NV5 Geospatial’s Thermal Infrared Solutions Gain Traction for U.S. Infrastructure Challenges
Pilot projects with two midwestern state’s Departments of Transportation are analyzing the structural integrity of more than 200 bridges using thermal infrared imaging to identify structural concrete anomalies
November 8, 2023 – HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – NV5 Geospatial, North America’s most comprehensive geospatial data firm, today announced that NV5 Geospatial’s thermal infrared (TIR) solutions for transportation infrastructure challenges are being implemented in transportation projects analyzing concrete bridges in the Midwest. This remote sensing technology offering enables local, regional and governmental transportation agencies to identify structural problems well before they reach the surface of concrete bridge decks.
This groundbreaking work comes at a time when 42% of U.S. bridges are over 50 years old and more than 46,000 of them are considered “structurally deficient” according to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) “2021 Report Card on Infrastructure.” The ASCE report also found that “178 million trips are taken across these structurally deficient bridges every day,” potentially endangering countless lives. The U.S. was ranked by the World Economic Forum 13th globally when it comes to the overall quality of infrastructure.
Concrete decks are critical components of bridges that require periodic testing to understand the integrity of these surfaces and to define rehabilitation and replacement work. TIR is an important non-destructive remote sensing technique for analyzing concrete bridge decks and identifying potential problems quickly and efficiently.
“For decades NV5 Geospatial has been trusted to provide on-target geospatial solutions for roadways, airports and all modes of rail infrastructure. Our clients trust us because we’ve proven time and time again that we can find a better way to ensure the right solutions for their specific needs,” said Bob Vandermeer, vice president, State & Regional Lead, NV5. “We believe that our new bridge inspection approach enabled by our TIR solution is defining a new path for cost effective, highly accurate analysis that is sure to reap considerable benefits for departments of transportation and more importantly, support safer roads across America.”
NV5 Geospatial recently conducted two separate pilot projects with two Midwestern states’ Departments of Transportation utilizing TIR to identify structural concrete anomalies of 200 concrete bridges. Both projects were completed using a low flying aerial solution in a single day and in a single pass, without having to use any boots on the ground.
About NV5 Geospatial Thermal Imaging Solutions
NV5 Geospatial has more than 20 years of experience and expertise in collecting, processing, and interpreting TIR imagery for a breadth of applications including bridges, roadways and airports.
Thermal data can be used to accurately depict the distribution of temperatures of any landscape at high resolution across broad spatial scales – data of a scope and caliber that is unattainable using traditional ground-based monitoring techniques. NV5 Geospatial’s project design focuses on optimal timing and resolution to maximize thermal contrast, ensuring accurately detected features or patterns of interest. Once acquired, emitted radiance is converted to radiant temperatures and geo-rectified to create continuous mosaics. TIR imagery is easily integrated or co-acquired with other types of remote sensing data, such as lidar or spectral imagery, to provide supplementary information.
Key benefits of NV5 Geospatial TIR Solution include:
-
Thermography is a compliment to the required visual inspections
-
Internal analysis provides a better understanding of the state of the bridge
-
Using an aerial solution, it can capture and analyze up to 100 bridges in a single day
-
Provides key data in a short timeframe and reduces the safety risks associated with "boots on the ground" surveys. It can be used to help identify potential issues before a visual inspections
-
Helps to support prioritizations of inspections
For more information about NV5 Geospatial’s TIR solutions, please visit our webpage, or email nv5g-contact@nv5.com or call 920-457-3631