Bridge Monitoring and Prognostication Workshop; Minneapolis, MN; September 2008

ABSTRACT (250 words):

NSF Long-Term Bridge Monitoring and Prognostication Workshop

As the nation's infrastructure ages and as demands on the infrastructure intensify, it has become increasingly evident that there is an urgent need to be able to accurately assess the health and safety of bridge systems to ensure life safety and to prioritize the allocation of limited resources to retrofit and replace systems. There is increasing interest in incorporation of smart bridge technology within bridge systems to flag abnormalities that require immediate attention. Current systems have severe limitations associated with limited knowledge obtained from discrete sensors, transmission and storage of large amounts of information, interpretation of the data, and prioritization of decisions to be made based on the results. This workshop will bring together 20 participants and up to 20 observers from a broad range of disciplines with individual expertise in one or more of the following areas: sensors, networking/communication, data interpretation/decision making, with the purpose of identifying technical challenges and research needs regarding integration issues across these fields as well as research needs within the individual topic areas. The workshop will result in a document which will provide a clear list of priorities which can be used as a resource to inform the associated programs at NSF and broader research community of the short and long-term research needs and grand challenges to be addressed associated with bridge sensing and prognostication which might guide the cross-disciplinary resources required to support the effort. Particular emphasis will be placed on the research needs associated with the integration across the major topic areas.