Abstract
The sudden deterioration of the condition of linear infrastructure networks makes road management a complex task. Knowledge of the surface condition of the pavement is a requirement in order to estimate the causes of instabilities, select the appropriate action and identify all those sections that require urgent intervention. The mobile laser scanning (MLS) technique allows for a fast and safe diagnosis, thus making it possible to plan an early intervention program quickly and cost-effectively. This paper describes a methodology implemented with a twofold purpose: (i) the optimal definition, during the design phase, of the input parameters of the MLS survey (velocity of the vehicle and acquisition rate), defined through the study of the relationship between these parameters and the density of the scanned points and, therefore, with the resolution that allows the analysis of a certain type of pavement distress; (ii) the creation of a Digital Elevation Model with a curved abscissa (DEMc), specific for the analysis of road pavements. The field surveys made and the procedure developed allowed the velocity of the MLS to be associated with the resolution of the DEMc, and thus its capability to highlight distresses at different levels of severity. The creation of the road model is semiautomatic; the height value of each single node of the grid is estimated through spatial interpolation algorithms. Starting from experimental data, a few charts were created that relate the density of the point cloud to the variation of the acquisition rate, together with the minimum resolution. Depending on the type of distress analyzed, it is possible to infer the values to be respected of the parameters. In this way, it should be possible to draw up a few guidelines about MLS surveys addressing linear infrastructures focused on the optimization of the survey design, so as to identify strategies that can maximize benefits with the same available budget.
Highlights
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutralThe maintenance plan for a road network must be issued on the basis of updated knowledge of road conditions and relies on field data that must be stored in a dedicated database
The goal of the work is, twofold: (i) to introduce a relationship that helps with design, in order to know a priori the average mobile laser scanning (MLS) velocity to be maintained so as to be able to “see” the distress that can be quantified and vice versa; (ii) to introduce a methodology able to build a DEM with a curved abscissa, based on a grid model and designed for road pavements
The spatial resolution of the DEM is one of the most important parameters characterizing it. Since it is dependent on the density of the acquired MLS data, we describe the method developed for the computation of the point cloud density and of the distance between scan lines, as the MLS travel velocity varies
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutralThe maintenance plan for a road network must be issued on the basis of updated knowledge of road conditions and relies on field data that must be stored in a dedicated database. An especially valuable survey technique for road applications is mobile laser scanning (MLS) [1]. It enables the acquisition of 3D data from one or more laser scanners mounted on a mobile platform [2]. This technique, first introduced in the recent decades of the twentieth century, when the first mobile systems using LiDAR (light detection and ranging) technology emerged, has developed and spread widely in the last twenty years [3]. Given with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations
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