Published on: 2026-06-10
Source: Saint Petersburg State Polytechnical University of Peter the Great –
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Students of the Engineering and Construction Institute of the Saint Petersburg Polytechnic University of Peter the Great became winners of the second stage of the All-Russian IT Championship “Digital Era of Transport” — the largest industry competition for the digitalization of transport infrastructure. The students presented an engineering solution to improve the efficiency of road works in complex weather conditions — the web application “Meteo-Planner for Asphalt Paving.” The team leader was senior lecturer of the Higher School of Industrial, Civil, and Road Construction ISI Lilia Talipova.
The student team of the ISI SPbPU “Visota,” consisting of Alexandra Sulganova, Darya Vertunova, Alina Kondakova, and Vladislav Ivanov, developed a concept for an application to plan asphalt concrete pavement works considering weather conditions and meteorological parameter forecasts. The proposed solution aims to reduce the risks of violations in road construction technology, improve the quality of the pavement, and optimize production processes during road works under unstable weather conditions.
During the production of road works, the order for asphalt concrete mixture is placed 4 hours before the start of laying, and during this time the weather conditions may change. The current forecasts have low operability and do not take into account the specifics of the particular section. If loading of the asphalt concrete mixture into dump trucks and its laying is impossible due to subsidence or low material temperature, the material is subject to disposal, and the site stands idle. Scheduled equipment maintenance is not synchronized with weather windows, resulting in losses amounting to millions of rubles annually.
The “Visota” team has presented a web application called “Meteo Asphalt Paving Planner,” which in real time connects weather forecasts, mix logistics, and technology management. The application integrates with three independent meteorological sources. Based on an hourly forecast, including temperature, precipitation, and wind, “green windows” are calculated — periods suitable for paving, taking into account the layer type.
The system contains data about the work site and the asphalt concrete plant. It performs automatic calculation of the delivery time of the mix, the paver speed, calculated based on the plant’s productivity, as well as the maximum tonnage that can be ordered without risk, considering unfavorable weather conditions. The site supervisor receives a visual management tool: a map, color indication, clear recommendations.
With a forecasted probability of precipitation exceeding 70 percent, maintenance of inactive road machinery is organized, and dump trucks with an already loaded mixture are redirected to the nearest section. When the temperature is negative, the system initiates an order for antifreeze and flushing liquids.
The proposed solution allows reducing the volumes of utilized asphalt concrete mixture and the amount of idle road machinery, as well as lowering the contractor organization’s costs by up to 5 million rubles per year.
Our case — the development of an application for planning the laying of asphalt concrete pavement under adverse weather conditions — required not just knowledge of road standards, but also deep integration with mathematical modeling and algorithm optimization. It was precisely the knowledge of these competencies and the coordinated work of the team that helped us solve the case and achieve victory. Within the allocated time, we successfully completed all stages: from the analysis of regulatory documents to the creation of a working prototype, which was highly evaluated by experts in the transportation industry.Participation in the championship became an excellent start for further professional development,
IT Championship “Digital Era of Transport” took place with the support of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Construction and Housing and Communal Services of the Russian Federation, the Federal Road Agency, the State Duma of the Russian Federation, the Federal Road Agency (Rosavtodor), the association “R.O.S.A.S.F.A.L.T” and industry-specific organizations. The Championship was organized by the Association “Digital Era of Transport.”
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