Vexcel Data is using artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse high-resolution aerial imagery to provide insights on roadway infrastructure and pavement markings for 3389 cities in the USA.

The Elements: Roadways product provides more than 30 attributes to help inventory roadway features, support safety and compliance regulations and improve maintenance planning.

Roadways is the latest addition to Elements, a product suite of attributes extracted from Colorado-based Vexcel’s aerial imagery and geospatial data using AI and machine learning (ML).

“We’ve already been offering our partners and customers AI-derived attributes for more than 100 million properties and buildings in the USA, as well as 30 other countries,” said Erik Jorgensen, CEO of Vexcel Group. “Now, Roadways brings our imagery and AI expertise to the streets, empowering transportation planners and engineers to automate inventory management and assess the current condition of pavement markings.”

Roadways focuses on two types of non-highway road data: infrastructure and pavement markings. With infrastructure, key features are mapped and identified within the city such as kerb mats, pedestrian islands and roundabouts. With pavement markings, features and condition ratings are provided for arrows, crosswalks, stop lines, symbols and street text.

Vexcel’s aerial imagery is refreshed up to three times annually in the cities where Roadways data are processed, helping agencies update road data more frequently at a lower cost.

Sample datasets of Roadways information were provided to civil engineering firms, such as DKS Associates, to evaluate and inventory roadway infrastructure.

“Maintaining up-to-date transportation system inventory data is challenging for many DoTs that use traditional field and desktop methods,” said Carl Springer, chief data storyteller at DKS Associates. “For our statewide multimodal system inventory project in Oregon, we teamed with Vexcel to leverage their AI and machine learning advancements to deliver data, saving substantial time and money. Their ability to use ML to derive the data we need from high-resolution aerial imagery helps us rapidly collect the road element data for motor vehicle, pedestrian and bicycle systems in all 48 urban jurisdictions in the state.”

In addition, Roadways data help agencies triage projects faster, identify problem areas and get a holistic picture of what exists on roads. Named features in the dataset are also up to date with the latest US Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) recently updated in December 2023. The dataset helps audit for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance and assists with federal grant programmes, such as Safe Streets for All (SS4A), in mapping and condition status for pedestrian and bicycle markings for vulnerable road users.

“Crosswalk and stop line markings, bike symbols and text, and well-maintained coloured pavements are important elements of vulnerable road user [VRU] safety,” said Robert Dingess, president of the Traffic Marking Manufacturers Alliance (TMMA). “Our organisation is excited to work with Vexcel’s high-res imagery and AI-derived VRU features to inventory and identify current condition and better predict product lifecycle and refresh schedules. Automated insights like these will be super valuable to TMMA members and their customers to help understand individual product performance and prioritise pavement marking maintenance to improve roadway safety.”

Roadways datasets will be delivered with corresponding aerial imagery and optimised for use in common GIS and planning software. To learn more about Roadways, including a full list of attributes, visit vexceldata.com/roadways.

For over 30 years, Vexcel (vexceldata.com) has specialised in the photogrammetric and remote sensing space, building UltraCam sensors, and providing a library of cloud-based geospatial data. The data programme collects high-resolution imagery and geospatial data in more than 30 countries. Its fleet of fixed-wing aircraft captures imagery in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and across Western Europe.