Auburn University’s National Center for Asphalt Technology joins with Pavia Systems to use ‘HeadLight’ system for pavement test track research

Article body

The National Center for Asphalt Technology, or NCAT, at Auburn University has partnered with Pavia Systems for the use of HeadLight, a project inspection tool, to be used in pavement test track research.

Focused on providing practical research to meet the needs of maintaining America's highway infrastructure, NCAT's pavement test track is an unmatched, accelerated pavement-testing facility that brings together real-world pavement construction with live, heavy trafficking for rapid testing and analysis of asphalt pavements.

HeadLight is a software system built with real-time, direct input from project inspectors on the job, designed exclusively for road-owning government agencies to gain easier, more effective and less-costly ways for their teams to perform project inspections in the field.

"We are very excited to partner with NCAT as they continue to work to advance pavement technologies," said George White, chief executive officer and co-founder of Pavia Systems. "The work that comes out of the test track helps the industry continue to understand and improve pavements and we are proud to be able to support that mission by providing access to HeadLight during the construction of the new track sections."

The track's 46 test sections are sponsored on three-year cycles funded and managed as a cooperative project among highway agencies and industry sponsors. Each sponsor has specific research objectives for their section(s) as well as shared objectives for the track as a whole.

Participating state transportation agencies in the 2015-2018 test cycle include: Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Wisconsin, as well as the Federal Highway Administration, or FHWA. To promote connectivity among NCAT staff and sponsors, NCAT will utilize Pavia's software-as-a-service, or SaaS, inspection platform to observe, document and share construction data in real-time.

"This is the fifteenth year of accelerated pavement testing and the sixth pavement test track cycle," said R. Buzz Powell, NCAT assistant director and test track manager. "With our largest group of sponsors ever, we were looking for better ways to give them a window into the construction process."

NCAT conducts research, education and outreach related to asphalt pavements. This work is supported by contracts with state departments of transportation, FHWA, the asphalt pavement construction industry and individual business enterprises. NCAT was established in 1986 as a cooperative venture between the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) and Auburn University. NCAT's Pavement Test Track is a 1.7-mile oval located 30 minutes from Auburn's campus where research is conducted on experimental asphalt pavements. This track is comprised of 46 different 200-ft. test sections sponsored on three-year cycles.

For more information about Pavia Systems, go to http://www.paviasystems.com/ or contact Tony Vignieri, media contact for Pavia Systems, at (619) 817-8912 or (tvignieri@kcdpr.com).

Related Media

Auburn University is a nationally ranked land grant institution recognized for its commitment to world-class scholarship, interdisciplinary research with an elite, top-tier Carnegie R1 classification, life-changing outreach with Carnegie’s Community Engagement designation and an undergraduate education experience second to none. Auburn is home to more than 30,000 students, and its faculty and research partners collaborate to develop and deliver meaningful scholarship, science and technology-based advancements that meet pressing regional, national and global needs. Auburn’s commitment to active student engagement, professional success and public/private partnership drives a growing reputation for outreach and extension that delivers broad economic, health and societal impact.