Using AI to Keep Nashville Moving

Congratulations to Dr. Ayan Mukhopadhyay and colleagues at Vanderbilt University’s Institute for Software Integrated Systems on receiving a $697K NSF CIVIC Innovation Challenge grant to tackle an everyday but costly urban problem: unauthorized road closures.

The project, SENTRY (Sensor-enabled Enforcement of Non-Compliant Traffic Right-of-Way Closures), will integrate sensor networks, real-time data, and advanced AI/ML algorithms to:
✅ Automatically detect illegal closures
✅ Optimize inspection routes for city staff
✅ Save millions in unpaid permit fees and external costs
✅ Reduce disruptions for residents, commuters, and businesses

Vanderbilt collaborators include Daniel Work, Meiyi Ma, and William Barbour, working alongside the Nashville Department of Transportation and Metro Nashville ITS.

This effort not only supports Nashville’s infrastructure but also pushes forward the frontiers of AI for anomaly detection, human-AI decision-making, and scalable civic tech platforms.

Exciting to see AI research directly shaping smarter, more resilient cities. 

Read the full story here.