What would it be like if a mobile app could give real-time information on the condition of roads? Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay have made this possible through an automated road monitoring system, which classifies road surface quality using crowd-sourced data. The mobile app – RoadCare – can not only help drivers know about bad road conditions and suggest the smoothest route to the destination, but also help civic authorities track the changes in road quality over time.

RoadCare is a smartphone application that can be used by commuters to share road data while travelling. Based on this data, the app classifies the quality of sections of roads as 'good', 'medium' or 'bad'.