Precision Agriculture Tools for Roadside Management and Beautification
Precision agriculture is a spatially-aware, technology-enabled methodology which allows the precise and accurate control of the components necessary for sustainable agricultural production. In this case the desired production system is planted roadside vegetation for ecological improvement and beautification, specifically the wildflowers that have become a North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) signature. Commercially available precision agriculture systems have been well-developed for over 20 years, but they have not been widely adapted for use in the roadside environment. This project seeks to develop systems and controls that can be leveraged into seeding systems that would allow the DOT wildflower program to continue to innovate and make establishment of wildflower areas more safely and quickly while creating unique and visually appealing public displays. In addition to ground-based vehicle control, advanced unmanned aerial systems and vehicles (UAS/UAVs) have been developed that could make management and improvement of roadside vegetation easier and safer. While there are options for roadside application of granular inputs, this project seeks to address the use of UAVs to apply granular products. Specifically the use of treated granulars that combine fertilizer and weed management into one operation are under study. As a suite of technologies, precision agriculture systems can be leveraged into the roadside environment and continue to place NCDOT at the forefront of ecologically informed wildflower and vegetation management.
Language
- English
Project
- Status: Active
- Funding: $199,688.00
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Contract Numbers:
RP2026-17
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Sponsor Organizations:
North Carolina Department of Transportation
Research and Development
1549 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC United States 27699-1549 -
Managing Organizations:
North Carolina Department of Transportation
Research and Development
1549 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC United States 27699-1549 -
Project Managers:
Harrison, Katherine
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Performing Organizations:
North Carolina State University, Raleigh
Department of Civil Engineering, Campus Box 7908
Raleigh, NC United States 27695-7908 -
Principal Investigators:
Ward, Jason
- Start Date: 20250801
- Expected Completion Date: 20280730
- Actual Completion Date: 0
- USDOT Program: Highway and Transportation Data
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Drones; Roadside flora and fauna; Weed control; Wildflowers
- Identifier Terms: North Carolina Department of Transportation
- Subject Areas: Environment; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Vehicles and Equipment;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01967696
- Record Type: Research project
- Source Agency: North Carolina Department of Transportation
- Contract Numbers: RP2026-17
- Files: RIP, STATEDOT
- Created Date: Sep 30 2025 1:34PM