PFI-TT: Development of a Mapping and Visualization System to Inform Excavators of Buried Utility Pipes

这个创新技术转化伙伴关系（PFI-TT）项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力旨在捕捉埋地公用管道的准确位置，并在施工挖掘期间向设备操作员显示这些位置。在美国，挖掘是一个价值600亿美元的产业。使用重型设备进行挖掘是反复发生公用事业罢工（例如燃气、水或下水道管道损坏）的最大原因，每年造成数百人死亡和数十亿美元的经济损失。该技术还可以帮助挖掘机操作员保持较高的工作效率，减轻他们的精神压力，提高挖掘行业的盈利能力。拟议的项目旨在开发一种地图和可视化系统，以解决反复发生的公用事业罢工的根本原因：缺乏准确和完整的关于埋藏公用事业线路的信息，无法以近乎实时的方式传达给设备运营商。该技术具有以下能力：(1)近实时地检测和绘制不同尺寸、材料和埋深的公用线路；(2)可视化挖掘机与其周围环境之间的动态交互，包括多个视角的地上和地下场景；(3)在挖掘作业期间向操作员传达视觉警告和指导信息。项目目标包括确定作业阶段公用事业信息需求，调整探地雷达（GPR）信号处理和解释中的模型性能以满足生产阶段的要求，以及挖掘作业期间公用事业线路的可视化。最终，这个项目可以将挖掘从基于经验的技能提高到信息辅助的实践。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project seeks to capture the accurate locations of buried utility pipes and display them to the equipment operator during construction excavation. In the U.S., excavation is a $60 billion industry. Excavation using heavy equipment is the single largest cause of recurring utility strikes (e.g., a gas, water, of sewer pipe damage), causing hundreds of fatalities and billions of dollars in financial losses every year. The technology may also assist excavator operators in maintaining high work productivity, reducing their mental stress, and improving the profitability of the excavation industry.The proposed project seeks to develop a mapping and visualization system to address the root causes of recurring utility strikes: the lack of accurate and complete information regarding buried utility lines being communicated to the equipment operator in a near real-time manner. The technology has the ability to: (1) detect and map utility lines of varying size, material, and burying depth in near real-time, (2) visualize the dynamic interaction between the excavator and its surroundings, including above ground and underground scenes in multiple view angles, and (3) convey visual warnings and guidance messages to operators during excavation operations. Project objectives include determining the operation-stage requirements of utility information, aligning the model performance in ground penetrating radar (GPR) signal processing and interpretation to meet the production-stage requirements, and visualizing the utility lines during excavation operation. Ultimately, this project may improve excavation from an experience-based skill to an information-assisted practice.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.