Waviness

Evaluate the longitudinal waviness of road pavements consistently to make the right decisions.

Keep an eye on the road quality in your region

Profile evenness is one of the key quality characteristics of roads. It influences driving comfort and safety, since, for example, ruts can increase the risk of accidents in wet conditions. 

This is why longitudinal waviness is a standard measurement method for road authorities to assess the quality of the road pavement. In many countries, road authorities are obliged to determine the longitudinal waviness every 4 to 5 years with high-resolution measurements by engineering companies. A necessary but cost-intensive process.

With Mercedes-Benz Data, we can optimally supplement the regular measurements. In this way, road authorities gain insight into the development of the road surface even between the high-resolution measurements – and this is automated by near real-time data from vehicles that are driving around anyway: the networked Mercedes-Benz vehicle fleet. The data is provided in accordance with the ISO International Roughness Index 100 (IRI100) standard.

API

For detailed technical information, specifications, sandbox environments and access options please visit our Mercedes-Benz /developers portal.

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Ready-to-use Data Dashboard

This data product is available as a data layer within the Mercedes-Benz Data Dashboard. Visit the product page for more information.

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The benefits

Profit from convincing advantages

Optimize your road quality related use cases by incorporating the longitudinal waviness information generated by the Mercedes-Benz vehicle fleet into your consideration.

01
Create a digital twin of road surfaces
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Insights into the development of road quality
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Optimized maintenance in terms of budget planning and allocation
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Knowledge enhancement for future road projects
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Data points

What data access does the API offer?

Whether cities and municipalities, road authorities or road maintenance companies: The Waviness API dataset supplements data from standing standard measurement procedures to compensate for the "data-less" time between measurements. The data product assesses road waviness for whole street segments based on the International Roughness Index (IRI) 100, but could go down to a level of IRI10 upon customer request. The product provides the following data attributes:

  • Level of longitudinal waviness IR100 (International Roughness Index 100, e.g. 1-10 as a value)

  • GPS position

  • Heading (in compass direction)

  • Time stamp on day level

  • Confidence level (0% to 100%)

The product

Learn more about the API

1.   The API at a glance

The Waviness dataset provides our clients with accurate insights into the longitudinal waviness of roads at the local level. This means that data from special measurement vehicles can be optimally supplemented by the Mercedes-Benz vehicle fleet in order to have an accurate picture of road quality even between regular measurements.

2. Wide coverage

The connected Mercedes-Benz vehicle fleet provides an excellent basis for covering many regions worldwide.

3. Anonymized data

Data is always transferred anonymized and only from vehicles for which there is a consent from the vehicle owner.

Use our data interface to get reliable information on road profile irregularities – continuously and around the clock.
Visualization of IRI on 20 m segments on Mercedes-Benz Data Dashboard
How it works

More safety and a head start in knowledge using a three-step approach

We use a combination of different sensors and signals from our Mercedes-Benz vehicle fleet to detect longitudinal road waves according to the International Roughness Index 100 (IRI100). In addition to recording the actual situation, we can also evaluate the development over a time period. As soon as the IRI falls below a previously defined threshold, an ad-hoc message is sent to the user via the API or dashboard.

The three-step approach is similar to the Surface Damages detection, but has higher accuracy as entire road segments are assessed rather than individual events.

1. Data collection over a campaign in a defined time period

For the specific use case of street waviness damages in a specific region or area of interest we trigger the data collection from our Mercedes-Benz vehicle fleet through a campaign. We only collect if the customer have given their consent to provide the data. The data is then sent from our customer fleet to the Mercedes-Benz Cloud for the defined time period. The waviness is calculated in the cloud based on various factors. For example, we use shock absorber level, wheel spin and acceleration in combination with speed, steering angle and distance to lane markings for accurate positioning.

2. Multiple passing of sections for higher accuracy over time

Based on multiple passes by additional vehicles, higher accuracy of IRI is achieved. Detection can be performed simultaneously over the entire range of collected data. We generate high accuracy data based on GPS position, vehicle heading (compass direction), and distance to lane markings. We can achieve the highest accuracy with as few as 20 passes over the same road section. However, we disguise the timestamp to a certain extent to make tracking of a single person impossible for privacy reasons.

3. Data visualization and provision via API and tracking of development over time

In the final step, the IRI is visualized on the Mercedes-Benz Data Dashboard using different color schemes including direction and lane side. Additionally, the data can be pushed via our API. The IRI can be customized according to customer requirements (IRI20 / IRI100 / AUN etc.).

References

Mercedes-Benz strengthens road safety in the Netherlands

Mercedes-Benz was commissioned by the Netherlands’ Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (Min I&W) to analyze the condition of the local roads and transport infrastructure through data from the Mercedes-Benz vehicle fleet. The so-called 'Road Monitor' program (ROMO) covers all provinces of the Netherlands with a road network of more than 130,000 kilometers.

In road condition analysis, Mercedes-Benz enables predictive maintenance and repair of the road infrastructure, setting new standards. The early detection of potholes and other surface damage increases the efficiency of maintenance work and optimizes safety.

“
„Digitalisation and automation can bring us tremendous benefits. On the one hand for our ambitious goals on road safety, on the other hand for our challenge on maintaining the Dutch state of the art infrastructure.“
”

Mark Harbers,
Minister for Infrastructure and Water Management, Netherlands

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Here you can find a collection of questions we’ve been asked by our customers.

Is it possible to get a trial version / sample of the data?

Yes, it is possible to get sample data for every data product. Please get in touch with our business team to get the sample data.

Which data sources contains the data of this product?

All data is coming from the Mercedes-Benz customer fleet (Passenger Car and Van). Data will be provided if the purpose of the data usage fits with the Mercedes-Benz Data Vision to create with data a greater good.

Can you provide data for whole countries?

Yes, we can provide the data products for several countries. Please check out the product detail page on Mercedes-Benz /developers to get an overview about the data coverage per country for this product.

How large is your fleet / vehicle coverage in a specific country/city?

Due to antitrust law and data protection, we cannot share exact figures of vehicles driving around. We could offer you to check the numbers of data points in a defined period.

Do you have restrictions in the selection of your customers?

Our goal as Mercedes-Benz Data is to pave the way for a data-driven automotive world. Always with the focus on providing our customers the greatest added value through new, personalized services. That’s why we work together with selected partners always under protection of the customer rights.

Contact

Talk to us for an individual consultation

If you’re considering using our data product or just want more information, please leave your contact details. We will get back to you as soon as possible.

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