Digital Stormwater Asset Management: A 360° Stormwater System Streamview

Inspecting, monitoring, and managing stormwater systems requires comprehensive approaches for collecting reliable data on baseline conditions of streams and associated attributes (e.g., outfalls, basins, crossing infrastructure, etc.). To meet this challenge, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD) in the greater Cleveland area relies on state-of-the-art technology and Reality Capture methods, including 360-degree imagery, to bolster its stormwater asset management program. This presentation details the logistics and methods for planning, capturing, and delivering a digital 360-degree 'streamview' experience for hundreds of miles of waterways. Field technicians use specialized gear and equipment to capture imagery during leaf off conditions. The technology, equipment, and tailored capture methods are developed to navigate terrestrial, aquatic, and aerial environments. Field technicians hike and kayak through streams with GPS and 360-degree cameras. Aerial drones are also outfitted with 360-degree cameras to capture imagery. Once images have been collected in the field, they are paired with location data and uploaded into a viewing platform. Each route is then reviewed and extraneous images are removed. The result is a simple online user interface with a navigable stream centerline. Users can click through the images and can view the scenery in all directions. The location of each picture can also be incorporated into ESRI's ArcGIS Online platform and integrated with other spatial data. The NEORSD regional stormwater program relies on this spherical imagery for documentation of baseline conditions. These images help inform how stormwater systems are inventoried, how erosion and bank stabilization are assessed, and how detailed asset inspections are scheduled. These hundreds of thousands of images available to NEORSD staff and affiliates improves the efficiency of field visits and implementation of regional stormwater program improvements. This presentation spotlights the NEORSD process for obtaining updated images for their hundreds of miles of open channel assets and details the technology that supports their web-viewing platform. Attendees will gain a new perspective on this innovative technology and be able to visualize how comparable data could be incorporated into their own resource management.