Automated Applications for Infrastructure Owner-Operator Fleets (2024)
Chapter: Summary
SUMMARY
Automated Applications for Infrastructure Owner-Operator Fleets
State and local transportation agencies are increasingly exploring processes that can fully or partially automate certain functions. Short-staffed infrastructure owner-operators (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 National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Project 14-42, “Determining the Impact of Connected and Automated Vehicle Technology on State DOT Maintenance Programs.” The objectives of this task were to (1) identify autonomous vehicle and other autonomous technology applications that IOOs are piloting or implementing, (2) determine the status of these applications, and (3) suggest next steps for the advancement of these technologies.
Project tasks entailed the following:
- Conduct a literature review to summarize known implementations of and information on a set of autonomous vehicle technologies and other autonomous applications that had been identified in the project needs statement,
- Survey agencies to determine the status of the identified technologies,
- Select technologies in consultation with the project panel for further evaluation, and
- Conduct interviews to fill in the gaps in five of the applications.
Most of the chapters describe a single application, except for Chapter 5, which combines several related applications for uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs). A summary of the available information for each technology is described in that technology’s respective chapter. Each chapter includes a description of the technology, examples of applications (whether found in the literature, the survey of agencies, and/or the targeted interviews with agencies), advantages/disadvantages, costs (when available), and status.
The key findings overall are summarized as follows:
- Most of the automated applications were in the pilot stages. As a result, none of the agencies have mature practices or performance data except in the case of automated snowplows.
- Costs are difficult to quantify. Many technologies are new or are 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, in many agencies UAVs are utilized for multiple purposes, making it difficult to isolate the costs for any given purpose. Additionally, the cost for UAV-based applications needs to include the cost of 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.
- The main barriers to the use of UAVs include the need for a pilot’s license and purchasing regulations.
- 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.
- Policies and regulations can pose barriers to the adoption of most of the evaluated applications.
