The technologies modernizing Alaska’s avalanche management

In Alaska, state officials responsible for keeping the public safe from avalanches are increasingly looking to use commercial products, such as drones, roadside sensors and digital maps to reduce their reliance on military technologies. Timothy Glassett, Alaska’s statewide avalanche and artillery program manager, says on the Priorities Podcast that the system currently used to spur “preventative” avalanches — “We try not to use the word controlled because we can’t really control nature,” he says — is an M101A1 howitzer that fires 105mm rounds. He says it was designed and built in 1928. Drones and other commercial products, along with alternative “exploder systems,” he says, are a welcome addition to a state trying to transition away from technology nearly one century old.

#Alaska #emergencyResponse #Drone #Podcast

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About Priorities Podcast
Each Wednesday, StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast explores the latest in state and local government technology news and analysis. Listen to in-depth conversations with government and industry’s top executives, and learn about trending stories affecting state and local IT leaders ranging from modernization and digital accessibility to the latest advances in generative artificial intelligence. https://statescoop.com/show/priorities/