Optimize your snow management operations
Snowman represents a suite of Snow & Ice Control Management solutions that has been trusted and utilized by municipalities across North America.
Works with your team's smartphones
Provide critical information in real-time where it's needed most, in your driver's hands. Constantly changing conditions require agility and situational awareness.
Because plans change
Snowfighters know that even the best procedures and plans often go out the window the moment the snow hits the ground
Routes
Snowman Ai allows you to plan, but also optimize routes in real-time, with live weather conditions, traffic updates, and emergency requests, suggest dynamic route adjustments, prioritizing areas not yet cleared by others, ensuring more efficient and effective snow removal operations.
Live tracking
Telemetry which records requests, completion times and public feedback are parsed through a powerful Ai to identify patterns and suggest improvements, predicting areas of concern before they are explicitly reported.
Tasks
Dispatching work to a mobile workforce is critical to managing a successful snow removal event. With Snowman, you'll always be sure you've assigned the right job to the right person in the right place at the right time. On top of that, once a job is done, residents are instantly notified through the Resident app.
Cradles
Our Smartcradle transforms the driving experience for municipal workers by enabling effortless NFC tap-and-drive functionality, seamlessly navigating them to their tasks with optimal routes. Drivers can focus on safe and effective service delivery, leading to superior municipal outcomes.
Exceed Minimum Maintenance Standards
Complying with Minimum Maintenance Standards is a complex and very risky endeavor when not done properly.
Computer vision
The moment a driver places their phone in a cradle while performing a snow removal route, they are enabling a vast array of AI / Computer Vision capabilities within Snowman Ai which offer a wide range of benefits that significantly enhance the efficiency, safety, and effectiveness of snow removal operations.
Patrols
Using image recognition Snowman Ai automatically detects and categorizes damage or hazards reported by users, simply by having drivers place their phone in our Smartcradle while working. This streamlines the process for addressing critical issues faster than ever before possible.
Inspections
Inspections and patrols play a critical part in a successful snow maintenance operation. They must be performed on a regular basis, at intervals which depend on the road class. All of this is brilliantly managed by Snowman, and fully documented thanks to its Computer vision capabilities.
Assets
Exceed minimum standards with automated recurring asset inspections and maintenance intervals. Just import assets, or add them with the app. They'll all be regularly inspected and maintained, reducing wear, ensuring compliance, while maintaining high standards of public infrastructure and safety.
Get the most out of your ressources
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Ressource allocation
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Route Optimization
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Enhanced safety
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Reduced liability
Driver fatigue & disorientation are leading cause of accidents
By using their own smartphones, Snow fighters are efficiently assigned and guided through areas where they are needed most, ensuring the most effective use of manpower and equipment at all times. Machine learning and predictive analytics in Snowman Ai are like a co-pilot, always there to lower driver stress and fatigue by providing clear, manageable tasks and routes, contributing to operational efficiency and safety.
A 5% improvement in route planning leads to 3x operational gains
Unoptimized plow routes can seriously hurt productivity, workforce moral, resident satisfaction and most importantly road safety. Snowman helps municipalities evenly distribute workload, eliminate overlap, reduce fuel & labor costs, and deliver safer streets faster.
Insurance claims up 49% in December & January alone
Weather related vehicle accidents kill more people annually than large-scale weather disasters. This is not surprising as it takes a vehicle 10 times longer to come to a complete stop on snow and ice than it does on dry pavement. Snow fighting is a race against the clock, make sure you have the edge.
64% of major liability claims are easily defendable with digital documentation
Snow removal operations run with Citycare benefit from a detailed and time-stamped record of actions taken. This is crucial when defending against liability claims, as it offers clear, indisputable evidence of service performance, timelines, and adherence to safety protocols, significantly bolstering defense in the major liability claims.
Everything at your fingertips
Command and control, situational awareness, tactical decisions... military terms used in a war theatre are right at home when it's snowing and you're in charge.
Vehicles
Manage every aspects of your fleet, from inspections and maintenance to usage and live tracking. All of this, without the need to install costly and complicated GPS tracking devices, nor pay for their monthly fees.
Colleagues
Colleague location is available in real-time within the app itself, improving safety at all times. Also our predictive analytics use this information to suggest route adjustments, responses to immediate needs, and collaborate effectively.
Headway
Publicly provide real-time visibility on route progress. Promote transparency to colleagues, managers, elected officials, and even residents. Doing so significantly reduces stress levels while building the public's trust in their municipality.
Reporting
Snowman ingests massive amounts of information during a snow event. It's feed into our Ai analytics engine which analyzes patterns to predict future needs, and optimize resource allocation for upcoming snow removal operations. Snowman Ai, improving outcomes one storm at a time.
You've got questions? We've got answers.
What is Snowman?
Snowman is an innovative app designed to optimize snow removal and winter road maintenance operations. It enables real-time tracking of snowplows, efficient assignment of tasks to municipal employees, and instant updates to residents about service progress, enhancing efficiency, safety, and transparency in managing winter conditions.
Can I use Snowman my phone?
Yes, Snowman is a feature within the Citycare suite of municipal operations software solutions and it is designed to be fully functional on smartphones, allowing authorized municipal employees to access and manage snow removal tasks, track progress, and receive updates directly from their mobile devices for utmost convenience and efficiency.
Do Residents see our snow removal operations as they progress ?
If configured to do so, Citycare allows residents of a municipality to track snow removal vehicles in real time, offering visibility into their current location and expected arrival times.
This capability delights residents with the convenience of being alerted minutes before a plow arrives at their location, allowing them to move their vehicles, and make necessary preparations and adjustments to their day, enhancing the transparency and efficiency of municipal snow removal services.
All of this is made possible when drivers install the app on their phone and select the route they've been assigned while working.
What about user privacy ?
Safeguarding your information and ensuring your privacy is our top priority.
We've implemented several key measures to ensure your personal information is protected and managed responsibly:
1. Data Encryption: All data transmitted to and from Resident is encrypted using industry-standard protocols, ensuring that your personal information is secure during transmission and storage.
2. Compliance with Privacy Laws: We adhere to all applicable Canadian privacy laws and regulations, including the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), guaranteeing that our practices meet national standards for data protection.
3. Strict Access Controls: Access to personal information is strictly limited to authorized personnel who need it to perform their job functions. We enforce rigorous access controls and regular audits to prevent unauthorized access.
4. Data Minimization: We collect only the information necessary to provide our services effectively, ensuring that any data collected is relevant and limited to what is needed.
5. Transparency: Our privacy policy clearly outlines how we collect, use, and share your information, providing you with a clear understanding of our data practices.
6. User Control: We offer tools and settings that allow you to control your privacy preferences, manage your data, and understand how your information is used.
7. Regular audits: Our security practices are regularly reviewed and updated to respond to new threats and ensure compliance with the latest privacy standards and best practices.
By implementing these steps, we aim to maintain a secure and trustworthy platform where your privacy is respected and protected.
Are GPS devices required to be installed in vehicles ?
No, GPS devices are not required to be installed in vehicles for Citycare to function effectively.
Municipal employees simply need to install the Citycare app on their smartphones once they've been invited by their manager.
By tapping on the Smartcradle installed in the vehicle (which has an NFC (Near Field Communication) transponder), they're signed into that specific vehicle and can instantly access their assigned work and routes.
This setup not only allows them to monitor their progress in real-time but also enables them to update their operations management team on their status, ensuring seamless communication and operational efficiency without the need for additional GPS hardware.
What are the primary route planning features to look for?
- Bulk GIS existing route import
- Customizable route parameters
- Powerful optimization algorithms
- Intuitive web and mobile map interface
- Mobile dispatch and tracking
- Route history and analytics
- Proof-of-service capture
- Weather integration
- Flexible deployment
- Support and training
What challenges do municipalities face without route optimization?
Without route optimization, snow fighting operations may encounter inefficient overlapping routes, uneven workload distribution among drivers, missed streets, excess labor and fuel costs, slow customer response times, and increased wear and tear on equipment.
What factors should be considered when planning snow plow routes?
Several factors should be considered when planning snow plow routes, including road class, weather systems, road conditions and closures, traffic flow, road prioritization, historical data, and the integration of advanced route optimization algorithms which is Snowman Ai's strength.
How do you plow efficiently?
Efficient snow plowing is a multi-step process that begins with strategic route planning to minimize overlap, prioritize high-traffic areas, and ensure balanced workloads.
Then, when plowing, focus on the priorities set in the plans, while adapting to whatever unforseen realities come your way.
Never let a good crisis go to waste.
Snowman Ai, improving outcomes one storm at a time.