Check road conditions from pc? In Riccione it is possible, also thanks to two degree theses discussed at the University of San Marino
An interactive map displays videos, disaster data and more, in partnership with GEAT
A system for checking road conditions while sitting at your office desk, therefore without having to go out to carry out inspections, evaluating through videos, data and measurements what are the conditions and characteristics not only of the asphalt, but also of other elements that they can compromise its surface, for example the roots of a tree. This – explains the University of San Marino – is the project that is involving the University of the Republic of San Marino together with GEAT (Managing Services for the Environment and the Territory), a municipal company of the Municipality of Riccione in charge of managing road maintenance services, public green areas and more.
Precisely in this context, two degree theses developed within the three-year course in Civil Engineering were discussed on Friday 6 December: one focused on video recording, the other on measuring jolts. Students Lorena de Oliveira Falcao and Sofia Zippo signed the analyses, discussing in the university headquarters of the World Trade Center in Dogana.
Thanks to the project, from the computer screen it is possible to access an interactive map and select a road to view the footage, previously taken with a camera installed in the front area of a vehicle, simultaneously observing the extent of the instability caused by potholes or other types of irregularities, recorded by an accelerometer.
This also allows, by carrying out the filming and dimensions annually, to keep a history and evaluate the evolution of the roads over time, establishing when and how to proceed with maintenance interventions, with the classification of priority areas and the identification of areas that request actions for safety, saving time and money.
“We managed to combine practical activities with research ambitions, creating new development directions,” explains Fabio Galli, GEAT president. “One of these is the interactive road map, which thus becomes a database of technical information for historicizing the condition of the road platform and its elements. It is easily accessible through images and videos.”