Welcome to Ann Arbor's snow plow AVL online tracking application

The City of Ann Arbor's automatic vehicle location (AVL) system has a public facing website for citizens to view the progress of snow plows within an online city map.  Interested users may zoom into the city snow route map to see the real-time locations and status of snow plow activity (where the plows are right now and what they are doing).

Guides to using the snow plow AVL online tracking application 

• Link to the live snow plow AVL online tracking application and map.  
• Guide to using the snow plow AVL online tracking application (pdf) providing a 24-page, step-by-step information guide with screen shots on on how to use the AVL online tracking application.
• Chart of snow maintenance vehicles with AVL devices (pdf), listed by vehicle number, type, and function.  
• Link to solid waste collection areas (new web page). Snow plows generally clear residential street snow when the accumulation is over 4 inches deep. The plows generally follow the solid waste collection schedule, starting with the route after the current  collection day in order to avoid knocking over carts already at the curb.   
• Press release (pdf) on Ann Arbor's snow plow AVL online tracking application, Jan. 2012.

FAQs on the snow plow AVL online tracking  application

When is the snow plow AVL online tracking application available for public viewing? The AVL snow plow location tracking web page is always available to the public. Whenever street snow plow and deicing trucks are in active service, citizens may see a real-time snapshot of the street maintenance vehicle locations.  

How is the AVL snow plow map designed? The snow plow map defines each snow plow route by different colors. The major city streets are outlined in dark colors and the residential streets are shown in lighter hues. The user can zoom in to see map areas in more detail, such as by using the magnifying glasses in the tool bar at the top of the page.

How can I tell if a truck is plowing or de-icing or both? Color-coded in-screen "Icons" used to identify and track the snow plow truck activities: Solid blue = ignition on; blue with green center = salt/sand spreading; gray center line = plow down; solid black = ignition off.

How can I identify the different trucks on the routes? When you are using the AVL map, hover your cursor over the truck icon in the screen to get the truck type and vehicle number to appear. In general, larger trucks are used to plow streets while smaller trucks are used to maneuver around cul-du-sacs and other tight spaces. Trucks labeled "Utilities" may need to be redirected away from plowing efforts to attend to a water main break or other critical re-assignments.

How does the city use the AVL system? In 2011 the City of Ann Arbor installed the automatic vehicle location (AVL) system, which allows city staff to more efficiently manage street maintenance responses to ice and snow conditions by tracking the location, conditions, and status of plow systems (e.g., plow blade, spreader) in real time and to create reports of vehicle activities. The AVL system also allows the city to monitor a wide range of truck diagnostics for maintenance, e.g., oil level, tire pressure, speed of travel, etc.

More snow plowing questions? Please refer to www.a2gov.org/snow for general questions, FAQs on street snow, and the Standard Operating Procedures manual  (see the links on the right column on this page).

Please send questions to customerservice@a2gov.org and these questions will be referred to the appropriate personnel during standard business hours. Thank you!

Back to www.a2gov.org/snow