NIRA Dynamics and Ramboll initiates cooperation on the Nordic market – Connected cars monitor the road network - creating safety and comfort

Now cars can tell you how the road is - in real time. New technology in passenger cars measures the condition of the road surface during normal driving so that road maintenance can be planned on time and avoid risks of roads deteriorating and becoming dangerous. The result will be better and safer roads, tax money more well spent and more satisfied residents. Ramboll and NIRA Dynamics, which developed the technology, have signed reseller agreements for Sweden and Finland.

“The municipalities have major maintenance needs and today often have to prioritize unforeseen damage reported by the inhabitants. With the technology from NIRA, we can gain real-time insights on the condition of the roads so that efforts can be made at the right time and in the right place. Municipalities can use taxpayers' money more wisely while at the same time giving residents better and safer roads to travel on to school and work”, says Peter Ekdahl, Business Area Manager at Ramboll.

Factory-installed software in regular passenger vehicles utilizes the cars’ existing sensors to analyze road conditions in real time. The road data is delivered to a cloud backend where it is aggregated and analyzed, before being distributed to customers. The recipients of the data see irregularities and other disturbances related to the road surface, gathered in a digital interface. They can also see friction data, i.e. slipperiness, which can be an advantage in winter road conditions to plan and prioritize clearing efforts minimizing the risk of accidents.

The technology is already available today in over 200 000 cars, continuously collecting data and the roll-out rate is high. During next winter, 2 million cars will be equipped, enabling coverage across Europe. Through NIRA's unique algorithms, the road surface can be monitored in a way that has not been possible before, in larger areas and with a higher frequency.

“It is very exciting to start a collaboration with a major player in road maintenance on the Nordic market's. Taking advantage of both our companies' experiences and background can create new opportunities for product development that benefits municipalities throughout Sweden and Finland. Together, we can streamline and improve road maintenance, to create better roads everywhere”, says Lisa Åbom, CEO of NIRA Dynamics.

The service will become part of Ramboll's digital platform Waywize, which also analyzes traffic data from mobile phones for better urban planning, carbon footprint of roads so that climate can be taken into account when planning roads, vibrations so that professional drivers have a better working environment, and much more.

“In Waywize, we use data to be able to create societal benefits with measures that are based on facts. The technology from NIRA will be a welcome complement to creating conditions for sustainability both economically, climatically and socially” says Peter Ekdahl.