The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) recently entered into an agreement with engineering and environmental consulting firm Trihydro to be a third-party distributor of Situation Data Exchange (SDX) data through Google Maps.
Navigational apps collect data from other drivers using the app and use this information to recommend alternate routes or report road closures. Local roads often are not updated quickly enough to reflect changing road conditions, meaning the information can be inaccurate.
The SDX stores and distributes data collected from wirelessly connected vehicles. Navigation companies with access to the SDX will real-time travel information.
“WYDOT is constantly innovating and adapting to the challenges of Wyoming’s harsh winters and meeting our mission to keep people and commerce moving,” WYDOT Director Darin Westby said. “Last winter saw too many close calls, and we are excited to arrive at a practical solution that will keep both travelers and search-and-rescue responders safer.”
In the past, WYDOT would close I-80 for severe weather conditions, but navigational apps often rerouted drivers to secondary roads that were even more dangerous. The Wyoming Highway Patrol and other emergency responders found and rescued motorists stranded on inaccessible roads.
Last year, one storm resulted in 28 search-and-rescue missions in Sweetwater County alone.