midcont2013. field data collection what is asset management from a maintenance perspective? how do...

MidCont2013

Tablet Data Collection in the Field Research to Deployment

By Shawn Blaesing-ThompsonIA DOT Maintenance GIS Coordinator

Matt HaubrichIA DOT Asset Manager

2013 Mid-Continent Transportation Research Symposium

MidCont2013

Field Data CollectionWhat is Asset Management from a

maintenance perspective?How do we collect and manage

information about our features?Where does technology fit into the

picture?

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Field Collection Pilot 1 & 2 District 2 (NE Iowa) wanted a way to

use technology do to culvert inspections

We looked at technology options for field data collection (tablet, handheld GPS, android/blackberry phones)

We looked for COTS application solutions

Ask for funds to try something new – received two years of SPR research funds

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Tablet Criteria Good screen visibility in outdoor situations, Tablet form-factor in the 7” – 11” size range gives

optimal trade-off of screen size and portability Reasonable first cost and life-cycle cost Compatible with the major operating system

platforms (iOS, Android, Windows, Blackberry) Compatible with our mobile device management

policy GPS enabled without a network connection Built in camera and microphone Touch enabled Long battery life (min. 6 hours) Wi-Fi enabled and/or mobile broadband enabled

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Easy to work with in the field - built in camera and GPS

Zeroing in on the right hardware for the job

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Testing Tablets Devices evaluated in our research include:

Panasonic Toughpad A1 Apple iPad2 & iPad4 Asus TF700 Motorola Xoom GD Itronix GD3080 Rugged Tablet PC Trimble GeoXT Handheld GPS Blackberry Torch Trimble Yuma Juniper System Mesa xplore iX104C5 DMSR 7” SOL tablet PC Fujitsu Q702 Lenovo Ideapad

We are deploying the Apple iPad 4, but found the ASUS TF700 to be a good alternative

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What We Built Used Tablet (Android, Windows and

Apple) Prototype is Android based – however is

in Adobe Air so runs on Windows & iOS Customized Transcend MAVRIC (COTS)

app Field Inventory and Inspection

Capabilities – Culverts, Signs, Guardrail, and Incidents

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Test Data Collection Culvert Inventory and Inspection Sign Inventory and Inspection –

Currently have a different system that runs on a laptop with a GPS puck

Guardrail Inventory and Inspection Incident Management – Need to develop

a workflow management system for field issues

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Ability to preload data and run the system disconnected. Collect inventory data once and use it over and over in this and other applications. 10

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Assets on the left, straight line diagram above, attributes or overview map below

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Pictures of system

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Inventory Screens – All button have preloaded

lists

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Inspection Screens

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Attachment Screen – Because a photo says a lot. Video and audio can also be recorded and stored with each record. All data

is synchronized to a centralized database.

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Select the post style and number of signs

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Select the sign type and details here

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s

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Collect incidents as well as assets, attributes bars below can be customized

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Where do we go from here?

Online Query from data collected in field

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Trials and Tribulations Procuring a contract – Non-IT, hardware,

software ‘purchase’, but a research project

Issues with weather, scheduling, field testing

Issues with IT support in house (data modeling, development)

Bleeding edge technology so learning as we go

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Next Steps and Lessons Learned

Everything always takes longer than expected

Not everything works as expected especially during field tests

For workflow changes statewide buy-in is important

Always have a “plan b”

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The Politics of Hardware/Software

What can we use the tablets for in the field?

How do we handle device management? What timeline makes the most sense for

deployment? Do we build a production app or use a

fee for service application?

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Moving ForwardDeploying 120 iPad with ruggedized

cases and clamshell keyboardsRoad condition reporting through

the winter monthsAsset condition reportingTesting several software options

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QUESTIONS?Thank you!

Shawn Blaesing-ThompsonMaintenance GIS Coordinator

Shawn.blaesing-thompson@dot.iowa.gov515-239-1805

Matt HaubrichAsset Manager

Matthew.haubrich@dot.iowa.gov515-233-7902

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