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Civil Engineering Grand Challenges: Opportunities for Data Sensing, Information Analysis, and Knowledge Discovery Introduction: (Click

here for the full report) Civil engineering plays an important role in the
development and improvement of societies. Its endeavors are described as complex and diverse undertakings that tackle nonstandard challenges. Civil engineers plan, design, construct and operate facilities essential to modern life, ranging from transit systems, to offshore structures, to water systems. However, the world is undergoing vast changes that create unique challenges for civil engineers of every specialty. These challenges and their manifestations in societies are often very complex in nature and require integrated approaches to solve them. Although the challenges exist, at the same time, many of these challenges could be addressed through research in the area of Data Sensing and Analysis (DSA). This includes research in data sensing, pre-processing, analysis and fusion, intelligent searching and information retrieval, parallel and distributed computing, and knowledge management and discovery. DSA has proven potential in providing successful solutions in different realms of civil engineering; however, there still is great need to create new solutions and make the existing ones more robust and readily available. An expert task force that was assembled by the ASCE TCCIT (Technical Council on Computing and Information Technology) Data Sensing and Analysis (DSA) Committee identified the grand challenges that civil engineers are currently facing and how research in DSA can assist in providing solutions. These challenges are not those of isolated locales but of the world as a whole. Civil engineers can identify solutions to these challenges, help achieve a sustainable world and raise the global quality of life. As such, further research in the area of DSA is needed for a more sustainable, safe, and healthy world. Estimate Sea Level: A well-established system to estimate the sea level is of great significance to improve the coastal resilience in response to natural hazards such as hurricanes, tsunamis, and earthquakes. It can also be used to protect coastal cities and island states against the rising sea level due to the continuous emissions of greenhouse gases caused by global warming. Precise sea level information is essential to ensure ship safety and navigation with the increasing amount and sizes of ships travelling globally. Data sensing and analysis proves to be effective to predict tides, modeling and analyzing wave dynamics. An integrated data source and system is needed for timely, accurate and reliable sea level information. Enhance Disaster Management through Infrastructure Resilience: In recent decades, there has been a significant increase in the number and severity of large-scale natural disasters resulting in severe property damages and financial losses. Critical infrastructure systems play a very important role in sustaining industries and communities, responding to disasters and reducing their devastating impacts. Data sensing and analysis plays an essential role in disaster preparedness using sensing and health monitoring for critical infrastructure systems. It can also be used in accelerating data collection during a disastrous situation, informing the decision making process by analyzing the collected data, and increasing the safety and efficiency of search and rescue operations. Reduce Soil Erosion: In the U.S., soil degradation is very serious, especially in the middle and the western parts of the country. It is estimated that soil erosion costs about $44 billion a year in damage to farmland, waterways, infrastructure, and health" (Kaiser, 2004). In addition to naturally occurring factors, construction and other development activities represent one of the most prominent causes for human induced soil erosion, during which large areas of soil are exposed to the erosive forces. Quantitative evaluation of wave-induced erosion can be facilitated through data sensing and analysis, which can help in inspecting soil conditions and predicting climate and land use changes. Improve Building Energy Efficiency: In the U.S., buildings generally consume more than one third of the primary energy. This figure reached 38.9% in 2006 and is expected to reach 42.4% by

2030. In terms of dollars, energy expenditures by residential and commercial buildings reached a total of $392.2 billion, in 2006. According to a 10-year study, investments in energy efficiency can help decrease the carbon footprint of buildings by as much as 32% (Kneifel, 2010). Data sensing and analysis plays an important role in enhancing life cycle energy consumption monitoring and awareness, improving energy supply chain, collecting and generating energy-efficiency knowledge for enhanced decision-making. Manage Groundwater: According to the U.S. Geological Survey - USGS (2005) report, the daily consumption of water in the U.S. accounted for 410 billion gallons per day, 20% of which was supplied from the groundwater. In the high plains of the U.S. (Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas), the groundwater level has been declining during the past 30 years. The increasing contamination of groundwater is also threatening human health in the U.S. Data sensing and analysis can potentially provide better insight of national water availability. Advanced sensors for groundwater inspection also play an important role in monitoring the quality of groundwater. Monitor the Health of Infrastructure: Most of the infrastructure in the U.S. is aging and failing with a need of $2.2 trillion in investment for a 5-year plan to improve these conditions. The average daily percentage of miles traveled by vehicles under congested conditions increased from 24.9% in 1995 to 28.7% in 2005. 26% of the countrys bridges are structurally unsafe and functionally obsolete. Data sensing and analysis can help monitoring infrastructure both above the ground and underground. Data collected from the sensors can be analyzed to provide quantitative results about the condition of infrastructure so that authorities can decide on the required plan of action. Reduce Traffic Congestion: In the 2006 report from the Secretary of Transportation, it was noted that traffic congestion in the form of cargo stuck at seaports, trucks and cars stuck in traffic, and overcrowded airports have cost the U.S. economy an estimated $200 billion per year. In addition, as the American population continues to grow, the demand on highway travels keep on increasing. Data sensing and analysis can help facilitate the data collection process for decision making, improving intelligent transportation system and enhancing traffic flow prediction. Improve Construction Productivity: The contribution of the construction industry to the national GDP increased from $384 billion in 1998 to $501 billion in 2010. In 2007, the value added by the construction industry reached a peak of $657 billion. Due to the economic importance of the construction industry, improving construction productivity can directly enhance the robustness of the national economy. Data sensing and analysis can help automatically measuring the physical quantities of the work completed in-place, facilitating automated material and equipment management, enhancing the operation process management and generating intelligence and knowledge from construction industry database. Enhance Construction Safety: Preliminary numbers from 2009 indicate that construction related accidents accounted for 816 deaths; a number that constitutes 19% of the total work related deaths across all industries. Falls, being struck by equipment, caught in/between equipment, and electrocutions are the leading causes of the accidents on construction sites that result in these fatalities. Sensors of various types (such as RF sensors, cameras, laser scanners) can be used to make conditions on a construction site safer for site personnel. Data from the sensors can be used to provide in-depth assessment of the causes of physical strains to construction workers.

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