Base PDH

Automated Machine Guidance in Heavy Civil Construction

Materials & Construction

Last Updated: April 19, 2026

PDH_CREDITS
3 Hours
PRICE
$30.00

Summary

This course covers the principles and applications of automated machine guidance (AMG) in heavy civil construction, drawing from FHWA's Automated Machine Guidance in Heavy Civil Construction (FHWA-HRT-16-031). Topics include 3D engineered model development, GNSS and total station positioning systems, AMG implementation for grading and paving, construction inspection workflows using geospatial data, and integration of automation technologies across the highway project lifecycle. Students will develop the technical foundation to evaluate AMG systems, understand data requirements at each project phase, and anticipate coordination challenges when deploying these technologies on highway construction projects.

Learning Objectives

  1. Define automated machine guidance and describe how GNSS, robotic total stations, and 3D engineered models work together to guide or control construction equipment during grading, paving, and milling operations.

  2. Explain the data preparation workflow for AMG deployment, including corridor model development, DTM surface creation, control network requirements, and the file formats used to transfer design data to machine control systems.

  3. Identify the inspection and quantity verification methods enabled by AMG technologies, including GNSS rover surveys, static and mobile LiDAR, and surface-to-surface comparison techniques for earthwork computations.

  4. Describe the lifecycle integration challenges associated with automation technology in highway construction, including data migration between project phases, network accuracy requirements, and the evolving state DOT policy landscape for AMG implementation.

Notice: Our courses do not yet qualify for PDH credit for engineers licensed in Florida, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, and New York. Check your state requirements for details.

Course Reading Material

Automated Machine Guidance in Heavy Civil Construction

BasePDH  |  Course No. 005  |  3 PDH

Source: FHWA-HRT-16-031

Report No.: FHWA-HRT-16-031
Title: Automated Machine Guidance in Heavy Civil Construction
Publisher: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), U.S. Department of Transportation
Date: February 2018

Publication No. FHWA-HRT-16-031 | February 2018 U.S. Department of Transportation — Federal Highway Administration

Glossary of Terms

3D engineered model: A 3D model of a roadway or related feature that is developed to the appropriate engineering precision to support construction applications.

3D solid primitives: Solid 3D CAD objects that do not have any intelligence. They are based on regular 3D geometric shapes like cylinders and cubes. 3D solid primitives may be mathematically extracted from point clouds to represent pipes, bridge piers, bridge girders, utility poles, etc., in CAD objects that are easier to manipulate for clash detection or visualization.

4D model: A simulation of how a facility changes over time, usually during construction. A 4D model is the product of connecting a 3D model to a schedule, introducing the fourth dimension of time.

5D model: A simulation of how a facility changes over time where the related costs of those changes are included in the simulation. Usually, the changes involve construction, and the costs are incorporated in the schedule. The fifth dimension represents cost.

Absolute accuracy: Also called "network accuracy," the level of accuracy in relation to a global coordinate system. In simple terms, it is the accuracy with which something can be located in the world.

AMG: Use of survey-grade position sensors and on-board computers to guide an operator or control the hydraulics of construction equipment.

Classification: The process by which software sorts LiDAR data points into categories based on predefined rules. Predefined categories include ground, vegetation, noise, and water.

Corridor model: A method of modeling linear designs in CADD. The corridor combines horizontal and vertical alignments, super-elevation definitions, and a parametric cross-section definition with a DTM surface to create a 3D approximation of the design concept. The corridor model can output DTMs of proposed surfaces like subgrade for use in AMG.

Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS): Continuously operating Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers in a fixed location that compute and broadcast a position correction for use in real-time kinematic (RTK) GNSS applications.

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