MIKE: CHECK OUT THIS
PHOTO.
IT SHOWS A PLOW ON FIRE.
SHANNON:
SNOWPLOW DROPPERS IN
THE MIDDLE OF A NOR'EASTER
TODAY.
WE WANTED TO KNOW WHY RESIDENTS
IN OTHER CITIES AND STATES CAN
TRACK PLOWS AND REAL-TIME, BUT
RHODE ISLANDERS CANNOT.
MIKE: STEVE NIELSEN
WENT TO SEE
HOW THE TRACKING SYSTEM WORKS
THERE TO FIND OUT WHY IT IS NOT
AN OPTION HERE.
I
WAS TALKING WITH A VIEWER
RECENTLY AND HE POINTED OUT, IN
NEW YORK CITY, IT TAKES A FEW
SECONDS TO SEE WHEN THE LAST
PLOW WENT DOWN YOUR STREET.
WE LEARN PROVIDENCE AND RIGHT
OUGHT, -- R
IDOT BOTH HAVE IT IN
THEIR TRUCKS.
BUT YOU CANNOT SEE IT.
OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, WE TOLD
YOU ABOUT NEW TECHNOLOGY HELPING
FIGHT PILES OF SNOW.
WE TRIED AT PARAFFINS OVER
THE LAST TWO YEARS THAT HAVE
REALLY ALLOWED THE PUBLIC TO SEE
GREATER INFORMATION ABOUT
LOCATIONS.
STEVE: I WENT TO BOSTON.
HE SAYS, FOR EIGHT YEARS, THEIR
PLOWS HAVE BEEN
TRAPPED WITH GPS
TECHNOLOGY.
THE CITY ALLOWED RESIDENTS TO
TRACK TRUCKS AND SEE WHEN THEIR
STREET WAS LAST PLOWED.
NO NEED TO HIDE OUR
PERFORMANCE.
WE HAVE AN INTEREST IN
PRESENTING INFORMATION AROUND
THE OPERATIONS OF HAVE GOING ON
IN THE CITY.
STEVE: HERE IN THE CITY OF
BOSTON, OFFICIALS SAY THEY ARE
ALWAYS LOOKING FOR THE LATEST
AND GREATEST TECHNOLOGY TO TRY
TO MAKE THEIR SNOWPLOWING MORE
TRANSPARENT.
WHAT ABOUT RHODE ISLAND CITIES
AND TOWNS?
STEVE: DURING A STORM, THE
PROVIDENCE EMA
TRACKS PLOWS WITH
GPS, SO IF THEY CAN SEE IT, WHY
CAN'T YOU?
THE CITY IS CURRENTLY LAUNCHING
A NEW GPS SYSTEM THIS WINTER AND
THEY HAVE NOT CONSIDERED SHARING
THE TRACKING INFO WITH THE
PUBLIC IT.
THEY HAVE GPS TOO.
WE HAVE NOT CONSIDERED MAKING
THAT A KIND OF PUBLIC WEB
ACCESS, BUT IT IS SOMETHING WE
MAY CONSIDER.
IT IS A USEFUL WAY FOR THEM
TO KNOW THAT IT IS SNOWING BUT
THE CITY IS ON IT.
STEVE: BOSTON TOOK DOWN ITS
ONLINE TRACK
ER BECAUSE OF
TECHNICAL ISSUES.
OUR
RESEARCH SHOWS PLENTY OF
STATE DOT IS A LOT OF PUBLIC TO
TRACK PLOWS LIKE VERMONT,
PENNSYLVANIA, MARYLAND, EVEN
VIRGINIA, AND CITIES THE
SIZE OF
PROVIDENCE DO AS WELL.
PITTSBURGH, WINSTON, AND
PROVIDENCE DOES AS WELL.
OK, SO
SNOWPLOW TRACKERS ARE
PRETTY COMPLICATED.
THEY ARE MORE CONCENTRATED THAN
THEY MIGHT SEEM.
IT IS PARTLY WHY BOSTON DOES NOT
HAVE WON THIS YEAR.
CREWS WILL BE ALL -- OUT ALL
NIGHT LONG.
♪
SHANNON: NOW SNOW PLOW TRACKER.
SEVERAL STATES AND CITIES HAVE
ONLINE TOOLS SO PEOPLE CAN TRACK
THE SNOW PILES. -- PLOWS.
AND YOU CAN TAKE A LOOK AT WHEN
TO EXPECT THE
TO COME.
MIKE: NEW AT 6:00, STEVE NIELSEN
GOES TO BOSTON TO SEE HOW THEIR
SYSTEM WORKS AND OUT -- UN
COVERS
WHY THEY CAME OUT WITH IT THIS
YEAR.
STEVE: LAST YEAR, THE CITY MADE
HEADLINES WHEN IT LOST A LIFE
TRACKER -- LIVE TRACKER, BUT IT
IS GONE NOW.
IT IS MORE COMPLICATED THAN IT
SEEMS.
WHEN NOR'EASTER'S RECAP IT, THE
PLOWS COME OUT AS QUICKLY AS
POSSIBLE SO YOU CAN DRIVE SAFELY
AGAIN.
WHILE OTHER PLACES LIKE
PENNSYLVANIA, NEW YORK CITY AND
EVEN RICHMOND, VIRGINIA ALLOW
YOU TO TRACK PLOWS IN
REAL-TIME, YOU CANNOT DO THAT IN
RHODE ISLAND.
WE HAVE NOT CONSIDERED MAKING
THAT A PUBLIC WEB ACCESS,
BUT IT
IS SOMETHING WE COULD CONSIDER.
STEVE: I WENT TO BOSTON TO TALK
WITH THE CHIEF OF THE STREETS,
CHRIS OSGOOD.
THEY LAUNCHED AN APP AND
WEBSITE
LAST YEAR, BUT THEY PULLED IT
DOWN BECAUSE OF TECHNICAL
ISSUES.
NOW THEY USE SOCIAL MEDIA UPDATE
TO ADDRESS CONCERNS UNTIL A NEW
SYSTEM IS READY.
WHAT WE HAVE DONE IS THERE
WERE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT WERE
ABLE TO SEE HOW MANY WERE ON THE
STREET.
STEVE: HE SHOWED US OF THE
INTERNAL SYSTEM AND TELLS US WHY
THEY PULLED THE TRACKER DOWN.
THEY WERE ONLY TRACKED
EVERY 90
SECONDS, WHICH MEANS THOSE QUICK
TRIPS DOWN THE SIDE STREETS WENT
UNNOTICED.
WE THINK WE CAN DO ANYTHING
BETTER JOB BY SAYING WHERE THEY
ARE, WHERE THEY ARE SPREADING
SALT, ALL THOSE THINGS.
STEVE: PROVIDENCE HAS GPS
TECHNOLOGY AND WE HAVE LEARNED
THEY ARE MOVING TO A NEW SYSTEM
THIS WINTER, BUT A SPOKESPERSON
TELLS US IT IS A WORK IN
PROGRESS AND THERE IS NO PLAN TO
MAKE IT PUBLIC.
STEVE: WE LOOKED INTO OTHER
LOCAL CITIES, CRANSTON AND FALL
RIVER DO NOT HAVE GPS IN THEIR
TRUCKS.