Weather Information for Surface Transportation: AASHTO Activities

1. Weather Information for Surface Transportation: AASHTO Activities June 13, 2006 WIST Workshop Presented by Leland D. Smithson AASHTO SICOP Coordinator leland.smithson@dot.iowa.gov

2. AASHTO’s Relationship to WIST • AASHTO’s Vision • AASHTO is the voice for transportation & catalyst for organizational & technical excellence • AASHTO’s Mission • AASHTO advocates transportation-related policies & provides technical services to support states in their efforts to efficiently & safely move people & goods

3. AASHTO’s Relationship to WIST • AASHTO’s Goals & Objectives • Goal 1 Re-establish transportation as a national priority • Objective 1D Establish safety as a national priority • Goal 2 Advocate & communicate to achieve AASHTO’s goals • Objective 2A Create strategic partnerships • Objective 2B Develop & communicate the AASHTO Action Agenda to policy makers, partners, stakeholders, and the public

4. AASHTO’s Relationship to WIST • AASHTO’s Goals & Objectives (cont’d) • Goal 3 Provide world class technical services • Objective 3A Identify, communicate, and facilitate use of emerging research, technologies, materials, processes & programs • Objective 3D Expand training opportunities & the array of offerings • Goal 4 Assist State DOTs with leadership & performance • Objective 4A Identify & advance 21st century leadership & management techniques

5. Activities Prior to SAFETEA-LU • Participated in 1999 & 2000 WIST Symposiums • Participated in the development of the National ITS Architecture • Participated on the Committee on Weather Research for Surface Transportation: The Roadway Environment to develop the BASC report, “Where the Weather Meets the Road” • Participated in the AMS Policy Forum, “Highways and Weather” • Participated in the 2004 AMS/National Academies Congressional Briefing

6. Congressional Briefing Focus • AASHTO supported a road weather R&D program that addresses: • a robust, integrated observational network and data management system specifically designed to meet the need for enhanced road weather research and operational capabilities; • a coordinated research effort to increase understanding of road weather phenomena and options for increasing safety, mobility, and efficiency of the nation’s roadways during all types of weather;

7. Congressional Briefing (cont’d) • improved modeling capabilities and forecast tools designed to provide relevant, useful information to those who build, maintain, and use the nation’s roadways; • multiple mechanisms for communicating road weather information to varied users in ways that support better informed decision making; • an infostructure that takes advantage of new technologies to monitor and predict road weather conditions and then effectively convey road weather information to end users-both road users and road managers.

8. AASHTO’s Winter Maintenance Technical Service Program • WMTSP (1994) Mission is to ensure that requisite testing & evaluation of potentially implementable international or domestic winter maintenance technologies are performed & that the results of these efforts are presented & disseminated in such a manner that modern winter maintenance technologies are easily understood & integrated into individual state & municipal operational programs.

9. AASHTO’s WMTSP (cont’d) • SICOP is the Snow and Ice Pooled Fund Cooperative Program that supports the WMTSP projects. • Major accomplishments • Published Snow & Ice Control Guide in 1999 • Developed AI/RWIS CBT • Regular participation in winter maintenance research conducted by TRB

10. AASHTO Participation in R & D • Aurora (1996) is a consortium of public agencies focused on collaborative research, evaluation, & deployment of advanced technologies for detailed road weather monitoring & forecasting. Aurora seeks to implement advanced road weather information systems (RWIS) that fully integrate state-of-the-art roadway & weather forecasting technologies with coordinated, multi-agency weather monitoring infrastructure.

11. AASHTO Participation in R & D • Aurora RWIS R & D Program (19 projects completed) • RWIS Communication Standards • RWIS Data Integration & Sharing Guidelines • Standardized Testing Methodologies for Pavement Sensors • Standardized Weather & Road Condition Information Presentation • Integration of Road Weather Information with Traffic Data

12. AASHTO Participation in R & D • Aurora RWIS R & D Program (26 ongoing) • Benchmarking the Performance of RWIS Forecasts • Development of an RWIS Quality Assurance Monitoring System • Pilot Test of ESS Sensor Testing Guidelines • Promoting Development of Road Weather ESS Observation Systems • Support of Clarus Initiative • Support of MDSS Pooled Fund Study

13. AASHTO’s Participation In R & D • Clear Roads (2004) is a pooled fund research program aimed at rigorous testing of winter maintenance materials, equipment and methods for use by highway maintenance crews. • Research launched in 2005 • Testing accuracy of ground-speed-control spreaders • Synthesizing best practices for eliminating fogging & icing on winter maintenance vehicles

14. Web Site & Contact Information • SICOP website www.sicop.net • Aurora website www.aurora-program.org • Clear Roads website www.clearroads.org • National ITS Architecture website www.its.dot.gov/arch/index.htm • Leland Smithson, AASHTO SICOP Coordinator, phone 515-239-1519