Development of Low-Cost Monitoring and Assessment System for Cycle Paths Based on Raspberry Pi Technology
Promoting alternative modes of transportation such as cycling represents a valuable strategy to minimize environmental impacts, as confirmed in the main targets set out by the European Commission. In this regard, in cities throughout the world, there has been a significant increase in the constructi...
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MDPI AG
2025-03-01
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| author | Salvatore Bruno Ionut Daniel Trifan Lorenzo Vita Giuseppe Loprencipe |
| author_facet | Salvatore Bruno Ionut Daniel Trifan Lorenzo Vita Giuseppe Loprencipe |
| author_sort | Salvatore Bruno |
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| description | Promoting alternative modes of transportation such as cycling represents a valuable strategy to minimize environmental impacts, as confirmed in the main targets set out by the European Commission. In this regard, in cities throughout the world, there has been a significant increase in the construction of bicycle paths in recent years, requiring effective maintenance strategies to preserve their service levels. The continuous monitoring of road networks is required to ensure the timely scheduling of optimal maintenance activities. This involves regular inspections of the road surface, but there are currently no automated systems for monitoring cycle paths. In this study, an integrated monitoring and assessment system for cycle paths was developed exploiting Raspberry Pi technologies. In more detail, a low-cost Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), a Global Positioning System (GPS) module, a magnetic Hall Effect sensor, a camera module, and an ultrasonic distance sensor were connected to a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B. The novel system was mounted on a e-bike as a test vehicle to monitor the road conditions of various sections of cycle paths in Rome, characterized by different pavement types and decay levels as detected using the whole-body vibration <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><msub><mrow><mi>a</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>w</mi><mi>z</mi></mrow></msub></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> index (ISO 2631 standard). Repeated testing confirmed the system’s reliability by assigning the same vibration comfort class in 74% of the cases and an adjacent one in 26%, with an average difference of 0.25 m/s<sup>2</sup>, underscoring its stability and reproducibility. Data post-processing was also focused on integrating user comfort perception with image data, and it revealed anomaly detections represented by numerical acceleration spikes. Additionally, data positioning was successfully implemented. Finally, <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><msub><mrow><mi>a</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>w</mi><mi>z</mi></mrow></msub></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> measurements with GPS coordinates and images were incorporated into a Geographic Information System (GIS) to develop a database that supports the efficient and comprehensive management of surface conditions. The proposed system can be considered as a valuable tool to assess the pavement conditions of cycle paths in order to implement preventive maintenance strategies within budget constraints. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bcac60f09a194023aaa17b36f8c06712 |
| institution | Kabale University |
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| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
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| series | Infrastructures |
| spelling | doaj-art-bcac60f09a194023aaa17b36f8c067122025-08-20T03:43:36ZengMDPI AGInfrastructures2412-38112025-03-011035010.3390/infrastructures10030050Development of Low-Cost Monitoring and Assessment System for Cycle Paths Based on Raspberry Pi TechnologySalvatore Bruno0Ionut Daniel Trifan1Lorenzo Vita2Giuseppe Loprencipe3Department of Civil, Constructional and Environmental Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Eudossiana 18, 00184 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Civil, Constructional and Environmental Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Eudossiana 18, 00184 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Civil, Constructional and Environmental Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Eudossiana 18, 00184 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Civil, Constructional and Environmental Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Eudossiana 18, 00184 Rome, ItalyPromoting alternative modes of transportation such as cycling represents a valuable strategy to minimize environmental impacts, as confirmed in the main targets set out by the European Commission. In this regard, in cities throughout the world, there has been a significant increase in the construction of bicycle paths in recent years, requiring effective maintenance strategies to preserve their service levels. The continuous monitoring of road networks is required to ensure the timely scheduling of optimal maintenance activities. This involves regular inspections of the road surface, but there are currently no automated systems for monitoring cycle paths. In this study, an integrated monitoring and assessment system for cycle paths was developed exploiting Raspberry Pi technologies. In more detail, a low-cost Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), a Global Positioning System (GPS) module, a magnetic Hall Effect sensor, a camera module, and an ultrasonic distance sensor were connected to a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B. The novel system was mounted on a e-bike as a test vehicle to monitor the road conditions of various sections of cycle paths in Rome, characterized by different pavement types and decay levels as detected using the whole-body vibration <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><msub><mrow><mi>a</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>w</mi><mi>z</mi></mrow></msub></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> index (ISO 2631 standard). Repeated testing confirmed the system’s reliability by assigning the same vibration comfort class in 74% of the cases and an adjacent one in 26%, with an average difference of 0.25 m/s<sup>2</sup>, underscoring its stability and reproducibility. Data post-processing was also focused on integrating user comfort perception with image data, and it revealed anomaly detections represented by numerical acceleration spikes. Additionally, data positioning was successfully implemented. Finally, <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><msub><mrow><mi>a</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>w</mi><mi>z</mi></mrow></msub></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> measurements with GPS coordinates and images were incorporated into a Geographic Information System (GIS) to develop a database that supports the efficient and comprehensive management of surface conditions. The proposed system can be considered as a valuable tool to assess the pavement conditions of cycle paths in order to implement preventive maintenance strategies within budget constraints.https://www.mdpi.com/2412-3811/10/3/50sustainable mobilitycycle pathspavement monitoringlow-cost systemRaspberry Pi technologyride comfort |
| spellingShingle | Salvatore Bruno Ionut Daniel Trifan Lorenzo Vita Giuseppe Loprencipe Development of Low-Cost Monitoring and Assessment System for Cycle Paths Based on Raspberry Pi Technology Infrastructures sustainable mobility cycle paths pavement monitoring low-cost system Raspberry Pi technology ride comfort |
| title | Development of Low-Cost Monitoring and Assessment System for Cycle Paths Based on Raspberry Pi Technology |
| title_full | Development of Low-Cost Monitoring and Assessment System for Cycle Paths Based on Raspberry Pi Technology |
| title_fullStr | Development of Low-Cost Monitoring and Assessment System for Cycle Paths Based on Raspberry Pi Technology |
| title_full_unstemmed | Development of Low-Cost Monitoring and Assessment System for Cycle Paths Based on Raspberry Pi Technology |
| title_short | Development of Low-Cost Monitoring and Assessment System for Cycle Paths Based on Raspberry Pi Technology |
| title_sort | development of low cost monitoring and assessment system for cycle paths based on raspberry pi technology |
| topic | sustainable mobility cycle paths pavement monitoring low-cost system Raspberry Pi technology ride comfort |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2412-3811/10/3/50 |
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