Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2010UT141B

Development of Flood Emergency Response Capability Using UAV's

Institute: Utah
Year Established: 2010 Start Date: 2010-03-01 End Date: 2011-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $6,748 Total Non-Federal Funds: $28,415

Principal Investigators: William Rahmeyer, Shannon Clemens, Austin Jensen

Project Summary:

There is a very real and significant need for accurate and up-to-date mapping of the area impacted by a flood event. The need includes pre-mapping, continual up-to-date real-time assessment and mapping, coordination and direction of emergency response personnel and resources, and the mapping to provide required information for security and safety decisions within the effected flood area. The use of a unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) air plane then has the potential for quicker and better mapping, while protecting the safety of emergency response personnel. This research proposed here is to determine how to use and deploy UAVs to aid in the emergency response to a serious flood event.