Location-based Mobile Bridge Inspection Support System

Location-Based Computing (LBC) is an emerging discipline integrating geoinformatics, telecommunications, and mobile computing technologies. LBC utilizes geoinformatics and tracking methods in a distributed real-time mobile computing environment. In LBC, elements and events involved in a specific task are registered according to their locations in a spatial database, and the activities supported by the mobile and wearable computers are aware of these locations using suitable positioning devices. In this paper, we propose a new LBC approach to support the data collection activities of bridge inspectors (See Figure 1). The proposed prototype system is equipped with a 3D detailed model of the bridge, and all the inspection results are registered on the 3D model. The system navigates the inspector to the locations he/she needs to inspect, provides information about the results of previous inspections as augmentation of the 3D model, and allows the inspector to add new information and to specify the location of a new defect simply by clicking on the point of the model where the defect has been found and then selecting the type and level of the defect from available menus. Furthermore, the system has a rule-based expert system that is used for data analysis and probabilistic diagnosis based on the location and the context of the inspection tasks in order to give the inspector suitable support. The system is implemented in Java language and a case study about Jacques Cartier Bridge is demonstrated.