Learn about how Durham Region is using artificial intelligence to optimize road maintenance

This year, the Region, in partnership with technology provider Visual Defence, has won a Smart 50 Award for using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to optimize road maintenance.

The Region worked with Visual Defence to develop an app called ROVER which can be installed on a smartphone that is mounted to the windshield of a Region’s road patrol vehicle. The camera of the smartphone automatically detects, identifies and captures images of potholes using AI, while simultaneously uploading the incident information to a cloud server. ROVER then analyzes and processes the images captured by the camera and the incident data is logged, so sorting through the data is quick and efficient.

Durham is the first regional municipality to implement ROVER AI for pothole detection in Canada. This project is one of the many examples that demonstrates the Region is implementing its Intelligent Communities Plan, and leading the way in innovation.

To learn more about the Smart 50 Awards, visit spring.smartcitiesconnect.org/Smart50Awards.

For more information on Durham Region’s road and traffic safety innovations and technology, visit durham.ca/Traffic.