Mobile Mapping, Machine Learning and Digital Twin for Road Infrastructure Monitoring and Maintenance: Case Study of Mohammed VI Bridge in Morocco

Abstract

The concepts of Digital Twin has been recently introduced, it refers to functional connections between a complex physical system and its high-fidelity digital replica. Digital Twin process workflow is proposed in case of Mohammed VI Bridge modeling in Morocco. The current maintenance of a road infrastructure is based on a manual inspection and a system based on traditional tools. Aging infrastructures require a new approach to maintenance in terms of inspection, bridge maintenance system, simulation and systematic evaluation. This system now exists and is called the Digital Twin. Digital Twin can be thought of as a virtual prototype in service that changes dynamically in near real time as its physical twin changes. An urban infrastructure digital twin is a virtual instance of his physical twin that is continuously updated with multisource, multisensor and multitemporal data that can be used for monitoring, simulating and forecasting any potential problem that may appear in the structure and proposing planning for repair and maintenance of health status throughout the life cycle of this infrastructure. This work presents a general vision and a justification for integrating DT technology with geospatial data. The paper examines the benefits of integrating 3D GIS data acquired by automated mobile mapping (MMS) workflows for modeling the reality of a major bridge infrastructure in Morocco. This allowed to study the future performance of this bridge structure on virtual twin structures under different environmental conditions. Cloud point data are acquired by a Mobile Mapping System on Mohammed VI Bridge and converted in BIM model by a scan to BIM process and is integrated in a GIS and BIM virtual environment and shows the efficiency of volumetric auscultation in terms of surface flatness and distortion inspection. This project provides a new bridge maintenance system using the concept of a Digital Twin. This digital model is a platform that allows to collect, organize and share the maintenance history of this important road infrastructure in Morocco.