NCRST – Environment (NCRST-E) focuses research on the goal of providing cost effective corridor assessment and planning tools. The NCRST-E research partners apply remote sensing imagery of increased spatial, radiometric, and temporal resolution to the analysis of transportation impacts on the environment, both natural and man-made.

Transportation, Development, and Transportation, Development, and Land Cover Change Land Cover Change For the Mississippi Gulf Coast I-10 and Coastal Corridor and for an area in the Appalachian Region, the NCRST-E’s land cover classification and change detections efforts are producing significant results and will assist current corridor planning efforts in Mississippi for the CSX railroad and I-10.

Technology outreach between researchers, “on-the-ground” practitioners, and regulators is critical to the development of enhanced approaches for wetland identification. Cost-effective, acceptable approaches for the use of remotely sensed data in wetlands identification, mapping, and mitigation planning will provide improved screening and selection of transportation alignments.

Wetland Assessment Wetland Assessment in Transportation in Transportation ProjectsProjects

Needs, Air Quality, and Needs, Air Quality, and GeoLibrariesGeoLibrariesNCRST-E’s research, technology application, and education programs respond to the evaluated environmental assessment geospatial information needs of transportation stakeholders. Needs assessment studies, evaluations of air quality related to transportation, and all other investigation point to the need for improved data resources for transportation assessment. Digital GeoSpatial Data Libraries (GeoLibraries) are a high priority area of research and development for NCRST-E

Technology Application ProjectsTechnology Application ProjectsNCRST-E efforts are linked to technology application projects (TAPs) that demonstrate how information products derived from remote sensing and related technology can be used by transportation professionals.  

PartnePartners rs

TRANSPORTATIONTRANSPORTATIONASSESSMENTASSESSMENT

http://www.ncrste.msstate.edu

TRANSPORTATIONTRANSPORTATIONINFRASTRUCTUREINFRASTRUCTURE

Data modeling

Access management

Pavement assessment

Roads

Comms tower location

Bridges

Airports

Centerline geometry

Cut & fill calculation

Hydrological modeling

Intersection safety

Bridge location

Bridge clearance

Flight path obstructions

Digital airport layout

Asset inventory & location

University of Wisconsin-Madison

University of Florida

• LIDAR produces dense and precise elevation models (± 30 cm)

• This is useful for

• Digital Airport Layout Plans (DALPs)

• 3-D Airport Approach Plans (3DALP)

• examining obstructions to airport approaches

• Integration with digital photography extends the capability of the technology

3D Airport Planning

Technology Application Partners

• TetraTech Inc

• Orbital Imaging Corporation

• Florida Department of Transportation

• University of Massachusetts

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Bridge Location

• National Bridge Inventory

(FHWA Mandate) requires

accurate bridge locations

• BridgeView — an ArcView®

extension to view linearly

referenced location overlaid on

imagery or photography

• Variable resolution image

overlays

• Can be extended to other

infrastructure items: terminals,

etc.

University of Wisconsin-Madison

• Network analysis identifies critical

infrastructure elements

• Monitoring and communications

equipment optimally located by

viewshed analysis and modeling

• Simulated evacuation evaluates

adequacy of infrastructure capacity

University of California, Santa Barbara

Critical Infrastructure Protection

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• Roads distinguished from other

urban materials in hyperspectral

imagery — and concrete easily

distinguished from asphalt. Linear

filters trace road centerlines. Most

applicable to extensive remote

areas where field methods are

infeasible.

• GPS methods offer an alternative

for urban areas, and a cost

benchmark.

• Data model (UNETRANS) offers

quick-start database development.University of California, Santa Barbara; Iowa State

University

Pavement Composition and Centerline Extraction

Ask about ourlearning

resources

Evacuation capacity

http://www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/ncrst

Protecting the nation’s transportation infrastructure against terrorist attacks has become a top priority, and will be an evolving industry as advanced technology enables more sophisticated, real-time,

continuous monitoring.

Protecting the Aviation Infrastructure

LiDAR, high-resolution satellite, and airborne imagery provide current spatial information on airport facilities and help to identify obstructions in the surroundingairspace. These technologies enhance airfield protection, security, and safety by allowing airport managers to visualize a broad range of spatial information in three dimensions.

Safety has always been an important issue for pipeline operators. Pipelines are one of the vulnerable critical infrastructures that can be monitored and protected using chemical detectors and remote sensing technology.

Protecting the Pipeline Infrastructure

National Consortium on Remote Sensing in Transportation Safety, Hazards, and Disaster

Assessment

Protecting the Nation’s Critical Infrastructure

TRANSPORTATIONTRANSPORTATIONHAZARDSHAZARDS

http://www.trans-dash.org

Traffic management

Traffic parameter estimation

Image processing

http://www.ncrst.org/ncrst-f

RMS relative error in AADT estimatesagainst network coverage cycle time in yrs

RMS relative error in VMT estimatesagainst network coverage cycle time in yrs

Adding vehicle counts from satellite imagery to ground counts improves the quality of ADDT & VMT estimates while requiring fewer on-ground personnel.

Vehicle matching

Original frame

Detection of vehicles

Distance measurement Frame 950 warped &

overlain on frame 930

Velocity calculated from combined frames

NCRST – Flows focuses research on applying remote sensing technology to improve the efficiency of regional traffic flow, intermodal freight, and passage at border crossings & beyond.

Aerial view of the study network Network representation

Intersection 1

Intersection 3

Intersection 2

A mounted video camera is used to test a procedure to automatically detect & match vehicles.

Effective real-time/near-real-time traffic management depends on the accuracy of current traffic flow information. Remote sensing can aid in the detection & estimation of queue formation, platoon progression & turning fractions.

Distance & speed are calculated from helicopters using video cameras. Use of spectral signatures to automatically track vehicles makes the calculations possible.

LIDAR data is proving to be a useful addition to our sensor capabilities producing minute variations in surface elevations.

LIDAR data

Ikonos 1 m Ikonos 4 m

+ =Fused Ikonos imagery

Aerial photo for comparisonUA parking garage

Satellite sensor fusion helps in managing parking ramp utilization.

TRANSPORTATIONTRANSPORTATIONFLOWSFLOWS