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Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate Transportation Research Board

Where the Weather Meets the Road: A Research Agenda for Improving Road Weather Services John Snow, University of Oklahoma March 17, 2004. Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate Transportation Research Board.

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Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate Transportation Research Board

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  1. Where the Weather Meets the Road: A Research Agenda for Improving Road Weather ServicesJohn Snow, University of OklahomaMarch 17, 2004 Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate Transportation Research Board

  2. FHWA asked National Academies to identify research needed to address weather impacts on the road environment Weather impairs both safety and efficiency of roadways • Associated with over 1.5 million accidents annually, accounting for 800,000 injuries and 7,000 deaths • Associated with 500 million hours of driver delay annually Few new roads and increasing vehicle miles traveled will exacerbate already existing capacity problems

  3. The Road Weather SystemOf The Future • Robust Infostructure overlaying Road Infrastructure • Measurements on and around the roadway to monitor weather events, road surface conditions, and traffic flow • Integrated model-based decision support tools for a wide variety of users • Telecommunications tools to move data from the roadway and provide information to users • Multi-purpose components serving drivers, traffic managers, law enforcement, emergency management, road maintenance • “Smart” Vehicles • In constant communication with the road infostructure and other vehicles • Advises drivers on options, road and traffic conditions, safety concerns • Mobile observing platforms • Adjusts configuration (braking, engine) based on conditions • “Weather-smart” Users

  4. Primary Recommendation:Establish a focused, coordinated national road weather research program Numerous technological advances provide the impetus and capabilities to significantly improve road weather services • Maximize use of available road weather information and technologies; • Expand road weather research and development efforts to enhance roadway safety, capacity, and efficiency while minimizing environmental impacts; and • Effectively implement new scientific and technological advances Program Goals:

  5. Program Implementation Regional Research Centers • To develop new technologies, foster technology implementation on regional roadways, and facilitate interaction between governments, the private sector, and academia • Should bring together weather and transportation researchers, and practitioners/service providers in the public and private sectors National Demonstration Corridors • To demonstrate effectiveness of road weather improvements, facilitate nationwide implementation of research results, and provide a seamless stream of road weather information to users • One running north-south (e.g., I-35) • One running east-west (e.g., I-80)

  6. Centralized leadership at the federal level is essential • FHWA should have lead rolein new road weather research program • NOAA should be leading partner • Federal government should establish new interagency coordinating council to guide program with participation from FHWA, NOAA, and NSF at a minimum • New long-term dedicated funding within FHWA is needed • ~$25 million per year • Funds from other relevant initiatives should be highly leveraged • Must foster effective public-private-academic partnerships • Essential partners include FHWA, NOAA, NSF, AASHTO, academia, state and local governments, the private sector, and NGOs such as ITS America and AMS

  7. Research Framework 5 Key Areas: • a robust, integrated observational network and data management system • a coordinated research effort • improved modeling capabilities and forecast tools • mechanisms for communicating road weather information to users • an infostructure that takes advantage of new technologies

  8. Weather and transportation research communities need to work together • Quick progress can be made in some areas by adapting available technology and techniques • Take advantage of existing observation systems • National consensus standards for deploying road weather observation systems • The combined communities can significantly leverage investments being made by others • Cell phones, XM radio • Traffic video cameras • Some areas will require significant new research • Human factors

  9. In Closing The proposed national road weather research program will lead to advances in knowledge and operational capabilities that could improve thesafety and efficiency of a transportation system that is used by millions of peopleevery single day and is affected by weatherevery single day Decision-makers have the ability to help achieve this vision by capitalizing on the recommended framework and bringing the road weather research program to fruition

  10. For More Information… Contact Amanda Staudt <astaudt@nas.edu> Or visit the BASC website: www.nationalacademies.org/basc/

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