CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) is set to launch an AI-based fully automated system for assessing the condition of roads and pedestrian pathways, covering 419 km of bus routes and 100 km of footpaths across the city.
With an estimated annual cost of Rs 24.75 lakh, the project will enhance the maintenance and upkeep of Chennai’s roads and pedestrian pathways.
The project, the tender for which was floated on March 6, will involve conducting surveys twice a year — before and after the monsoon — using RoadMetrics technology.
As per the tender document, RoadMetrics is responsible for survey planning, data collection, analysis, delivering a comprehensive report, and ensuring the processed data is mapped in a web-based GIS platform.
A dedicated person from RoadMetrics will be assigned to conduct the road condition surveys using smartphones and GoPro cameras to collect video data of road and footpath, which will then be processed and analysed by AI algorithms to generate detailed reports on road conditions.
The collected data will be mapped on a web-based GIS platform, offering a bird’s-eye view of road conditions, complete with images, maps, charts, and graphs to help officials visualise the findings. The data will also be uploaded into the mobile RoadMetrics data collection app.
The comprehensive reports will include insights on road defects, including minor, moderate and severe potholes, alligator cracks, vertical and horizontal cracks (classified from level 0-4, from early to late-stage deterioration), calculating road maintenance budgets, and recommendations for repairs.
For pavement assessment and asset mapping, it includes a colour-coded segmentation view to highlight stretches that require immediate attention and will also provide a list of more than 50 types of street signages, traffic signals, and other assets such as lighting based on Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) guidelines.
This initiative is expected to ensure timely and data-driven decisions for the upkeep of the city’s road infrastructure.