Planning a road weather information system with GIS

Frontiers in Built Environment

Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, 2015

This paper presents a cost-benefit based approach to the problem of finding the optimal location and density of road weather information system (RWIS) stations over a regional road network. The novelty of the proposed method lies in the models that can be used to estimate the benefits of RWIS information, including reduced maintenance costs and collisions, thus determining the optimal number and location of a RWIS network. A case study based on the existing RWIS network in Northern Minnesota in the US is used to show the application of the proposed approach. Linear regression models are developed for the annual maintenance costs and the expected number of collisions that could occur on two types of highways delineated by the existence of a RWIS station nearby. The calibrated models are then applied to individual highway segments defined on the basis of a uniform grid system to determine the expected benefit of having a RWIS station installed. These benefits along with RWIS installation and maintenance costs are converted into net benefits and then the net present value, which are then used in determining the optimal number of RWIS stations and prioritizing the candidate locations. It was found from the case study that a total of 45 stations would provide the best return of investment with a 25 year net benefit of approximately $6.5 million and a life-cycle benefit-to-cost ratio of 3.5.

2009

This purpose of this research project is to provide a current benefit-cost assessment for weather information in winter road maintenance. To this end, the research team first summarized the weather information resources used by transportation agency personnel in making winter maintenance decisions and investigated how weather information was used to support winter maintenance operations, through extensive literature reviews and surveys to winter maintenance professionals and the meteorological community. Following this, the research team developed a model for winter maintenance costs. A methodology of artificial neural network and sensitivity analysis was proposed and applied to three case studies to analyze the benefits and costs associated with the use of weather information. The benefitcost analyses showed that the use of weather information could bring more benefits than costs. Moreover, it was found that winter maintenance costs could be reduced by improving the accuracy of weather information and/or increasing the use of weather information. Finally, this study identified secondary benefits of deploying and using road weather information systems. These research results should help transportation agencies to guide and direct future investment in weather information services and technologies.

Climatic Effects on Pavement and Geotechnical Infrastructure, 2014

Highway agencies face increasing demands and customer expectations regarding mobility and transportation safety, especially during inclement weather, while confronting unprecedented budget and staffing constraints and a growing awareness of environmental challenges related to the use of chemicals and abrasives. To address these different issues, benefit-cost analysis is typically employed before making specific investment decisions. In the winter maintenance context, where the various costs and benefits of road weather management tools can vary greatly, this presents a significant challenge to managers. This work presents an overview of a new benefit-cost analysis tool developed for winter maintenance practitioners to evaluate different equipment, operations and materials, including road weather management tools, in a streamlined, web-based environment. The toolkit was used to conduct two case studies of the use of Road Weather Information Systems (RWIS) and Maintenance Decision Support Systems (MDSS) for road weather management. The first case study examined the current use of RWIS statewide in Iowa and found that it produced an agency-specific benefit-cost ratio of 3.8 and a total ratio of 45.4. A second case study examined the potential use of MDSS in one subdistrict in Indiana found that a benefitcost ratio for the agency would be 1.5, while the total ratio would be 3.0.

2000

Project completed for the Midwest Regional University Transportation Center with support from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

19th Conference on IIPS, 2003

2012

Weather service systems that collect, refine and distribute information to road users and to network and maintenance operators can generate significant benefits to stakeholders and society. For maintenance operators improved efficiency through timely reactions, smaller amounts of de-icing materials and better personnel utilization offer clear potential for reduced costs. In the future, better weather models will result in more accurate longer-term forecasts thus increasing the potential for benefits. New technology enables new kinds of services (e.g. decision support systems). This paper provides a structured view of the impacts of weather information services to different stakeholders.

Transportation Research Record, 2003

Winter road maintenance practitioners have expressed a strong interest in obtaining weather and road condition forecasts and treatment recommendations specific to winter road maintenance routes. These user needs led the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Transportation Operations Road Weather Management Program to support the development of a prototype winter road Maintenance Decision Support System (MDSS). The MDSS is a unique data fusion system designed to provide real-time treatment guidance (e.g., treatment times, types, rates, and locations) for winter maintenance decision makers specific to winter road maintenance routes. The system integrates weather and road data, weather and road condition model output, chemical concentration algorithms, and anti-icing and deicing rules of practice.

A new Java-based information system to support wintry road maintenance operations is under construction. It was designed to combine modules related to geographic, meteorological and snow cover information. To facilitate international application, it was based on global topographic datasets such as products from the Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM, horizontal resolution < 100m) and on a meteorological forecast model data interface compatible with NetCDF and GrADS-readable formats. The downscaling system VERA (Vienna Enhanced Resolution Analysis), based on high-resolution terrain information, will be applied to add detail to meteorological model forecasts and to improve the analysis, using the readings of road weather stations.

The objective of the four-year (2011-15) EU FP7 project FOTsis was to develop and test road infrastructure management systems of 7 different end-user dedicated Services along 11 European road segments. Most of the services were designed to exploit weather information because adverse weather can be notorious for road transport. With only sporadic weather information available at the FOTsis test sites, an innovative road weather forecasting solution was developed and implemented. It provides real-time information on current road weather conditions supported by shortrange forecasts along the FOTsis road stretches. Detailed road segmentation employing GIS and GPS based algorithms were developed to assign vehicle location with the provided road weather data. This paper represents the fourth and final installment of ITS World Conference papers dedicated to this seminal large-scale European collaborative ITS undertaking.