In June 2021, OKI received the Major Metro Achievement Award from the National Association of Regional Councils for developing the Ohio River Way Digital Guide in 2021.
The online tool was developed to increase safety and enhance tourism along the Ohio River corridor from Portsmouth, Ohio, to West Point, Ky.
In 2021, Forbes magazine ranked Cincinnati #2 on their national list of best road trip destinations. The Ohio River Way, which inspired the digital guide, was listed as a main attraction for kayakers and other water sport activities.
The Ohio River Basin Alliance Recreation Sub-committee is working to expand the digital guide to include the entire Ohio River from Pittsburgh, Pa., to Cairo, Ill.
The group is focusing on connecting with other river groups along the Ohio who can take on the responsibility of entering, managing, and maintaining the data for their area.
Additionally, the ORRT partnership was awarded a U.S. National Park Service in-kind technical assistance grant in 2019. A second award is pending for 2022 to help plan and develop the trail following the standards of the NPS Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program.
Other OKI Annual Report Highlights
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Program to Aid Data Gathering for OKI
OKI’s unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) program continued to gain momentum during 2022.
GIS Highlights: Freight Plan Update, Urban Tree Canopy
Providing detailed, up-to-date Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data, analysis and web mapping applications for OKI’s many programs was a leading focus for our GIS Department during 2022.
Phase One of Freight Plan Complete, Phase Two Initiated
In 2022, OKI’s staff completed the first phase of a new regional freight plan.