AASHTO Guidelines for Unmanned Aircraft Systems: 2025 [pdf]

AASHTO GUAS-1: AASHTO Guidelines for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Applications for Bridge Inspections: Element-Level Data Collection, 1st Edition

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), increasingly, are being used to supplement bridge inspections, due to their ability to collect visual information in areas that are challenging to access safely and economically. Guidelines that address UAS implementation to collect element-level bridge data are necessary to ensure the quality and consistency of data collection.

These guidelines are intended for use by state departments of transportation, bridge owner agencies, and other organizations that conduct inspections to assess bridges using element-level condition states. The guidelines provide information and best practices for developing UAS inspection programs and include sections on the following topics:

• Organizational Structure and Workflow;
• UAS Airframe Selection Considerations;
• UAS Personnel Training Recommendations;
• UAS Bridge Inspection Methodology; and
• IT Infrastructure and Data Storage.

The information contained in these guidelines is designed to supplement current bridge inspection practices as detailed in the following AASHTO manuals: The Manual For Bridge Evaluation, 3rd Edition (Item Code: MBE-3-M/Published: 2018) and the Manual For Bridge Element Inspection, 2nd Edition (Item Code: MBEI-2-M/Published: 2019).

Be advised, however, that these guidelines are not intended to replace, recommend changes to, or provide exemption or exclusion to the federal requirements pertaining to any inspection type or description in the National Bridge Inspection Standards.

GUAS-1, AASHTO GUAS-1, AASHTO Guidelines for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Applications for Bridge Inspections: Element-Level Data Collection, 1st Edition, 9781560518433