FHWA Releases Report on High-Tech Demonstration Project

March, 1996: The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has released a report titled "Testing and Evaluation of a Multimedia Bridge Information System", Publication No. FHWA-SA-96-055 for Demonstration Project 71. FHWA's goal in sponsoring this project was to explore new state-of-the-art technologies that could support and enhance methods to collect bridge inspection data for use in Bridge Management Systems (BMS). The project was undertaken by the Maryland State Highway Administration (MD SHA) with special consultants Iffland Kavanagh Waterbury, PLLC (IKW) and Trilon, Inc., and included a test and evaluation of a multimedia bridge information system along with associated electronic field data collection tools. The multimedia system used for the project was the Integrated Bridge Inspection Information System (IBIIS®).

The project consisted of scanning all historical information on the six selected bridges, including inspection reports, color photographs, and plans, into the system. The information was then transferred to a notebook computer running the IBIIS On Site™ (IOS™) multimedia detached viewing software, and taken to the field for historical review and reference during inspection. In the field, all PONTIS condition rating information was collected on the Apple Newton MessagePad Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) using prototype software modified for use with Pontis, and all photographs were taken using a Sharp Viewcam standard video camcorder capable of taking both still video shots and full-motion video. The condition rating data was electronically transferred to the MD SHA database running on a notebook computer in the field as well as to the multimedia database in the office. The video information was digitized and also stored in the multimedia database.

The project showed how electronic data collection can result in improved information quality for condition rating data, as well as identification and assessment of damage conditions. The project also showed how instantaneous and simultaneous access to all information, as well as the ability to verify and evaluate BMS recommendations with visual field data, could enhance decision making in bridge management. Finally, the results of the project showed that the multimedia bridge information system and accompanying electronic field data collection tools provided a completely paperless alternative for bridge inspection and bridge information management.

IBIIS and IOS are already deployed at the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Highway Department (MHD), Rhode Island Department of Transportation, and New York State Department of Transportation (Region 10). The prototype Pontis data collection software has since been developed into Inspection On Hand™ (IOH™), a commercialized product that is currently in use by Illinois Department of Transportation, Michigan Department of Transportation, Minnesota Department of Transportation, New Jersey Turnpike Authority, FHWA Eastern Federal Lands, FHWA Western Federal Lands, and MHD for Pontis field data collection.

Sanjiv Nathwani, President of Trilon - "We were delighted to be given an opportunity to field test IBIIS. The lessons learned in the field have helped us to continue evolving the system to be a better bridge management tool. The project has also shown us how IBIIS can be utilized in conjunction with a BMS like Pontis to provide comprehensive bridge management automation."

Avanti Shroff, Senior Vice President of IKW - "It has always been my contention that current bridge management practices, which rely mostly on numeric condition ratings, often provide inadequate, inaccurate and cost-prohibitive results. A vast amount of pertinent visual and other data collected during the inspection of bridges remains in the filing cabinets completely unused. This project has shown that BMS decision making can be greatly enhanced by providing the ability to instantly access, analyze and assess all the different inspection data types together in a unified electronic environment."

Trilon, Inc., founded in 1991, is a dynamic software developer and systems integrator that specializes in delivering multimedia and mobile solutions for the engineering industry. Iffland Kavanagh Waterbury, PLLC is a architectural and structural engineering firm based in New York, NY that has over 25 years of experience in bridge engineering.

###

IBIIS is a registered trademark of Iffland Kavanagh Waterbury, PLLC and Trilon, Inc.
IBIIS On Site, IOS, Inspection On Hand, and IOH are trademarks of Trilon, Inc.



Home	News	Products	Support	Links

FHWA Releases Report on High-Tech Demonstration Project

MD SHA Field Tests a Multimedia Bridge Information System and Electronic Field Data Collection Tools

The Fine Print