Cooperation uses artificial intelligence
For the maintenance of its municipal road network, the city of Herne in North Rhine-Westphalia is relying on a digital solution to be developed jointly with HOCHTIEF subsidiary EDGITAL. The cooperation aims to link the maintenance of the 380-kilometer road network with integrated analysis and efficient rehabilitation planning based on artificial intelligence.
“The basis for efficient planning is to identify weak points in good time and to record precisely when maintenance measures make sense. To do this, we need continuous data collection on the condition of roads, as well as intelligent linking with other municipal and external data. The partnership with HOCHTIEF enables us to develop an innovative solution for the diverse challenges of road maintenance,” says Hernes Mayor Frank Dudda.
“Our solution not only allows us to map the current condition of a road. We can also observe and analyze trends and courses on specific sections. By adding artificial intelligence to every step of the process, we reduce the cost of data, enable better decisions and thus help municipalities to provide high-quality and safe roads,” emphasizes HOCHTIEF manager Bernd Holtwick, who introduced EDGITAL together with co-managing director Maximilian Brand.
The initial focus is on developing a database for forward-looking maintenance management. The data model is to be linkable with the digital construction method “Building Information Modeling” (BIM), which HOCHTIEF has been instrumental in initiating. In the future, BIM models enriched with road condition information can act as a digital twin of the road and pave the way for highly efficient digital road condition maintenance. Other municipalities have already expressed great interest.