Data-Driven Disaster Preparedness Starts at UT Knoxville
This May, the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) awarded a total of $1 million to two research teams blending academic and industry expertise within the University of Tennessee System.
The award will be split evenly between grant recipient teams from UT Knoxville and UT Chattanooga, which are working to improve natural disaster preparedness and intersection safety, respectively.
Kevin Heaslip
The UT Knoxville team is spearheaded by Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Kevin Heaslip, who is also the director of UT’s Center for Transportation Research (CTR). In collaboration with NTT DATA, the team will create a public-facing website that integrates live data and disaster simulations so users can prepare for, and safely navigate, a variety of natural disasters.
“As companies continue to innovate, it’s important that we showcase the exceptional research being done to modernize infrastructure across our state,” said Governor Bill Lee. “Today’s announcement highlights new partnerships with three Tennessee-based global brands, and I look forward to seeing how these investments create greater opportunity for Tennesseans.”
The team at UT Chattanooga will partner with DENSO and LG CNS, creating advanced systems that leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to improve traffic analysis and pedestrian safety at intersections.
The grants are part of the second round of funding by the Transportation Network Growth Opportunity (TNGO) initiative, which is part of the state’s efforts to make Tennessee the Southeast’s top destination for automotive and mobility research and development (R&D) investment.
TNGO helps diversify the state’s economy by leveraging both public and private sector assets to attract mobility R&D investment to Tennessee.
“The UT System is one of our biggest assets in recruiting new business to Tennessee,” said TNECD Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter. “As we think about the companies and jobs we want to attract to the state, it’s critical that we work in lockstep with our educational institutions to ensure we are aligned with what industries need.”
Both selected projects exemplify how Tennessee can lead in industry-driven and collaborative mobility R&D and will serve as catalysts to attract additional industry-related R&D investment to the state.
Growing university and industry collaboration is a top priority across the UT System and why we worked to advocate strongly for the creation of TNGO,” said UT University System President Randy Boyd. “We are grateful to the State and TNECD for recognizing the power of these partnerships. Our (recipient teams) are partnering with global Tennessee brands to discover and create new technologies—underscoring our commitment to help make Tennessee the top state for research and development, engineering and innovation.”
Centralized Disaster Preparedness
Every year, Tennessee experiences several natural disasters that disrupt communities, endanger lives, and cause substantial economic impacts. Heaslip, CTR Research Assistant Professors Mohammad Shaon and Marcella Kaplan, and NTT DATA are collaborating to create an AI-driven disaster management platform that will serve as a centralized hub for business continuity, disaster preparedness, and response and recovery operations.
With $500,000 from the TNGO award, the team will develop a disaster management platform for Nashville that integrates real-time data from multiple sources—including weather data, state transportation data, census data and business data—into an interactive, public-facing web application.
The portal will include an interactive map which generates a safe route between two user-selected locations, bypassing hazardous areas and reducing vehicle stoppages. The platform will also be able to simulate various disaster scenarios to aid disaster preparedness and planning. A conversational AI agent will respond to user questions and provide valuable insights.
“At NTT DATA, we are deeply committed to investing in cutting-edge technologies that make a meaningful impact,” said Kevin Zavada, the division president for NTT DATA North America’s public sector. “Our collaboration with (UT Knoxville) exemplifies this commitment as we develop a GenAI-enabled disaster management solution. This partnership not only supports the state of Tennessee by creating jobs and developing essential tools but will also enhance disaster preparedness and response, fostering economic growth and innovation in the region.”
For more information or questions about either of the funded UT System projects, please reach out to ECD.TNGO@tn.gov.
Contact
Izzie Gall (865-974-7203, egall4@utk.edu)