According to new research, tracking windshield wiper activity can provide faster, more accurate rainfall data than radar and rain gauge systems we currently have in place.

In Michigan State of United States, engineers tracked when wipers were in use and matched that information with video from onboard cameras to document rainfall.

Researchers collected data from a set of 70 cars outfitted with sensors in windshield wipers and dashboard cameras.

A community armed with that real-time data could move more quickly to prevent flash-flooding or sewage overflows, which represent a rising threat to property, infrastructure, and the environment.