Ever been stuck at home during winter because of snow? Driving in snow and ice can be a bit dangerous sometimes, especially if streets are covered. Does it seem sometimes that it takes a long time for snow plows to clear the roads? It used to be that the way to tell if streets were getting cleared was to look out the window. Now, with cities beginning to implement Snow Plow tracking, finding out where and when snow plows are out clearing snow has never been easier. One can even find out if a plow is near before it even gets there without having to go outside in the cold.
Here are some advantages of tracking snow plows:
1. Track Snow Plows in Real time using GPS tracking
People can track snow plows for a given time period by tracking all snow plows, a single plow, or track by address to see if snow plows are in the area. Some also distinguish different routes by color, and let you know what the truck is currently doing, whether it is plowing or deicing.
2. Allows one to see where plows have been and where they should be headed
By looking at the map and following the route, one can determine what areas have already been plowed and where the snow plows will be headed next.
3. Cuts down on redundant routes and see what areas have been missed
Cities can keep track of their plows to make sure that all areas get cleared in a reasonable time frame and that there aren’t overlaps on routes that would slow down the clean up.
4. Helps cities evaluate how plows respond to a storm and identifies ways to improve response for future storms
City administrators can use the data on the history of the trucks and where they were to help evaluate clean up and better plan for the next storm.
5. Helps hold cities accountable
Since snow plows are funded by taxpayer dollars, being able to track them allows for the city residents to know how their tax money is being spent and that the streets are getting cleared.
Here are some places that have implemented snow plow tracking:
Chicago, Illinois
Annapolis, Maryland
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Richmond, Virginia
Prince Georges County, Maryland
Holmes County, Ohio
New York City, New York has plans to implement one sometime in the future
By being able to track snow plows, it helps both residents and city officials be better prepared for winter weather when it strikes.
References: http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/01/12/plow-tracker-allows-residents-to-watch-snow-plows-in-real-time/
http://www.co.holmes.oh.us/engineer/snowplowtracker/
http://www.wbez.org/story/chicago-launches-plow-tracker-website-monitor-citys-snow-plows-95240
http://www.trackersystems.net/Feature-Stories/gps-tracking-and-snow-removal-management.html
http://www.a2gov.org/government/publicservices/fieldoperations/Pages/SnowPlowAVLTracking.aspx
Meg Jones writes on a wide variety of subjects that interest her. She also works with a Toronto snow removal company. Landscaping Toronto, in Ontario, Canada knows that snow removal is serious business and has programs on which you can rely.
