Limited closed circuit television or CCTV coverage in rural and areas on freeways with obstructed views adversely affects traffic managers, hindering their ability to have efficient real-time situational awareness. Providing more unobstructed and widescreen real-time video views to Transportation Management Center (TMC) operators also helps them disseminate more accurate information to first responders as well. To that end, the $500,000 unmanned aircraft systems or drones projected launched by Caltrans in Fresno helped speed up incident response times, minimizing traffic exposure to field personnel and first responders, while enhancing documentation and evaluation of incidents. The use of real-time drone video also resulted in better planning and recovery efforts, ultimately reducing delays, and improving travel times for the community. The implementation of drones covers larger areas, including remote and hard-to-access areas while providing technical services, identifies maintenance needs, and evaluates incidents with high resolution photographs and videos which produces improved incident management.
America's Transportation Awards 