Exploration of Drone and Remote Sensing Technologies in Highway Embankment Monitoring and Management (Phase I) : research project capsule.

1643939PDFTech Report18-1P1000216Drone aircraftEmbankmentsLandslidesRemote sensingUnited StatesLouisianaLouisiana Transportation Research CenterZhang, ZhongjieLouisiana Transportation Research CenterLouisiana. Department of Transportation and DevelopmentLouisiana State University (Baton Rouge, La.)Rupnow, Tyson D.US Transportation CollectionOver time, many Louisiana highway embankments have experienced surface sliding failures, a safety issue causing traffic disruptions. Since no advance-warning system is available for these highway embankment failures, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) can only respond after failure with costly remediation. Development of a proactive maintenance, management, and warning system is desirable. However, assessing embankment conditions using traditional site inspections by trained personnel is costly with respect to both time and labor. Recent advancements in commercial remote sensing (InSAR, LiDAR, and optical) provide opportunities to precisely measure displacements and surface moisture conditions of highway embankments in a cost-effective manner. These measurements represent a potentially-valuable alternative to traditional site inspections for determining the condition of a highway embankment. Development of embankment surface instability is a dynamic process. This study will explore the use of remote sensing and drone technologies for assessing condition of highway embankments and evaluating potential for surface sliding so that they can be captured, described, and indexed by remote sensing technologies