Increasing the value of bridge SHM data by leveraging network-level open data

Abstract

Installing and maintaining structural health monitoring (SHM) systems on infrastructure assets can be expensive. These systems may produce large volumes of data that require processing and interpretation before the behaviour of the asset can be understood and assessed. However, in-depth understanding typically also requires knowledge of asset construction details and loading patterns. These data may be produced and stored using disparate systems, databases, and file types, creating additional challenges for data fusion and interoperability. Additionally, there has been an increasing trend towards public bodies providing access to their data either reactively because of freedom of information requests, or proactively to encourage use by researchers or to allow others to provide innovative products or services using the data in ways not anticipated by those generating and providing them. This paper presents potential strategies to leverage publicly available data from sources such as Network Rail Open Data Feeds, Rail Data Marketplace, OpenRail Data, OpenStreetMap and others, to contextualise and increase the value of SHM data. Data are considered from four instrumented railway bridges in the U.K., each of varying steel, concrete, and masonry construction. This paper presents scenarios by which these data might be used to gain network-level insights into other structures on the network and discusses the current difficulties in achieving this in practice.