AI and Remote Sensing for Resilient and Sustainable Built Environments: A Review of Current Methods, Open Data and Future Directions

TL;DR

This review discusses how AI and remote sensing technologies can improve damage detection and monitoring of critical transport infrastructure, highlighting current methods, data challenges, and future research directions for resilient and sustainable built environments.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of AI applications in infrastructure damage assessment, emphasizing the integration of SAR data and identifying key research gaps.

Findings

Limited studies on AI with SAR data for bridge damage detection

AI models effectively assess damage in roads and bridges

Research gaps identified for future AI-driven infrastructure monitoring

Abstract

Critical infrastructure, such as transport networks, underpins economic growth by enabling mobility and trade. However, ageing assets, climate change impacts (e.g., extreme weather, rising sea levels), and hybrid threats ranging from natural disasters to cyber attacks and conflicts pose growing risks to their resilience and functionality. This review paper explores how emerging digital technologies, specifically Artificial Intelligence (AI), can enhance damage assessment and monitoring of transport infrastructure. A systematic literature review examines existing AI models and datasets for assessing damage in roads, bridges, and other critical infrastructure impacted by natural disasters. Special focus is given to the unique challenges and opportunities associated with bridge damage detection due to their structural complexity and critical role in connectivity. The integration of SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) data with AI models is also discussed, with the review revealing a critical research gap: a scarcity of studies applying AI models to SAR data for comprehensive bridge damage assessment. Therefore, this review aims to identify the research gaps and provide foundations for AI-driven solutions for assessing and monitoring critical transport infrastructures.