Snow road. Credit: PRNewsfoto/NIRA Dynamics AB.

The Norwegian road authority Norska Statens Vegvesen is all set to invest in new technology for a winter road prediction solution from Klimator and NIRA Dynamics.

Dubbed Road Status Information (RSI), the new solution will help to reduce environmental impact and accidents due to slippery roads.

RSI combines road weather station information with friction data from connected vehicles and common weather forecasts.

As a result, connected vehicles become moving weather stations and transmit various types of signals, including current road friction and help to determine local road grip.

Additionally, RSI helps to decide the road grip conditions in real time with high precision and provides precise forecast for next 12 hours, thereby ensuring better safety on wintery roads.

TorgeirVaa from Norska Statens Vegvesen said: “This technology quantum leap is overdue in the business to make use of new opportunities and meet the road users’ expectations. We have tested the new technology and are confident that RSI is the best performing solution.”

“This technology quantum leap is overdue in the business to make use of new opportunities and meet the road users’ expectations.”

The vehicles are connected through OBD-dongles that have been developed by NIRA.

The solution records current location, ambient temperature, wiper activity and road friction of the vehicles. Within a few minutes, a vehicle is equipped with the new information and soon, the data is continuously available on the RSI-server.

NIRA Dynamics new technologies manager Gustav Kristiansson said: “We are inspired by our successful tyre pressure monitoring system, which is installed in over 40 million vehicles around the world.

“A few years from now, OBD-dongles will be replaced by small software modules standard-fitted into connected vehicles.”

After roll out in January 2018 in Tromsö, the technology has gained much interest. More than 300 private car owners have registered their vehicles to participate.