The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is planning to launch an AI-based dashcam monitoring system across 40,000 km of national highways.

The move is to enhance road safety as well as maintenance. The system will be called Dashcam Analytics Services (DAS), using AI as well as machine learning to monitor national highways without human intervention.

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What the AI system will monitor on highways

Under the initiative, high-resolution dashcams will be installed on Route Patrol Vehicles (RPVs), which will regularly survey highway stretches. The cameras will record video and images continuously, which will be analysed using AI models.

The system will be able to detect over 30 types of defects, which will include potholes, cracks, and surface conditions. It will also be able to monitor conditions on road infrastructure such as lane markings, signage, crash barriers, and streetlights.

The system will be able to detect safety issues such as illegal encroachments, illegal hoardings, improper parking, drainage issues, and waterlogging. It will also conduct night-time surveys to assess conditions.

How the system will work

The data collected by dashcams will be sent to a centralised digital platform that has analytics dashboards. This will allow authorities to monitor conditions on the roads in real-time, compare trends, and monitor maintenance work.

To make things easier, the highway will be divided into five zones. This will make things easier to monitor.

The data collected will be sent to the NHAI data ecosystem. This will allow authorities to take timely action on repairs.

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Push towards smarter highway management

This is in line with a broader initiative to promote the use of technology-driven solutions in the management of infrastructure. The system, which will help in the automation of the detection of defects, is expected to minimize delays in maintenance, thereby improving the quality of the road.

This, according to officials, will also help in enhancing safety standards, as it will be able to identify potential hazards.