The Use of Colorimeters to Support Remote Sensing Techniques on Asphalt Pavements

• Published in: Remote sensing (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 12; no. 23; p. 3911
• Main Authors: Mettas, Christodoulos, Evagorou, Evagoras, Agapiou, Athos, Hadjimitsis, Diofantos
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01-12-2020
• Subjects: Aging; Asphalt; Asphalt pavements; Color; color to spectral; colorimeter; Colorimeters; Cost control; Data analysis; Difference equations; Ground truth; Laboratories; Methodology; Remote sensing; Satellites; Spectral bands; Spectral sensitivity; spectroradiometer; Spectroradiometers; Unmanned aerial vehicles; Variance analysis; WorldView 3
• ISSN: 2072-4292; 2072-4292
• DOI: 10.3390/rs12233911

Characterization of asphalt pavements, based on ground spectroradiometers, has been studied in the past to determine their spectral response concerning the physical, chemical, and condition properties of the pavement. This paper suggests an alternative technique for characterizing ageing of asphalt pavements using a colorimeter. Colorimeters are considered as affordable equipment in laboratories in contrast to other scientific instruments and turn remote sensing ground techniques more accessible to industry. Therefore, the study proposes a new methodology indicating how colorimeters can be used in combination with satellite data for the age characterization of asphalt pavements. Spectroradiometer data are compared in a two-way methodology to colorimeter data. The final steps of the methodology used in the study show very similar results for both equipment after a comparison of separability indices (Euclidean and Mahalanobis distances). It is a fact that colorimeter data can be used as ground truth data. The application was performed using an in-band analysis of WorldView 3 (WV3) spectral bands situated in the visible electromagnetic spectrum. Based on the findings of this study, we proposed the Normalized Difference Equation/filter for asphalt Pavement Age characterization Index (NDPAI).