SNOW MEETS BIG DATA – Columbus, Ohio

Snow removal can seem like a Sisyphean task, with new snow covering any progress made and residents complaining streets aren?t kept clear. To deal with the latter, Columbus, Ohio, recently rolled out Warrior Watch, a website that helps residents track exactly when and where snow removal crews are operating, as well as how soon those crews will get to particular streets.

First developed as a back-end service specifically for snow removal crews, Warrior Watch was initially a means by which fleet managers used sensors to track fleet whereabouts and work hours. However, Melanie Crabill, a public relations specialist for the city, says this winter the city decided seeing plow operations in real time would be helpful for residents. ?Basically we?ve done it to be as transparent as possible,? says Crabill. ?It?s a great way for people to see that we are out there taking care of the roads.?

The website is simple in both form and function. It depicts a map of Columbus and traces the paths of operational snowplows in real time along the city streets. Residents can also switch over to a priority view, which colors roads according to the order in which they will be plowed.

?It updates every 15 minutes, and you don?t have to refresh,? says Crabill. ?And vehicles are pinged every 30 seconds or so.?
Overall, the program costs about $156,000, with approximately $17,000 going to the software and development of the website, Crabill says. The city contracted and worked closely with T&M Associates for this development.

But being so new, Warrior Watch is still a work in progress. There may be expansion in functionality in the coming years, but right now the city is focusing on making the current system as useful as possible. ?We?re doing some updates as we learn what works and what doesn?t work,? Crabill says.