Deadline: 25-Jun-2026
The AI for Safer Roads Innovation Challenge is now accepting applications from innovators worldwide to develop AI-driven solutions that improve road safety across Asia and the Pacific. Participants will gain access to large-scale mobility, geospatial, and road safety datasets, receive mentoring from international experts, compete for cash prizes, and may qualify for pilot project opportunities worth up to USD 20,000 in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Overview of the Challenge
The AI for Safer Roads Innovation Challenge seeks innovative solutions that use artificial intelligence, mobility data, and geospatial analysis to better understand road safety risks and support evidence-based decision-making.
The initiative aims to uncover hidden patterns of road risk, assess whether existing speed limits align with Safe System principles, and develop scalable tools that help governments create safer transport systems.
Participants will work with real-world datasets and develop practical solutions that can be replicated across countries in Asia and the Pacific.
Challenge Objectives
The challenge aims to:
- Improve road safety through AI-driven analysis
- Assess the suitability of posted speed limits
- Apply Safe System principles to road networks
- Identify high-risk road segments
- Support data-driven transport policy decisions
- Develop scalable road safety tools
- Strengthen government decision-making through geospatial insights
- Improve protection for vulnerable road users
- Generate replicable solutions across multiple countries
Key Focus Areas
The challenge focuses on:
- Artificial intelligence for road safety
- Speed management and speed limit assessment
- Safe System implementation
- Geospatial analytics
- Mobility data analysis
- Road risk identification
- Transport safety innovation
- Vulnerable road user protection
- Data visualization and mapping
- Decision-support systems
- Digital road safety solutions
- Regional scalability and replication
Problem Statement
Participants are expected to develop solutions that help answer critical road safety questions.
Key objectives include:
- Determining whether posted speed limits align with Safe System principles
- Identifying road segments where speed limits may be inappropriate
- Detecting areas with elevated risk exposure
- Evaluating road function against actual operating speeds
- Understanding risks faced by pedestrians, cyclists, and other vulnerable road users
- Supporting evidence-based policy interventions
Datasets Available to Participants
Following registration and the signing of a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), participants will receive access to anonymized and aggregated datasets.
GPS Probe Data
Datasets include:
- Operating speeds
- Speed distributions
- Posted speed limits
- Traffic intensity information
Road Network Data
Available information includes:
- Functional road classifications
- Urban and rural classifications
- Intersection density metrics
Mapillary Street-Level Imagery
Participants can access:
- Street-level imagery
- Machine-learning identified road features
- Traffic signs and roadway characteristics
Optional Contextual Data Layers
Additional datasets may include:
- Land use information
- Population density data
- School proximity indicators
- Market proximity indicators
- Other contextual geographic information
Expected Outputs
Participants are encouraged to develop practical tools and insights that can support road safety decision-making.
Potential outputs include:
- Speed Safety Scores
- Risk assessment models
- AI-powered analytics tools
- Interactive dashboards
- Geospatial risk maps
- Road safety visualization platforms
- Decision-support systems
- Predictive risk assessment models
Benefits for Participants
Selected participants will gain access to:
- Real-world mobility datasets
- Road safety datasets
- Geospatial information resources
- Technical mentoring
- International expert guidance
- Dashboard development opportunities
- ADB Enterprise GIS testing environment
Mentorship Support
Participants will receive guidance from specialists affiliated with:
- Asian Development Bank (ADB)
- World Bank
- International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Awards and Funding Opportunities
Cash Prizes
The challenge offers prizes funded by ITU and AI for Good.
- First Place
- CHF 600
- Second Place
- CHF 400
Pilot Project Opportunities
Eligible teams from ADB member countries may also receive opportunities for:
- Collaboration with ADB experts
- Pilot project development
- Deployment of solutions in ADB member countries
Potential pilot project support may range from:
- USD 10,000 to USD 20,000
Certificates and Recognition
Top-performing teams will receive certificates of accomplishment from:
- Asian Development Bank
- International Telecommunication Union
- AI for Good
- World Bank
Who Can Apply?
Global Eligibility
The ITU and AI for Good competition component is open to participants worldwide.
Eligible applicants may include:
- Researchers
- Data scientists
- AI specialists
- GIS professionals
- Transport experts
- Software developers
- Students
- Innovation teams
- Startups
- Academic institutions
ADB Pilot Opportunity Eligibility
Additional pilot project and collaboration opportunities are available only to participants from ADB member countries.
Why This Challenge Matters
Road traffic injuries remain a major public safety challenge across many countries. Traditional approaches often struggle to identify emerging risks quickly and accurately.
By combining:
- Artificial intelligence
- Mobility analytics
- Geospatial intelligence
- Large-scale transport datasets
the challenge aims to help governments better understand risk patterns and implement evidence-based interventions that can save lives.
The initiative also promotes scalable solutions that can be adapted across different countries and transport environments.
How the Challenge Works
Step 1: Register
- Complete challenge registration.
- Sign the required NDA.
Step 2: Access Datasets
- Receive access to mobility, road network, imagery, and contextual datasets.
Step 3: Analyze Road Safety Risks
- Apply AI, machine learning, geospatial analysis, or statistical methods.
- Identify risk patterns and speed safety issues.
Step 4: Develop a Solution
- Create dashboards, models, visualizations, or decision-support tools.
Step 5: Present Results
- Submit findings and demonstrate how the solution can improve road safety outcomes.
Step 6: Compete for Awards and Pilot Opportunities
- Top teams may receive prizes, recognition, and potential pilot collaborations.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the AI for Safer Roads Innovation Challenge?
- A global innovation challenge that uses AI, mobility data, and geospatial analysis to improve road safety and speed management.
- What datasets will participants receive?
- Participants may access:
- GPS probe data
- Road network data
- Mapillary imagery
- Land use and population datasets
- School and market proximity data
- Participants may access:
- Are participants required to sign an NDA?
- Yes.
- Dataset access is provided after registration and NDA completion.
- Yes.
- What prizes are available?
- Awards include:
- CHF 600 for first place
- CHF 400 for second place
- Awards include:
- Is there additional funding available?
- Yes.
- Eligible teams from ADB member countries may access pilot opportunities worth between USD 10,000 and USD 20,000.
- Yes.
- Who can participate?
- The competition component is open globally.
- Pilot opportunities are limited to participants from ADB member countries.
- The competition component is open globally.
- What types of solutions are encouraged?
- Examples include:
- AI models
- Risk mapping tools
- Dashboards
- Speed Safety Scores
- Geospatial analytics platforms
- Decision-support systems
- Examples include:
Conclusion
The AI for Safer Roads Innovation Challenge offers a unique opportunity for innovators, researchers, and technology professionals to apply artificial intelligence and geospatial analytics to one of the world’s most pressing transportation challenges. Through access to real-world datasets, expert mentorship, international recognition, and potential pilot funding, participants can contribute to safer roads and more effective road safety systems across Asia and the Pacific.
For more information, visit ADB Challenges.
