Abstract:
Dam Safety Control has been at the front line of technology adoption in what concerns data
acquisition. However, it does not take full advantage of the latest advancements when it comes to
in-situ, real-time, information visualization. This work explores the application of Augmented Reality
to the inspection and monitoring of large Civil Engineering structures, namely concrete dams. The
proposed approach focuses on offering new visualization possibilities, that are not accessible
through traditional means, to Dam Safety Control. In that scope, it depicts the specification and
development of a proof-of-concept prototype that allows the monitoring of relevant structural-related
information in an Augmented Reality environment. In particular, it offers an easy and straightforward
way for Civil Engineers and Observation Technicians a mean to access data from the network of
sensors situated in the downstream face and the interior of the structure. Besides providing
insightful information on the current status, it allows exploring the evolution in time of values
registered in each sensor. A preliminary study aimed at validating the proposed approach shows
that Augmented Reality technologies can be used efficiently in Dam Safety Control.
