Updated snow emergency app pinpoints where parking is allowed

Not sure if you've parked improperly during a snow emergency? A revamped city of Minneapolis smartphone app aims to clear up any confusion.

The two-year-old Minneapolis Snow Emergency app, available on iPhone and Android, now features snow emergency maps (right) and uses GPS technology to highlight a driver's current location.

Previously, the app merely informed users of the regulations on different days of the snow emergency.

The app also allows users to receive text or e-mail alerts when Snow Emergencies have been declared.

All of this information is also available on the city's website at minneapolismn.gov/snow.

Other cities like Chicago release data on the location of the city's plows, allowing people to see which routes have been completed. Public works staffers said earlier this year they are developing similar technology, though it's unclear when it will be available for public consumption.