"Delaware Taps Artificial Intelligence to Evacuate Crowded Beaches When Floods Hit"
Delaware's transportation department, which controls more than 90% of roads in a state with the lowest average elevation in the country, is tasked with implementing evacuation plans during high water, which is a bureaucratic nightmare considering how quickly conditions can change. Delaware's transportation department is now using machine learning and AI to help. The department stated that for humans to monitor thousands of detectors or data sources is overwhelming. That's where AI comes in. Rather than sending a crew to the scene to block an impassable road, the system uses sensors to detect weather threats and even can predict them. Then, it sends the information directly to drivers through cellphone alerts while broadcasting them simultaneously on electronic highway signs. The department noted that the amount of data keeps growing, with many automated cars now able to not only inform their drivers of the dangers ahead but also feed the system to warn others. Researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology tested an earlier version of a flood prediction analysis system on the Mississippi River between 2019-22. Steve Corns, an associate professor of engineering management and systems engineering who co-authored the study, said the system was able to detect in minutes what used to take hours. But now, Corns said, the capabilities are even more advanced and useful.