Accuracy and Precision Assessment of High-Speed Measurements of Pavement Surface Cracking

This paper presents an independent evaluation of the accuracy and precision of high-speed field measurements of pavement surface distresses taken by three different 3D systems that represent the state-of-the-practice of automated distress collection equipment. The analyzed distress data was collected from a field experiment that comprised twenty 550-ft test sections that included both flexible and rigid pavements. The high-speed measurements produced were compared to manual measurements taken statically by experienced raters. The paper also presents a qualitative comparison between the crack maps produced at highway speeds and digital crack maps collected statically by manual measurement of the cracks. In addition, before-and-after analyses were conducted to assess for the change in accuracy achieved after conducting a visual inspection, and manual corrections, of the automated measurements.