Demonstrating the Use of Small Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (Drones) Capabilities and Data for Iowa Transportation and Infrastructure Work: Pilot Project No. 3 – Use of Small Uncrewed Aircraft Systems for Erosion and Sediment Control Device Monitoring

Details

• Creators:
  Oguntoye, Kunle ; Sourav, Md Abdullah All ; Mitra, Rajrup ; Jenkins, Abby ; Ceylan, Halil ; Kim, Sunghwan ; Gulmezoglu, Berk ; Mo, Yunjeong (Leah) ; Brooks, Colin N.
• Corporate Creators:
  Iowa State University. Program for Sustainable Pavement Engineering and Research (PROSPER) ; Iowa State University. Institute for Transportation
• Corporate Contributors:
  Iowa. Department of Transportation ; United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Decision Making Digital Displays Drones Environmental Protection Erosion And Sediment Control Devices Erosion Control Evaluation And Assessment Imagery Infrastructure Infrastructure Assessment Multispectral Imagery Pilot Studies Quantitative Analysis Sediments Spectrum Analysis

  More +
• Publication/ Report Number:
  InTrans Project 24-904
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States ; Iowa
• Edition:
  Task Report
• Corporate Publisher:
  Iowa State University. Institute for Transportation
• Abstract:
  Erosion and sediment control devices (ESCDs) are commonly installed on construction projects to mitigate the effects of runoff and sediment transport in downstream environments. Regulatory agencies such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency require these devices to be frequently inspected and maintained promptly when deficiencies are observed or when extreme upcoming precipitation events are expected. Smaller construction sites (less than 0.1 hectares) typically have fewer ESCDs, enabling effective routine field inspections. However, performing similar field inspections on larger construction sites is considerably more challenging due to their spatial distribution and the variety of ESCDs deployed across these sites. Other challenges include difficulty in physically locating these ESCDs due to complex or unstable terrain, potential exposure of inspection personnel to hazardous substances, and the significant amount of time required to navigate large sites and conduct detailed inspections. To address these limitations, this study investigated the use of small uncrewed aerial systems (sUAS) as a remote sensing platform for ESCD inspection and monitoring. The objective of this study was to develop a rapid data collection and processing pipeline that enables inspection personnel to efficiently evaluate site conditions and ESCD performance, supporting timely, informed decision-making. We deployed multiple sUAS platforms capable of producing high-resolution orthophotos for remote visual inspection and multispectral data for further analysis. These analyses included estimating vegetation growth on sloped terrain and quantifying the sediment accumulated near barriers such as silt fences and check dams. Digital elevation models (DEM) derived from the processed sUAS data also offered valuable insights into surface topography and flow patterns, enabling assessment of upstream and downstream conditions and improving understanding of how effectively ESCDs are functioning through quantitative analysis.
• Format:
  PDF
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:0f925edbe56dfa850b072adccbc0d7391e9c88ec19ab63292995e7b9be4e89d52b1aa90d5b77a2149bed4a262823a8b6f204fd40645f677e76b435d19ee23242
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/91881/dot_91881_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 3.64 MB ]