North Carolina student wins top award for free tool mapping wildlife roadkill hotspots

Aaryan Ghorpade, a North Carolina student, has triumphed in a national competition with EcoRoute, a project that tracks wildlife-vehicle collision hotspots across the U.S. This innovative online tool gathers collision data and produces heat maps to assist transportation agencies in improving road safety. EcoRoute also encourages community involvement, allowing users to report wildlife sightings. Ghorpade envisions further enhancements and plans to partner with wildlife conservation organizations in his state.