Use Cases for Owners and Maintainers

Abstract The as-is modeling workflow comprises methods that are needed to convert a set of laser scans or images into a 3D model with geometric information with basic semantics, such as labels of structural components. An as-built model with geometric information is sufficient for measurement only. However, an important group of users of as-is models is owners and maintainers, who often care about more than geometric information of facilities and infrastructure systems. For example, owners and maintainers will ask the following questions: Is a bridge still safe to use? How is the energy performance of a building? When do we need to conduct maintenance of a specific infrastructure? Is there a need for retrofitting? Questions like these cannot be answered directly with the general as-is modeling workflow mainly focusing on the low-level details such as geometric information. It is necessary to define a workflow that addresses the requirements from owners' and maintainers' perspectives. In Section 4.2 , we will present a high-level description of the need for computer vision in infrastructure projects and potential benefits from the perspective of owners and maintainers. In Section 4.3 , we will discuss some issues a general workflow encounters when it is used to model a single asset in an infrastructure management setting. In Section 4.4 , we define the concept of portfolio modeling—which considers the needs of owners and maintainers by extending the general as-is modeling workflow in terms of space, time, and auxiliary information. Starting from Section 4.5 , we will introduce some typical applications from owners and maintainers' perspectives and discuss what extensions (space, time, and auxiliary information) are required and how they are achieved. We will conclude this chapter by outlining guidelines for owners and maintainers, along with potential challenges they may encounter when adopting infrastructure computer vision in their workflows.