Introduction

Asset AI® is a new digital tool being trialled by New South Wales councils, enabling early detection of road defects, empowering councils to streamline and accelerate road maintenance, improving the safety of road users.

Asset AI® is helping the NSW Government and local councils to make roads safer by using near-real-time data. This information is used to streamline road maintenance tasks. Sensors and cameras are fixed to council vehicles to collect information about the roads. This data is then analysed using artificial intelligence. The insights will help find and fix problems on the roads faster, making them safer for drivers and pedestrians.

Capital Cost total: $3.154m

How does it work?

1.Road asset data is collected by dash-mounted cameras on council vehicles. Sensor data is also collected from private vehicles to determine the road condition.

2.AI technology automatically identifies and classifies road asset defects then sends this information to the Asset AI® digital platform, (for example, detecting potholes and cracks before they develop, identifying street litter, faded line marking or damaged signs and guideposts).

3.The Asset AI® platform assesses the defects and determines a recommended response time.

4.The councils can access their own council data for scheduling of maintenance work, thereby reducing the risk to road users.

5.Through harnessing AI technology, this project aims to revolutionise road asset maintenance and operations for councils.

Asset AI – Council Street Sweeper

Expected Outcomes

This trial is also expected to identify triggers for road defects. This will improve scheduling of preventative maintenance and will make our roads safer for the community.

Once proven, the trial could be rolled out to other councils across NSW. It will improve overall state-wide road safety. Plans to rollout Asset AI® to additional Local Government areas will be confirmed in late 2024, following the trial.

Early intervention can reduce the shortfall in the maintenance funding for roads. The project targets an efficiency gain of 10% in managing public assets. This is measured as a reduction of maintenance backlog after 12 months of use.

Key Benefits

• Safety: enhancement of road safety outcomes, providing opportunity for streamlining and accelerating of road maintenance
• Cost: reduction of operational and maintenance costs through proactively identifying damaged assets in near real-time and enabling prioritised intervention
• Sustainability: data generated from vehicles already using the roads rather than introducing something new
• Efficiency: gaining a comprehensive understanding of council road networks and providing opportunity for early intervention
• Empowerment: Helping councils realise the benefits of smart technologies for their communities