Emergency Response and Access Mapping for Rural Navajo Communities

In the Navajo Nation Area, poorly maintained, unpaved, and seasonally hazardous road conditions in rural areas hinder timely response of emergency services. For example, in Crownpoint, heavy snowfall can make it difficult for ambulance services and firefighting vehicles to reach homes, as they must travel through unpaved or unmaintained roads to reach their destinations. Although current routing tools are able to locate the best route between two points, they do not contain pavement condition data or hazard data that would allow for the accurate determination of safe passage for emergency vehicles. Satellite images are also unable to show potholes, ruts, washouts, etc.; therefore, responders are forced to guess which is the best route based on their experience or try different routes until they find one that works. In many cases, this results in substantial delays, especially during severe weather when traditional navigation systems provide little guidance on actual road accessibility. A new platform is needed that has reliable and accessible data to help direct emergency responders to the safest route to the point of origin. Such a system would not only improve response time but also provide agencies with a standardized way to assess roadway risk during rapidly changing environmental conditions. This project will create a reliable, data driven, artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted Road Accessibility Index (RAI), and a geographic information services (GIS)-based routing dashboard utilizing Vialytics' smartphone-based road assessment capabilities, along with data on transportation, crashes, maintenance, and climate to provide real time accessibility ratings for each ten meter section of road within the Crownpoint area (150 miles total) and direct Emergency Medical Services, Fire and Law Enforcement departments towards the safest routes to travel to emergency locations.

• Record URL:
  • https://www.sptc.org/cy3-ntu-03

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $118,185.00
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3552348306 (CY3-NTU-03)

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Southern Plains Transportation Center

  University of Oklahoma
  202 W Boyd St, Room 213A
  Norman, OK  United States  73019

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  University of Oklahoma, Norman

  School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science
  202 West Boyd Street, Room 334
  Norman, OK  United States  73019
• Project Managers:

  Ghasemi, Hamid

• Performing Organizations:

  Navajo Technical University

  Lowerpoint Rd State Hwy 371
  Crownpoint, NM  United States  87313
• Principal Investigators:

  Vellingiri, Anusuya

• Start Date: 20260101
• Expected Completion Date: 20270115
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: UTC

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Accessibility; Artificial intelligence; Emergency vehicles; First responders; Geographic information systems; Information systems; Risk assessment; Routes and routing; Rural areas
• Identifier Terms: Navajo Nation
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01978640
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Southern Plains Transportation Center
• Contract Numbers: 69A3552348306 (CY3-NTU-03)
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Feb 4 2026 7:20PM