Watchful Electronics Eliminating Destructive Species

The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) is tasked with maintaining thousands of miles of roadways and associated rights-of-way (ROW) across diverse and often challenging terrain. Noxious weed infestations along these ROW pose significant threats, including compromising roadway integrity, competing with desirable vegetation, reducing land productivity, degrading habitat, and increasing long-term maintenance costs (Kuni, 2025). Managing these weeds effectively is crucial but is particularly difficult in areas that are hard-to-reach, steep, or hazardous, where traditional ground-based spraying methods are inefficient, unsafe, and cost-prohibitive. MDT requires innovative solutions to augment existing Integrated Weed Management (IWM) efforts, prioritizing crew safety and fiscal responsibility while effectively controlling infestations across large geographic regions. There is a specific need to accurately identify the location and species of weeds to enable targeted, rather than broadcast, treatment, thereby optimizing herbicide use and minimizing environmental impact.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $284,154.00
• Contract Numbers:

  10719

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Montana Department of Transportation

  2701 Prospect Avenue
  P.O. Box 201001
  Helena, MT  United States  59620-1001
• Project Managers:

  Hawley, Emily

• Performing Organizations:

  University of Montana, Missoula

  Autonomous Aerial Systems Office
  Missoula, MT  United States  59812
• Start Date: 20250929
• Expected Completion Date: 20280831
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Environmental impacts; Herbicides; Landscape maintenance; Right of way (Land); Weed control
• Geographic Terms: Montana
• Subject Areas: Environment; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01967591
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Montana Department of Transportation
• Contract Numbers: 10719
• Files: RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Sep 29 2025 5:07PM