Technical Status Evaluation of River Training Works Based on the Improved DS Evidence Theory

Abstract

A large number of river training works have been built in the inland waterway regulation projects to improve ship navigation conditions. However, water damages to river training works happen frequently in practice. Technical status evaluation of river training works is regarded as a fundamental content of inland waterway maintenance. Due to the various influencing factors and complex mechanisms, the content involved in the standard files is recognized as qualitative and no quantitative evaluation method is recommended so far. The technical status of river training works is currently evaluated through on-site investigation which is time-consuming and individual-dependent. By means of multi-source sensors, massive status data of river training works could be obtained instantaneously. Study on the technical evaluation model based on the multi-source information fusion theory attracts more attention in recent years. The classical DS evidence theory could fail as evidence conflict occurs. Thus, the Pearson’s correlation coefficient is calculated and utilized to update the probability distribution in the present study. A novel technical status evaluation model based on the improved DS evidence theory is established. The model is further verified through three case studies of traditional river training works (spur dike and flexible mattress belt) in the Yangtze River, China. The model outputs are consistent with the technical survey reports as well as the published research article. Quantitative and accurate evaluation of river training works could be accomplished by applying the proposed evaluation model. Moreover, the model could be embedded in the Inland Electronic Chart Display and Information System. The present study would provide theoretical basis for inland waterway maintenance and infrastructure monitoring in the future.

Inland Waterway Infrastructure Maintenance Prediction Model Based on Network-Level Assessment

“…Waterway improvement buildings are important infrastructure for water transportation; they are mainly used to improve and maintain the passage conditions of waterways and enhance waterway traffic capacity. However, due to water erosion, riverbed deformation, material aging, and human-related factors, the improvement structures continuously sustain damage during their service life, resulting in performance degradation and navigation condition deterioration [2,3]. Therefore, the technical condition assessment and repair of improvement buildings are important tasks for waterway maintenance [4,5].…”

“…In practice, waterway improvement building service status maintenance is a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problem. Accordingly, Jiang et al [2], Zhang et al [14], Wen et al [15], Li et al [16], and Wang et al [17] have also established multi-factor evaluation index sets in recent years. Based on aspects such as appearance deformation, damage degree, and functional operation of waterway improvement buildings, their service status was comprehensively evaluated through different theoretical approaches.…”