RoadScout vs video-AI survey platforms
If you are evaluating automated road survey platforms, this page is the side-by-side we would want if we were buying: how the approaches differ in practice, and our published numbers against typical published claims.
Side by side
Nine rows. Everything that decides an evaluation.
The left column reflects how video-AI survey platforms describe themselves publicly. The right column is RoadScout as shipped.
FIG. 01 / COMPARISON
| VIDEO-AI SURVEY PLATFORMS (ROAD AI ET AL.) | ROADSCOUT | |
|---|---|---|
| Capture | Record dashcam video on any car, then upload footage for analysis. Someone manages recording and video files. | Phone app or permanently fitted device captures and uploads automatically during normal fleet rounds. Nobody manages footage. |
| Turnaround | Batch AI analysis of uploaded video. | First results on the dashboard under 5 minutes after the trip ends. Same-day results, every day you drive. |
| Detection detail | “Multiple distresses, fixes and assets.” Class lists and accuracy figures are not published. | 65+ named classes across 5 production models, trained on 74,000+ images, with measured accuracy published: markings mAP50 0.942, infrastructure 0.711, signs 0.677. |
| Scoring & standards | Condition ratings presented in the vendor's interface. | PCI to ASTM D6433 (7 bands), IRI to World Bank / ARRB bands, and TMH 5-point visual condition for SA / SADC reporting, per ~100 m segment. |
| From finding to fixing | Map interface for viewing results and planning. | Accept/decline review with audit trail, built-in work orders with priority, assignee and cost, plus deterioration forecasting and budget scenarios. |
| Telemetry | Analysis is video-based. | 25 Hz motion telemetry adds corrugation detection, grades ≥6%, missing lane lines and a roughness-based IRI estimate, on sealed, gravel and haul roads. |
| Your data | Results live in the vendor's viewer. | Read-only REST API, webhooks, and Shapefile / GeoJSON / KML / CSV exports in WGS84. Your PMS or GIS stays the system of record. |
| Pricing | Quote on request. | Transparent per-network-km pricing, typically $8 to 40 per km per year, quoted on network size, road types and modules. |
| Hardware option | Bring-your-own dashcam or phone. | Phone app, or the RoadScout device: fitted once, powered by the ignition, capturing and uploading every trip with no operator. |
LEFT COLUMN SUMMARISED FROM ROAD AI PUBLIC MATERIALS · CORRECTIONS WELCOME
The edge
An advantage no survey can copy: your own fleet.
Every alternative, from the survey vehicle to the video platform, sells you a snapshot. RoadScout turns the vehicles you already fuel and insure into standing survey infrastructure. That difference compounds.
SEC. 01 / STRUCTURAL ADVANTAGE
The next survey is free
Once your fleet carries RoadScout, tomorrow's coverage costs nothing extra: no mobilisation, no campaign, no purchase order. The economics of knowing your roads change permanently.
It learns your network
Every reviewed detection feeds retraining on your surfaces, your materials, your light. The longer you run RoadScout, the sharper it gets on the roads that matter to you.
A picture that never ages
A network snapshot starts decaying the day it is delivered. A picture refreshed by every trip is current in the council meeting, in the budget round, and when a claim lands.
Our case
Why teams still pick RoadScout.
Seven concrete reasons, each verifiable in the product on a demo call, not on a roadmap.
SEC. 02 / WHY ROADSCOUT
Minutes, not a batch queue
RoadScout returns first results under 5 minutes after the trip ends. Continuous capture on your own fleet means the network picture refreshes every day, not per campaign.
Published classes, measured numbers
We name all 65+ classes and publish measured mAP50 per model. When an engineer asks “what exactly does it detect, and how well?”, the answer is on our features page, not in a sales deck.
ASTM, IRI and TMH scoring built in
PCI to ASTM D6433 and IRI to World Bank / ARRB bands per ~100 m segment, plus TMH 5-point visual condition: the scale South African and SADC authorities actually report against.
Work orders and forecasting, not just a map
Review with audit trail, work orders with priority, assignee and estimated cost, deterioration forecasting and budget scenarios are part of the platform, not a separate purchase.
Your data leaves whenever you want
A read-only REST API, webhooks and GIS exports in Shapefile, GeoJSON, KML and CSV mean ArcGIS, QGIS or your PMS stays the source of record. No viewer lock-in.
A number you can budget before the call
Typically $8 to 40 per network-km per year, quoted on three inputs you already know. Compare that with quote-on-request before you have a meeting.
A device option for zero-effort fleets
Beyond the phone app, the RoadScout device is fitted once, powers with the ignition and uploads every trip by itself. No dashcams to manage, no missed rounds.
Shortlisting vendors? Put us in the bake-off.
Run one vehicle for one week alongside any competitor and compare the output side by side.