February Civic Launchpad: Virtual Event Series

Join the Colorado Smart Cities Alliance for this virtual event SERIES showcasing civic innovation projects in Colorado that are about to take off!

This event series takes place every other month on the last Wednesday of the month. Upcoming dates include:

• February 25, 2026
• April 29, 2026
• June 24, 2026

The February Civic Launchpad event will highlight CDOT’s use of Intelligent Bridge Management (i-BM), a web-based software tool that leverages advanced machine learning models for predictive bridge and culvert management.

i-BM: A Tool for Bridge and Culvert Deterioration Forecasting and Anomaly Detection using Physics-Informed Deep Learning Description: 

• Project Manager: Thien Tran, Colorado Department of Transportation
• Principal Investigator: Farnoush Banaei-Kashani, University of Colorado Denver
• Co-Principal Investigator: Kevin Rens, University of Colorado Denver

i-BM (short for Intelligent Bridge Management), a web-based software tool developed for and deployed at the Colorado Department of Transportation, leverages advanced machine learning models for predictive bridge management. In particular, with i-BM we propose a family of Physics Informed Neural Network (PINN) models for bridge and culvert deterioration forecasting. Toward this end, we have integrated a large suite of data-driven models—ranging from baseline machine learning models to advanced temporal deep learning models—with a physics-based structural deterioration model. Our PINN models are “repair-agnostic”, i.e., they are trained with a historical data where repair cases have been explicitly identified and curated to ensure the data represent natural deterioration for accurate deterioration modeling. Moreover, we have performed rigorous feature selection to identify most predictive features from multi-modal data (including bridge structure, condition and traffic data from National Bridge Inventory (NBI), as well as weather data obtained from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather stations) to train our PINN models. In addition to deterioration forecasting, i-BM offers automated anomaly detection tools to identify abnormally deteriorating structures to allow for early detection and prevention of potential bridge accidents.

Each Civic Launchpad gathering offers a dynamic mix of learning and community conversation, and is designed to keep momentum going throughout the year without overwhelming your calendar.

Speakers and content will be announced prior to each event. Please note: registering for one event in the series will enroll you in all email and calendar invites related to this event.