{"id":3053,"date":"2018-03-14T14:35:07","date_gmt":"2018-03-14T21:35:07","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2023-05-31T16:30:30","modified_gmt":"2023-05-31T23:30:30","slug":"mc-squared-microsoft-cloud-for-montgomery-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cm-edgetun.pages.dev\/en-us\/industry\/blog\/government\/2018\/03\/14\/mc-squared-microsoft-cloud-for-montgomery-county\/","title":{"rendered":"MC squared: Microsoft cloud for Montgomery County"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\nLearn more: request a free Microsoft Azure Government trial<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Awards season in Hollywood may be over but county governments can still look forward to the prestigious National Association of Counties (NACo) Achievement Awards<\/a>, which have been recognizing innovative county government programs for the past 48 years. Maryland\u2019s Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT)<\/a> was a NACo honoree last year for collaborating with Microsoft CityNext<\/a> partner EastBanc Technologies<\/a> to launch SNOWiQ<\/a>. This Microsoft Azure-powered<\/a> solution provides real-time management and monitoring of snow removal efforts to keep residents informed when roads are cleared and safe for travel, while increasing operational efficiency and reducing costs.<\/p>\n

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January 2016: over 4 feet of snow<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reza Zarif, information technology specialist for Montgomery County, pointed to a significant January 2016 storm resulting in over 4 feet of snow as the catalyst for pursuing a more robust way of keeping the public informed during a snow event, and better managing operations. \u201cThe snow removal process, when you have that much snow, is going to be pretty slow,\u201d he explained. \u201cCounty residents are not able to get out of their homes, they (need) more data and information in terms of how soon their neighborhood streets are going to be cleared.\u201d At the time, Montgomery County was using a mapping tool that was ill-equipped to provide up-to-date information. \u201cThere would be a lot of lag time between information flowing from our truck drivers to our depot staff to our storm-operations center \u2026 and then on to county residents,\u201d he said. \u201cThat delay brought a lot of frustration.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Another challenge was the inability to gain efficiencies and improve communication in what was primarily a paper- and radio-based operation. Zarif explained that Montgomery County employs about 220 plow-truck drivers, augmenting its staff by hundreds of contractors during severe storms. \u201cThat poses a whole set of challenges of its own\u201d since contract drivers are not equipped with radios on the same frequency as county staff.<\/p>\n

March 2016: developing a modern solution<\/strong><\/p>\n

In March 2016, Zarif\u2019s Information Technology organization in the Department of Transportation in cooperation with Montgomery County\u2019s Department of Technology Services, were tasked with developing a modern solution for snow removal. Having previously worked with Montgomery County to implement the TRANSITiQ<\/a> public transportation tool, Peter Shashkin of EastBanc Technologies came onboard. According to Zarif, Montgomery County was clear on its preference for Google Maps and two other requirements:<\/p>\n