APPLICATION OF REMOTE SENSING AND GIS IN CIVIL

ENGINEERING
Sandeepan Saha*
Civil Engineering Department
Meghnad Saha Institute of Technology (WBT!
Abstract
Remote Sensing and GIS techniques become
potential and indispensable tools for solving many
problems of civil engineering and terrain. Remote
sensing observations provides data on earths
resources in a spatial format, GIS co-relates
different kinds of spatial data and their attribute data,
so as to use them in various fields of civil engineering.
ifferent themes namely, terrain, geology, hydrology
drainage, land use and so on can be e!tracted from
remote sensing data. "ll the above thematic
information along #ith their attributes can be
integrated to solve many problems of civil
engineering. Some current uses of GIS and Remote
Sensing in civil pro$ects are housing, sanitation, po#er,
#ater supply, disposal of effluents, urban gro#th,
irrigation pro$ect design and planning, ne# road
alignment etc. %or this Remote sensing and GIS are
used to generate development models by integrating
the information on natural resources, demographic
and socio -economic data in a GIS domain #ith
satellite data. &andslides in mountainous areas
causing heavy loss can also be mapped and landslide
prone 'ones can also be delineated.
evelopment of hydropo#er sites and irrigation
pro$ect can also be formulated by integrating terrain
()*+ and thematic maps (land use, geology, )*+.
"ll these can be derived from high resolution stereo
pair of remote sensing data. ,hese techniques are also
useful in rehabilitation also.
-ther uses are )!ploration and *anagement through
Rain#ater .arvesting, Identification / *anagement of
rinking 0ater 1otential, Ground #ater 1otential
2oning, 0atershed *anagement and irrigational
3et#ork 1lanning and tourism. ,hese techniques are
also vital tools for urban and rural developing
planning.
44444444444444444444444444444444444
5 Student, 6
th
7ear, 8. ,ech in Civil Engineering
*obile9 :;<=:>?=@>@
e-mail- sandeepan.saha.augustAgmail.com
1. Remote Sensing
"emote Sensing is the science and art of ac#uiring information (spectral$ spatial$ and
temporal! a%out material$ o%&ects$ area$ or phenomenon$ 'ithout coming into physical
contact 'ith the o%&ects$ or area$ or phenomenon under investigation( Without direct
contact$ some means of transferring information through space must %e utilised( In
practice$ remote sensing is the stand)off collection through the use of a variety of
devices for gathering information on a given o%&ect or area( ( In remote sensing$
information transfer is accomplished %y use of electromagnetic radiation (EM"!( EM"
is a form of energy that reveals its presence %y the o%serva%le effects it produces 'hen
it stri*es the matter( EM" is considered to span the spectrum of 'avelengths from +,)
+, mm to cosmic rays up to +,+, nm$ the %roadcast 'avelengths$ 'hich e-tend from
,(.,)+/mm(
. Geogra!"ic In#ormation S$stem
0 1eographic Information System (1IS! integrates hard'are$ soft'are$ and data for
capturing$ managing$ analy2ing$ and displaying all forms of geographically referenced
information( 1IS also allo's the integration of these data sets for deriving meaningful
information and outputting the information derivatives in map format or ta%ular format(
Three Views of a GIS
0 1IS can %e vie'ed in three 'ays3
+! ,he atabase Bie#9 0 1IS is a uni#ue *ind of data%ase of the 'orld4a
geographic data%ase (geo data%ase!( It is an 5Information System for 1eography(5
6undamentally$ a 1IS is %ased on a structured data%ase that descri%es the 'orld in
geographic terms( 6ig( + schematically represents a 1IS ('e%site referred in
references!(
6ig( + Schematic representation of a 1IS
% ,he *ap Bie#9 0 1IS is a set of intelligent maps and other vie's that sho'
features and feature relationships on the earth7s surface( Maps of the underlying
geographic information can %e constructed and used as 5'indo's into the data%ase5 to
support #ueries$ analysis$ and editing of the information( 6ig( 8 schematically represents
a 1IS ('e%site referred in references!(
6ig( 8 Schematic representation of a Map
&% ,he *odel Bie#9 0 1IS is a set of information transformation tools that derive
ne' geographic datasets from e-isting datasets( These geo)processing functions ta*e
information from e-isting datasets$ apply analytic functions$ and 'rite results into ne'
derived datasets( 6ig( . schematically represents a 1IS ('e%site referred in references!(
6ig( . Schematic representation of a Model
By com%ining data and applying some analytic rules$ 'e can create a model that helps
ans'er the #uestion you have posed( In the 6ig( 9$ 1:S and 1IS 'ere used to accurately
model the e-pected location and distri%ution of de%ris for the Space Shuttle Colum%ia$
'hich %ro*e up upon re)entry over eastern Te-as on 6e%ruary +$ 8,,.(

6ig( 9
Together$ these three vie's are critical parts of an intelligent 1IS and are used at
varying levels in all 1IS applications(
&. A!!'ication o# Remote Sensing an( GIS in Ci)i' Engineering
"emote sensing and 1IS techni#ues %ecome potential and
indispensa%le tools for solving many pro%lems of civil engineering( "emote sensing
o%servations provides data on earth;s resources in a spatial format$ 1IS co)relates
different *inds of spatial data and their attri%ute data$ so as to use them in various fields
of civil engineering(
3.1 In structural engineering:
Structural <ealth Monitoring (S<M! provides designers 'ith feed%ac* of structural
performance$ assisting in development of structures 'ith higher utility and lo'er
manufacturing costs( Structural <ealth Monitoring no'adays continues to advance from
conventional strain gauges to 6B1 6i%re =ptic Sensors (6=S! and ma&or %rea*throughs
in 'ireless remote monitoring( 6i%re optic sensors use optical 'avelength of fi%re Bragg
grating to measure temperature and strain( 6=S has many advantages over the
traditional electrical system such as3
> Suita%le for long)term permanent S<M3 monitor structure during construction stage
and 'hole lifespan as 'ell
> ?o cali%ration needed
> =ne ca%le can have hundreds of the sensors
> Simple installation
> Ca%le can run *ilometres$ no length limit
> 6i%re optic sensors use light signal ) no electrical spar*ing$ intrinsically safe
> 1auge length can %e fe' metres long to measure glo%al %ehaviours of structures
> Suita%le for %oth static and dynamic measurement
The primary of monitoring is to ensure the longevity and safety of the structure as 'ell
as optimi2ing its management( To implement corrective measures and maintenance
action$ monitoring must %e ena%le the timely detection of any condition or %ehavior that
could deteriorate the structure$ deem it unsafe or potentially results in its failure(
The monitoring programme plays a fundamental role during the construction phase as
it ena%les the verification of design hypotheses and construction processes$ affecting$ in
some cases$ the construction rate of the structures and overall #uality( Most defects are
introduced already at the time of construction(
Monitoring also allo's performance evaluation of ne' materials and technologies used
in %ridge construction and reha%ilitation( This o%&ective is easily achieved 'ith fi%re
optic sensors since these sensors effectively integrate in ne' materials such as fi%re)
reinforced polymer composite(
6urthermore$ fi%re optic sensors adapt perfectly to long)term monitoring of %ridges
%ehaviour as 'ell as short)term monitoring of %ridges dynamic %ehaviour under traffic
load(
6inally$ monitoring can %e used as a tool for @supervised lifetime e-tensionA of %ridges
approaching the end of their life or in need of ma&or repair( It ensures that such %ridges
are operated safely 'hile allo'ing the postponement of ma&or investments and traffic
disruption(

(a! (%!
6ig( / ) 6B1 sensor installation in %ridge re%ar segments B (a! Individual component of
a 6B1 Sensor and (%! 6B1 Sensor installed in a %ridge(
(Static 'oa(ing% *D$namic 'oa(ing%
Fig. 6 FBG sensor response embedded in concrete structure (CGCRI,Kolkata)
3.2 Regional Planning an Site Investigations:
Site investigations in general re#uire topographic and geologic considerations( "emote
sensing data permits such an assessment( In case of dam site investigation$ information
on topography is essential( 1eological consideration involves the different soil and roc*
types and physical properties(
In selecting river)crossing sites for %ridges and pipelines$ an important consideration is
the sta%ility of slopes leading do'n to and up from the 'ater crossing( Such slopes
include river%an*s$ terrace faces and valley 'all( <istory of river erosion and
sedimentation 'ould give clues needed for locating the sites 'here scour is li*ely to
occur( <igh spatial resolution satellite data 'ith stereo vision capa%ility can facilitate
depth perception in the a%ove said investigations and also for regional planning of large
commercial airports$ har%ors$ industrial to'ns and recreational sites( The hydro
geological and geomorphologic information along 'ith geological structures derived
from satellite data are very useful in sitting the ground B 'ater %ore holes(
3.3 Town Planning an !r"an #evelo$%ent:
To achieve the o%&ectives of ma*ing metropolis cities more liva%le and of international
standard$ a co)coordinated and integrated approach among the various agencies
involved in ur%an development and provision of services are needed including
participatory process in planning and implementation at local %ody levels( 0s 'ell as to
have planned and organi2ed disposal of population through gro'th centres$ 'hich 'ill
acts as counter)magnets to the cities gro'th( This gro'th may not a%le to 'ithstand the
e-isting infrastructure$ traffic$ road$ drainage and utility net'or*s etc( 0dvance ur%an
planning is re#uired for a planned development of the area for 'hich up to date real
time and accurate information are the vital important( 1eographical Information system
C "emote Sensing is inevita%le technology in the development of national
Infrastructure and planning and they provide solution related to many environmental
0
0
!00
!0
"00
"0
#00
$00 $%0 $%00 $#0 $#00 $"0 $"00 $!0 $!00 $0 0
Micro strain
L
o
a
d

i
n

k
N
&ackaged FBG sensor
'train Gage (()erage)
issue( It is very much important for ur%an planning activities C environmental
improvement(
6or sustaina%le development of ur%an agglomeration$ optimal ur%an land use plans and
resources development models need to %e generated %y integrating the information on
natural resources$ demographic and socio B economic data in a 1IS domain 'ith the
currently availa%le satellite data(
3.& Environ%ent an Geolog':
Whether for irrigation$ po'er generation$ drin*ing$ manufacturing$ or recreation$ 'ater
is one of our most critical resources( Image interpretation can %e used in a variety of
'ays to help monitor the #uality$ #uantity of 'ater resources( It is 'ell proven in
e-ploring ground 'ater prospect 2ones( =ne such e-ample is "a&iv 1andhi Drin*ing
Water Mission 'ith help of remote sensing and 1IS(
Sediment pollution is often clearly depicted on aerial and space images( Materials that
form films on the 'ater surface$ such as oil films$ can also %e detected through the use
of aerial and satellite images( ?ormal colours or ultraviolet aerial photography is often
employed for the detection of oil films on 'ater( Thic* oil slic*s have a distinct %ro'n
or %lac* colour( Thinner oil sheens and oil rain%o's have a characteristic silvery sheen
or iridescent colour %anding %ut do not have a distinct %ro'n or %lac* colour(
Dhar*hand State no')a) days are affected 'ith ground 'ater scarcity forcing the people
to depend on the surface 'ater li*e la*es$ rivers etc( 'hich are polluted li*e Damodar
"iver and Su'arnre*ha river( Damodar river flo'ing through coal fields is affected
'ith sediment pollution carrying coal mining 'astes leading to lo'ering of 'ater level
from ?ovem%er to Dune(
0 *no'ledge of ground'ater location is important for %oth 'ater supply and pollution
control analysis( "emote sensing plays a vital role in delineating potential areas of
ground'ater occurrence for detailed e-ploration$ thus reducing the cost and time
involved in ground'ater e-ploration( :otential ground'ater areas cannot %e seen on
satellite images directly( The clue to the ground'ater search is the fact that su%)surface
geological elements forming a#uifers have almost invaria%le surface e-pressions$ 'hich
can %e detected %y remote sensing techni#ues (Doseph$ 8,,/!( Satellite data provide
information a%out geomorphic features$ structures$ land uses and roc* types (in a fe'
cases! indicating the presence of ground'ater( Some selected landforms and structural
features that are indicators for potential ground'ater 2ones are valley fills$
palaeochannels$ alluvial fans$ dy*es$ interdunal depression etc(

3.5(ater Resources Engineering:
By analy2ing multi)date "S data$ it 'ould %e possi%le to monitor the effects of dam
construction( "emotely sensed data of pre and post dam construction can reveal the
forest and other land at different 'ater levels( This 'ould also help in preliminary
investigation of impact assessment of dams and reha%ilitation(
To study the feasi%ility of inter %asin transfer of surplus flood flo's$ "S data can %e
cost effective( In large area reconnaissance studies$ various technically feasi%le and
economically via%le alternatives in locating surplus flo' diversion routes to 'ater
deficient %asins can %e arrived at( 0lso$ reservoir sites to store the surplus flo's in these
%asins could %e identified( Such pro&ects of large dimensions re#uire considerations of
land use E land cover$ soil and geological mapping$ terrain evaluation$ construction
material inventory etc( the latter are derived from satellite remote sensing data of
particular resolution depending upon the scale on 'hich such information is re#uired(
The 'ater storage %uilt in through reservoirs$ tan*s$ etc($ are often reduced due to
sedimentation( "emotely sensed data can %e used to monitor the 'ater %odies over time
and assess the silting condition( In case of gauged reservoirs of medium to large si2es$
"S data can provide an assessment of sediment volume and reduction in the capacity of
sediment volume and reduction in the capacity of the reservoir( In case of small 'ater
%odies such as tan*s$ it is possi%le to come out 'ith a list of pro%lematic tan*s 'ith
symptoms of heavy siltation and loss of 'ater holding capacity( The condition of tan*
%unds$ fore shore encroachment$ etc($ also can %e analysed 'ith the help of high spatial
resolution "S data(
Characteri2ation of 'ater %odies in terms of geological$ geomorphological$ hydro
geological$ soil and land use E land cover parameters carried out using "S data ena%les
conservation of land and 'ater resources( The "S %ased input integrated 'ith ground
%ased information through 1IS is useful for %road reconnaissance level interpretation of
land capa%ility$ irrigation suita%ility$ potential land use$ 'ater harvesting areas$
monitoring the effects of soil and 'ater conservation measures$ estimation of run off
and sediment yields and monitoring land use change including land degradation(
The commercial areas of irrigation pro&ects are fed %y different sources of irrigation li*e
reservoir$ tan*s$ ponds and 'ells( 0ssessment of command areas and crops 'ould %e
highly useful in 'ater release policy or con&unctive use of 'ater in the overall pro&ect
command area( Satellite data has %een advantageously used to o%tain such information
on surface irrigation pro&ects(
In case of floods$ appropriate flood management 'or* has to %e e-ecuted to reduce the
damages and utili2e the flood'aters( sing multi)date :reflood and post flood images!
damage due to flood can %e successfully assessed( This 'ill help in mitigation and
relief distri%ution(
Satellite derived sno' cover assessment is %eing e-tensively used as an important input
in sno' melt runoff prediction models to assist in multi purpose reservoir operations(
Seasonal sno' melt inflo' forecasts for Bha*ra reservoir in Sutle& %asin are %eing
operationally issued every year 'ith the accuracy %etter than F,G to Bha*ra Beas
Management Board(
3.) *anslies:
Handslide is the result of a 'ide variety of processes 'hich include geological$
geomorphological and meteorological factors( The important terrain factors are
lithology$ structure$ drainage$ slope$ land use$ geomorphology and road net'or*( 0
complete landslide ha2ard assessment re#uires an analysis of all these factors leading to
insta%ility in the region( The feature e-traction of some of these factors can %e done
from the interpretation of satellite images( With the increase in efficient digital
computing facilities$ the digital remote sensing data and their analysis have gained
enormous importance( Then the spatial and temporal thematic informations derived
from remote sensing and ground %ased information need to %e integrated for data
analysis( This can %e very 'ell achieved using 1IS 'hich has the capa%ilities to handle
voluminous spatial data( With the help of 1IS$ it is possi%le to integrate the spatial data
of different layers to determine the influence of the parameters on landslide occurrence(

3.+ *east cost highwa' align%ent:
<igh'ays are part of the infrastructure that ma*es up the spinal cord of modern society(
1IS provides a valua%le tool in the process of planning and design of high'ays( To
o%tain an optimum high'ay route alignment 'hich is economical$ suita%le and
compati%le 'ith the environment$ various types of data have to consider simultaneously(
<andling and managing this large amount of data manually$ is not easy( It is here 1IS
comes to help$ %ecause of its inherent property of handling large %ul* of spatial data$
non spatial data and its analysis( "emote sensing images of the study area 'ere used as
the source (spatial data!( Iarious collateral data from various offices 'as collected to %e
used as non spatial data( These images 'ere used to prepare the digiti2ed formats
re#uired for the 1IS techni#ues( sing the "esistance concept (such as areas suita%le for
the ne' alignment 'ere assigned a lo' resistance value$ 'hereas the areas not suita%le
for the ne' alignment 'ere assigned a high resistance value! the data 'as prepared for
analysis( Spatial 0nalyst tool of 0rc1IS version J(+ 'as used for performing the
analysis(
3., Terrain -a$$ing an .nal'sis:
0ssessment of the performance of the terrain for specific developmental activities can
%e made through terrain evaluation( 6or this$ terrain information can %e ac#uired from
"S data and %y generating the Digital Terrain Model (DTM!( 0 DTM is an ordered
array of num%ers representing the spatial distri%ution of terrain characteristics stored in
a computer so as to ena%le the determination of any #uantitative data pertaining to
terrain( DTMS is useful in investigation of a num%er of alternative hori2ontal and
vertical alignments of canals$ roads$ pipelines or corridors for any such applications( In
engineering construction li*e dam$ the *no'ledge of material comprising the terrain is
essential for proper planning$ location$ construction and maintenance of engineering
facilities( 6or computation of hydrograph parameters li*e pea* runoff rate$ time of
concentration and time to pea*$ the height and slope information derived from Digital
Elevation Model (DEM! are useful(
The information on regional engineering soils is essential for general planning and site
evaluation purposes( <igh spatial resolution satellite data can %e analy2ed to delineate
various landforms$ mapping of soil classes of significance to engineering construction$
delineation of landforms B engineering$ soil relationships and grouping of landforms
'ith various physiographic setting or terrain associations(
"emote sensing %ased inventory of construction material such as %oulders$ #uarry roc*$
sand B clay mi-tures etc($ 'ould help to locate suita%le sites of construction materials
for %uilding up of 'ater resources engineering pro&ects li*e dams$ %ridges$ etc($ across
the rivers(
+. Conc',sion
There are ample evidences of applying the recent advances in satellite %ased remote
sensing and 1IS technology in various fields of civil engineering( India;s space
programme ensuring continuous availa%ility of "S data and launching of future
satellites carrying high spatial and spectral resolution sensors can go a long 'ay in
providing useful information re#uired for civil engineering applications(
-. Ac.no/'e(gement
I 'ould li*e to than* and e-press my sincere gratitude to Dr( M( Kudrat$ scientist$ I"SC
for his *ind inspiration for the preparation of this paper(
0. Re#erence
+( @0n overvie' of "emote Sensing and 1IS applications in civil engineeringA$
Director$ ??"MS)""SSC$ IS"= <ead#uarters(
8( 0pplication ?ote$ "octest Htd($ Canada)D9: 8:9(
e)mail3 infoLroctest(com$ 'e%site B '''(roctest(com
.( Chidam%aram$ M($ @Scientific 1IS Digital Base Maps) r%an :lanning using
1IS E "S Technologies(
9( '''(1IS(com B the guide to geographic information system(
/( Doseph$ 1( (8,,/!( 6undamentals of "emote Sensing (8nd ed(!( niversity
:ress$ <ydera%ad(
M( Michael 1oodchild$ David D$ David W "hind$ :aul 0$ (+FF,! @1eographical
Information System$ Management issues and 0pplicationsA$ Dohn Wiley C
Sons$ Iol 8(
N( :riyadarshi$ ?( (8,,9!( Distri%ution of arsenic in :ermian coals of ?orth
Karanpura coalfield$ Dhar*hand( Dr( 1eol( Soc( India$ vol(M.$ pp( /..)/.M(
J( Sar*ar$ S( C Kanungo$ D(:($ @Handslides in "elation to Terrain :arameters) 0
"emote Sensing and 1IS approach(
F( Srirama$ B($ Bhatt$ M("( C :athan$ S(K($@ Heast Cost <igh'ay 0lignment
sing 1IS Techni#ue(A