Garcia-González, JorgeMuñoz, Carlos Quiterio GomezGachet Páez, Diego GabrielGachet Páez, Diego GabrielSánchez Soriano, JavierSánchez Soriano, Javier2025-11-252025-11-252025-11Garcia-González, J, Muñoz, C Q G, Gachet Páez, D G & Sánchez Soriano, J 2025, 'Automated Road Data Collection Systems Using UAVs: Comparative Evaluation of Architectures Based on Arduino Portenta H7 and ESP32-CAM', Electronics (Switzerland), vol. 14, no. 21, 4165. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics142141652079-9292https://hdl.handle.net/10641/6538Publisher Copyright: © 2025 by the authors.This article presents the design, implementation, and comparative evaluation of two Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)-based architectures for automated road data acquisition and processing. The first system uses Arduino Portenta H7 boards to perform real-time inference at the edge, reducing connectivity dependency. The second employs ESP32-CAM modules that transmit raw data for remote server-side processing. We experimentally validated and compared both systems in terms of power consumption, latency, and detection accuracy. Results show that the Portenta-based system consumes 36.2% less energy and achieves lower end-to-end latency (10,114 ms vs. 11,032 ms), making it suitable for connectivity-constrained scenarios. Conversely, the ESP32-CAM system is simpler to deploy and allows rapid model updates at the server. These findings provide a reference for Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) deployments requiring scalable, energy-efficient, and flexible road monitoring solutions.213384367enghttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Arduino PortentaIntelligent Transportation Systems (ITSs)Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)edge computingtraffic monitoringTraffic monitoringEdge computingControl and Systems EngineeringSignal ProcessingHardware and ArchitectureComputer Networks and CommunicationsElectrical and Electronic EngineeringYesnojournal articleopen access10.3390/electronics14214165https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105021398150https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105021398150#tab=citedBy