Emerging technologies hold the promise of transforming asset data collection for transportation asset management. Applications of these technologies include the use of drones for inspections, LiDAR field data collection, continuous monitoring of real-time sensor data, and more. Research is needed to address the adoption and practical application of these technologies and the rapid pace of technological advancement.
MAP-21 and the Fast Act jump started many agencies in attaining an inventory of infrastructure assets and transportation data. Now that the need for such extraction projects is federally recognized, further research is needed to understand what the latest technologies for asset analysis can offer an agency as well as how frequently that information needs to be generated. What level of extraction detail and frequency interval is needed to support pavement management systems (PMS) at both the state and local levels? How can the condition assessment be applied to the performance measures of both pavement and non-pavement assets? What types of automated asset inventory techniques are available to agencies for solicitation or collaboration? Finally, how are successful agencies tracking asset data annually or with each project and how can those best practices be share with the larger community?
Research is needed in the following areas:
• Address the adoption and practical application of these technologies and the rapid pace of technological advancement.
• What level of extraction detail and frequency interval is needed to support TAM at both the state and local levels and how can the condition assessment be applied to the performance measures of both pavement and non-pavement assets?
• Further investigate what tools are capable of visualizing asset extraction layers, as well as presenting such data to all stakeholders in powerful GIS formats with standardized TAM graphics for universal interpretation.