The City of Nanaimo is looking to artificial intelligence to help improve its response to maintaining local roadway infrastructure. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

evolving technology

High tech options examined to aid City of Nanaimo roadway infrastructure management

Oct 18, 2023 | 5:33 AM

NANAIMO — What started as a tool to identify and more quickly repair potholes in the city had led to broader ambitions fueled by artificial intelligence.

David Thompson, City of Nanaimo’s manager of roads and traffic services, expects the municipality to shortly issue a procurement tender to provide inspections far beyond bumps in the road.

“We’re able to do assessments on pavement condition, road markings, signage, pretty much anything that the camera can pick up within the road right-of-way,” Thompson said, noting significant recent data gathering advancements complement their in-house digital mapping systems.

The City trialed a widely used product relied on by many other local governments between the summer 2022 and 2023 where a vehicle mounted camera was deployed to detect potholes.

He said should the right fit be found, their resources to time-consuming physical inspections could be signficantly cut back.

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“What can we take off of somebody so they can focus on something that’s more valuable to the City? Rather than doing the inspection, they should be analyzing the results of the inspection,” Thompson told NanaimoNewsNOW.

Thompson noted the results from this type of technology will be added to maps which outline every one of their infrastructure assets, from catch basins to stop signs and guardrails.

He said the technology automatically flags issues of concern, while providing a broader context of issues which the City may not have been aware of.

“Rather than just dealing with one piece of information that’s coming in in isolation, you can look at the aggregate of all of the information that’s coming in,” Thompson said.

The project is completely unrelated to the City’s increasingly expanding intersection data collection program.

Nanaimo city limits are home to nearly 600 kilometers of roadway and a little under 800 cul-de-sacs, Thompson said.

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Ian.holmes@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes