RCKC utilizing technology for better winter road maintenance

he Road Maintenance Operators at the Road Commission of Kalamazoo County (RCKC) will have a new tool to help keep the roads safe this winter – an iPad.

Monday, the RCKC announced the launch of a pilot program that has turned nearly 90 snow routes into a turn-by-turn navigated map.

The RCKC will be utilizing iPad’s for winter maintenance services. (Photo courtesy of the Road Commission of Kalamazoo County).

Officials say this is not the same Global Positioning Systems (GPS) system which it has used for years to monitor its winter maintenance operations through a storm. Rather, this new program uses both Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and (GPS) programs to have maps and routes curated specifically for the RCKC.

The RCKC worked with Wightman, a full-service consulting agency, to develop the new program starting back in December of 2019. Officials say this new tool will improve efficiencies for training new Road Maintenance Operators, or for team members not familiar with a different winter maintenance area.

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