When a winter storm blankets upstate New York, plow drivers play a crucial role in keeping their communities safe. But behind the scenes are a group of individuals you may have never heard of, but their jobs are just as important.

Staff at DOT Traffic Operation Centers across the state are the eyes in the skies, tasked with monitoring roadways and weather, and alerting emergency crews and the public if need be.

"This is an important operation. Any time there's anything from a dead deer to a fatal accident on the road, TSC is notified. TSC gets the word out. The word then goes to other emergency management people,” said Scot Cook, the public information officer for NYSDOT Region 9.

Of course, the job of the TOC becomes even more important during a winter storm. Workers are able to communicate with plow drivers and make sure the worst-hit areas are getting attention.

"It's crucial for communication with law enforcement, EMT and other emergency management. They can inform us of things we can inform them of things. And that way it's a group effort to keep everybody as safe as possible," said Cook.

Each region across the state has an operation center like it, and each operation center is always staffed.

“The people who work here understand that it's a 24-7-365 operation. Some of them will give up holidays with their families. Some of them will give up weekend time with their families. If we need them, they'll come in and they'll keep this place staffed,” said Cook.

If you would like to monitor roadways in your area, you can. The State DOT has a website that allows the public to access cameras across the state.