NDDOT, Northern Plains UAS Test Site to use UAS for emergency response efforts during spring floods

February 27, 2020 | AUVSI News

In advance of potential floods this spring, the North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) and Northern Plains UAS Test Site (NPUASTS) are joining forces to help improve and supplement their current UAS program.

“We are very excited for this partnership and what it means for our UAS program and the state of North Dakota,” says NDDOT Director Bill Panos. “This imagery will provide us with valuable information and give us a new prospective on flooding.”

To enhance emergency response to flooding across the state, UAS will be used to capture photo and video for NDDOT. NPUASTS will use its own resource and local vendors to accomplish the emergency response efforts.

“The goal of the project is to use drones to provide key stakeholders the information they need make critical decisions in regard to the anticipated flooding,” explains Nicholas Flom, executive director of NPUASTS.

“This information can help make critical decisions in a timely manner like determining when a road may become impassable and also allowing roads to reopen sometimes days or even a week sooner than normal inspection methods.”

NDDOT is one of nine lead participants in the UAS Integration Pilot Program. NPUASTS is one of NDDOT’s partners on the program.