Utilization of UAS data by transportation agencies: building on the experience of construction contractors

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) are being used on infrastructure construction sites by contractors for many different purposes; this paper discusses how these UAS activities can be used to support Departments of Transportation (DOT). The information in this paper is based on information in the literature and the results of a survey of DOT construction contractors and professionals. Representative UAS construction applications include construction progress monitoring, safety surveillance, quality assurance, documentation of work zone conditions following an incident, quantity measurement, and communication with stakeholders. The UAS data typically consists of high definition pictures and video from a standard commercial drone. This paper reviews the construction UAS applications that have been successfully used, and discusses how these directly relate to activities that are also important for DOTs such as monitoring construction activities, quality assurance, and managing the safety of the work zone and the construction site.