CenSSIS technologies have the potential to dramatically improve upon current methods of inspecting, evaluating, and diagnosing civil engineering structures such as bridges, pavements, buildings, and pipelines.

Current nondestructive evaluation methods are inadequate for many applications. Structure conditions often can not be characterized in sufficient detail or extent, and therefore repairs are scoped incorrectly, or may be performed at the wrong stage of deterioration. This reduced long term cost efficiency.

Enhanced non-destructive inspection methods will also enable substantial improvments in construction quality control, and make it possilbe to design higly targeted maintenance programs for extending structure life.