LiDAR has transformed the whole process of working in the transportation industry, whether it’s planning,
designing, construction or maintenance, transportation industries are now unimaginable without LiDAR
technology.
With aerial lidar, a wide range of area is mapped at a time, this technology makes it very easy to
understand the transportation system in a wide area, where drone lidar and mobile lidar, is capable to
measure the exact width, elevation, length of a road, gutter around the roads, bends on the road,
vegetation around the transport path etc.
LiDAR technology helps transport industry in multiple of areas which can be summarized into
these 3 sections
Planning
LiDAR comes into effect in surveys where a manual survey is either not possible or quite
time taking. For a road or rail line to be built on a mountain, it is quite important
for the engineers to have a complete digital terrain model(DTM) of the site along with
the details of the vegetation, rocks etc around the proposed site, also digital
elevation model (DEM) for the site is needed to find the elevation measurement which
helps in deciding the right path for the proposed route, which will incur in less time
and investment.
Maintenance
Over time many things change in the transportation industry either slowly or rapidly. The
transport path deteriorates, vegetation grows or depletes, new construction happens.
With the ever-changing environment around transportation paths, digital terrain models
of the transportation path help in understanding the safety challenges, maintenance
required etc.
Accident Study
LiDAR data is useful in several ways in the event of an accident on the transportation
path, including:
How to divert the traffic after an accident
The shortest way to the hospital from the point
of accident
Accident case study
How to avoid such accidents in the future etc.
LiDAR is like an artificial eye on the roads which can help in making, maintaining, the safety of our
transport system.
LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) is a remote sensing technology that uses laser
pulses to measure distances and create detailed 3D representations of the environment.
In transportation, LiDAR is used for various applications such as surveying, mapping,
and analyzing transportation infrastructure, including roads, bridges, railways, and
airports.
LiDAR provides highly accurate and detailed data on the terrain, existing
infrastructure, and surrounding environment, which is essential for transportation
infrastructure planning and design.
LiDAR offers several advantages for transportation projects, including rapid data
acquisition, high-resolution imaging, and comprehensive coverage of large areas. It
enables efficient data collection, reduces fieldwork time, and provides detailed
information for analysis and decision-making.
LiDAR data can be used for transportation asset management and maintenance by providing
accurate and up-to-date information about the condition and performance of
infrastructure assets. It aids in monitoring pavement conditions, identifying signs of
deterioration, and assessing the need for maintenance or repairs.
Yes, LiDAR data can be integrated with other geospatial data sources, such as aerial
imagery, satellite data, and GIS (Geographic Information System) databases. Integration
of LiDAR with other datasets enhances the analysis capabilities and provides a more
comprehensive understanding of transportation networks, enabling better decision-making
and planning.