To enhance the riding experience for commuters on National Highways, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will deploy Network Survey Vehicles (NSVs) across 23 states, covering 20,933 kilometres. The initiative aims to collect, process, and analyse road inventory and pavement condition data for improved maintenance and safety. The deployment of NSVs will enable NHAI to gather essential data on road inventory and pavement conditions, including details of surface cracking, potholes, and patches. Insights from these surveys will help identify deficiencies in road quality, prompting timely corrective measures to improve the overall upkeep of National Highways. The data collected through NSV surveys will be uploaded to NHAI’s AI-based platform, Data Lake, where a team of experts will analyse it to generate actionable insights. In line with Government of India guidelines, this data will be stored in the Road Asset Management System for future technical reference and infrastructure planning. The pavement condition surveys will be conducted using 3D laser-based NSV systems equipped with advanced technologies such as high-resolution 360-degree cameras, Differential Global Positioning Systems (DGPS), Inertial Measurement Units (IMU), and Distance Measuring Indicators (DMI). These systems automatically detect and report road defects without human intervention, supported by sophisticated data acquisition and processing software for precise measurement. Data will be collected for all projects involving 2-, 4-, 6-, and 8-lane highways before the commencement of work and subsequently at six-month intervals. To operationalise the initiative, NHAI has invited bids from qualified companies for the supply and deployment of NSVs. The Network Survey Vehicle system serves as a specialised infrastructure management tool designed to collect detailed information about the condition and inventory of National Highways. This data supports informed decision-making in pavement maintenance, asset management, and infrastructure planning, thereby improving the safety, efficiency, and quality of India’s National Highway network.