APWA Top 10 Leader Daniel Woldesenbet talks technology

County Engineer/(Public Works) Agency Director
Alameda County, Oakland, Calif.;
General Manager
Alameda County Flood Control and Water Conservation District
Population served: 1.5 million
Employees: 469
Budget: $168 million; $25 million CIP
Favorite technologies: Full-depth reclamation (FDR) and 2D modeling

Daniel Woldesenbet agrees with his Top 10 colleagues that GIS, mobile devices, and the Internet (i.e., social media) help enhance community services. In his case, the smartphone app Mobile Citizen combines all of the above to allow citizens to submit service requests simply by taking a photo and sending it. But there are two other technologies that Woldesenbet also praises:

• FDR technologies in which 100% of existing road material is reused: “No road material is exported from the project site to be landfilled, and there’s no need to import large amounts of aggregates,” he explains. “Overall, it’s an environmentally sustainable and economically attractive approach to road construction.”
• Advanced 2D modeling applications that simulate stormwater runoff information, tidal activities, and flood plain analysis. “These advanced modeling systems are allowing us to develop adoptive policies and projects that can mitigate sea level rise and extreme tide conditions,” Woldesenbet says.

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