The New Jersey Department of Transportation is constantly collecting data on the state’s roadways with a focus on safety and development. One company is offering an AI-based solution to improve the path forward.

“Our roadways are dumb, and our cars are getting smarter and smarter every day,” said Charles Degliomini, the executive vice president of Rekor Systems. “Why aren’t we as a country leaning into this, and using AI to make things better?”

Rekor is a Maryland-based company with two main services - a system that gathers vehicle info for traffic studies without digging up roads and a management application that they say can identify roadway issues as they happen, quicker than an emergency call.

“If there’s a missing [DOT] camera, we can see through Bluetooth data, connected car data, weather data and other important inputs and qualify and quantify what’s happening with that crane on the roadway,” Degliomini said.

Rekor Systems has demonstrated its services to the New Jersey Department of Transportation. Its technology is already being used in Florida, South Carolina and Texas. Degliomini says the systems don’t capture license plates, and won’t eliminate human jobs.

“Does it displace someone from digging up a roadway with a jackhammer? Perhaps,” Degliomini said. “But can that same person do an installation with a pole on the side of the roadway? You bet he can.”