Chennai, January 16: The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has developed an Integrated Road Safety Dashboard, a digital governance platform aimed at strengthening road safety management and policy execution across India. The system has already been successfully adopted by the Government of Odisha, positioning the State as an early mover in data-driven road safety governance.
Developed to integrate diverse data streams from multiple departments, the dashboard provides real-time analytics and actionable insights to support evidence-based policymaking. It is designed as a scalable and configurable digital public infrastructure that can be replicated by States and Union Territories in alignment with their respective road safety strategies.
The platform was recently launched in Odisha as part of Road Safety Month 2026 celebrations underway in January. Its modular architecture enabled Odisha to customise workflows, performance indicators and reporting structures, while remaining aligned with a common national framework.
Officials said the dashboard allows leadership to identify accident-prone zones, assign departmental responsibility, track enforcement and engineering interventions, and measure outcomes with greater precision. By shifting governance from siloed data collection to coordinated, outcome-oriented implementation, it addresses a long-standing gap in road safety administration.
Elaborating on its operational value, Amitabh Thakur, Transport Commissioner-cum-Chairman, State Transport Authority, Government of Odisha, said the system provides the analytical backbone required for sustained enforcement and targeted interventions. He noted that a data-driven, human factors-based approach is equipping field officers with modern technological tools to improve road safety outcomes and save lives.
Highlighting the broader significance of the initiative, Prof. V Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, said the road safety is a complex public challenge that requires coordinated action, institutional accountability and intelligent use of data.
He stated that the dashboard demonstrates how academic research and technological innovation can directly support governance and public service delivery, with the potential to strengthen road safety management across States and Union Territories.
The dashboard has been developed by RBG Labs at IIT Madras and implemented by NICSI. According to the project team, it builds on the national accident data ecosystem created under the Integrated Road Accidents Database (iRAD), now referred to as eDAR (electronic Detailed Accident Report), under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
Prof. Venkatesh Balasubramanian, Head of RBG Labs, described the platform as a governance reform tool rather than merely a technology solution, stating that it represents e-governance in its truest sense by directly contributing to the saving of lives.
Key features of the system include an Officials’ Portal offering executive summaries, location intelligence, monitoring tools and visual analytics, and a Citizen Portal that allows the public to report accidents, hazards and grievances, thereby enhancing transparency and participatory governance.
The Rehabilitation Bioengineering Group (RBG Labs) at the Department of Engineering Design at IIT Madras is an interdisciplinary group working on various problems of societal demand to enhance the quality and productivity of people, processes and products.
