Ramona Adams
Christopher Thomas, director of government markets at Esri, has said location-based data can help public sector organizations prepare for critical weather events especially in the winter.
“With the push for opening data, increasing transparency and controlling spending, many governments are finding new ways to communicate the strategy and dollars that go into preparedness decisions,” Thomas wrote in a guest post published Thursday on GCN.
He cited Iowa’s Transportation Department as an example of a government organization that uses location analytics in efforts to address winter storm challenges and to inform the public.
Iowa DOT also implemented an application designed to visualize material, labor and equipment costs associated with maintenance work on state-owned roads during winter, Thomas added.
He noted the Winter Cost Calculator uses data from location systems installed on the department’s maintenance vehicles.
Data from those systems are also used for analytics and applications that help inform plans of travelers, businesses and Iowa DoT, Thomas wrote.
