Drone-based pothole detection and sustainable repairs

Sameer Jain

doi:10.59400/be4117

Drone-based pothole detection and sustainable repairs

Sameer Jain
NICMAR Business School, NICMAR University, Pune 411045, India

Article ID: 4117

DOI: https://doi.org/10.59400/be4117

Keywords: pothole detection, drone technology, road safety, unmanned aerial vehicles, sustainability

Abstract

Potholes are one of the major challenges affecting road safety, vehicle performance, and infrastructure maintenance worldwide. Conventional pothole detection and repair methods are often time-consuming, labour-intensive, and inefficient in large road networks. Recent advances in drone technology and geospatial data processing provide new opportunities for rapid and accurate road condition assessment. However, limited research integrates drone-based detection with sustainable repair material evaluation. This study proposes a drone-based pothole detection framework combined with a sustainability-oriented repair analysis. A UAV survey was conducted using the DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise to capture high-resolution images of road surfaces. The collected imagery was processed using photogrammetry software such as Agisoft Metashape and QGIS to generate orthomosaic images, digital elevation models (DEM), and pothole measurements. The calculated pothole area and volume values obtained through software were compared with manual measurements, showing a high accuracy range of approximately 97–99%. In addition, a comparative cost analysis of conventional repair materials and sustainable alternatives, including coconut shell charcoal, rice husk ash, HDPE plastic, and demolished aggregates, was performed. The results indicate that sustainable materials can reduce repair costs by up to 13.43%, while drone-based surveys significantly reduce inspection time and improve monitoring efficiency. The proposed integrated approach demonstrates the potential of combining UAV-based infrastructure monitoring with environmentally sustainable repair strategies. This framework can support smarter road maintenance planning and contribute to sustainable infrastructure management.

Published

2026-03-28

How to Cite

Jain, S. (2026). Drone-based pothole detection and sustainable repairs. Building Engineering, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.59400/be4117

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Vol. 4 No. 1 (2026)

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Article

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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