Driving data driven wildlife crossing identification and prioritization to support safer infrastructure and connected natural systems

Indiana Wildlife Crossing Prioritization Tool

When wildlife moves between habitats, roadway crossings pose serious risks to both animals and drivers. Strategic investment in wildlife crossings can reduce collisions, but agencies must identify where those investments would be most effective. The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) and Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) partnered with our geospatial and transportation planning team to address this need.

We developed a geographic information system (GIS) based application that integrates datasets such as wildlife-vehicle collision reports, species occurrence data, land cover, habitat maps, traffic volumes, and roadway characteristics, to identify priority areas for wildlife crossings. The resulting outputs—such as heat maps, ranked roadway segments, and clear visuals—will aid INDOT and IDNR in identifying high-value habitat, connectivity opportunities, and locations where wildlife are mostly vulnerable to collisions.

The tool lets users change the weighting of different data sets, allowing them to adjust priorities based on site-specific information and planning scenarios. Different species such as large mammals, reptiles, and amphibians could each be evaluated using different assumptions without rebuilding the model. This flexibility supports real-world planning needs and allows new data to be easily incorporated as they become available.

Ultimately, the prioritization tool helps address a common challenge for agencies—explaining why funding should be invested in one place over another. By clearly documenting the data and logic behind each location, INDOT and IDNR have a transparent, repeatable process they can use when seeking funding or advancing projects.