The Application of Unmanned Aerial Systems in Surface Transportation
Rapid proliferation of civilian unmanned aircraft systems (UASs), also known as drones, expand the horizon for a variety of transportation planning, management, and operational activities. Many State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) have explored applications of UASs. The initial results indicate that UAS technology has the potential to improve cost-effectiveness and safety when integrated into conventional approaches for infrastructure inspections, asset management, construction monitoring, emergency response, traffic surveillance, crash investigation, and other transportation-related tasks. While there are many successful examples and use cases of UASs, relatively little research has been done to determine how to effectively integrate UAS-related technologies into State DOT operations. Considering the tremendous potential and rapidly evolving nature of UAS technology, Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has launched a comprehensive research project aimed at evaluating current state-of-the-practice transportation applications of UASs at other State DOTs and developing a pilot program for applying UAS technology to address surface transportation needs in the Commonwealth. The project includes seven research tasks: (1) Development of a pilot program to integrate UASs into bridge and rail inspections; (2) Assessment of roadway pavement condition with UASs; (3) Evaluation of UAS highway speed sensing application; (4) Development of UAS emergency service drone network for use in surface transportation; (5) Assessment of UAS situational awareness technology to support applications in surface transportation; (6) Evaluation of UAS cybersecurity threats and countermeasures in surface transportation; and (7) Implementation, outreach, and technology transfer coordination and management.
Language
- English
Project
- Status: Completed
- Funding: $399998
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Contract Numbers:
103206
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Sponsor Organizations:
Federal Highway Administration
Massachusetts Division
55 Broadway, 10th Floor
Cambridge, Massachusetts United States 02142 -
Managing Organizations:
Massachusetts Department of Transportation
10 Park Plaza
Boston, MA United States 02116 -
Project Managers:
Sherman, Gabriel
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Performing Organizations:
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
130 Natural Resources Road
Amherst, MA United States 01003 -
Principal Investigators:
Knodler, Michael
Fiondella, Lance
Mogawer, Walaa
Yuanchang, Xie
Fitzpatrick, Cole
Daiheng, Ni
Plotnikov, Michael
Chigan, Chunxiao
- Start Date: 20180404
- Expected Completion Date: 20190512
- Actual Completion Date: 0
- USDOT Program: Research and Development
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Drones; Evaluation and assessment; State departments of transportation; State of the practice; Technological innovations
- Identifier Terms: Massachusetts Department of Transportation
- Subject Areas: Aviation; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Operations and Traffic Management; Security and Emergencies; Vehicles and Equipment;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01690693
- Record Type: Research project
- Source Agency: Massachusetts Department of Transportation
- Contract Numbers: 103206
- Files: RIP, STATEDOT
- Created Date: Jan 9 2019 9:10AM