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UA Cargo-Tracking Project Gets $1.5M For Research

2 min read

A team of researchers at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville received a $1.5 million grant to develop cargo-tracking technology.

The project is headed by Sarah Hernandez, an assistant professor of civil engineering, and the research team includes facility and students from the departments of civil engineering, computer science and computer engineering, as well as the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies.

The grant was provided by Inter-Modal Holding LLC of Steubenville, Ohio, a transportation, technology and infrastructure holding company; the university’s research project will focus on the Upper Ohio River Valley’s transportation network.

“Our inland waterways move a significant amount of freight and rely equally on efficient water- and land-side transportation systems,” Hernandez said. “This project will provide detailed truck volume data for the roads used to access inland waterway ports. With this data, we can better design pavements, manage port operation and direct funds to support better highway connectivity.”

The university team has created an algorithm for the use of laser-distancing and video-sensing technologies to track cargo loads as they are in transit. The project is designed to determine how water and truck transport interact for better infrastructure planning.

“This project will develop a traffic sensor that measures truck activity in such a way that trucks, drivers and fleets remain anonymous but still provide the level of data needed to create policy and prioritize transportation investments for efficient freight movement,” Hernandez said. “Public transportation agencies and private firms and operators need to understand when, where and what freight is moving. This information can be used to design targeted policies to promote critical industries and to identify and select infrastructure projects that support critical or underserved industries.”

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