Inspection in the Field: An Overview of the Current State of Practice of Mobile Devices in State Departments of Transportation

Existing and emerging digital technologies are transforming State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) to design, plan, construct, inspect, maintain, and document construction projects. With the advancements of smartphones, tablets and peripheral devices are increasingly used as innovative tools in construction project delivery, specifically in field inspection and documentation. The paper outlines an overview of the ongoing practice of mobile devices as a tool for Project Documentation and Inspection. An online survey was distributed to state DOT representatives regarding the practices for using mobile devices to support digitized project documentation and inspection. The responses were received concerning the current state of practice of mobile devices (e.g., level of personnel issued mobile devices within the agency, administration of mobile devices), cost implications for using mobile devices (e.g., software licenses, capital replacement); and challenges and barriers (e.g., connectivity, mobile device management) correlated with using mobile devices for inspection. The finding shows the current state of mobile device usage among those states and also acts as a guidance and strategy for other state DOTs continuing to invest in using mobile devices for inspection and documentation.