DataPave 3.0: Your Ticket to Pavement Performance Data
Accessing reliable national pavement performance data just became
easier. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is releasing the
updated DataPave 3.0 software this month, which contains data collected
through the Long Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) program.
For more than a decade, the LTPP program has collected data from over
2,500 test sections located on about 930 sites at inservice highways
throughout the United States and Canada. In an effort to provide potential
users with better access to this data, the DataPave program was developed
and first released in 1997. "This was the first time that the
LTPP data was made available to a wide range of people," says
Kurt Dunn of FHWA. Now DataPave 3.0 has been issued to facilitate
improved access to even more LTPP data.
The updated user-friendly set of CD-ROMs includes pavement performance
monitoring, material testing, climatic, traffic, maintenance, rehabilitation,
seasonal, and inventory data. Ultimately, these data will serve as
a valuable decision-support tool for engineers as they work to improve
the design, construction, maintenance, and rehabilitation of pavements.
The new version of DataPave provides desktop access to most of the
LTPP data collected between 1987 and May 2001. In addition to an increase
in available data, DataPave 3.0 contains graph notes to distinguish
raw data from computed data, enhanced data selection filters, and
improvements that facilitate the extraction of site-specific records.
If a user wishes to analyze any of the small fraction of LTPP data
not included in the software, DataPave 3.0 can help the user identify
the specific data and prepare a request for submission to an LTPP
Customer Support Service representative.
In addition to the actual data from LTPP experiments, DataPave provides
users with all of the necessary tools to examine and work with the
data. Through the DataPave Section Selection process, DataPave users
can choose test sections based on LTPP experimental test criteria
(surface thickness, average daily traffic, or annual precipitation),
or by locating sections on a map of the United States and Canada.
The data can then be displayed in several ways. The "Map module"
displays information for all LTPP sites in a Geographical Information
System form, whereas the "Section Presentation module" provides
specific information about the location, type of experiment, pavement
layer, and selected falling-weight deflectometer profiles. Another
alternative is the "Chart/Trend module," which presents
time histories of several key distress indicators, such as spalling,
rutting, and fatigue cracking. The "Data Base Exploration and
Extraction module" allows the extraction of tables and fields
for selected sections and provides several useful tools, such as a
keyword search, SQL (structured query language) option, codes listing,
and the LTPP data request form. DataPave 3.0 also provides online
help for users.
The increased efficiency and usefulness of the new software will
expand LTPP data applications among highway agencies and university
faculty and students, as well as industry researchers and practitioners
throughout North America and the world.
For more information about DataPave 3.0 and the LTPP program, or
to obtain a copy of DataPave 3.0, visit the LTPP Web site at www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/ltpp/datapave.cfm,
or contact LTPP Customer Support Service at 865-481-2967 (email: LTPPINFO@fhwa.dot.gov).
International Contest on LTPP Data Analysis
FHWA, in association with the American Society of Civil Engineers
(ASCE), is launching the third International Contest on LTPP Data
Analysis. The contest is designed to encourage university students
and professors from around the world to use the LTPP database for
research, class projects, and Master's and Doctoral theses.
This year's contest offers four categories: Undergraduate Students,
Graduate Students, Partnership (for students working with a public
or private organization), and Curriculum (for professors who integrate
the LTPP database into their class curriculum). In addition to receiving
a prize, award winners will be recognized at an ASCE meeting and the
Transportation Research Board annual meeting.
The deadline for submission of papers is June 1, 2002. For more information
about the contest, visit the LTPP Web Site at www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/ltpp/datapave.cfm.
Other
articles in this issue:
DataPave 3.0: Your ticket to pavement performance data
Arkansas paves the way to smoother roads
Conference features concrete solutions for
a new century
Saving Superpave
September
11 and Beyond: Highway Agencies Respond to Keep America Mobile and
Secure
Highway technology calendar
International congress to examine new
challenges for winter road maintenance
