Researchers
Reginald Souleyrette
About the research
Helikite-based platform is a prototype Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for remote sensing applications, deployed via a helium-filled balloon. Control software and hardware were developed enabling real-time video surveillance and operation of an integrated high-resolution digital camera. System development includes printed circuit-board production, programming of single-board computer, and integration of radio telemetry modules, wireless video transmitter, and power sub-systems. The system can be used to monitor traffic and safety projects from as high as 500 feet.
Project Details
05/16/01
10/31/02
University of California-Santa Barbara
Researchers
Reginald Souleyrette
David Veneziano
About the research
Conventional photogrammetric methods are frequently used to create surface terrain models for roadway planning and design. An advanced remote sensing technology LIDAR (Light Detecting and Ranging) has become a feasible, commercially available alternative for collection of coordinates for creation of surface terrain models. This project intends to compare surface elevation data from LIDAR to that obtained from traditional photogrammetry for use in highway location and design. The study location is a 10 mile stretch of Iowa 1. The project will compare spatial accuracy, data quality, and cost for the two data collection methods.
Researchers
Reginald Souleyrette
David Veneziano
About the research
This report discusses the use of LIDAR-derived surface terrain information to locate (or determine the location of) new transportation facilities or relocate existing facilities. Terrain information is used to construct and evaluate alternative routes and to create final design plans that optimize alignments and grades for the selected alternative. Currently, ground surveying and photogrammetric mapping are the methods used by state departments of transportation to acquire these data. Both methods are time and resource intensive since they require significant data collection and reduction to provide the level of detail necessary for facility location. These methods are also limited by environmental factors such as weather. The use of light detection and ranging (LIDAR) to supplement the design process is presented in this report. Early research results as well as surveyed literature indicate the LIDAR data cannot replace photogrammetric data in the final design stages of the highway location and design process. Results also indicate that LIDAR accuracy is less consistent than indicated by vendors. The true potential of LIDAR in this process appears to be a supplemental form of data collection to photogrammetry. LIDAR could be collected for large area corridors, providing designers with the terrain information necessary to identify favorable alignments at earlier stages. Once such alignments have been identified, detailed photogrammetric data could then be produced for a lesser area. The result could be a significant savings in time and possibly money–through labor savings–using this modified data collection approach.
Researchers
About the research
Crashes and increasing congestion resulting in delay, injury, loss of life, and property damage continue to characterize the nation?s highway system. One increasingly popular approach to address safety is access management. Other research in Iowa shows that access management projects led to an average 40 percent reduction in accident rates on case study routes in urban areas. However, no method currently exists to systematically identify locations with poor access management. This study tested a method to both qualitatively and quantitatively identify locations with a large number of access related crashes. Aerial imagery was used to identify locations with potential for access-related crashes. Results indicated that imagery could be used to identify locations in general but that specific features, such as median type or length, could not be accurately identified in anything but high-resolution images.