%0 Journal Article
%T Mobile Imaging and Computing for Intelligent Structural Damage Inspection
%A ZhiQiang Chen
%A Jianfei Chen
%J Advances in Civil Engineering
%D 2014
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2014/483729
%X Optical imaging is a commonly used technique in civil engineering for aiding the archival of damage scenes and more recently for image analysis-based damage quantification. However, the limitations are evident when applying optical imaging in the field. The most significant one is the lacking of computing and processing capability in the real time. The advancement of mobile imaging and computing technologies provides a promising opportunity to change this norm. This paper first provides a timely introduction of the state-of-the-art mobile imaging and computing technologies for the purpose of engineering application development. Further we propose a mobile imaging and computing (MIC) framework for conducting intelligent condition assessment for constructed objects, which features in situ imaging and real-time damage analysis. This framework synthesizes advanced mobile technologies with three innovative features: (i) context-enabled image collection, (ii) interactive image preprocessing, and (iii) real-time image analysis and analytics. Through performance evaluation and field experiments, this paper demonstrates the feasibility and efficiency of the proposed framework. 1. Introduction 1.1. Background and Rationale Sensing-based inspection technologies are recognized as critical components for solutions to quantitative and risk-informed condition assessment for buildings, bridges, and other civil infrastructure systems [1, 2]. Among numerous sensing technologies, visual inspection is commonly used in engineering practice for the purpose of archiving damage scenes and patterns. For example, visual inspection is considered the predominant approach to condition assessment for the majority of bridge inventories in the United States [3]. In these practices, visual inspection is often companied by the use of digital camera for the purpose of digital archival through photographing (viz., optical imaging). The fundamental basis of optical imaging is that through measuring photonic energy emanating from distant objects that are degraded or damaged, disturbed spatial or spectral patterns on the surface of the objects are recorded in a digital format (i.e., two-dimensional images) [4]. In practice, a large percentage of damage patterns, which are visible on the surfaces of structural or geotechnical members (e.g., cracking, spalling, deformation, or collapse-induced debris), can be captured using a commercial digital camera. In recent years, many research endeavors attempt to empower visual inspection and optical imaging by quantitative image analysis; hence,
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ace/2014/483729/