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How to Establish Predictive Maintenance for Transportation Infrastructure

You know from experience that operating and maintaining transportation infrastructure is complex. It can be difficult to predict the condition of assets and accurately plan for repairs. Agencies often rely on reactive maintenance schedules and repairs motivated by public outcry, or worse, asset failure.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Get a handle on your asset management with Pillar’s predictive maintenance model.

PILLAR is an infrastructure asset management firm. And we are solely dedicated to maximizing the lifecycles of your transportation infrastructure. We specialize in:

  • collecting and assessing data
  • using that data to plan improvements and repairs
  • executing the planned repairs

Switch to a predictive maintenance model with PILLAR

How would your agency or department change if you felt sure about the condition of your assets? That’s not an impossible dream. That’s a predictive maintenance model. Advances in technology can use data to predict the condition of assets so you can make informed decisions about repairs. Here’s how it works:

Asset Collection and Normalization of Data

Data collection is the first step in replacing a reactive maintenance model with a predictive one. We collect your existing geospatial data. Next, we use Mobile LiDAR to collect new data and strengthen the inventory of your digital assets. Then we organize your data to reduce redundancy and improve data integrity.

Asset Condition Assessment

We can use data collected via the Internet of Things (IoT), or machines with sensors connected to the internet, to understand your assets. Through IoT, we can gather data on thousands of assets like yours to predict the repair needs and lifespan of the assets you own. This mitigates your risk and allows you to budget for repair and replacement.

Maintenance, Operations, & Budgeting Plan

Our quality data will help you secure proper funding, meet performance requirements, and achieve goals. Using a data-driven approach, we’ll make a predictive plan that prioritizes your most urgent tasks. Not only that, but we’re prepared to put the plan into action for you. Our seasoned O&M managers are ready to leverage their skills for your business. We combine our elite data with hundreds of years of combined experience to reduce risk and make roads safer.

Management & Monitoring of Work Flow

You save money, stay on schedule, and meet your goals when you have an effective plan. We help you stay on track by providing crew and contractor supervision, supplement work and equipment forces, specialized expertise, and backlog planning.

Would you like the know the condition of your assets? We can help you make data-driven decisions about repairs, replacement, and maintenance. Increase your efficiency and gain peace of mind with a predictive maintenance model. Call us today.

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It’s True! We Have Fully Automated Feature Extraction

Access to high-quality data is essential to maintaining the integrity of your transportation assets, but ensuring your data is ready to use can be time-consuming and frustrating.  PILLAR’s proprietary automated feature extraction system (AFES™) delivers a truly automated solution. When you work with us, you’ll never have to spend countless hours formatting data, scrolling through overlapping pictures on your point cloud identifying, clicking, and linking assets. 

Fully Automated Feature Extraction

Maybe you’ve worked with a tool that promised automated extraction only to be disappointed with the results. While many companies claim to offer highly automated products, PILLAR is the only company to offer a true, fully automated feature extraction solution by employing mobile LiDAR to gather and AFES™ to process data.

Gather Data Faster

Our imagery scanning technology powers data collection at highway speeds to give you an impressive and detailed understanding at the street level. Our technology includes:

  • 360-degree spherical
  • 6 – 5MP cameras – 30MP
  • Drone aerial collection
  • Faster data collection: laser collection at posted speed limits enables the ability to scale.
  • Street-level imagery: snapshots of roadways during data collection.
  • Global view of infrastructure assets

Extract Features Instantly

We use machine learning, artificial intelligence, and computer vision to process your data as it is gathered. Our technology extracts more than 20 asset types from mobile LiDAR data, including but not limited to:

  • Signs
  • Bridge Clearances
  • Ditches
  • Guardrails
  • Mowing Acreage
  • Overhead Utilities
  • Trees
  • Striping

Your data is delivered in standard GIS formats, shape files, and geodatabases, but we’ve got system-specific formats covered too. You can easily convert data into system-specific formats through data integration and conversion. We also export data visualizations using a colorized point cloud, JPG, video files, and more so you have everything you need at your fingertips.

Contact Us Today

With fully automatic feature extraction of our mobile LiDAR, you’ll save time, money, and stress. If you’re ready to reduce cost and time up to tenfold, contact us today and set up your demonstration. 

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Early Spring is for Waterway Pipe Assessments

Out of sight, out of mind can be a costly error when it comes to your transportation assets. The health of your infrastructure is dependent on more than the condition of your visible assets. It relies on the functionality of an entire below-ground network of pipes and waterways that manage stormwater required to keep roadways safe.

The spring season is optimal to access and inventory underground systems and confined spaces due to the reduced vegetation. Known for its practical and innovative approach to data collection of above-ground assets, PILLAR leverages technology and staff expertise to make inventory and assessment of underground assets more efficient and complete.

Taking inventory

PILLAR’s Pipe Crawler robot safely and efficiently identifies pipe conditions and possible flaws. It’s portable, submersible, and can access areas, helping the operator see potential issues beyond human reach.

A complete inventory of underground assets makes digging associated with maintenance and construction safer and more efficient for municipalities and departments of transportation.

How to use the data

Once an underground assessment has been made, PILLAR can help you build out a project plan that takes pipe collection and management into account.

With pipe inventory and conditions stored in your geospatial software, you’ll be able to assess future project plans. The condition of drainage pipes and structures can help with resiliency plans, understand potential flaws in new sewer lines, and help map stormwater management.

Contact PILLAR today to find out how you can utilize the Pipe Crawler for your next project assessment.

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Harness the Power of Your Mobile LiDAR Data

Cut Confusion and Utilize Your Mobile LiDAR Data With CONFIDENCE

You’ve worked hard to collect data on your transportation assets and now it’s time to put that data to effective use in managing your transportation assets.  But how can you be sure your data is used in the most effective way possible?  We know this can feel confusing, especially if your mobile LiDAR data comes from different sources, techniques and technology and your data may be formatted differently. 

PILLAR can solve this problem. We aggregate and normalize data from many different sources (from paper to pdf to complex databases) and departments, giving your organization far greater flexibility and eliminating the need for costly recollection of data you already have.

Turn Mobile LiDAR Data Into INSIGHT

PILLAR has access to “Big DATA” that helps us utilize patterns and Artificial Intelligence to identify priorities and plans.  PILLAR will gather all the data files you have already collected, identify what technology generated the data, then audit it and identify a storage solution for optimal visualization for the end-user. We determine goals and help create visualization tools that provide decision-makers with accessible information at their fingertips.

What’s more, we format your data in such a way that allows your organization to analyze and compare it to other information sources. The resulting enhanced database will allow you to make more informed decisions based on more complete and interconnected information.

Turn Mobile LiDAR Insight Into ACTION

Now that you have your data in digestible and actionable form, how do you make it equally relevant to all your stakeholders? One common challenge agencies face is the Planner-Operator gap—and PILLAR can help!  We understand that planners and O&M field personnel rely on the same data to meet their objectives.  Our staff of professionals have been involved with Asset Management AND Maintenance Operations for decades and deeply understand how Planners and operators are interconnected through quality field data.

We bridge the gap between planners and operations by combining our engineering background with our practical field experience.  When we collect, assess, analyze and prioritize data, we employ well-defined objectives to ensure that data is easily actionable for all stakeholders.  With our help, planners and operators can work together seamlessly—saving you time and money. Feel confident that you are utilizing your mobile LiDAR data in the most effective way possible.  Contact us today!

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Meet the PILLAR Team Online and In-Person at Upcoming Events

Over the next few months, members of the PILLAR team will be on the road at various tradeshows and conferences. It’s the perfect opportunity to learn more about the company’s approach to infrastructure asset management and how it can help organizations save time, save money, and save lives.

Our unique approach merges technology with specialist expertise to maximize efforts, justify budgets, and reduce risk, thereby delivering greater sustainability and longevity of your transportation assets.

The PILLAR team would love to share more information with you. Make sure to say hello if you see us in person or online at one of these upcoming events.

If you’d like to discuss ways to save time, money, lives, and face (by preventing public outcry in the case of a disaster), contact us to schedule a meeting during one of these events at info@pillaroma.com or (276) 223-0500.

Virginia Highway Viaduct
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Virginia State Highway Performance Ranking Leaps to #2 Nationally

The PILLAR Team congratulates the Virginia Department of Transportation for earning the nation’s #2 best highway performance ranking. Virginia operates the third-largest DOT network in the nation and handed in an impressive 19-position improvement in the 26th Annual Highway Report from the Reason Foundation.

Virginia moved up the ranks in several areas, including improving 24 positions for capital and bridge disbursements, improving 15 positions for maintenance disbursements, and improving 17 positions for urbanized area congestion.

Cost-effective Maintenance & Operations

Virginia’s highway system is considered one of the most cost-effective highway systems in the country.

“States with high ratings typically have better-than-average system conditions (good for road users) along with relatively low per-mile expenditures (good for taxpayers),” according to the Reason Foundation annual report.

PILLAR has been a trusted partner of VDOT for nearly 10 years, serving as its contractor for Statewide Maintenance Consulting Services.

“The PILLAR Team is proud to support VDOT in its continuous quest for excellence through best management practices and innovative transportation management solutions,” said PILLAR President Mark Boenke.

How PILLAR partners with VDOT

PILLAR supports VDOT in several ways, providing information that will save time, money, lives, and credibility.

A Penny Saved is A Penny Earned

PILLAR utilized its mobile LiDAR and conventional and traditional survey methods to gather dimensions on overhead signage that needed replacing in VDOT District 1. By defining accurate dimensions, PILLAR determined the existing support structure could be utilized for the new sign, saving significant time and money for VDOT.

Creating Efficiency from Field to Office

PILLAR georeferenced plan sheets to locate the position of pipes along the I-95 corridor in Caroline, Spotsylvania, and Stafford counties for VODT’s Fredericksburg District Office. This enabled VDOT field personnel to easily locate pipes when performing inspections. Ultimately, saving time and money.

Environmentally Friendly Asset Management Solutions 

PILLAR helped the VDOT Staunton District save $12.9 million in mitigation projects and nitrogen-credit purchases, also earning the district the Environmental Stewardship award. The efforts allowed VDOT to reallocate money to other critical needs throughout the district.

The project used an innovative approach. It took PILLAR’s LiDAR-based mapping for mowing management and helped save the district millions annually in converting interstate rights-of-way into pollinator habitats.

What PILLAR can do for you

What sets PILLAR apart is our CAPE approach.

That’s our Collection, Assessment, Planning, and Execution (CAPE) approach that intersects technology with our expertise to tailor asset management plans for program funding, public outcry, and improved services.

We advise state agencies and provide plans that avoid potential pitfalls and save money.

“Our staff augmentation helps improve knowledge and experience to achieve a high maintenance rating program (MRP) with average scores in the low-to-mid 90s,” Boenke said.

Contact PILLAR today to get started on improving your maintenance and performance rating.

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How to Calculate & Classify Mowable Area with LiDAR

Your agency has a lot of ground to cover. Literally. Municipalities and departments of transportation have acres and acres of land that need to be managed.

PILLAR can help assess the best way to tackle ground that might have to be mowed or best left unmowed and calculate the total mowable area and frequency or necessity of that upkeep.

This practice can help save your agency valuable cash, up to millions.

Mowing Frequency

Knowing what you need to maintain frequently and where to cut back can save millions in costs. Your agency will save in labor and equipment costs and heighten the safety of workers in high-traffic areas.

Certain areas benefit from a less frequent trim. Cutting tall grass and cutting back brush can improve visibility but may only have to be maintained once a year instead of cutting every few months.

The environmental benefits differ as well. If acreage is classified as an environmental benefit, your agency can receive credit toward mitigation and pollution reduction projects, such as pollinator or stormwater run-off programs.

When you contract with PILLAR, you’ll receive a full assessment of best practices.

How PILLAR Calculates & Classifies Mowable Area

PILLAR helps you get a better sense of what is needed for the land you manage.

We use image scanning and Mobile LiDAR, which can accurately inventory acreage that should be added to the total calculated mowable area. Additional access to land plats can help us determine if you can earn environmental stipends for mowing less frequently.

Our services also include an assessment of the terrain, so we can work with you to determine the types of equipment needed and the time and frequency required to maintain that acreage. That information also helps us parse and configure mowing patterns/swaths for full mows or partial mows.

After all the data is collected, we will work with your geospatial system of choice to integrate and normalize your mowing data.

The PILLAR team has more than 100 years of combined experience working with and for municipalities and departments of transportation. We know how to help classify environmental benefits and safety requirements needed to maintain your areas and keep the public safe.

Case Study

PILLAR was able to help Staunton earn $12.8 million in credits for pollution mitigation from our assessment of mowable acreage. Their practices earned them VDOT’s Staunton District’s Environmental Stewardship Award.

Learn how we can help you. Contact us today.

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Work Smarter by Aggregating and Normalizing Your Asset Data

Technology has made creating a geospatial inventory of transportation assets far more accessible than it used to be. However, this asset data may be accumulated from many different sources and may have been collected using disparate techniques and technology, resulting in data that is formatted differently.

The inability of different systems to talk to each other often means that municipalities and departments of transportation frequently resort to recollecting data they already have because of a siloed department structure. This is costly and limiting.

But PILLAR can solve this problem. We can aggregate and normalize data from many different sources (from paper to pdf to complex databases) and departments, giving your organization far greater flexibility and eliminating the need for costly recollection of data you already have.

Getting started

PILLAR will gather all the data files you have already collected, identify what technology generated the data, then audit it and identify a storage solution for optimal visualization for the end-user. We determine goals and help create visualization tools that provide decision-makers with accessible information at their fingertips.

We will get your data into a format that will allow your organization to analyze your data and compare it to other information sources layering artificial intelligence over top of “Big Data.” The resulting enhanced database will allow you to make more informed decisions based on more complete and interconnected information.

In addition, a point cloud analysis powered by PILLAR AFES (automated feature extraction system) will let you provide asset data across your organization, integrating databases and streamlining processes to cut time and share costs.

We’ll help you create a truly useful geospatial inventory of transportation assets that can help determine your priorities, focusing on getting the best return on investment.

Contact PILLAR today so we can get started aggregating your data.

Colored Point Cloud Model of Highway
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The Value of Point Cloud Analysis for Transportation Infrastructure

Effective transportation infrastructure asset management starts with understanding your full inventory of assets and their condition. The resulting point clouds from Mobile LiDAR provide a clear picture of your transportation assets and their condition to make data-driven decisions quickly and cost-effectively.

Mobile LiDAR captures roadway and infrastructure assets at posted speed limits, thereby collecting data at a fraction of the time it takes traditional surveying methods.

Mobile LiDAR creates 3D point cloud models that are precise depictions of roadways and infrastructure. These give unparalleled accuracy in establishing relationships between your data points, revealing their true position and condition.

Maximizing the Value of the Point Cloud with PILLAR

PILLAR’s Mobile LiDAR service takes the significance of the point cloud to the next level with its proprietary Fully Automatic Feature Extraction System (AFES) that instantly extracts features and attributes (such as height, width, text, etc.) as data is processed. Machine Learning, AI, and Computer Vision are incorporated in the processing of this data with outputs to standard GIS formats, Shape files, geodatabases, and more.

Gone are the days of spending countless man-hours scrolling through pictures overlapped on the point cloud, pointing a cursor, and clicking on the asset to spatially link the two. Rather than traditional “point and click” semi-automatic extraction, Mobile LiDAR with AFES means fewer days to completion of your global view.

Decisions Backed by Data

Without a global view of your assets and infrastructure, it can be difficult to make decisions for asset managers to justify funding for projects and programs. Tasked with managing hundreds of assets, some organizations are unaware of more hidden assets such as pipelines, drainage systems, and paved ditches. This can account for poorly mismanaged asset maintenance, costing agencies thousands of dollars.

A point cloud analysis powered by PILLAR AFES gives decision-makers the ability to provide asset data across various departments and stakeholders, integrating databases and streamlining processes to cut time and share costs. With a geospatial inventory, transportation agencies can determine priorities and set those priorities with a ROI-focused approach.

Applications for Mobile LiDAR and Point Cloud Analysis

Mobile LiDAR and Point Cloud Analysis help departments of transportation and localities make data-driven decisions to effectively manage the state’s transportation assets. Applications of this technology also serve as a valuable tool for emergency planning, disaster response, and community resiliency in the face of climate change. Infrastructure plays a significant role in these efforts, creating a need to better manage and invest in infrastructure improvements.

With PILLAR’s AFES, data can be instantly extracted and processed as 3D environmental models – increasing efficiency, transparency, and better planning.

An innovative application of Mobile LiDAR with point cloud analysis for mowing management won the Virginia Department of Transportation – Staunton District the Environmental Agency Award. In collaboration with PILLAR, the team discovered it could allocate thousands of mowing acres as stormwater pollutant offsets. The discovery led to a 15,800-pound reduction in nitrogen, saving VDOT about $12.8 million in mitigation projects and nitrogen-credit purchases.

PILLAR Point Cloud Analysis in Miami, Florida

Save Time, Save Money, Save Lives

With the advances in surveying technology like Mobile LiDAR and point cloud analysis, asset management firms can help deploy effective asset management plans that will save time, save money, and save lives. PILLAR is trusted by departments of transportation that manage some of the largest state-maintained highway systems in the country to do exactly that. We help organizations make value-based decisions that proactively manages risk for the long-term needs of your asset base.

Contact us at info@pillaroma.com or (276) 223-0500 to discuss your asset management plans with a PILLAR expert.

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LiDAR-Based Mapping Method for Mowing Management Earns VDOT-Staunton District Environmental Stewardship Award

An innovative application of LiDAR-based mapping for mowing management implemented by the Virginia Department of Transportation -Staunton District is saving the agency millions of dollars annually by converting interstate rights-of-way into pollinator habitats. The innovative program just earned VDOT’s Staunton District the coveted agency’s Environmental Stewardship Award.

VDOT’s Staunton District Roadside Manager Scott Nye and Interstate Maintenance Contract Administrator Guy Tyrrell needed a better way to track vegetation mowing so they collaborated with PILLAR Operations & Maintenance Advisors to develop a solution.

PILLAR worked with Tyrrell and Nye to leverage LiDAR-based mapping and PILLAR’s proprietary automated feature extraction (AFES) software to quickly and efficiently identify VDOT acreage that requires mowing. The approach provides a highly accurate way to measure and track mowing costs and allows quick and easy adjustments to mowing operations. More importantly, the data from the LiDAR mapping method enabled the team to see a  better solution– a large percentage of the interstate rights-of-way could be set aside for pollinator habitats without compromising public safety or roadside aesthetics.

The Staunton District has now allocated more than 5,100 acres of mowing operations to only once per year in the fall. This acreage set aside as meadow can be transplanted into stormwater pollutant “credits” to support the total maximum daily load pollutant reduction requirements VDOT’s MS4 permit. The conversion of mowed turf into a meadow condition equates to a 15,800-pound reduction in nitrogen that would otherwise reach the Chesapeake Bay, saving VDOT about $12.8 million in mitigation projects and nitrogen-credit purchases.

Learn more about how Pillar can work with your DOT or municipality to see the bigger picture and develop cost-efficient transportation asset management solutions.