City launches online Snowplow Tracker

Ever find yourself wondering where the snowplows are in the city after a snowfall? Wonder no more, as the City of Kingston has launched an online ‘Snowplow Tracker pilot project.’

According to the City, you can now track the progress of some of the City’s snowplows using an online app, created in partnership with Bell Canada. The Snowplow Tracker is an online map showing a “select number of plows clearing main arterial roads,” the City said in a press release on Monday, Jan. 13, 2020. The Snowplow Tracker is part of a larger nine-month ‘Smart City pilot program’ the City has developed with Bell.

The Snowplow Tracker map will feature some of the plows on main roads (such as Princess Street, Division Street, and Gardiners Road) during the pilot project. The map uses different colours to indicate when a road was last plowed, and data will be sent to the map frequently when a plow is in motion. Although plows in residential areas are not shown on the map, the City wants residents to know those plows remain actively working during winter weather.

“Services like the Snowplow Tracker map delivered over Bell’s Smart City Platform illustrate how Internet of Things technology can improve City services for residents,” said Gary Semplonius, Bell Senior Vice President. “We look forward to future opportunities with Kingston to implement a broad range of solutions that leverage Bell’s advanced fibre and wireless networks to enhance City operations.”

The Smart City pilot runs until September 2020, and will introduce technologies across the city. This is a result of a partnership the City entered into with Bell in February 2018. The Snowplow Tracker is still undergoing testing and will continue to evolve, the City said.

“The Smart City pilot is all about leveraging technology to improve residents’ quality of life. This pilot will give residents the opportunity to see our snow clearing efforts in a new and exciting way,” said Mayor Bryan Paterson.

For more information on the Snowplow Tracker, check out the City’s FAQs on the project here. To view the Snowplow Tracker, click here.