infrastructure asset management and the role of noncontact remote sensing technologies for
effective asset management have been discussed in depth by Hudson, Haas, and Uddin (2).
Multi-purpose, self-contained vehicles have become popular among highway agencies in the last
two decades, particularly as a part of a pavement management system (PMS). Self-contained
condition survey vehicles are useful for collecting detailed highway inventory and condition
monitoring data at high speeds using noncontact photography, video, laser, acoustic, radar, and
infrared sensors (3). These data are primarily related to pavement attributes. However, even
these ground based, noncontact technologies may suffer limitations resulting from time of day
and traffic congestion, due to the traffic levels and proximity to urban locations, respectively.
Additionally, both in-vehicle based and traditional ground survey can be quite hazardous. The
new developments in airborne and spaceborne remote sensing technologies can now provide
high-resolution georeferenced digital images of transportation infrastructure corridors. These
options can provide complementary inventory data on the network level. The digital elevation
model (DEM) generated by these remote sensing databases can be used for detailed rehabilitation
strategies, design of drainage structures, and watershed modeling.