A framework to detect horizontal curves and assess their geometric properties from remotely sensed point clouds

Automated Assessment of Passing Sight Distance on Rural Highways using Mobile LiDAR Data

“…The implemented framework enhances the evaluation of PSD on two-lane highways and represents a tool that is ready to use by transportation agencies to assess and improve the geometry of existing highways. As road design parameters can be feasibly mapped using LiDAR data (12,41), the required changes in design parameters to improve PSD, lane markings, and road safety can be determined on a network level. Future research may also explore developing statistical models that validate the expected relationship between road crashes and PSD limitations.…”

“…The savings from using LiDAR data were estimated to be $7 million. In a more recent study, Shalkamy et al (12) explored the time and cost savings associated with using LiDAR data to detect highway horizontal curves and extract their geometric characteristics along 242 km ( ' 150.37 mi). Time saving is also a great benefit of using LiDAR data sets.…”

“…Time saving is also a great benefit of using LiDAR data sets. The methodology used in the research by Shalkamy et al (12,40) has successfully identified 35 horizontal curves in 13 min and 32 s without causing any onsite road closures or safety risks. It was concluded that using LiDAR data in asset management could result in significant time and money savings.…”

“…After reading LiDAR data with the algorithm, points representing the path (i.e., trajectory) of the data collection truck are extracted by filtering the data using the scanning angle. Previous research (10,12) showed that points scanned at a zero scanner-angle are located right under the laser scanner and represent the data collection truck's trajectory. To optimize the number of points processed by the algorithm, the first filter is applied to extract all points near the trajectory points, which covers the limits of travel lanes.…”

“…Several benefits support the emerging popularity of using LiDAR data. The acquired LiDAR dataset can be used for various purposes such as extracting road features, assessing sight distance, analyzing site conditions, conducting safety reviews, and transportation studies (9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18). Moreover, many transportation agencies have begun to obtain mobile LiDAR data to map their roadway assets and gain access to 3-D models of their road networks enabling frequent, and virtual visits from the safety of their offices (19).…”