Snow Removal – It’s a Canadian Thing, Eh?
It won’t be long before the white stuff starts falling again. Fortunately, technology just might have the upper hand this winter.
by Kirk Mathieson
On January 13, 1999, Toronto mayor Mel Lastman called in the army to help deal with a series of snowstorms that had been plaguing the city since the beginning of the month, causing schools to close and bringing traffic to a virtual standstill. More than 400 soldiers and reservists out of Petawawa descended on the city with equipment and shovels and began digging the city out of its powdery predicament.
In the aftermath, there were mixed reactions. Many residents were relieved to have found a path out from under the snowiest January in almost 200 years, while others thought it somewhat ridiculous that Canada’s largest city couldn’t handle an unexpectedly relentless spate of icy January weather without summoning the federal government for assistance. But everyone agreed on one thing – it was a blizzard no one would ever forget.
If there’s anything that unites Canadians from coast- to- coast, it’s our long and robust winters. Donning parkas and dusting off shovels at the start of the season is an annual ritual for most of us. But clearing a network of streets and keeping roads safe is a different kind of task, requiring the right equipment, personnel, and a lot of advance planning. Here are some trends in snow removal impacting the industry right now.
Fleet tracking software
Managing a snowplow fleet means more than just keeping track of weather and road conditions. Multiple factors have to be taken into account, including route priority, amount of time needed to clear a given area, how frequently an area needs to be cleared, and travel time between routes. In addition to this, the dispatcher needs to be receiving up- to- the- minute information on changing weather conditions and the current status and location of each truck.
Fleet tracking software does all this and more using the latest GPS and logistics technology. This important tool can help to integrate the service by bringing together the complex array of data involved in running a fleet into a streamlined, easy to use format. Dispatchers are informed about travel delays, weather changes and other unexpected events as soon as they happen, and residents can download the app and get real time information on road status and even submit individual requests. Data from a given event or timeline is saved and can be used to make service improvements in the future.
Snow Depth Sensors
Keeping track of snow accumulation is a key component of any snow removal strategy. Environment and Climate Change Canada uses automated observing stations to measure snowfall and drift in remote locations. This information is reported hourly and relayed to a central database which can help municipalities and other jurisdictions to plan ahead for extreme weather events.
Snow depth sensors use either lasers or sonic pulses to send a signal to a surface and calculate the depth and volume of snow throughout an area. Temperature and precipitation are also evaluated and taken into account to ensure the most accurate results. These devices can be mounted on poles or fences and are designed for long term use in rugged weather conditions, ideal for remote or inaccessible areas where staffing is not an option.
As this technology becomes more sophisticated, automated snow measurement will likely play an even bigger part in snow clearing and road safety.
Kirk Mathieson is a Toronto-based writer.
Sources:
Fleet tracking:
https://www.eagleeyetracking.com/eagle-eye-tracking-software-serving-the-snow-removal-industry
Measurement tools:
https://www.lufft.com/products/cloud-height-snow-depth-sensors-288/snow-depth-sensor-shm31-2334
