A complete package for the Automation of Bridge Inspection Process, developed by the University of Central Florida for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), is presented. The automated system comprises five commercially available software programs and 25 developed programs; divided into two components, these are referred to as the field and office systems. The field system is used to collect all field inspection data. The inspection routines are operated with the use of a notebook computer and pen-based acquisition programs. The office system is used to process field data and to produce a final inspection report established by the National Bridge Inspection Standard. The system requires a desktop computer, a scanner, and a video capture card. Any graphical data collected in the field inspection are processed by use of the video capture, scanning, and image editing techniques. Automatic work orders are generated from deficient bridge elements specified in the inspection reports. Since the completion of the project five FDOT districts have implemented the automated system. Consequently the time spent producing the final report was substantially reduced, and inspectors were able to devote more time to performing field structural inspection to help ensure the safety and welfare of the public. (Author/publisher)
Abstract