Boone County News Release

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GPS Vehicle Tracking Brings More Efficient Service To County Citizens

June 12, 2009

Boone County Public Works Installs GPS Devices on Vehicles

More efficient snow removal, increased productivity and overall improved customer service are some of the goals that Boone County Public Works wants to achieve with the installation of Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL)/GPS Vehicle Tracking on all dump trucks and snow removal support vehicles. The County began installing the devices today and is planning to have them in use by the end of June.

Thirty-six units were purchased for Public Work's fleet through a joint contract with the City of Columbia. The total cost with installation is $20,427.44, and there is a monthly service fee of $1,854.60.

Columbia's Public Works Department says they have used the systems on their snow plows since winter 2007/2008 and have experienced greatly improved operating efficiency during snow and ice removal operations.

The devices will give Public Works instant information on the exact location of their vehicles and where they have been throughout the day. The technology will allow Public Works to provide accurate, real-time information to the public about where trucks have plowed and the status of roads during snow events.

"The GPS devices will help us to be more efficient in these tighter budget years," says Maintenance Operations Manager Chip Estabrooks. "Our expectations are to save money on fuel, and resources like salt by being able to track our vehicles and reduce overlap in activity."

Using the equipment, Public Works can also monitor the speed of individual vehicles and retrieve "black box" data for accident reconstruction and investigation.

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