Transportation Troubleshooting: How Drone Technology Is Adding New Perspectives to Transportation

Paula Hammond on July 31, 2024 - in Articles, Column

The impact unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) are having on society extends far beyond stunning images and cinematography. In transportation, “drones” are saving lives, preventing injuries, reducing costs and accomplishing in hours or days what once took weeks or months.

UAS deployment in transportation has expanded dramatically. In 2018, less than half of state departments of transportation (DOTs) utilized UAS, but by 2023, every state DOT had deployed drones, according to WSP’s Aerial Innovation Division data. And no wonder!

Too Much of a Good Thing?

UAS programs provide such a wide range of new and better ways of doing things that it can be challenging to get the most out of drones and their sensors, software and back-end systems.

“This is becoming a big problem,” says Paul Wheeler, WSP’s vice president of aerial innovation. “Agencies are filling up their servers with raw and processed data, and they often are unsure what to retain and how to effectively manage the influx of data.”

At the same time, many state DOTs haven’t fully harnessed the full capabilities of drones across all five major use cases: surveying and mapping, structure inspection, construction monitoring, emergency response, and public outreach.

This year, WSP is collaborating with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to lead 10 workshops across the United States on utilizing UAS data more thoroughly and efficiently. In June 2024, the two-day peer exchange was held in Juneau, Alaska, and an August session is scheduled in Lansing, Mich. These are the first UAS courses to be offered by FHWA and are designed to provide comprehensive learning experiences to enhance professional skills in UAS applications.

Integrating UAS into an agency’s existing organizational structure also can present challenges, and agencies are taking various approaches—usually either situating UAS within aeronautics or within a functional department such as survey/GIS. “Ohio is the only state that has set up a separate entity for its UAS program,” according to Wheeler.

‘Eyes in the Sky’ for Emergencies

One thing that impressed me when talking with Wheeler and his colleague Aaron Organ, senior consultant for aerial innovation, is how drones have become real-time tools for responding to natural disasters and severe traffic accidents.

“When landslides, mudslides, floods or other hazards impact roadways and communities, staff can deploy drones quickly to make situational assessments for first responders—and even to deliver water, food and medical supplies to stranded people,” notes Organ.

State and local transportation agencies have a variety of agreements with police and fire departments to share and coordinate UAS resources.

Surveying, Mapping and Inspecting More for Less

UAS programs generally start operations in surveying and mapping, structure inspections, and construction monitoring due to the mature use cases and the large return on investment realized. For surveying, Wyoming DOT compared UAS with aerial photography and ground-based field surveys and found that UAS got the job done for about 60 percent of the cost of field methods and less than half of what aerial photography costs.

However, the best results often are produced using a hybrid of UAS and ground-based surveys. You can complement LIDAR from a UAS with mobile ground-based LIDAR to combine the strengths of both datasets for a highly detailed and accurate 3D model.

For bridge inspections, Minnesota DOT has similar savings with UAS over conventional inspections, with the savings achieved by reducing or eliminating traffic control and access equipment. By using augmented-reality headsets, inspectors can work with UAS data to identify potential defects in bridges, then send out crews to validate those. An AI engine can initially parse the data to further refine the process.

Drones also enable DOTs to keep better track of material quantities charged by contractors. Wheeler recounts a situation where UAS imagery—originally collected for drainage analysis—allowed a state to quickly demonstrate that a contractor had miscalculated, yielding significant savings for the state.

Alaska Shines with Public Outreach

While most states are using their UAS programs for public outreach to some extent, Alaska stands out for how it hones messaging with UAS imagery.

“From avalanche analysis and mitigation to emergency response to updates on construction, Alaska DOT has mastered the use of breathtaking UAS photos and videos to convey important messages and underscore how the department is keeping the public and workers safe,” says Organ.

Utah and some other states use thermal sensors on UAS to map wildfire hotspots. DOTs and first responders also are using drones to map and analyze serious accident scenes, allowing roadways to be re-opened in a fraction of the usual time.

The regulatory framework for UAS is evolving, and Wheeler and Organ are especially enthusiastic about the FAA’s rulemaking that will allow for greater BVLOS (beyond visual line of sight) operations. Many operators are eagerly awaiting 14 CFR Part 108 to further realize the potential of advance operations while flying BVLOS, whether remote inspections or even future UAS package deliveries.