FieldSeeker Windows ULV is used primarily for tracking and reporting truck spray adult treatment activities.  One of its key features is No Spray warnings.  When the driver gets within 300' (this distance is configurable), they will receive an audible and visual warning in the software that alerts them to turn off the sprayer.  In addition to No Spray warnings, the program can also provide different alerts for other types of Restricted Areas.  Each type of restricted area could have its own warning sound and warning message, so that the driver knows what they are supposed to do.  Individual restricted areas can also have their own specific warning message to the technician. 

These warning options were introduced in v1.8, so they've been around for a couple of years.  Recently, we caught up with Jacob Sublett at Toledo Area Sanitary District (TASD) to talk to him about how they are using the restricted area warnings to help manage long driveways.

Can you briefly describe what you mean by ‘long driveways’?

The TASD long driveway program is designed to increase the coverage area of our nighttime mosquito control fogging applications. Within some of our heavily wooded areas there is limited road access, which reduces our capabilities to provide efficacious adult mosquito control. Within these low coverage areas TASD allows citizens who meet certain criteria to volunteer their driveways for the use of the district’s nighttime fogging vehicles. Once a citizen applies and is accepted into the program, their driveway is routed and denoted as a “Long Driveway” within the ULV software. This allows our fogging technicians to drive their truck mounted ULV foggers down residential driveways, increasing coverage and ultimately providing a better control application.  

How did you used to manage long driveway requests? 

Before the use of the ULV software, we were not able to conduct nighttime applications from residential driveways.

What were your “pain points” previously? 

A major pain point like I mentioned previously was not getting the desired coverage in certain parts of our county. This led to citizens wanting more mosquito treatment, even closely following an adult control application.

What problems did the new system solve for you? 

In all honesty, I just do not see how you could confidently conduct driveway applications without the use of this software. It would be very difficult to ensure drivers could find and navigate these driveways without it.

What are the top benefits you’ve experienced?

Added coverage resulting in more efficacious adult mosquito control and happy residents. Specifically within the software, the audio alarm, telling a driver a long drive is approaching, the visual notification of the address that appears when a driver is in close proximity to a drive, and finally the route that shows the driver where the drive goes and where to turn around.   

What additional things are you looking to improve on, implement or add next season?

We have our citizens reapply to the long driveway program every season. We do this to ensure no one has moved and that everyone has an opportunity to apply, as once a treatment area reaches a certain coverage threshold we no longer accept application for that area. This poses a lot of manual manipulation of applications, “restricted area” data, and routes. We are working on some automation to help streamline this process.