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Residents can now track snow removal in real time
By Kevin Kane
Current in Westfield
On Dec. 21, Westfield Mayor Andy Cooked announced a new program that allows Westfield residents to track snow removal efforts in real time on the city's Web site.
Using applications on Google Earth, the city's informatics department created a way to display a map showing which streets are still covered in snow, which are completely clear and which are in the process of being plowed. These maps will be updated continuously by the leaders of each removal team.
 “I don't know of any other city in Hamilton County that's doing this, and there may not be another city in the state,” said Westfield Public Relations Coordinator Carrie Cason. “Our informatics department is really advanced, and they're constantly searching the Internet for ideas that will help serve the city and its residents.”
This feature is currently active at http://www.westfield.in.gov/it/, but since the city's policy is to plow when there are three or more inches of snow on the ground, this map will be of no use until that level of snowfall is reached. When snow is on the ground, however, Leane Welsh of the informatics department said this should help residents plan their commutes during bad weather.
“My idea was that if people could look at this during work, they could figure out the best way to get home,” Welsh said.
This new feature will also benefit from another program, Eyes of Westfield, which allows people to take pictures of problem areas on cell phones and submit them to the city for review. If any issues regarding snow removal need to be addressed, pictures can be sent to eyes@westfield.in.gov.
But while theses recent innovations are primarily geared to help Westfield's residents, Cason said it will help city employees as well.
“We get tons of calls every year with people asking 'When is my street going to be plowed?'” she said. “This is just another form of transparency for us.” |
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