Winter Operations Center Provides Situational Awareness and Cost Analysis

Item #: 20240019

CONTACTS

Implementing Organization: Central GIS Team, Data and Analytics Division, and Central Maintenance
Implementation Lead: Ben Teran
Development Team: Ben Teran (GIS Admin), Corey Unger (Data & Analytics Manager), Shawn Lambert (Director of Maintenance), Ryan Ferrin (State Maintenance Engineer), Andrea Moser - Consultant (BioWest), Kevin Wells - Consultant (BioWest)

Article Written By: Ben Teran
Innovation Council Liaison: Ben Teran
Innovation Team Coordinator: Quinten Klingonsmith

STATUS

Implementation Date: December 1, 2023
Adoption Status: Fully Implemented
Adoptability Note: This tool is available to regions and maintenance sheds. Are you using this information to better manage your operations?

APPLIES TO

Topic: Data Collection, Analysis and Visualization
Organization(s): Central Maintenance / Facilities Management, Data Technology & Analytics, Equipment Operations, Finance / Comptroller, GIS, Incident Management, Motor Carrier Division, Performance Management, Region 1, Region 2, Region 3, Region 4, Risk Management, Traffic and Safety, Traffic Management Division
Job Role(s): Business Analyst, Finance / Accounting, Program Manager, Roadway Operations / IMT, Transportation Technician
Tags: highway transportation, capital productivity, labor productivity, supplies, employee empowerment, crashes, injuries, economic benefits, expenses, expenditures, value of life, value of time, automation, standardization, tracking systems, accounting > billing, budgeting, payment, ( comptroller ), finance > appraisals, investments, asset management, cost recovery, cost sharing, fees, loans, revenues, sales, taxes, usage charges, human resources > personnel management > compensation, relations, personnel performance, retention, recruiting, hiring, supervision, turnover, retirement, information technology >> software, networks, logistics > inventory, distribution, purchasing, procurement, warehousing, supply chain management, ( data visualization ), geographic information systems ( GIS ), equipment, highway operations, ( traffic operations ), maintenance, traffic safety > highway safety, trucking safety, quality of life, ( connected communities )

PROBLEM

A new Winter Operations Center Dashboard was requested by Central Maintenance to provide a standardized operational picture, situational awareness of snow plow locations throughout the state, and cost analysis for each snow event. The dashboard replaces an older dashboard and provides additional functionality.

CHANGE

The new web mapping application shows the real-time locations of each snow plow from two separate AVL (automatic vehicle locator) cellular systems. It also contains layers with built-in logic to show roads that have been plowed. Roads are color-coded to show when they were last serviced. Other layers use data from the TOC (Traffic Operations Center) to show active road construction and open incidents.

The cost analysis piece contains metrics such as miles and hours driven, personnel cost, salt, and equipment cost estimates.

RESULT

During a storm, the dashboard helps central maintenance and the regions coordinate operations. They can see a hot spot of the area affected by the storm and real-time plow coverage. Regions can quickly and accurately answer the public’s questions about when and which streets have been plowed.

After a storm, the system helps engineers understand personnel, salt, and equipment costs. Four years of historical information can be used to create more accurate budgets.

As stewards of public funds, accurate cost information enables UDOT to quantify the overall costs and benefits of snow plow operations.