapter ThreeâState of the Practice. This chapter summarizes the agency survey results and includes topics related to agency data collection procedures, contracting processes, data use and application, data integration, storage, retention requirements, cost of data collection, processing, quality control (QC), acceptance, and successes and challenges of automated data collection. ⢠Chapter FourâSummary of Agency Data Quality Procedures. This chapter summarizes the data quality management plans (e.g., QC, acceptance, and error resolution requirements) provided by the U.S. highway agencies during the follow-up interviews. ⢠Chapter FiveâCase Examples. This chapter summarizes the information provided by the U.S. and Canadian highway agencies that were interviewed to explore innovative uses of their pavement management data. These case examples illustrate how pavement management data have been used to improve data quality, evaluate treatment effectiveness, expand the use of pavement management data within a highway agency, improve agency performance measures, and establish performance measures for highway concession agreements. ⢠Chapter SixâConclusions. The synthesis concludes with a summary of key observations and suggested areas for further research and outreach that will lead to improved use of pavement management systems to support agency investment decisions. ⢠AppendicesâAppendix A includes the questionnaire that was distributed electronically to the state and provincial respondents, and Appendix B summarizes the agency responses to each question of the survey.