Geosynthetics April/May 2023 - 12

UPDATE
FHWA launches Geosynthetic Installation
Notes Tracker mobile application
By Kevin Kerfoot
T
he Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Center for Local Aid Support, in a collaborative
effort with the Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA), has launched the Geosynthetics
Installation Notes Tracker mobile application. The mobile app provides handheld, quick and easy
access to information on the various types and functions of geosynthetic materials for use in road
construction and maintenance projects.
The mobile app features include specification requirements and site inspection guidance for
walls, slopes, pavement, erosion control and drainage. It also features quick searches, key terms,
notes tracker, bookmarks, checklists, share documents and informational videos. It is available
now in the Apple Store and Google Play Store and will be a welcome tool for anyone utilizing
geosynthetics. It is handy for anyone out in the field on road and maintenance construction
projects because it covers several geosynthetic material subjects, including erosion protection
and roadway reinforcement.
" The engineers, agencies, contractors and others involved in transportation projects will greatly
benefit from the ease of access to geosynthetic products and applications, " says Fred Chuck, GMA
executive director. " As this is now a digital app, it also means that as a live working document, it can
be revised, expanded and kept up to date as the geosynthetic applications and products expand. "
" FHWA had originally planned on developing a series of pocket guides that could be carFHWA
Mobile App QR Code
ried on-site but decided a mobile app would better serve transportation project managers and
their staff by giving them quicker access to information, so the agency coordinated with the
Geosynthetic Materials Association on development of the geosynthetic
mobile application and provided resources and staff
to help develop, test and implement it, " an FHWA spokesperson
says. " The FHWA is always working to accelerate the use of
innovations that make project delivery more efficient, and this
mobile app is a good example of that. "
" The original work was to be a pocket guide to geosynthetics
(before the advent of apps) commissioned by the FHWA
Western Lands group around 2010, " Chuck continues. " GMA
was hired to produce the documents, which included photos
and descriptions for six different pocket guides encompassing
all the various applications and product categories that are
utilized by FHWA projects. The completed guides were never
published for use by the FHWA; then in early 2021, the guides
resurfaced and were put in the hands of the transportation program
manager, Office of Innovative Program Delivery, Center
for Local Aid Support (CLAS) for the FHWA, and they reached
out to GMA for access to the original photos. During the ensuing
conversations, it was determined that the original photos
were not of the quality required for today's digital production
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Geosynthetics | April May 2023
Geosynthetics April/May 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Geosynthetics April/May 2023
