The Challenge
Ahead of the winter season 2021/22, the City of Gothenburg initiated a pilot to explore how data could better support resource efficiency and salt usage in winter maintenance operations.
Urban winter maintenance presents unique challenges. Conditions can vary significantly across short distances, and traditional approaches risk either over-treatment or delayed response. The city wanted improved situational awareness to support daily operational decisions and follow-up analysis, without adding complexity to existing workflows.
The Solution
As part of the pilot initiative, the City of Gothenburg began using Winter Road Insights by NIRA Dynamics. Winter Road Insights provides continuous, vehicle-based information on road surface conditions across the city.
The platform enabled the Traffic Office to:
- Gain a real-time overview of prevailing winter conditions
- Support daily operational decisions during winter events
- Perform post-event follow-up analysis to better understand how conditions evolved across the network
The focus was on decision support, giving operators a clearer, data-driven picture of where attention was needed most.
From Pilot to Long-Term Program
As early adopters of road condition data from connected vehicles, the City of Gothenburg ran a pilot between the 2021/22 and 2023/24 winter seasons. Following the initial pilot during the 2023/24 winter season, the collaboration transitioned into a series project, reflecting confidence in the value of the insights provided. Based on the outcomes, the City of Gothenburg has now entered into a long-term collaboration spanning 15 years, embedding data-driven situational awareness as a core part of its winter maintenance strategy.
The Results
With Winter Road Insights, the City of Gothenburg has strengthened its ability to:
- Improve situational awareness during winter operations
- Support more informed, day-to-day operational decisions
- Enable structured follow-up analysis after winter events
By integrating vehicle-based road condition data into daily workflows, the city is better equipped to manage winter maintenance in a complex urban environment—supporting safe mobility while using resources more efficiently.
