New Inspection Technologies for Waterfront Structural Engineering and Asset Management

This paper discusses the implementation of evolving inspection technologies, exploring their benefits, effectiveness, limitations, and potential pitfalls. As the advancement of technology continues to accelerate, new tools are coming to the market at a record pace. Unmanned and remotely operated vehicles, high-resolution sensors, and artificial intelligence (AI) models offer cost-effective means of accelerating and improving data collection while reducing risk associated with traditional waterfront inspection techniques. Waterfront facility construction and usage vary as widely as the waterways they occupy, each with its own unique sets of needs and challenges. Each of these technologies offers significant advantages in some applications, but no one tool can meet every need or challenge. Selecting the right tool(s) for the task is critical in optimizing a waterfront inspection program and effectively informing asset management decision-making. Owners, operators, and consultants must have a clear and complete understanding of these technologies, the values they can bring, and how best to leverage each.