Toward a Readiness Assessment for Wireless Technologies for Highway Construction and Infrastructure Asset Management

The demand for safe, reliable, and higher-quality infrastructure systems often increases the complexity of transportation construction projects and necessitates more comprehensive evaluation methods leading to the incorporation of technologies. With a focus on effective technology implementation, this research stretches beyond simply evaluating technologies to include investigating the technology integration of the technology with personnel and policy at Departments of Transportation (DOTs). Drawing from a literature review and a survey of DOT personnel, this study applies and evaluates maturity models for people, processes, and technologies combined with a technology-task fit model. The findings support the need for understanding people, process, and technology maturity to improve technology implementation. This paper presents a preliminary assessment of technology maturity in the context of readiness for DOT use and move toward an assessment tool and an approach for DOTs to improve the likelihood of implementation success by moving to higher maturity levels. The study includes analysis of Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) technologies, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), barcoding and readers, object-recognition devices, Global Positioning System (GPS), or Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), Geographic Information System (GIS), Unmanned Aerial Systems or Vehicles (UAS/UAV), Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), Electronic ticketing, and Infrared Sensing (IR). The future objective of the research will be to develop guidelines for the successful implementation of these technologies for highway construction and infrastructure asset management. This paper introduces three models, and their possible future uses as presented through preliminary survey results.