Keyword: Research Tools
Technology: AI-enabled civil infrastructure planning tool for Arctic coastal communitiesProblem being addressed: Rapid Arctic warming is driving permafrost thaw, coastal erosion, and stronger storms, forcing vulnerable coastal communities toward relocation. These moves are costly and complex, and poorly planned infrastructure can worsen environmental instability. As development accelerates in the region, the stakes for getting relocation infrastructure planning rights are high.
Lessons learned through Customer Discovery: Coming into the Penn I-Corps, the team believed that Arctic civil infrastructure failure was primarily a technical modeling problem and that their core solution would be superior analysis tools for engineers.
Through customer discovery, they learned that the more urgent pain point is funding readiness: communities often lack the quantitative hazard documentation needed to justify action and secure federal support. As a result, PlanWise shifted its focus toward helping tribal and community leaders convert fragmented hazard information into grant-ready documentation, scenario-based planning maps, and accessible visual tools.
Team members:
- Ming Xiao, PhD, Professor of Civil Engineering at Penn State
- Xueyang Wang PhD Student, Civil Engineering at Penn State
IP: In development
Lead inventor: Ming Xiao