ABSTRACT
CONTENTS 12.1 Introduction ............................................................................................. 237 12.2 Spectral Properties of Asphalt Road Surfaces ................................... 238 12.3 Typical Asphalt Road Distresses.......................................................... 241 12.4 Asphalt Road Surface Maintenance..................................................... 243 12.5 Other Surface Features........................................................................... 244 12.6 Summary and Remote Sensing Prospects .......................................... 245 Acknowledgments ............................................................................................. 246 References ........................................................................................................... 247
Recent advances in imaging spectroscopy have shown capabilities to derive physical and chemical material properties on a very detailed level (Clark, 1999) with the potential of hyperspectral remote sensing to study and survey transportation assets and road surfaces being mentioned on several occasions (Usher and Truax, 2001; Gomez, 2002; Herold et al., 2004). Consequently, one would raise the questions: What are common spectral characteristics of roads and how are specific road surface conditions reflected in the spectral characteristics of these surfaces? The Santa Barbara asphalt road spectra library was developed to provide generic understanding about the spectral properties of road surfaces in various conditions and with different distresses (Herold and Roberts, 2005). The following examples and interpretations represent a subset of this spectra library and should support remote sensing researchers, transportation scientists, and others in their study of road surface conditions.
