Effective Use of Geospatial Tools in Highway Construction Publication No. FHWA HIF-19-089 October 2019 FOREWORD Various sectors of highway project and service delivery, including highway construction, have witnessed an increasing use of geospatial technologies. However, the uses have largely been opportunistic and driven by a maturity of understanding in specific application areas. There is a need to develop a more holistic and cross-functional use of the technologies that benefit highway asset creation and service delivery. Focusing on this need, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) conducted a study to assess how state departments of transportation (DOT) and contractors were using the various geospatial technologies. Several state DOTs, contractors, vendors, and service providers were interviewed to document the state of the practice and identify challenges for implementing geospatial technology. Four specific case studies were conducted to document the innovative uses of the available technology as well as capture the benefits and costs associated with implementation. The emphasis of the research was on creating an approach that state DOTs can use to evaluate geospatial technology both from a technical and investment perspective, which will enable making informed decisions for implementation. The research documented the state of the practice for using unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), light detection and ranging (lidar), photogrammetry, structured from motion (SfM), and global navigational satellite systems (GNSS) for highway applications. This research yields effective practices for implementing geospatial technologies in a number of construction applications. These effective practices include a benefit-cost analysis (BCA) approach for determining return on investment (ROI) for implementing geospatial tools for different types of project applications and data collection needs. Lastly, this final report discusses current technological, regulatory/legal, and financial challenges and opportunities regarding their use. Notice This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the use of the information contained in this document. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers' names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the objective of the document. They are included for informational purposes only and are not intended to reflect a preference, approval, or endorsement of any one product or entity. Quality Assurance Statement The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides high-quality information to serve Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes public understanding. Standards and policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of its information. FHWA periodically reviews quality issues and adjusts its programs and processes to ensure continuous quality improvement. Technical Report Documentation Page 1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient’s Catalog No. FHWA-HIF-19-089 N/A N/A 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date Effective Use of Geospatial Tools in Highway Construction August 2018 6. Performing Organization Code N/A 7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Jagannath Mallela, Alexa Mitchell, Jonathan Gustafson, Michael Olsen, Report No. Christopher Parrish, Dan Gillins, Matthew Kumpula, and N/A Gene Roe 9. Performing Organization Name And Address 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) WSP USA Inc. N/A 1015 Half St SE, Suite 650 11. Contract or Grant No. Washington, DC 20003 DTFH61-15-C-00042 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Federal Highway Administration Covered Research, Development, and Technology Final Report Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center 14. Sponsoring Agency Code 6300 Georgetown Pike, McLean, VA 22101-2296 N/A 15. Supplementary Notes Contracting Officer’s Representative: Morgan Kessler 16. Abstract Geospatial technologies such as photogrammetry and global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) have been an integral part of highway mapping for decades. However, geospatial technologies continue to evolve, and new technologies are becoming more accessible for a wide range of highway construction applications. Tools such as unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), lidar, aerial imagery, GNSS, automated machine guidance, and their derivative products offer many benefits to the highway construction industry. These benefits include improved efficiencies and streamlined processes, as well as more accurate and reliable data. The key to using these technologies successfully to optimize benefits is to correctly select the appropriate tool for the application and understand limitations. In many cases, data from each of these technologies will be integrated for a project to develop the necessary survey products. This research investigates effective uses of geospatial technology for a wide variety of highway construction and maintenance applications; identifies a number of tools and their related accuracies; offers recommendations for tool selection, workflows, and strategies for conducting benefit-cost analysis (BCA); and analyzes future directions of these technologies in highway project and service delivery applications. The research explores several case studies using these technologies to document their benefits and limitations. In particular, the research determines the return on investment (ROI) associated with using these technologies in several of those case studies. 17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement geospatial data, geospatial technology, UAS, GPS, GNSS, lidar, No restrictions photogrammetry, automated machine guidance, construction, surveying, ROI, BCA 19. Security Classif. (of this report) 20. Security Classif. (of this page) 21. No. of 22. Price Unclassified Unclassified Pages N/A 230 Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized SI* (MODERN METRIC) CONVERSION FACTORS APPROXIMATE CONVERSIONS TO SI UNITS Symbol When You Know Multiply By To Find Symbol LENGTH in inches 25.4 millimeters mm ft feet 0.305 meters m yd yards 0.914 meters m mi miles 1.61 kilometers km AREA in2 square inches 645.2 square millimeters mm2 ft2 square feet 0.093 square meters m2 yd2 square yard 0.836 square meters m2 ac acres 0.405 hectares ha mi2 square miles 2.59 square kilometers km2 VOLUME fl oz fluid ounces 29.57 milliliters mL gal gallons 3.785 liters L ft3 cubic feet 0.028 cubic meters m3 yd3 cubic yards 0.765 cubic meters m3 NOTE: volumes greater than 1000 L shall be shown in m3 MASS oz ounces 28.35 grams g lb pounds 0.454 kilograms kg T short tons (2000 lb) 0.907 megagrams (or "metric ton") Mg (or "t") TEMPERATURE (exact degrees) oF Fahrenheit 5 (F-32)/9 Celsius oC or (F-32)/1.8 ILLUMINATION fc foot-candles 10.76 lux lx fl foot-Lamberts 3.426 candela/m2 cd/m2 FORCE and PRESSURE or STRESS lbf poundforce 4.45 newtons N lbf/in2 poundforce per square inch 6.89 kilopascals kPa APPROXIMATE CONVERSIONS FROM SI UNITS Symbol When You Know Multiply By To Find Symbol LENGTH mm millimeters 0.039 inches in m meters 3.28 feet ft m meters 1.09 yards yd km kilometers 0.621 miles mi AREA mm2 square millimeters 0.0016 square inches in2 m2 square meters 10.764 square feet ft2 m2 square meters 1.195 square yards yd2 ha hectares 2.47 acres ac km2 square kilometers 0.386 square miles mi2 VOLUME mL milliliters 0.034 fluid ounces fl oz L liters 0.264 gallons gal m3 cubic meters 35.314 cubic feet ft3 m3 cubic meters 1.307 cubic yards yd3 MASS g grams 0.035 ounces oz kg kilograms 2.202 pounds lb Mg (or "t") megagrams (or "metric ton") 1.103 short tons (2000 lb) T TEMPERATURE (exact degrees) oC Celsius 1.8C+32 Fahrenheit oF ILLUMINATION lx lux 0.0929 foot-candles fc cd/m2 candela/m2 0.2919 foot-Lamberts fl FORCE and PRESSURE or STRESS N newtons 0.225 poundforce lbf kPa kilopascals 0.145 poundforce per square inch lbf/in2 *SI is the symbol for the International System of Units. Appropriate rounding should be made to comply with Section 4 of ASTM E380. (Revised March 2003) ii TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................................... III LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................... IX LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................................... XI LIST OF EQUATIONS ............................................................................................................ XII LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................................. XIII LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS (CONTINUED) ..................................................................... XIV CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 1 Background and Significance of Work ................................................................................... 1 Research Objectives .................................................................................................................. 6 Report Organization ................................................................................................................. 7 Geospatial