Professional infrastructure and environmental services firm Cardno has released new technology designed to help reduce man-hours required to clear an accident scene. The technology has already been used by several agencies throughout western Washington.
To document and map crime scenes today, law enforcement often requires the lanes where accidents occurred to be closed, often causing major traffic delays.
“Often, there’s little more than orange traffic cones between the officers and the traffic passing the scene,” said Rob Dannenberg, Cardno’s Unmanned Aviation Operations Lead. “Using remote piloted aircraft (RPA) platforms, we’re able to increase data collection, suggest the best way to clear the scene and help turn a several-hour closure for accident documentation into less than 30 minutes.”
In addition, the public receives a benefit from this technology. Cardno’s RPA platforms enable a more thorough 3D modeling and reconstruction of the accident, providing a much more detailed view of the event and surrounding scene.
“The real benefit is to the public we serve. One of the biggest advantages of the new system is our ability to arrive on a scene, deploy our UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] and in minutes, have the results we need,” said Renton (WA) Police Department Commander Chad Karlewicz. “Before, roads would have been closed for hours while we did our work.”
“This program is another RPA services line expansion for Cardno, and we are pleased to support public safety and provide law enforcement with advanced technology that makes their jobs and the community safer,” said Layne Friedel, Cardno’s Portland (OR) Branch Manager, West Survey.
Cardno is also spearheading a pilot program with tactical units in the Northwest U.S. to assist with emergency response teams. The program aims to assess feasibility and best practices for RPAs to make the most of the technology and enhance situational awareness and officer safety.
Preliminary data from the pilot indicate an increase in enhancements to command and control systems and overall accountability.
“This pilot is in the initial stages, but we’ve seen some great early results and expect more progress in the months ahead as we receive feedback from the units,” Rob Dannenberg said.
Cardno has in-depth experience in disaster relief, emergency planning and preparedness, search and rescue operations, and other services providing unique, cost-effective solutions to any situation. Demand for remote sensing services is growing rapidly as more clients seek the ease and relative safety of remote observation and as unmanned aerial systems (UAS) service providers pursue advanced efficiencies. The company maintains a fleet of UAS, sensors, and a professional pilot team dedicated to safety and accuracy of remote data acquisition.
