Road vibration maps: a starting point for closer inspection

A road-maintenance conversation often starts with a location: a stretch of road someone wants to examine more closely. A vibration map offers a way to view observations from a drive in the context of the route travelled.

Road Monitor is a phone app in development that combines GPS locations with vibration sensor readings. It displays the recorded vibration along the roads driven. Xinexis is developing it to help road owners and maintenance teams identify sections for closer inspection.

The starting point is deliberately specific: show where vibration was recorded, then bring those observations into a discussion with the people responsible for the road.

What does a road vibration map show?

A phone in a vehicle records vibration and GPS locations during a drive. Road Monitor associates those readings with positions along the route and displays them on a map.

That gives the observations geographic context. Instead of discussing a vibration reading in isolation, a team can consider the part of the road where it was recorded.

The map represents measurements from the phone-and-vehicle setup. It does not establish what caused a particular reading. The distinction matters: recorded vibration is an observation to interpret, rather than a diagnosis of road condition or an instruction to carry out a repair.

Who is Road Monitor being developed for?

The intended audience includes municipal, regional and county road teams, public works departments, transportation asset-management teams and road-maintenance operators.

Initial conversations focus on Ontario, with interest welcome from relevant organizations elsewhere. A municipal road owner and a maintenance operator may bring different requirements; the starting discussion should reflect the responsibilities of each team.

A useful question for a prospective user is whether mapped vibration observations could contribute to a task their team already performs. For example, could reviewing a driven route help staff decide which section deserves a closer look? That is the intended use to explore, rather than an outcome already established.

How could the observations support a closer look?

Consider this hypothetical use: a maintenance team reviews a vibration map for a route it knows. A section attracts attention, and staff want to understand what the observation means in that location.

The next step would be a question for the team: does this section warrant inspection, and what other context should inform that decision? The map supplies an observation associated with a place. Local knowledge and professional judgement would guide the follow-up.

A useful map gives the team a location to investigate. The inspection establishes what is happening there.

Where would it fit alongside existing work?

Road Monitor is being developed as another source of observations for road teams. It does not replace road inspections or engineering assessment.

A useful discussion starts with the current process: who reviews information about the road, who decides where to inspect and how the team follows up. The aim is to understand where a vibration map might be useful within that work.

Any requirements beyond the confirmed capabilities need a separate discussion. Exports, connections to maintenance systems, defect classification and road-condition scores are not currently confirmed features. Organizations should describe what they need without assuming that those functions are already available.

Where development stands

Road Monitor's confirmed capabilities are collecting phone vibration readings and GPS locations during a drive, and displaying the recorded vibration along the roads travelled.

The product is in development and preparing for pilot evaluation. That status means its practical fit for a road team's workflow still needs to be explored.

The Road Monitor product page is the place to check the current description, capabilities and development status. It keeps those facts together as the product progresses.

Start with the road your team maintains

If your organization maintains roads, the most useful introduction is a description of your work: the roads your team is responsible for, how you decide where to inspect and what you would want mapped vibration observations to help you understand.

That gives Xinexis a concrete use case to discuss and helps clarify what an evaluation would need to establish. Discuss a pilot to explore whether Road Monitor could fit your team's needs.