PSI - Issue 84

Regina Finocchiaro et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 84 (2026) 1264–1269

1269

(ii) the proposal of a “soft” integration based on a perceptual lexicon, traceability, and concise perceptual quality metadata, usable as quality control and decision support in the L0  L3/L4 transitions. Future developments by the Authors will include validation on real datasets, intra-/inter-inspector agreement measures, and integration with digital systems and advanced survey techniques: for these reasons some real cases are under investigation at the moment. 8. Methodological Notes The perceptual integration proposed in this work has been developed as an operational framework compatible with the Italian Bridge Guidelines: the intent is to act on data quality and traceability without altering the multi-level logic (L0  L3/L4) or introducing new level classes or decision operators in respect on the cited Guidelines. The framework is based on three principal assumptions: (i) visual inspection produces technical information through a process of perceptual organization (ii) this process can be made declarable and auditable through a minimal representation lexicon and rules (iii) observational quality (coverage, legibility, stability of grouping) is a variable that should be made explicit because it conditions the transition from L1 to L2 and it justifies the selection of L3/L4. Operationally, the framework introduces concise metadata associated with elements and phenomena; it is intended to function as inspection quality control and as support for uncertainty management. The idea is do not modify the CdA assignment, but to qualify to what extent it is based on robust observations or, conversely, on partial/ambiguous evidence. The method goal is to make inspection campaigns repeatable and comparable (also by different operators), to facilitate the time-based reading of information databases, and to enable traceable criteria to anticipate targeted investigations when an “observational debt” emerges. Operational details, form structures, and complete implementation rules are under development and will be presented separately in methodological and experimental validation papers. References A NSFISA National Agency of Road and Rail Infrastructure, 2022. Operational Instructions for the application of the Guidelines for risk classification and management, safety assessment, and monitoring of existing bridges, according to Ministry of Infrastructure and Sustainable Mobility, Decree 2022, July 1 (in Italian) A NSFISA National Agency of Road and Rail Infrastructure, 2025. Update of the Operational Instructions for the application of the Guidelines for risk classification and management, safety assessment, and monitoring of existing bridges. Decree No. 413, 2025, November 5, Italian High Council of Public Works (C SLP ) President (in Italian) Couto, M., Prada, R., Fernandes, P. D., Lopes, M., Prandi, D., Prasetya,· I. S. W. B., Ansari, S.G., 2025. Towards a comprehensive framework for automated testing of user experience. Journal of Quality and User Experience. 10, 3 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41233-025-00073-6 Dorafshan, S., Maguire, M., Hoffer, N., Coopmans, C., 2018. Bridge Inspection: Human Performance, Unmanned Aerial Systems, and Automation. Journal of Civil Structural Health Monitoring. 8, 443–476 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13349-018-0285-4 Frangopol, D.M., Dong, Y., Sabatino, S., 2017. Bridge life-cycle performance and cost: analysis, prediction, optimisation and decision-making. In Structures and infrastructure systems.Structure and Infrastructure Engineering. 13(10), 1-19. Guidelines for risk classification and management, safety assessment, and monitoring of existing bridges – Annex A. Decree No. 54, 2022, June 10, Italian High Council of Public Works (C SLP ) President (in Italian) Guidelines for risk classification and management, safety assessment, and monitoring of existing bridges, 2022, Ministry of Infrastructure and Sustainable Mobility, 2022, Decree 2022, July 1, Italian Official Gazette, General Series No. 196, 2022, August 23 (in Italian) Liu, P., Shi, Y., Xiong, R., Tang, P., 2023. Quantifying the reliability of defects located by bridge inspection. Developments in the Built Environment 14(4), 100-167 Myers, J. 2025. Gestalt Media Theory: A Comprehensive Framework. In: Media Ecology for the 21 st Century. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-04032-9_14 Phares, B. M., Rolander, D. D., Graybeal, B. A., Washer, G. A., 2001. Reliability of Visual Inspection for Highway Bridges, Volume I. Federal Highway Administration. FHWA-RD-01-020 Wagemans, J., Elder, J.H., Kubovy, M., Palmer, S.E., Peterson, M.A., Singh, M., von der Heydt, R., 2012. A century of Gestalt psychology in visual perception: I. Perceptual grouping and figure-ground organization. Psychological Bulletin, 138(6), 1172–1217. Wertheimer, M., 1923. Laws of Organization in Perceptual Forms. Psycologische Forschung, 4:301-350. Translation published in Ellis, W. (1938). A source book of Gestalt psychology, 71-88