Helping the University of Michigan Improve the Roadways Quality Across the State

Abstract

The quality of the roadways is an integral factor defining the efficiency of any infrastructure, and obviously, roads get damaged all the time. When dealing with miles and miles of roadways, especially outside the urban areas, it might be quite challenging to collect the data on their quality and react to the issues accordingly. The University of Michigan came up with the idea of using a fleet of specially-equipped vehicles to ensure statewide monitoring of the roadways. To make that idea work as intended, the University needed a software solution that would help to collect and analyze the data gathered by the fleet of vehicles, and that’s where Intersog steps into the picture.

Client

The University of Michigan is one of the top-ranked educational institutions in the US and the oldest University in the state. Being one of the leading research universities in the country with annual expenses of up to $1.5B, it is classified as one of 115 Doctoral Universities with Very High Research by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

Product

Intersog built a mobile app and web app for comprehensive real-time roadway monitoring, geopositioning, and data collection.

Key Features

Challenge

The University of Michigan was looking for a way to help the Department of Transportation improve road conditions control. For that purpose, they decided to build a specialized app that would collect accurate, real-time information on current roadway status and problems like potholes that required maintenance, snow and ice removal, and other issues. The University equipped their vehicles with an enhanced anti-lock braking system. What the client needed was a special monitoring system that would analyze and visualize the collected information. The mobile application was chosen as the proper solution. 

Results

Intersog developed an application that allows the University of Michigan to collect data on the condition of the roadways across the state using the vehicle fleet. The application collects the information from each vehicle allowing the Transportation Research Institute to define the areas where the maintenance works are due. That way Michigan’s Department of Transportation can allocate its resources more effectively.