Predicting Potholes: How Drone Mapping Can Help Cities Stay Ahead of Road Repairs

Brian Layhew
Jul 3
2 min read

If you manage city infrastructure or oversee public works, you know how fast roads can go from smooth to sketchy. Pavement deterioration is a real budget buster—but what if you could predict which streets need work before potholes appear? That’s where our drone mapping services come in. At 9 Line Aerial Media, we use drone technology to deliver PCI (Pavement Condition Index) data that helps cities make smarter, faster, and more cost-effective pavement maintenance decisions.

What Is PCI and Why Should You Care?

PCI gives roads a score from 0 to 100, like a report card for pavement health. Instead of relying on slow, manual inspections, our drones capture high-resolution imagery of entire neighborhoods in one efficient flight. That data feeds directly into PCI software for precise, far-reaching assessment.

Quick Stat: Cities using predictive PCI models can reduce pavement lifecycle costs by up to 60% (source: Federal Highway Administration).

How Drone PCI Mapping Works: Step-by-Step

Planning the Flight
- FAA Part 107 certified pilots plan flight paths covering all city streets, ensuring full, legal aerial coverage.
Capturing High-Res Orthomosaics
- We fly drones at optimal altitudes for detailed, georeferenced imagery with 70–80% overlap—perfect for mapping cracks, rutting, and wear.
Processing the Data
- We stitch images into high-resolution orthomosaic maps and feed them into PCI software to score every road segment.
Analyzing Trends
- Combining historical PCI scores enables predictive models detailing which streets will degrade soon—and when to act.

Real Results: Saving Time, Money & Frustration

One mid-sized U.S. city saved $1.3 million over three years with drone-based PCI forecasting. They stopped patching holes and started preventing them—resulting in smoother streets and happier residents.

Budget Smarter with Predictive PCI

Instead of reacting to complaints, PCI data helps you:

Target roads likely to fail soon for maximum maintenance ROI
Plan long-term budgets using multi-year PCI forecasts
Secure funding via visual PCI heatmaps showing priority needs

Ready to Map Smarter?

Drone-powered PCI planning isn’t the future—it’s today. Whether you're in charge of town, county, or metro infrastructure, 9 Line Aerial Media gives you the insights to reduce costs, extend pavement life, and make data-driven decisions.

Want to see what drone PCI mapping can do for your roads?➡️ Get a custom PCI map for your city!