CHAPTER 14

Summary of Findings and Suggestions

State and local transportation agencies are increasingly exploring processes that can fully or partially automate certain functions. Short-staffed IOOs may find significant benefits in the automation of certain manually performed tasks, not just in the transportation sector but also across public agency services such as emergency services and public utilities.

The project described in this report was conducted as an additional task under NCHRP Project 14-42, “Determining the Impact of Connected and Automated Vehicle Technology on State DOT Maintenance Programs.” This chapter summarizes the key findings for this task and suggests further activities that can help agencies implement automated applications.

14.1 Summary of Findings

Key findings of this task are summarized as follows:

• Most of the automated applications were in the pilot stages. As a result, in most cases agencies did not have mature practices or performance data except in the case of automated snowplows.
• Costs are difficult to quantify. Many technologies are new or changing, so current costs are higher than they may ultimately be.
• Several of the applications use UAVs, and the costs for UAVs are fairly well documented because UAVs are a mature technology. However, UAV costs are still difficult to determine because, in many cases, UAVs are utilized for multiple purposes, which makes it difficult to isolate the costs for any given purpose. Additionally, the cost for UAV-based applications needs to include the cost for pilot training and licensing, training to operate the UAVs, communications equipment to download data from the UAVs, and software to turn the data into useful information.
• Many of the technologies are produced at scale, so full implementation depends on market availability.
• Most of the applications rely on technology that will require different skills within an organization to implement, operate, and maintain that technology.
• The main barriers to the use of UAVs include the need for a pilot’s license and purchasing regulations.
• Policies and regulations can pose barriers to the adoption of most of the evaluated applications.

14.2 Suggestions

Within the resources available for this task, only a high-level summary of the various applications could be developed. Specific suggestions for more focused reviews of the various applications are provided below based on the results of the work summarized in this report.

The suggestions focus on activities that could be undertaken to advance the applications and assist agencies in their implementation.

• Agencies are widely testing and implementing the use of UAVs for various applications. The most common applications are bridge inspection, emergency response, and traffic incident detection/monitoring. UAVs themselves are a common technology and appear to be well supported by vendors. The challenge for agencies is to identify the appropriate software and tools/training to access/download and use the data for specific purposes. As a result, a pooled fund study or an in-depth synthesis of the various tools available would be valuable for agencies.
• Fifteen states were found to have piloted or deployed UAVs for bridge inspection/maintenance, with the majority conducting deployments. One of the main challenges is training pilots to collect the data needed. Because bridge inspection requires a much more refined skill set than other UAV applications, a recommendation is to develop training that could be utilized by agencies rather than having agencies figure out training on their own.
• Most of the applications rely on technology that will require different skills within an organization to implement, operate, and maintain that technology. As a result, another recommendation is to identify the skill sets that will be needed for the various applications so that agencies are able to begin planning for the new skills needed to fully implement the various applications.
• Policies and regulations can pose barriers to adoption of most of the evaluated applications. Another suggestion is to establish an information exchange to allow agencies to share their experiences about working with policymakers to overcome these barriers.