Innovative smart road management systems in the urban context: Integrating smart sensors and miniaturized sensing systems

Especially in urban contexts, the detection of damages in road infrastructures is crucial for their management and efficiency. This entails complex measurement chains. Several solutions were already developed and applied (e.g., high speed monitoring systems or sensor-based systems), but the emerging smart city and smart road paradigms call for innovations in these fields. A possible solution could be the development of smart, non-intrusive, and sustainable sensing systems able to perform continuous monitoring, allowing automatic and timely generation of alarms and proper maintenance strategies from Road Management Systems (RMSs). Consequently, this study aims to demonstrate the feasibility of integrating miniaturized sensing systems with high-speed monitoring systems, to obtain innovative RMSs. In this regard, a specific web-based platform, the core of a Smart RMS, properly defined to acquire, correlate, and exploit data from several sources was developed. To this end, high-performance monitoring systems, an innovative sensing system (i.e., based on miniaturized devices and on feature- and signature-based methods), and Micro-electromechanical systems (i.e., smartphones accelerometers) were used. A new set of indicators has been set up and partly validated in the pursuit of setting out a new paradigm where Pavement Management Systems are supposed to become urban-oriented and less expensive. Results show that combining traditional and innovative solutions allows providing a comprehensive overview of both the structural condition and the performance of road infrastructures. This information could be used to exponentially improve the efficiency of current RMSs in forecasting the occurrence of damages and in scheduling more effective and sustainable management interventions.