Development of a User-Centric Bridge Visual Defect Quality Control Assisted Mobile Application: A Case of Thailand’s Department of Highways

Abstract

Digital innovations have changed the way many industries operate, but the construction industry has been slow to adopt these technologies. However, challenges such as low productivity, project overruns, labor shortages, and inefficient performance management have motivated Thailand’s Department of Highways to adopt digital innovations to build a competitive advantage. Because this industry requires a large work force, obstacles to collaboration can result in ineffective project management. We aimed to improve collaboration on bridge inspections that typically requires the involvement of many people, personal judgement, and extensive travel to survey bridges across the country. One major challenge is to standardize human judgement. To address these challenges, we developed a user-centric bridge visual defect quality control mobile application to improve collaboration and assist field technicians to conduct visual defect inspection. Our results can be used as a case study for other construction firms to embrace digital transformation technologies. This research also demonstrates the new-product development process using the new technology in known markets innovation development and technology acceptance model. We offer several recommendations for future research, including other infrastructure applications.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Applied in Civil Engineering

“…2.6. Other AI-Based Methods, Formulations, and Applications Kruachottikul et al [32] aim to improve collaboration on bridge inspections that typically require the involvement of many people, personal judgement, and extensive travel to survey bridges across the country of Thailand. One major challenge is to standardize human judgement.…”

Development of a schema for the remote inspection of bridges

“…Bridge visual defect quality control assisted mobile application (Kruachottikul et al, 2021) For Thailand's Department of Highways, Kruachottikul et al (2021) presented a 'user-centric bridge visual defect quality control mobile application' to facilitate communication and aid field professionals with inspection of visual defects. The app developed by Kruachottikul et al (2021) is aimed at two key stakeholders, defined as 'users': project managers and bridge inspectors (Kruachottikul et al, 2021).…”

“…Bridge visual defect quality control assisted mobile application (Kruachottikul et al, 2021) For Thailand's Department of Highways, Kruachottikul et al (2021) presented a 'user-centric bridge visual defect quality control mobile application' to facilitate communication and aid field professionals with inspection of visual defects. The app developed by Kruachottikul et al (2021) is aimed at two key stakeholders, defined as 'users': project managers and bridge inspectors (Kruachottikul et al, 2021). Project managers can add projects and bridges that require inspection, and assign specific tasks to users during the inspection processes (they also have the authority to approve the result of the artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted inspection) (Kruachottikul et al, 2021).…”

“…The app developed by Kruachottikul et al (2021) is aimed at two key stakeholders, defined as 'users': project managers and bridge inspectors (Kruachottikul et al, 2021). Project managers can add projects and bridges that require inspection, and assign specific tasks to users during the inspection processes (they also have the authority to approve the result of the artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted inspection) (Kruachottikul et al, 2021). Each inspection generates data that are saved on a cloud server and may be used to create maintenance plans and increase the accuracy of the AI (Kruachottikul et al, 2021).…”

“…Innovation of various aspects of the process of bridge condition inspection has been the topic of recent studies (e.g. Achuthan et al, 2021;Javadnejad et al, 2017;Kruachottikul et al, 2019Kruachottikul et al, , 2021Perry et al, 2020;Sacks et al, 2018). The research presented in Perry et al (2020) and Achuthan et al (2021) focuses on processes involving the usage of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which are gaining considerable attention in bridge management operations and other civil engineering applications (e.g.…”