High-resolution satellite imagery aids roadway data collection

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, there are over eight million lane kilometers of different classes of roadways nationwide. To protect this sizable investment in highways, responsible agencies maintain and update roadway inventories on a regular basis. Transportation agencies use roadway inventories for allocating funds, scheduling maintenance activities, and project planning. Ideally, agencies would like to have a complete, up-to-date, and sufficiently accurate inventory that can be easily queried for information. However, collection and presentation of roadway inventory data under most current practices are tedious, time consuming, and costly.