From aerial lidar and digital imaging services to lidar detection systems, the use of such tools is instrumental for establishing what we need to fix here in the United States. And as aerial lidar and digital imaging services and other such lidar technology has discovered, everything from flood control to energy facilities is in need of a major overhaul. But through the use of technologies such as aerial lidar and digital imaging services and lidar surveying and photogrammetry, we can begin to understand the problem more thoroughly – as well as take positive steps towards rectifying it.
For instance, the use of aerial lidar and digital imaging services has discovered that many roads here in the United States are far from what they should be. In fact, up to one third of American major roads are no better than mediocre, with many of them classified as being in poor condition. In part this can be linked to the fact that up to fifty percent, if not more, of all interstate miles in the United States are at least at seventy percent traffic capacity, if not even higher, as is the case for the one quarter of these miles that are experiencing more than ninety five percent traffic capacity.
These high levels of traffic capacity and poor road condition can unfortunately have a number of detrimental effects. In fact, up to one third of all fatal accidents that occur on highways can be directly attributed to less than ideal road conditions, as well as to outdated or obsolete signage and various roadside hazards (that often come along as part of substandard road conditions on the whole). In addition to these tragedies, cars simply wear down more quickly and waste more fuel when they have to consistently and frequently drive on roads such as these, wasting the people of the United States quite a great deal of money when it boils down to it.
And it’s certainly not just roads. In addition to the roads that weave throughout this country, we also see through the use of aerial lidar and digital imaging services the problems that are beginning for bridges as well as for dams. In fact, more and more are becoming old and dated and are nearing what could be considered the end of their natural lifespan. The data shows that the number of dam failures that have been occurring is very much on the rise, with up to a third of the dam failures that have occurred in the last one hundred plus years (since the year of 1874) occurring within the last decade, the mere last ten years, alone. Clearly, this shows a vastly increased rate of dam failures all throughout our country.
And the problem is more extensive than this, with even dams that haven’t failed not what they should be. In fact, this is often far from the case, as up to four thousand dams – more of them, in fact – declared as being unsafe by the organization the American Society of Civil Engineers. Even if these dams have not yet failed, it is likely that they will in the years that are to come if nothing is done and no steps are taken to improve their conditions. In the years that are to come, this number of dangerous dams found in the United States is only likely to continue to climb and dams throughout the country go older and older and more and more outdated.
Finally, the use of aerial lidar and digital imaging services has discovered that our sewer systems are also far from ideal and far from what they should be. Unfortunately, the data that has been gathered on this subject more than backs up this claim, showing that more than one trillion gallons of sewage are spewed and leaked for every single passing year that goes by here in the United States. Of course, this poses a huge risk to communities all around the country, exposing them to harmful substances and harmful bacteria thanks to the sewage problem that has developed in far too many places that are far too close to home.