Ceit and the San Sebastián City Council are collaborating to digitalize road maintenance through the BideRoad project.

The pilot project “BideRoad” will improve the management of four road networks in the city through digitalization and enhanced traceability.

The proposal, submitted by the Ceit technology center to the Urban Challenge Resolution Ideas Competition organized by Fomento San Sebastián, involves the participation of the City Council’s Department of Maintenance and Urban Services.

The technological solution “BideRoad: Automation of Inspection and Digitalization of Urban Road Network Maintenance” submitted by Ceit to the Urban Challenge Resolution Ideas Competition by Fomento San Sebastián will be tested in the city over the coming months.

The project stands out for its innovative impact on a public service and will help improve road network maintenance management.

Fomento San Sebastián identifies the promotion of public innovation as one of the priorities of its Strategic Plan. Initiatives like this competition bring local knowledge and talent closer to the municipal sphere and offer innovative solutions to the challenges the city faces.

During the presentation of the agreement, Ane Oyarbide, Councilor for Economy and Local Employment, emphasized that “this is just one example of how we can turn technological innovation into a tool for urban transformation with social impact. This competition demonstrates the Municipal Society’s commitment to public-private collaboration and strengthens the connecting role of Fomento San Sebastián in promoting public sector innovation and being a reference agent in the development of strategic projects in the city.”

For Carlos García, Councilor for Maintenance and Urban Services, “the development of this pilot project will contribute to more efficient management of public services, driving the modernization of municipal processes, as the digitalization and real-time updating of information are the foundation for more efficient and traceable management.”

Juan Melendez, General Director of Ceit, stated: “At Ceit, we are very grateful for the opportunity given to us by the City Council and Fomento San Sebastián through this collaboration agreement. Thanks to this partnership, Ceit's spin-off BideRoad will be able to validate its technology in a real environment, while contributing to improving the services offered by the City Council's various departments to citizens. This collaboration is a clear example of how our research can translate into real solutions that improve people’s lives, and how Fomento San Sebastián fosters innovation and entrepreneurship in the city.”

San Sebastián’s “BideRoad” project addresses the challenge that urban road networks, which degrade over time due to weather and usage, must be periodically renewed. The Maintenance Department currently performs regular visual inspections to identify areas in need of repair, which requires significant time and resources. The pilot project “BideRoad” aims to enhance maintenance management through the digitalization and automation of these inspections. Specifically, bus lines 13, 17, 28, and 31 have been selected to test the tool.

First, a sensor-equipped vehicle with a vision capture system will travel the selected routes to collect images, which will then be processed using artificial intelligence. This will enable the digitalization of the road surfaces and the automatic identification, registration, and management of road conditions. The platform also includes a web interface to visualize the road networks, their condition, maintenance resources, and task planning.

The 12-month pilot project marks the final phase of a Ceit R&D&I cycle and will provide vital support for the newly established tech-based company that will manage the system. In total, more than 300 people work in the 20 spin-offs created to date by Ceit, most of which have received support from Fomento San Sebastián during their creation and development.