Collection, Analysis, and Interpretation of Data Obtained from Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) for Bridges

Over the last five years there has been increasing interest in the transformative potential of UAS across numerous domains. The realm of transportation infrastructure systems is no exception in this regard. Many have correctly pointed out that the large-scale and distributed nature of our transportation infrastructure systems makes them uniquely suited to benefit from the low-cost imaging and remote sensing provided by UAS, which removes a critical barrier to the wide-spread data collection efforts needed to drive next-generation asset management frameworks. Advances in sensor technologies, instrumentation and data systems have allowed us to collect data safer, faster and more reliably. Although data has become easier and cheaper to collect with remote sensing on a platform like UAS, the ability to efficiently process data (without extensive expertise), identify what really matters, fuse disparate data sources, and develop visualization tools that permit intuitive interpretation remain elusive. The reason that so many different sensor tools and technologies have been developed is that each technology may be used to identify/characterize certain defects in certain operating conditions. This creates a natural synergy between techniques as their integration naturally fills in blind spots to provide a more comprehensive evaluation, but it also opens the possibility of disparate data sets that lack interoperability. In order for the acquired and fused data to have an impact on practice, concise and informative data reporting processes are needed. One application of the UAS with bridges is bridge inspection; inspection from both a construction quality and routine safety inspection perspective. The reason for this use is because of the safety hazards associated with bridges and their respective height and accessibility over obstacles. The purpose of this study would be to identify application, types of deployed sensors, and quality level needed to perform satisfactory inspection. It is of interest to FHWA to perform research that investigates the current use of UASs with the deployed remote sensing technologies for bridges. The project shall document the state of data collection sensors being used. The project shall include an assessment of quality level needed to perform a satisfactory inspection and shall provide guidance on how the data is procured, analyzed, assessed, presented, and stored. It is also of interest to look at return on investment in using this technology with respect to the type of data collected and type of actionable information provided to the owners for bridge inspection. The Contractor shall provide non-personal services that document the state of practice in data collection technologies deployed on UAS platforms and assess data quality assurance needed to perform a satisfactory bridge inspection and assessment. This study shall identify best practice guidelines for efficient and reliable use of payload sensors and guidance on how the collected data should be assessed, presented, and stored to provide reliable and actionable information to owners to support data-driven decisions. The Contractor shall be responsible for ensuring all contract employees possess and maintain current professional certification during the execution of this contract. Data reporting shall be documented and tailored for various users (managers, contractors, consultants, bridge owners, researchers, etc.). There will be no UAS purchased directly or indirectly via this contract. The primary North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code is 541330 - Engineering Services with an average annual receipt of $15.0 Million. This procurement is to be issued as an Unrestricted/Full and Open procurement. The period of performance is anticipated to be 20 months. The procurement will be competitively awarded using Source Selection (FAR 15.3) procedures. The objective of the Source Selection Process is to select a proposal that represents the best value to the Government. Evaluation factors for award will consist of Technical/Management Approach, Past Performance, and Price. The best value to the Government based on these factors will determine award. The solicitation will be available on or about July 10, 2017. The Government reserves the right to make an award on initial offers, but discussions may be held if appropriate. The solicitation cited above can only be obtained by accessing the secure website, FedBizOpps (FBO). FedBizOpps is designed to safeguard sensitive but unclassified (SBU) acquisition information and is fully integrated with other electronic Government initiatives, including the System for Award Management (SAM) (www.sam.gov). Registration in both SAM and FedBizOpps is required in order to download solicitation documents and is used to validate vendor identity. Contractors not registering in these systems shall be ineligible to download the solicitation and ineligible for an award. There is no further information to be shared at this time.