Pavement Inspection in Transport Infrastructures Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)

Ianca Feitosa, Bertha Santos () and Pedro G. Almeida
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Ianca Feitosa: Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Beira Interior, 6200-358 Covilhã, Portugal
Bertha Santos: Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Beira Interior, 6200-358 Covilhã, Portugal
Pedro G. Almeida: Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Beira Interior, 6200-358 Covilhã, Portugal

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 5, 1-25

Abstract: The growing demand for the transportation of goods and people has led to an increasing reliance on transportation infrastructure, which, in turn, subjects the pavements to high traffic volumes. In order to maintain adequate service and safety standards for users, it is essential to establish effective maintenance strategies that ensure the preservation of pavement conditions. As a result, emerging innovations in pavement surface inspection methods, surpassing traditional techniques in terms of inspection and data processing speed and accuracy, have garnered significant attention. One such groundbreaking innovation in inspection systems that has been tested and used in recent years to assess infrastructure condition is the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). This study aims to present a critical open-access literature review on the use of UAVs in the inspection of transportation infrastructure pavement in order to assess the type of equipment used, the technology involved, applicability conditions, data processing, and future evolution. The analysis of relevant literature suggests that the integration of intelligent technologies substantially enhances the accuracy of data collection and the detection of pavement distress. Furthermore, it is evident that most applications and research efforts are oriented towards exploring image processing techniques for the creation of 3D pavement models and distress detection and classification.

Keywords: unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs); pavement inspection; data collection; image processing; open-access publication (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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