Another one to three inches of snow in Thursday night’s forecast will give the Pettis County Road and Bridge Department another opportunity to put to use a data collection system considered the first of its kind at the county level.

As the department’s plows make their way around Pettis County’s 860 miles of roadways, they will communicate their position and status with a GPS-tracked pad. Eastern District Commissioner Israel Baeza says the system aims to make the effort to clear the county’s roads more efficient.

Baeza adds that the data can help county officials better plan for future weather events.

Commissioner Baeza says the system is based on a similar one introduced in Kansas City, and has seen success in other large cities. Baeza adds that Pettis County is the first county government in the nation to put the system to use.

Photo courtesy of the Pettis County Commission