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#News(General) [ via IoTForIndiaGroup ]
Most potholes start as small cracks in a road’s surface, which allow water to seep in. In winter, when the water freezes, it expands, widening the crack. If the water repeatedly thaws and refreezes, the hole can grow quickly, especially since cars will worsen the damage as they drive over it. Small potholes are a nuisance; big ones can damage cars, and even cause fatal accidents.
Better, then, to fix them while they are still small. In practice, that is tricky. In America, for instance, both state and federal governments find potholes by manually examining video footage of the country’s 4.12m miles of roads. That is both expensive and laborious. Officials in Kansas City have come up with a better idea. As Bob Bennett, its chief innovation officer, describes, the city is using a mix of sensors and computer algorithms to work out where potholes are most likely to form. Mr Bennett reckons his new system can anticipate potholes with a success rate of about 85%. Having a list of likely trouble spots means less need to spend money on surveillance, which allows the city’s road-maintenance budget to stretch about 30% further than before.
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