Florida roads received a C+ from the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2021, with thirty-one percent of the state’s roads in poor condition today. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) currently analyzes road conditions and determines where repairs should be made with High-Speed Inertial Profilers (HSIP). However, this method is inefficient and not cost-effective, as it requires driving the full length of these roads to properly analyze them. Inventors at the University of South Florida have developed a new method of evaluating road conditions that will improve on road maintenance and repair, and reduce costs for everyday drivers. This technology utilizes satellite imagery to analyze oil spots on the road as indicators of which locations need the attention of traffic engineers. Hitting bumps or other damage on the road causes sudden vertical motion of the vehicle and oil drops from the bottom of the vehicle to fall to the road. The more damage a road has, the darker the oil stains left behind and the higher the frequency of such oil stains along the road. This invention will allow the FDOT to efficiently examine all 275,000 lane miles in Florida and thus more effectively prioritize repairs to improve the overall condition of Florida’s roads.
Processed Satellite Image Showing Regions of Oil Accumulation