In Minnesota, MnDOT conducted a test to evaluate alternative automated mobile mapping systems needed to record the location of travel lanes and support developing technology such as lane departure warning systems (LDW).

A low-cost option ($10,000) used a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) and side-facing video camera installed on the passenger side of a maintenance vehicle to detect and record the location of fog lines (white lines) at the outer edge of travel lanes accurate to within 10 cm.

The high-cost option ($40,000) used GNSS and LIDAR systems to detect the location of curbs and guardrails accurate to within 10 cm, and roadway centerlines accurate to within 6 cm.

The agency selected the low-cost option because that was all that was needed at the time. Researchers noted, however, that if additional infrastructure features need to be mapped in the future, the GNSS-video camera system can be equipped with additional forward facing cameras to detect the location of centerline striping, road signs, obstacles, and other infrastructure objects. The system can also detect the quality of fog lines so agencies can maintain them more effectively.