. Staff Writer. If awarded, DART could use the grant for drones to monitor hardtoreach places. In supporting the application, TAMC asked that funds be used for monitoring county roads and private roads. On June 26, Josh Metz, executive director of Monterey Bay DART Drone Automation  Robotics Technology, made a pitch to the board of the Transportation Agency for Monterey County: Please be the lead agency in our effort to get federal grant money to help us use drones in times of emergency or disaster. The idea is this: Unmanned drones, much bigger than the hobbyist s variety, fly over rural parts of the county and assess the conditions of county or private roads. Then, that information is put into a county database and assimilated by decision makers, who then make decisions based on what we know to be true from the sky. The TAMC board was thrilled by the idea the phrase cutting edge came up and unanimously agreed to be the public agency sponsor for MBDART s grant application DART is a 501c3 nonprofit. The grant application is for just under 2 million, about half of which would go toward the infrastructure side of drone operations, while the other half would go toward administering the program. A key partner in the program is University of Alaska Fairbanks, which hosted one of the original federal drone testing sites more than a decade ago, and which operates the PanPacific Unmanned Aircraft Systems UAS Test Range Complex. DART s proposal is an admission that our emergency responsiveness can improve, and must. Climate changeinduced disasters are wreaking havoc on our infrastructure, and unless we want to accept major disruptions to our ability to travel on rural roads, we must adapt accordingly it s about seeing the problems in real time, and reacting. Staff Writer. . . . . . . Drone technology is useful not only for warfare reconnaissance, but civilian use too! These can cover every square meter of the County for excellent data acquisition. This should be strongly promoted. Drone technology is useful not only for warfare reconnaissance, but civilian use too! These can cover every square meter of the County for excellent data acquisition. This should be strongly promoted. Log In. Spheres of Influence: Local painter David Ligare combines a classical style and large formats for big, bold artwork and lots of perfect shapes. . . Sign up and be the first to know about any of breaking news, newest posts, visitors info and local offers delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for our flagship newsletter, with daily local news, inspiration, arts, opinion and more. Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers:. The mission of Monterey County NOW is to inspire independent thinking and conscious action, etc. Serving Big Sur, CarmelbytheSea, Carmel Valley, Castroville, Del Rey Oaks, Marina, Monterey, Moss Landing, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Prunedale, Salinas, Salinas Valley, Sand City, Seaside and the entire Monterey County. Copyright, Monterey County NOW, Seaside, CA  Milestone Communications Inc. All rights reserved. Formerly the Monterey County Weekly  Coast Weekly newspaper.
Monterey Bay DART Drone Automation & Robotics Technology is seeking a federal grant to use drones for monitoring county and private roads during emergencies. The Transportation Agency for Monterey County has agreed to sponsor their grant application. The program aims to improve emergency responsiveness, especially in light of climate change-induced disasters. Drones would provide real-time data, allowing decision-makers to react effectively to road conditions.