Internet of things : exploiting automotive technologies for community-driven transport infrastructure quality control : a Maltese case study

Abstract

The aim of this research is to develop a solution which makes use of the sensors in vehicles as well as in smartphones to map out data in relation to the quality of the Maltese road infrastructure. The research has been chosen as it has become evident in recent surveys, done by the relevant European authorities, that the Maltese road quality has room for improvement with a sizable amount being spent to do so. The research involved designing a prototype using common equipment, namely a car and a smartphone, to meet the requirements of the research question. Data was collected from the car wheel speed sensors, validated with the accelerometer available in a smart phone and then pairing this data to the GPS location data of the infrastructure under analysis. After the data was processed it was found that the prototype proves to have a good degree of accuracy given the limitations imposed by the contact patch of the car to the road. While a single pass has many factors that affect it, such as the path taken, it was noticed that after several passes and performing several tests in adjusting the limits. The results show that all the potholes were mapped out after just six passes. This obviously depends on other factors but proves that the more passes there are the higher the data accuracy is. The prototype has met the majority of its expectations and has delivered the results that were expected from the start of the development. With a prototype of this form, it is expected that there will be further studies and even the implementation of a similar or equal prototype to allow for an improvement on the infrastructure.