Project Details
24-904, SPR-RE24(010)-8H-00
07/01/24
06/30/27
Iowa Department of Transportation
Michigan Tech Research Institute (MTRI) at Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech)
Researchers
Berk Gulmezoglu
bgulmez@iastate.edu email >Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECpE), ISU
Yunjeong (Leah) Mo
ymo@iastate.edu email >Assistant Professor, Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, ISU
Colin N. Brooks
cnbrooks@mtu.edu email >Transportation Practice Area Leader, MTRI, Michigan Tech
About the research
The use of small uncrewed aircraft systems (sUAS), more commonly referred to as drones (equipped with a variety of sensors), has been experiencing significant growth in many application areas. However, in order to achieve the beneficial uses of sUAS in transportation and infrastructure work, there are research needs that first need to be addressed to better understand the use and value of data collected with sUAS. The primary objective of this study is to develop, test, and demonstrate how sUAS technology could be deployed and implemented in various transportation- and infrastructure-related work of interest to the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) and local road agencies (i.e., Iowa counties and cities).
The overall research approach proposed by the Iowa State University team, in close partnership with Michigan Technological University, involves conducting a set of pilot project studies of interest to the Iowa DOT and local road agencies. These include pilot project study 1 (for developing as-built plans), pilot project study 2 (for demonstrating a low cost sUAV-based traffic monitoring system), pilot project study 3 (for quantifying erosion control features), and pilot project studies 4 and 5 (on using sUAS technologies for two specific functions/activities [e.g., ground mapping/design surveys, drainage damage inspection, gravel/unpaved road condition assessment, bridge inspection and so on] of interest to Johnson County and/or other Iowa counties).
One of the key outcomes of this study is to develop best practice guides that both the Iowa DOT and local road agencies could use for selecting and using sUAS platforms, sensor technologies, and data processing methods in their transportation- and infrastructure-related work. The expected outcomes of this research effort will be of great benefit to them, as the results will include more cost-effective, efficient, and safe ways for designing, building, maintaining, and operating transportation infrastructure systems, while also increasing safety and decreasing cost.
