Two presentations on the decisions made above the individual project. The first examines how transportation and infrastructure agencies can shift from reactive documentation to proactive digital delivery, using lidar, mobile mapping, imagery, IoT, and AI analytics as a trusted source of truth across planning, construction, operations, and emergency response. The second focuses on what engineering design actually requires from the data: starting from the intended use rather than the technology, defining accuracy and deliverables up front, holding survey control and QA discipline, and managing files and access so the dataset stays usable as facilities change.
12:00 PM – 12:30 PM
Reality Capture: Moving from Reactive to Proactive Digital Delivery
Presented by John Niles, Accenture
Transportation and Infrastructure agencies are under increasing pressure to modernize aging infrastructure, deliver capital programs faster, improve operational resilience, and optimize limited funding. Reality Capture provides the digital foundation to meet these challenges by transforming physical assets into accurate, data-rich digital environments.
By proactively integrating lidar, drones, mobile mapping, 360° imagery, photogrammetry, IoT, and AI-enabled analytics, transportation and infrastructure organizations can rapidly capture highways, bridges, rail corridors, tunnels, airports, and energy facilities with engineering-grade accuracy. The resulting digital models create a trusted source of truth that supports planning, design, construction, operations, and maintenance throughout the asset lifecycle.
For capital projects, Reality Capture enables project teams to monitor construction progress, validate work completed, identify deviations early, and improve collaboration among owners, contractors, and engineering partners. During operations, captured data powers digital twins that support predictive maintenance, asset condition assessments, operational planning, and emergency response while reducing costly field inspections and minimizing service disruptions.
For owners, when combined with digital programs with capabilities in AI, cloud, data, and intelligent asset management, Reality Capture becomes more than a visualization tool—it becomes an enterprise decision platform. AI can automatically detect infrastructure changes, identify safety hazards, measure project progress, and generate actionable insights that help agencies prioritize investments, reduce risk, and improve service delivery.
As transportation and infrastructure networks become increasingly connected, Reality Capture also strengthens infrastructure resilience by providing accurate geospatial intelligence for incident management, disaster recovery, security planning, and future network expansion. Integrated with GIS, BIM, enterprise asset management, and digital engineering platforms, it enables agencies to move from reactive operations to predictive, data-driven decision making.
This session will focus on moving from a reactive to proactive model for organizations to harness Reality Capture as part of a broader digital transformation strategy—connecting physical infrastructure with intelligent digital capabilities to improve project outcomes, increase operational efficiency, and build safer, more resilient transportation and infrastructure networks for the future.
12:30 PM – 1:00 PM
Reality Capture for Engineering Design: Building Accurate, Controlled, and Usable Data Environments
Presented by Adam Driggers, Hargrove Engineers & Constructors
This discussion will explore how owner-operators, engineers, survey professionals, and technology providers can successfully implement reality capture data to support engineering design where accuracy, quality, and trust are critical. The central theme is that successful reality capture is not defined by the scanner, drone, or software platform being used; it is defined by the ability to build a controlled, accurate, organized, and usable data environment that engineers can rely on for decision-making.
The discussion will address why project teams should begin with the intended engineering use of the data before selecting a capture method. Topics will include defining required accuracy, understanding deliverable expectations, aligning capture methods with design tolerances, and avoiding the common mistake of allowing technology preference to drive the reality capture strategy. Engineering quality is directly tied to the quality of dimensional data and that the best reality capture strategy is driven by project requirements rather than technology preferences.
How different technologies—terrestrial laser scanning, SLAM/mobile scanning, drone lidar, photogrammetry, 360° imagery, and dimensional control surveys—serve different purposes depending on the accuracy requirements, site conditions, accessibility constraints, and intended use of the data. The session will reinforce that no single capture technology solves every problem and that the strongest programs often combine multiple methods to leverage their complementary strengths.
A major focus will be the importance of survey control and quality assurance. Without sufficient surveyed constraints, scan data can experience dimensional drift, accumulated error, and facility-wide discrepancies that may lead to fit-up issues, clashes, rework, and loss of confidence in the dataset.
The discussion will also examine the role of data management, change management, and accessibility in long-term success. Reality capture programs must go beyond collection by establishing geographic organization, documented workflows, file naming standards, scalable processing resources, and processes for keeping data current as facilities change. The session will highlight how reality capture delivers value when reliable data is accessible to the people making design, construction, inspection, and operational decisions.
Ultimately, this discussion will frame reality capture as a foundation for better engineering outcomes. When disciplined survey control, appropriate accuracy, strong quality processes, organized data management, and practical accessibility come together, reality capture becomes a trusted resource for engineering design, construction coordination, and asset lifecycle management.
