Virtual Class - On-Demand - PSATS Government Technology Seminar

Engineers and township supervisors and employees are encouraged to join us for this new, half-day virtual class hosted by the PSATS Township Engineers Association that will highlight specific ways in which off-the-shelf technology can be used to improve your township's public works, parks and recreation, and emergency management operations. Topics will include the benefits of GPS tracking of your vehicles (such as snowplows) to enhance record-keeping and increase responsiveness to reported problems, using drones for emergency management purposes as well as to reduce the cost of performing infrastructure inspections, how to improve communications during disasters, and more. Each presentation will provide details on how your township can immediately put these products to work for meet your specific needs.

Qualifies for 3 PMGA Public Works Points

9:00 AM - Welcome - James Wheeler, PSATS

9:00 AM - The Benefits of Using a GPS Fleet Tracking System - Wayne Wagner, Owner, Allied Communications

Municipalities that have implemented GPS fleet tracking have benefited from reduced fuel costs from a combination of reduced vehicles idle time (saving $350-$530 per year per vehicle) and better route planning, which itself can reduce fleet fuel expenses by up to 15%. This presentation will also address how to install and maintain the easy-to-use equipment.

9:30 AM - Stormwater Management with Off-the-Shelf LIDAR - Emily Mercurio, PhD, PG, CEO, Civic Mapper, Inc.

Across the United States, state and local government agencies are funding the collection of LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging - the preferred standard for three-dimensional ground elevation scanning) data to create high-resolution, high-accuracy digital elevation terrain models. This data can be used to better understand local peak flows and culvert capacity calculations, which are used to help the township plan and design the engineering solutions for its stormwater management and flood prevention needs.

10:00 AM - How to Use Drones for Infrastructure Inspection - Deepu John, Solutions Engineer, and Danny Canary, Account Executive, Skydio, Inc. 

If your township owns traffic or pedestrian bridges (or other infrastructure like cell towers) that it needs to inspect regularly, one emerging practice is to use drones to capture the high-quality data needed to safely document critical components. This presentation will address how your township can use a drone to capture the high-quality data, including photographs, video, and/or thermal images, needed for regulatory compliance and to help you make better maintenance decisions.

10:30 AM - Using Remote Sensors to Lessen Flooding and Stormwater Problems - Chuck Kozora, Territory Manager, OTT HydroMet

Municipalities are finding the need to have more spatial, or geographically represented, data about their watersheds to help them with more accurate flood warning, water availability prediction, and overall water resource management. To get that data, municipalities are installing remote data collection sensors, which provide more advanced notice of impending local flooding, as well as details on the operations of stormwater control measures installed to handle pre-flooding conditions. This presentation will review how your township can evaluate the benefits of installing the sensors needed to provide you with the most important information needed during a disaster, and that is “timely” information.

11:00 AM - Using Drones for Emergency Management Purposes - Jarlath O'Neil-Dunne, Director, University of Vermont Spatial Analysis Laboratory

The use of drones in disaster response is rapidly expanding, and can provide support to public safety and emergency response management in a variety of ways. Drones have provided real-time information to help incident commanders on the ground make more informed decisions, provided data to support situational awareness, operated in dangerous areas so that first responders aren't put in harm's way, and can more quickly scan large areas of land than can be accomplished by search teams on the ground when paired with thermal or infrared scanning. This presentation will review what steps your township needs to take to fully benefit from integrating this tool into your emergency management preparedness operations.

11:30 AM - Thinking Outside the Box to Improve Emergency Communications - Yoshina Glenn, Business Development Associate, goTenna

During any emergency, the most important concern is ensuring effective communications, especially with your emergency management and response team members. As is often the case during post-disaster after-action debriefings, there are many reasons why communications fail. Even with today’s mobile communications environment, the ability to maintain situational awareness typically ends when the connection to a centralized network is lost. One way to overcome these problems is by using your own “local line-of-sight” network. This presentation will review how this tool can ensure that every team member can stay agile and informed during the emergency even without cell, WiFi, or satellite service.

Registration Fee:

                Member* -  $ 55.00

                Non-Member –  $ 75.00

                

             *PSATS Member = Registrant has paid current annual membership dues to PSATS or one of its professional associations (e.g., Township Emergency Management Association, Township Engineers Association, Township Planners Association, Township Solicitors Association, or the Pa. Assoc. of Zoning Officials).

CANCELLATIONS/REFUNDS / NO SHOW POLICY:

Cancellations must be in writing, and can be sent to us by email to cancellations@psats.org; by fax to (717) 763-9732; or by mail to PSATS Education Program, 4855 Woodland Drive, Enola, PA, 17025. Refunds will be determined by the sent date of the notice.
Refunds for cancelling a webinar at any time will be subject to a $10 processing fee. 
For classes, (in-person and virtual), refunds for a cancellation sent to us between 10 and 2 business days before the class you are registered for will be subject to a $20 processing fee. Those who cancel within two business days of the class you are registered for, or do not attend, forfeit the full registration fee which, if unpaid, will be invoiced.


ACCESSIBILITY & OTHER NEEDS:

If you require alternate format, sign language, or have other needs, please contact PSATS directly (717) 763-0930, x-159.