GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Commuting to work during a Michigan winter could be a little easier and safer with the SnowFi app.

Using real-time data from the Michigan Department of Transportation, the app would let users know when roads have been plowed.

SnowFi was developed last weekend in a statewide contest to create software that promotes government transparency.

The app won the grand prize in the second annual Code Michigan contest that ran Oct. 3-5.

While the trio behind the app - Grand Rapids area residents Eric Buehler, Josh Hulst and Ryan Graffy - are surprised their first collaborative effort won, they admit SnowFi is a great idea.

“One of the reasons we did it is because we thought it was something we would actually use ourselves,” said Buehler, who explains the app in the video below.

The win came with $15,000 to further develop the app that would not only show roads have been cleared of snow, but also update the location of snowplows.

The next step is to officially get Michigan Department of Transportation on board.

“A lot it is dependent on what the state wants to release,” Buehler said.

Many snowplow trucks already have GPS systems, which makes it possible to gather the data, said MDOT spokesman John Richard. He added that providing the data to residents would show "how hard snowplow drivers work at all hours of the night and day under harsh conditions."

Contestants were given access to various sets of state data, and then asked to come up with software to best make use of data.

The contest judges included members of the state’s Renaissance Fund. Buehler says his team will be meeting with them next to discuss with them about how to bring the software to market.

The men, in their 30s with day jobs as engineers or programmers, say they took part in the contest for fun.

The contest was created to promote civic coding, which is the act of creating works of software for the purpose of promoting government transparency, citizen engagement, government efficiency, public policy, and monitoring emerging issues and economic development, said David Behen, director of the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget.

The prize money, put up by Michigan business that sponsored the contest, is intended to provide funding further develop the app.

The three-day competition took place at three different locations in Detroit, Newaygo and Marquette.

The SnowFi team won the Newaygo and a regional prize of $5,000, and then the grand prize of $10,000.

The first place winning app out of Detroit was “NeighborFood” by Andrew Holman, Imran Raja, Abdul Miah and Jonathon Jones, and won $5,000. They created a farm-to-table app that will let shoppers connect with local farmers for fresh produce and products.

“Code Michigan was the first event our team has participated in as a whole,” Holman said. “It was an amazing time and really pushed us to our limits. There were a lot of talented developers across the state participating, so we were honored to be a part of it.”

The team of Jim Argeropoulos, Lynn Makela, Chris Marr and Ed Vielmetti won first place and $5,000 in Marquette for their “Marquette Gravesite Locator” app, which will allow individuals to search for and find gravesites in Marquette County.

“It was really exciting to have Code Michigan come to Marquette,” Argeropoulos said. “I’m thrilled that we took first place here and I look forward to participating again next year.”

Shandra Martinez covers business for MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. Email her or follow her on Twitter @shandramartinez.