mAPPing Roadkill to Improve Driver and Wildlife Safety on Highways

Research Team: Fraser Shilling (lead) and Davis Waetjen

UC Campus(es): UC Davis

Problem Statement: Caltrans and other state agencies lack an efficient system to record the locations and types of wildlife carcasses that freeway maintenance workers regularly find and collect for disposal. These data are important for identifying wildlife-vehicle collision “hotspots” that planners can then plan to mitigate.

Project Description: This project supported the development of an application framework for Caltrans staff and partners that will facilitate the collection of information on roadside features and document findings in a web-based database which can be shared within Caltrans, as well as externally. The “one-click” application allows for users to simply point at a roadside feature, snap a photo, and this information will automatically be sent to the image server for processing. Additional annotation can be added (such as an animal species), which will provide the necessary verification steps for a complete and permanent record. These data are a critical first step to mitigating impacts to drivers and animals from collisions.

Status: Completed

Budget: $95,000