Center for Transportation Research and Education

In an ITE Journal article titled, “Seeing More with Less: Using Emerging Technologies to Monitor Rural Infrastructure,” Institute for Transportation (InTrans) researchers highlight how technological advances can enable scalable, data-driven asset monitoring for agencies that have the combined challenges of overseeing large regions and limited resources.

The article, authored by InTrans’ Inya Nlenanya, Zia Zihan, and Omar Smadi, is one of just five feature articles in the July 2025 edition of the preeminent magazine for transportation professionals. The edition exclusively focuses on the challenges and opportunities in rural transportation and was released just ahead of Rural Road Safety Awareness Week, which will be July 14–18.

“It’s time we gave rural roads the attention they deserve,” read a message by Karen Aspelin, Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) international president, introducing the edition. “Whether we live in a city or in a rural area, we need to advocate for the continual improvement of these facilities. Let’s recognize their role in our economy, their impact on public safety, and their connection to the places we love.”

The theme of rural transportation in most featured articles was further concentrated on the latest data processing and technological advances that can help improve monitoring and safety in the nation’s—and the world’s—rural areas.

Specifically, the article authored by the InTrans researchers synthesized emerging technological solutions, focusing on the role of remote sensing and image analytics in bridging the gap between more advanced, available options and the more traditional inspection methods that are insufficient for capturing timely, objective, and network-wide condition data.

“Data-driven monitoring using sensors, imaging, and analytics supports continuous condition assessment, enabling early intervention to improve safety and reduce costs, with advances in remote sensing, drones, and cloud computing making these tools increasingly accessible to resource-limited rural communities,” read the article, which is available in full at this link.

The authors are all experts in data-driven asset management at InTrans, with Nlenanya leading the Iowa Pavement Management Program and Smadi leading the Center for Transportation Research and Education. Zihan, a postdoctoral research associate, has particular expertise in using advanced data acquisition methods combined with analytics driven by artificial intelligence to develop scalable and cost-effective solutions for transportation infrastructure management.