Stockpile Monitoring and Reporting Technology (SMART)

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2021-HABI-69512
Researchers at Purdue University have developed a new method to determine the amount of bulk material in a 3D pile (e.g., salt piles at Department of Transportation storage facilities). Knowing the amount of salt available at each facility helps Departments of Transportation better distribute the salt in advance of snowy or icy conditions, allowing more efficient use. Current methods for estimating the size of a salt pile include using photographic imaging, total stations, tape measures, and/or static laser scanning. These methods can be time- and labor-intensive, expensive, dangerous, and inaccurate. The technology and method developed by the Purdue researchers involves using LiDAR (light detection and ranging) to create a 3D point cloud and using it to estimate the volume of a 3D pile. This technology is portable, compact, adaptable, and simple.

Technology Validation: Relative to static laser scanning or unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with a camera or LiDAR system, the Purdue researchers' approach collects small amounts of data yet determines the volume of a 3D pile at least as accurately.

Advantages
-Portable
-Compact
-Adaptable
-Simple
-Inexpensive
-Safe
-Accurate

Applications
-Estimating the volume of a 3D pile
Dec 20, 2022
Utility-Gov. Funding
United States
(None)
(None)

Dec 20, 2021
Provisional-Gov. Funding
United States
(None)
(None)
Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization
The Convergence Center
101 Foundry Drive, Suite 2500
West Lafayette, IN 47906

Phone: (765) 588-3475
Fax: (765) 463-3486
Email: otcip@prf.org