10-10-2024 4:18am

PILOT PROGRAM USING

Jeff Barto Editor

MD Dept of Planning Awarded Grant for Eastern Shore Drone Pilot Program

The U-S Department of Transportation has awarded the Maryland Department of Planning a $1.76-million SMART grant to pilot the use of innovative aviation technology – which Governor Wes Moore says will focus on improving access to healthcare resources in rural communities on the Eastern Shore. This Eastern Shore Drone Pilot program would deliver medical packages between Crisfield and Smith Island, who are only linked to the mainland by commercially-operated boat services. Preliminary work – which includes outreach to Smith Island residents and procurement of drones – is already underway.

Additional information from Gov Wes Moore:

“All Marylanders deserve equitable access to health care and health care resources,” said Gov. Moore. “This funding will strengthen our capacity to support our rural communities and presents an important opportunity to learn more about how enhanced technology can be deployed to serve those in need.”

Uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) are one of several means to help address poor health outcomes that are linked to lack of transportation for obtaining medical services. The systems can also help reduce the hours that healthcare provider staff absorb by travel to ensure that homebound patients are served. The Eastern Shore pilot will deliver medical packages between Crisfield and Smith Island, which is home to several hundred residents who are linked to the mainland only by commercially-operated boat services.

“The Maryland Department of Planning is excited to partner on this project to advance the use of technology to support rural communities in need where access to critical services is limited,” said Maryland Department of Planning Secretary Rebecca Flora, AICP. “This project will not only advance new innovative approaches to providing support for ongoing needs, it will also advance how these technologies may be used in resiliency planning and reaching hard to reach places after disaster recovery.”

Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation—also known as SMART— grants fund state, local, and Tribal governments to conduct demonstration projects. The projects are focused on advanced smart city or community technologies and systems to improve transportation efficiency and safety.

The program is structured in two stages. Applicants first seek Stage 1 planning and prototyping grants. Select projects are then eligible to apply for Stage 2 implementation grants. Stage 1 grants are capped at $2 million and an 18-month period and Stage 2 grants are anticipated to be up to $15 million and 36 months. The Maryland Department of Planning will serve as the grant manager; the University of Maryland UAS Research and Operations Center will serve as project manager and technical lead; and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Aviation Science Program and School of Pharmacy will be partners in the project.

“The UMD UAS Research and Operations Center looks forward to using drones to improve health outcomes,” said UAS Research and Operations Center Director John Slaughter. “Pioneering the use of UAS for medical deliveries in Maryland, we will set the stage for expansion as new FAA rules come into place that will facilitate regionalizing these services not only within the state but even across state lines.”

A commercial drone services provider will be selected to participate in all aspects of technical preparation, to obtain necessary Federal Aviation Administration permissions, and to perform flight operations. A local health care provider will assist in coordinating the medical and pharmaceutical delivery support. Preliminary work, including outreach to Smith Island residents and procurement of drones, is now underway.

Information on applying for USDOT SMART grants is available at transportation.gov/grants/SMART.