In an effort to provide better roads to commuters, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has decided to deploy network survey vehicle (NSV) to supervise and help maintain the quality of National Highways.

Carrying out a road condition survey using NSV on the National Highways has been made mandatory at the time of certifying completion of the project and every six months thereafter. The provision has also been included as a part of the standard bidding document of consultancy services.

The NSV is used for automatic collection of road inventory and pavement condition related data required for road asset management, pavement maintenance management system and road safety audit related studies.

The deployment will help in enhancing the overall quality of the highways as NSV uses the latest survey techniques such as a high-resolution digital camera for 360 degree imagery, record images/videos at regular intervals, laser road profilometer and other related technology for the assessment of distresses on the road surface.

NSV will also help to collate data to analyse the road condition including measurement of the road surface, surface cracking, potholes and patches. Apart from this, NSV will also provide data insights relating to side drains, road furniture etc.

Data collected through NSV survey shall be uploaded on NHAI’s artificial intelligence-based portal Data Lake, where it will be analysed by road asset management cell (RAM Cell) to assess the condition/roughness of road to prioritise maintenance.

The data will help maintain up-to-date asset inventory and road assets condition status. Apart from delivering vital information on road network planning, providing relevant information on other aspects such as development of road safety measures, etc, it will also assist in developing highway maintenance strategies, analysis of maintenance and selection of optimal maintenance regime.

The data collected through NSV surveys will highlight deficiencies in road conditions, prompting BOT operators/NHAI officials to take corrective steps to bring the road condition to the desired level. This will further result in better upkeep of National Highways, leading to more comfort and better travel experience for the highways users.

Laser Road Profilometer

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