Synthesis on Global Positioning Systems/Automatic Vehicle Location Equipment Used for Winter Maintenance

This project gathered information about available Global Positioning Systems/Automatic Vehicle Location (GPS/AVL) equipment and vendors to gain an understanding of their use by state and local agencies for winter maintenance activities. Depending on the complexity desired, many tools and equipment can comprise these systems, including truck controllers, data collection devices, communication devices, plow sensors, and software. This equipment allows agencies to better manage and analyze their winter maintenance operations. There are also numerous choices agencies have in what GPS/AVL solutions to employ, as well as how to effectively use them.

The project included four main tasks: conducting a national search of available literature about winter maintenance GPS/AVL solutions, equipment, and technology, developing a survey for state and local agencies to collect data on their experiences with GPS/AVL systems, developing an equipment guide about GPS/AVL equipment based on the literature search and survey results, and developing a synthesis of policies focused on issues and considerations relating to the implementation of GPS/AVL technology for winter maintenance.

The following report documents the process of completing the four tasks and the findings on GPS/AVL equipment and vendors.