Priority, Market-Ready Technologies and Innovations: Global Positioning System (GPS) Surveying

Federal Highway Administration2004PDFBriefUnited States. Federal Highway AdministrationUnited States. Federal Highway Administration. Office of Research, Development, and TechnologyNorth Carolina. Department of TransportationMcCracken, JohnBrown, CharlieUnited States. Federal Highway AdministrationUnited StatesSurveyingSurveying instrumentsData collectionLabor costsEconomic efficiencyFHWA-HRT-04-071There are considerable costs associated with conventional surveying technology. Methods are time-consuming and often require multiple trips to the same site to gather data and to ensure the collected data is accurate. In addition, workers must be trained to operate conventional surveying equipment properly. Weather also can delay data collection and highway surveys; crews are not always able to work under certain weather conditions, such as snow, rain, or extreme temperatures. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recognizes the importance of increasing survey accuracy while reducing labor costs and improving efficiency- addressing this problem is one of the Agency's top priorities.125