The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) has received a $12.4 million SMART Grant to improve infrastructure safety and disaster response in rural communities in the state. This funding will support the second phase of the agency’s initiative SOAR (Scalable Operations and Advanced Remote Technologies).
Dylan Blankenship, a development specialist for Statewide Aviation at DOT&PF, said that the SOAR initiative will change how the DOT manages infrastructure and responds to disasters in rural and remote areas.
"The SOAR initiative, which is phase two of the smart grant, seeks to revolutionize how we approach infrastructure management throughout the state of Alaska and disaster response. Particularly in rural and remote areas, underserved areas," said Blankenship.
The initiative builds upon the ARROW Program, which introduced technologies like drone-in-a-box solutions and real-time data management to rural communities. This new funding will allow DOT&PF to expand these efforts, using drones equipped with sensors and live-streaming capabilities to inspect critical infrastructure such as roads, bridges and airstrips.
The drones will also help collect real-time data to support quicker decision-making during emergencies, improving safety and response times in Alaska’s often challenging environments.
"One good example would be how GPS-enabled systems can document seasonal trails like ice roads, which we have a few of," said Blankenship "We believe they can enhance safety. Providing accurate real-time maps and giving hazard warnings ahead of time for people utilizing this infrastructure and essentially."
The new technology will save time and resources by reducing the need for dangerous inspections that require DOT&PF personnel to travel to hard-to-reach areas. The project includes important partnerships with the California Department of Transportation, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the Association of Village Council Presidents and local groups like the AFL-CIO and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
Source: Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, Arrowprogramoverview.com
