Overview
MOBI-ROMA develops and evaluates the benefits of the new satellite positioning techniques and operational concepts for road management assessment needs utilising Floating Car Data (FCD). The concept is to combine and process available data from fixed measuring field stations and floating cars. The combination of different sources of data gives a novel opportunity for efficient monitoring and detection of variations in pavement and road conditions. This approach enables development of maintenance tools for road conditions during various times of a year and various traffic conditions. Data from the CAN-BUS1 within the car are applicable as a quantitative basis for signal processing and analysis. The road parameters that can be estimated with the MOBI-ROMA method are for instance:
- Quality of road condition
- Strength of road bed
- Need for winter maintenance
In order to demonstrate its applicability, a Graphical User Interface will be developed, and a pilot will be demonstrated in test areas in Sweden and Germany. The results will be evaluated carefully, and cost/benefit analysis made in order to assess the feasibility and benefits of these new methods in road maintenance.
Funding
Results
The key results and recommendations of the MOBI-ROMA project are:
- MOBI-ROMA has a complementary character and will not substitute laser measurements. The maintenance tool needs further development, should be simple to use and tailored exactly to the user needs.
- To develop FCD systems, the remaining accessibility problems to CAN-bus data must be solved. This may require a concerted European-wide action such as the implementation of the eCall system.
- MOBI-ROMA service could be used for national or trans-national road maintenance and road transport needs, but the needs differ in various parts of Europe depending on local road climate conditions.
- Large fleet of vehicles would be necessary for the coverage of major roads in Europe. It should be decided what would be the best body to organize and run a European-wide mobile monitoring system.
- Standards for data should be developed and agreed on the European (or international) level so that it is possible to mix data from different type of vehicles and mobile measuring equipment.
- Low cost of communication between vehicles and road side equipment as well as data analysis centres is required.
- FCD fleets can be run with reasonable costs if relying on existing road transport systems, making the mobile monitoring system beneficial for road maintenance.
- There is even greater potential in development of road user warnings based on mobile monitoring data. Just a small reduction of accidents (1%) due to improved road condition data can lead to substantial benefits (100 fold) in both national and European scale.