Selected implications of a hyper-connected world on pavement engineering

Abstract

The world is becoming a hyper-connected environment where an abundance of data from sensor networks can provide continuous information on the behaviour and performance of infrastructure. The last part of the 3rd Industrial Revolution (IR) and the start of the 4th IR gave rise to a world where this overabundance of sensors, and availability of wireless networks enables connections between people and infrastructure that was not practically comprehensible during the 20th century. 4IR supports the datafication of life, data science, big data, transportation evolution, optimization of logistic and supply chains and automation of various aspects of life, including vehicles and road infrastructure. The hyper-connected 4IR environment allows integration between the physical world and digital and intelligent engineering, increasingly serving as the primary lifecycle management systems for engineering practitioners. With this background, the paper evaluates a few concepts of the hyper-connected pavement environment in a 4IR Digital Twin mode, with the emphasis on selected applications, implications, benefits and limitations. The hyper-connected world can and should be managed in the pavement realm to ensure that adequate and applicable data are collected regarding infrastructure, environment and users to enable a more efficient and effective transportation system. In this regard, and planning for future scenarios where the proliferation of data is a given, it is important that pavement engineers understand what is possible, evaluate the potential benefits, conduct cost/benefit evaluations, and implement appropriate solutions to ensure longevity and safety of pavement infrastructure.