NHAI turns on AI dashcams for smarter highway monitoring

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will deploy advanced artificial intelligence- powered dashcam analytics services on about 40,000 km of national highways to enable timely maintenance, improve road safety and enhance overall user experience across the highway network.

"This initiative leverages artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to enhance use of high-tech, data-driven operations and maintenance for the national highways and expressways across the country," the NHAI said in a statement.

The project is aimed at enhancing remote tracking and road condition assessments using high-resolution imagery and video data, according to the authority.

The plan involves mounting specialised dashboard cameras on route patrol vehicles to conduct weekly surveys on all the stretches comprehensively while deploying advanced AI/ML trained models for identification of more than 30 types of defects and anomalies automatically.

To further enhance road safety, at least one weekly survey will be conducted at night in a month for performance evaluation of road signages, pavement markings, road studs and highway lighting, the NHAI said. Other critical maintenance issues such as water stagnation, missing drainage covers, vegetation growth and condition of bus bays will also be covered, it added. The authority has created five zones across the country for effective monitoring of reports, and a specialised IT platform, featuring dedicated modules for data management, AI analytics and interactive visualisation dashboards, is being developed for the purpose.

The major focus will be on pavement condition.