Position CAD Data Integration for Improved Construction Control

Highway construction techniques have seen a limited number of changes since the 1950s. The primary changes have seen a slow evolution in productivity improvements such as hydraulic controls, and drivetrain components. A major change in highway construction techniques could occur if current equipment could provide data about position and orientation within the design environment. This paper presents some changes in the highway construction field that could occur with the integration of real‐time positioning data and computer‐aided design (CAD) data. Current research at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, in the area of positioning‐CAD integration is presented. The research uses frequency‐hopping radio waves transmitted from points in space, and through phase‐measurement techniques obtains position information. The current research has potential accuracy limits of $\pm 500\mathrm{mm}\text{.}$ Given this accuracy, some potential applications are presented given the positioning‐CAD integration.