Development of an Integrated Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Validation Center

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General Information
Study Number: TPF-5(387)
Former Study Number:
Lead Organization: Indiana Department of Transportation
Contract Start Date: Sep 01, 2018
Solicitation Number: 1454
Partners: CA, DE, GADOT, IL, MI, MN, PADOT, UT, VA
Status: Contract signed
Est. Completion Date: Sep 01, 2021
Contract/Other Number:
Last Updated: May 04, 2023
Contract End Date: Dec 01, 2021
Financial Summary
Contract Amount:
Suggested Contribution:
Total Commitments Received: $700,000.00
100% SP&R Approval: Approved
Contact Information
Lead Study Contact(s): Anne Rearick
arearick@indot.in.gov
Phone: 317-232-5152
FHWA Technical Liaison(s): James Gray
James.Gray@dot.gov
Phone: 703- 509-3464
Organization Year Commitments Technical Contact Name Funding Contact Name
California Department of Transportation 2020 $25,000.00 Tarek Tabshouri Sang Le
California Department of Transportation 2021 $25,000.00 Tarek Tabshouri Sang Le
California Department of Transportation 2022 $25,000.00 Tarek Tabshouri Sang Le
Delaware Department of Transportation 2018 $25,000.00 Anne Brown Anne Brown
Delaware Department of Transportation 2019 $25,000.00 Anne Brown Anne Brown
Delaware Department of Transportation 2020 $25,000.00 Anne Brown Anne Brown
Georgia Department of Transportation 2018 $25,000.00 Rabindra Koirala Supriya Kamatkar
Georgia Department of Transportation 2019 $25,000.00 Rabindra Koirala Supriya Kamatkar
Georgia Department of Transportation 2020 $25,000.00 Rabindra Koirala Supriya Kamatkar
Illinois Department of Transportation 2018 $25,000.00 Steve Beran Megan Swanson
Illinois Department of Transportation 2019 $25,000.00 Steve Beran Megan Swanson
Illinois Department of Transportation 2020 $25,000.00 Steve Beran Megan Swanson
Illinois Department of Transportation 2021 $25,000.00 Steve Beran Megan Swanson
Michigan Department of Transportation 2019 $25,000.00 Brian Zakrzewski Andre' Clover
Michigan Department of Transportation 2020 $25,000.00 Brian Zakrzewski Andre' Clover
Michigan Department of Transportation 2021 $25,000.00 Brian Zakrzewski Andre' Clover
Minnesota Department of Transportation 2018 $25,000.00 Jennifer Wells Lisa Jansen
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation 2018 $25,000.00 Richard Runyen Heather Sorce
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation 2019 $25,000.00 Richard Runyen Heather Sorce
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation 2020 $25,000.00 Richard Runyen Heather Sorce
Utah Department of Transportation 2018 $25,000.00 Jera Irick David Stevens
Utah Department of Transportation 2019 $25,000.00 Jera Irick David Stevens
Utah Department of Transportation 2020 $25,000.00 Jera Irick David Stevens
Virginia Department of Transportation 2018 $25,000.00 Keith Paquin Bill Kelsh
Virginia Department of Transportation 2019 $25,000.00 Keith Paquin Bill Kelsh
Virginia Department of Transportation 2020 $25,000.00 Keith Paquin Bill Kelsh
Virginia Department of Transportation 2021 $25,000.00 Keith Paquin Bill Kelsh
Virginia Department of Transportation 2022 $25,000.00 Keith Paquin Bill Kelsh

Study Description

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) have the potential to drastically change how civil infrastructure is inspected, monitored, and managed. In the context of this document, a UAS is comprised of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), the scanning technology it carries, and the pilot. Deployment of UAS in areas such as bridge inspection and accident reconstruction will likely have far-reaching impacts and evolve over time, with new uses and users emerging as technology matures. With new technology, limitations exist until new protocols are established and industry must move forward with an appropriate level of caution. For example, speculation regarding the ability of a UAS to replace a human bridge inspector is frequently observed in trade magazines, presentations, and in the literature. With no standard tests to verify such claims, agencies are left to rely upon vendor’s promotional material when making decisions about UAS deployment.

Objectives

This pooled-fund study proposes to develop the standards, protocols, and testing requirements that a given UAS must meet and demonstrate for a particular application. As an example, considerations regarding UAS deployment for bridge inspection may include (but are not limited to) the following: • Safety in constrained locations where line of site is limited • Imaging system performance in poorly lit environments • Control of the UAS while flying between large steel girders • Adequate resolution of the imaging system for detecting the damage of interestThe objectives of the study are two-fold: • Development of the specific criteria a given UAS must meet for each particular application. • Determining how to validate that a given UAS meets the required criteria. The current industry is unregulated with regard to establishing the required level of performance for UAS in civil engineering applications. The results of this study will be the development of the performance measures and validation criteria that agencies can use when making decisions about deployment of UAS in the context of civil engineering.

Scope of Work

To achieve the desired objectives, the following tasks are proposed: 1. Identify areas that need UAS validation in the context of civil engineering infrastructure. Possibilities include bridge and traffic signal inspection, accident reconstruction, construction site monitoring, site assessment and inspection of railroad way. 2. Conduct stakeholder workshops, including owners, engineers, pilots, and academics, to identify performance criteria which UAS must meet for a given applications. 3. Develop methodologies to “test” whether the UAS meets specific criteria identified in Task II for given applications. The specific research efforts are primarily conducted in this task. These include, but are not limited to the following: • The development of pilot and UAS navigation testing and validation obstacle courses, communication with the airport tower, filing of the flight-plan, as well as the required written testing criteria for the pilot. • The development of camera and other sensor accuracy and precision requirements, such as lighting standards, contrast detection, color sensing capabilities, distance and volume measurement requirements, and image quality standards. • The development of test methods and test equipment to objectively, and consistently measure that a given UAS is providing sufficient lighting (i.e., do small light optic measurement devices need to be installed at strategic locations under the bridge). Other devices to will need to be developed to ensure standard contrast testing, accuracy and precision standards, etc. required in the bullet item above can be quantitatively and repeatedly evaluated. • The development of a test bed (e.g., full-scale bridge specimens, accident scenarios, etc.) in which navigation skills of the UAS are tested under specific conditions, such as a pre-defined wind speed. • The development of UAS performance criteria when communication or line-of-sight is lost. 4. Conduct stakeholder workshops to present results from Task 3 and refine as necessary. 5. Conduct a beta version roll-out of the validation criteria at Purdue University’s Center for Aging Infrastructure (CAI) and the Steel Bridge Research, Inspection, Training, and Engineering Center (S-BRITE). This site allows testing on multiple full-scale bridge components, signal and luminaire structures as well as space to create accident reconstruction and simulated construction sites related to transportation components. 6. Based on the results of Task 5, further revise the validation criteria and submit a final report with detailed UAS performance measures and guidance for specific applications. 7. Provide testing using the performance criteria developed and issue “certificates of performance” to UAS which satisfactorily meet the performance criteria testing for specific applications.

Comments

A commitment of 3 years at $25,000/year funding level is requested to join the study.

Documents Attached
Title File/Link Type Privacy Download
TPF-5(387) Quarterly Progress Report October - December 2023 TPF-5(387) Quarterly Progress Report October - December 2023.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
TPF 5(387) Quarterly Progress Report Jul - Sept 2023 TPF 5(387) Quarterly Progress Report Jul - Sept 2023.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
TPF-5(387) Quarterly Progress Report Apr - Jun 2023 TPF-5(387) Quarterly Progress Report Apr - Jun 2023.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
TPF-5(387) Quarterly Progress Report Jan - March 2023 TPF-5(387) Quarterly Progress Report Jan - March 2023.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
TPF-5(387) Quarterly Progress Report October - December 2022 TPF-5(387) Quarterly Progress Report October - December 2022.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
TPF 5-387 Quarterly Progress Report September 2022 TPF 5-387 Quarterly Progress Report September 2022.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
TPF-5(387) Quarterly Progress Report Apr - Jun 2022 TPF-5(387) Quarterly Progress Report Apr - Jun 2022.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
TPF-5(387) Quarterly Progress Report Jan - March 2022 TPF-5(387) Quarterly Progress Report Jan - March 2022.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
Quarterly Progress Report December 2021 TPF-5(387) Quarterly Progress Report October - December 2021.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
TPF 5-387 Quarterly Progress Report September 2021 TPF 5-387 Quarterly Progress Report September 2021.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
TPF 5-387 Quarterly Progress Report June 2021 TPF 5-387 Quarterly Progress Report June 2021.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
Quarterly Progress Report: January - March 2021 TPF 5-387 Quarterly Progress Report March 2021.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
Quarterly Progress Report: October - December 2020 TPF-5(387) Quarterly Progress Report October - December 2020.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
Progress Report September 2020 TPF 5-387 Progress Report September 2020.pdf Annual Report Public
Quarterly Progress Report: July - Sept 2020 TPF 5-387 Quarterly Progress Report September 2020.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
Quarterly Progress Report: April - June 2020 TPF 5-387 Quarterly Progress Report June 2020.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
Interim Report #1 April 2020 TPF-5(387) Interim Report #1 April 2020.pdf Annual Report Public
Quarterly Progress Report: January - March 2020 TPF 5-387 Quarterly Progress Report March 2020.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
Quarterly Progress Report: Oct - Dec 2019 TPF 5-387 Quarterly Progress Report Dec 2019.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
Quarterly Progress Report: July - Sept 2019 TPF 5-387 Quarterly Progress Report September 2019.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
Quarterly Progress Report: April - June 2019 TPF 5-387 Quarterly Progress Report June 2019.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
Quarterly Progress Report: January - March 2019 TPF 5-387 Quarterly Progress Report March 2019.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
Acceptance Memo for TPF-5(387) TPF-5(387) Acceptance Memo.pdf Memorandum Public
FHWA Approval for TPF-5(387) Approval of SP&R Waiver Pooled Fund Solicitation #1454.pdf Other Public
Documents Attached
Title File/Link Type Privacy Download
SPR-B Waiver Approval Approval of SP&R Waiver Pooled Fund Solicitation #1454.pdf Memorandum Public

Development of an Integrated Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Validation Center

General Information
Study Number: TPF-5(387)
Lead Organization: Indiana Department of Transportation
Contract Start Date: Sep 01, 2018
Solicitation Number: 1454
Partners: CA, DE, GADOT, IL, MI, MN, PADOT, UT, VA
Status: Contract signed
Est. Completion Date: Sep 01, 2021
Contract/Other Number:
Last Updated: May 04, 2023
Contract End Date: Dec 01, 2021
Financial Summary
Contract Amount:
Total Commitments Received: $700,000.00
100% SP&R Approval:
Contact Information
Lead Study Contact(s): Anne Rearick
arearick@indot.in.gov
Phone: 317-232-5152
FHWA Technical Liaison(s): James Gray
James.Gray@dot.gov
Phone: 703- 509-3464
Commitments by Organizations
Organization Year Commitments Technical Contact Name Funding Contact Name Contact Number Email Address
California Department of Transportation 2020 $25,000.00 Tarek Tabshouri Sang Le (916)701-3998 sang.le@dot.ca.gov
California Department of Transportation 2021 $25,000.00 Tarek Tabshouri Sang Le (916)701-3998 sang.le@dot.ca.gov
California Department of Transportation 2022 $25,000.00 Tarek Tabshouri Sang Le (916)701-3998 sang.le@dot.ca.gov
Delaware Department of Transportation 2018 $25,000.00 Anne Brown Anne Brown (302) 760-2198 anne.brown@state.de.us
Delaware Department of Transportation 2019 $25,000.00 Anne Brown Anne Brown (302) 760-2198 anne.brown@state.de.us
Delaware Department of Transportation 2020 $25,000.00 Anne Brown Anne Brown (302) 760-2198 anne.brown@state.de.us
Georgia Department of Transportation 2018 $25,000.00 Rabindra Koirala Supriya Kamatkar 404-347-0552 skamatkar@dot.ga.gov
Georgia Department of Transportation 2019 $25,000.00 Rabindra Koirala Supriya Kamatkar 404-347-0552 skamatkar@dot.ga.gov
Georgia Department of Transportation 2020 $25,000.00 Rabindra Koirala Supriya Kamatkar 404-347-0552 skamatkar@dot.ga.gov
Illinois Department of Transportation 2018 $25,000.00 Steve Beran Megan Swanson 217-782-3547 Megan.Swanson@illinois.gov
Illinois Department of Transportation 2019 $25,000.00 Steve Beran Megan Swanson 217-782-3547 Megan.Swanson@illinois.gov
Illinois Department of Transportation 2020 $25,000.00 Steve Beran Megan Swanson 217-782-3547 Megan.Swanson@illinois.gov
Illinois Department of Transportation 2021 $25,000.00 Steve Beran Megan Swanson 217-782-3547 Megan.Swanson@illinois.gov
Michigan Department of Transportation 2019 $25,000.00 Brian Zakrzewski Andre' Clover 517-749-9001 clovera@michigan.gov
Michigan Department of Transportation 2020 $25,000.00 Brian Zakrzewski Andre' Clover 517-749-9001 clovera@michigan.gov
Michigan Department of Transportation 2021 $25,000.00 Brian Zakrzewski Andre' Clover 517-749-9001 clovera@michigan.gov
Minnesota Department of Transportation 2018 $25,000.00 Jennifer Wells Lisa Jansen 651-366-3779 lisa.jansen@state.mn.us
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation 2018 $25,000.00 Richard Runyen Heather Sorce 717-214-9508 hsorce@pa.gov
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation 2019 $25,000.00 Richard Runyen Heather Sorce 717-214-9508 hsorce@pa.gov
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation 2020 $25,000.00 Richard Runyen Heather Sorce 717-214-9508 hsorce@pa.gov
Utah Department of Transportation 2018 $25,000.00 Jera Irick David Stevens 801-589-8340 davidstevens@utah.gov
Utah Department of Transportation 2019 $25,000.00 Jera Irick David Stevens 801-589-8340 davidstevens@utah.gov
Utah Department of Transportation 2020 $25,000.00 Jera Irick David Stevens 801-589-8340 davidstevens@utah.gov
Virginia Department of Transportation 2018 $25,000.00 Keith Paquin Bill Kelsh 434-293-1934 Bill.Kelsh@VDOT.Virginia.gov
Virginia Department of Transportation 2019 $25,000.00 Keith Paquin Bill Kelsh 434-293-1934 Bill.Kelsh@VDOT.Virginia.gov
Virginia Department of Transportation 2020 $25,000.00 Keith Paquin Bill Kelsh 434-293-1934 Bill.Kelsh@VDOT.Virginia.gov
Virginia Department of Transportation 2021 $25,000.00 Keith Paquin Bill Kelsh 434-293-1934 Bill.Kelsh@VDOT.Virginia.gov
Virginia Department of Transportation 2022 $25,000.00 Keith Paquin Bill Kelsh 434-293-1934 Bill.Kelsh@VDOT.Virginia.gov

Study Description

Study Description

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) have the potential to drastically change how civil infrastructure is inspected, monitored, and managed. In the context of this document, a UAS is comprised of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), the scanning technology it carries, and the pilot. Deployment of UAS in areas such as bridge inspection and accident reconstruction will likely have far-reaching impacts and evolve over time, with new uses and users emerging as technology matures. With new technology, limitations exist until new protocols are established and industry must move forward with an appropriate level of caution. For example, speculation regarding the ability of a UAS to replace a human bridge inspector is frequently observed in trade magazines, presentations, and in the literature. With no standard tests to verify such claims, agencies are left to rely upon vendor’s promotional material when making decisions about UAS deployment.

Objectives

This pooled-fund study proposes to develop the standards, protocols, and testing requirements that a given UAS must meet and demonstrate for a particular application. As an example, considerations regarding UAS deployment for bridge inspection may include (but are not limited to) the following: • Safety in constrained locations where line of site is limited • Imaging system performance in poorly lit environments • Control of the UAS while flying between large steel girders • Adequate resolution of the imaging system for detecting the damage of interestThe objectives of the study are two-fold: • Development of the specific criteria a given UAS must meet for each particular application. • Determining how to validate that a given UAS meets the required criteria. The current industry is unregulated with regard to establishing the required level of performance for UAS in civil engineering applications. The results of this study will be the development of the performance measures and validation criteria that agencies can use when making decisions about deployment of UAS in the context of civil engineering.

Scope of Work

To achieve the desired objectives, the following tasks are proposed: 1. Identify areas that need UAS validation in the context of civil engineering infrastructure. Possibilities include bridge and traffic signal inspection, accident reconstruction, construction site monitoring, site assessment and inspection of railroad way. 2. Conduct stakeholder workshops, including owners, engineers, pilots, and academics, to identify performance criteria which UAS must meet for a given applications. 3. Develop methodologies to “test” whether the UAS meets specific criteria identified in Task II for given applications. The specific research efforts are primarily conducted in this task. These include, but are not limited to the following: • The development of pilot and UAS navigation testing and validation obstacle courses, communication with the airport tower, filing of the flight-plan, as well as the required written testing criteria for the pilot. • The development of camera and other sensor accuracy and precision requirements, such as lighting standards, contrast detection, color sensing capabilities, distance and volume measurement requirements, and image quality standards. • The development of test methods and test equipment to objectively, and consistently measure that a given UAS is providing sufficient lighting (i.e., do small light optic measurement devices need to be installed at strategic locations under the bridge). Other devices to will need to be developed to ensure standard contrast testing, accuracy and precision standards, etc. required in the bullet item above can be quantitatively and repeatedly evaluated. • The development of a test bed (e.g., full-scale bridge specimens, accident scenarios, etc.) in which navigation skills of the UAS are tested under specific conditions, such as a pre-defined wind speed. • The development of UAS performance criteria when communication or line-of-sight is lost. 4. Conduct stakeholder workshops to present results from Task 3 and refine as necessary. 5. Conduct a beta version roll-out of the validation criteria at Purdue University’s Center for Aging Infrastructure (CAI) and the Steel Bridge Research, Inspection, Training, and Engineering Center (S-BRITE). This site allows testing on multiple full-scale bridge components, signal and luminaire structures as well as space to create accident reconstruction and simulated construction sites related to transportation components. 6. Based on the results of Task 5, further revise the validation criteria and submit a final report with detailed UAS performance measures and guidance for specific applications. 7. Provide testing using the performance criteria developed and issue “certificates of performance” to UAS which satisfactorily meet the performance criteria testing for specific applications.

Comments

A commitment of 3 years at $25,000/year funding level is requested to join the study.

Title File/Link Type Private
Interim Report #1 April 2020 TPF-5(387) Interim Report #1 April 2020.pdf Annual Report Public
Progress Report September 2020 TPF 5-387 Progress Report September 2020.pdf Annual Report Public
Acceptance Memo for TPF-5(387) TPF-5(387) Acceptance Memo.pdf Memorandum Public
FHWA Approval for TPF-5(387) Approval of SP&R Waiver Pooled Fund Solicitation #1454.pdf Other Public
Quarterly Progress Report: January - March 2019 TPF 5-387 Quarterly Progress Report March 2019.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
Quarterly Progress Report: April - June 2019 TPF 5-387 Quarterly Progress Report June 2019.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
Quarterly Progress Report: July - Sept 2019 TPF 5-387 Quarterly Progress Report September 2019.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
Quarterly Progress Report: Oct - Dec 2019 TPF 5-387 Quarterly Progress Report Dec 2019.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
Quarterly Progress Report: January - March 2020 TPF 5-387 Quarterly Progress Report March 2020.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
Quarterly Progress Report: April - June 2020 TPF 5-387 Quarterly Progress Report June 2020.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
Quarterly Progress Report: July - Sept 2020 TPF 5-387 Quarterly Progress Report September 2020.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
Quarterly Progress Report: October - December 2020 TPF-5(387) Quarterly Progress Report October - December 2020.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
Quarterly Progress Report: January - March 2021 TPF 5-387 Quarterly Progress Report March 2021.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
TPF 5-387 Quarterly Progress Report June 2021 TPF 5-387 Quarterly Progress Report June 2021.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
TPF 5-387 Quarterly Progress Report September 2021 TPF 5-387 Quarterly Progress Report September 2021.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
Quarterly Progress Report December 2021 TPF-5(387) Quarterly Progress Report October - December 2021.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
TPF-5(387) Quarterly Progress Report Jan - March 2022 TPF-5(387) Quarterly Progress Report Jan - March 2022.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
TPF-5(387) Quarterly Progress Report Apr - Jun 2022 TPF-5(387) Quarterly Progress Report Apr - Jun 2022.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
TPF 5-387 Quarterly Progress Report September 2022 TPF 5-387 Quarterly Progress Report September 2022.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
TPF-5(387) Quarterly Progress Report October - December 2022 TPF-5(387) Quarterly Progress Report October - December 2022.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
TPF-5(387) Quarterly Progress Report Jan - March 2023 TPF-5(387) Quarterly Progress Report Jan - March 2023.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
TPF-5(387) Quarterly Progress Report Apr - Jun 2023 TPF-5(387) Quarterly Progress Report Apr - Jun 2023.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
TPF 5(387) Quarterly Progress Report Jul - Sept 2023 TPF 5(387) Quarterly Progress Report Jul - Sept 2023.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
TPF-5(387) Quarterly Progress Report October - December 2023 TPF-5(387) Quarterly Progress Report October - December 2023.pdf Quarterly Progress Report Public
Title File/Link Type Private
SPR-B Waiver Approval Approval of SP&R Waiver Pooled Fund Solicitation #1454.pdf Memorandum Public

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