T3 Webinar Presentation

Go Ahead. Rain on My Parade: Best Practices for Developing an Integrated and Effective Road Weather Information System (RWIS) (October 13, 2009)

Presenter:   Dawn Gustafson
Presenter's Org:   Michigan Department of Transportation

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T3 Webinars are brought to you by the ITS Professional Capacity Building Program (ITS PCB) at the U.S. Department of Transportation's (USDOT) ITS Joint Program Office, Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA)

Slide 1:  RWIS in Michigan's Upper Peninsula

Dawn Gustafson
Michigan Department of Transportation
October 13, 2009

[This slide contains a picture of an atmospheric sensor and camera in Ecanaba, MI. This system can collect wind speed directions, precipitation, and barometric pressure.]

Slide 2:  Superior Region Con-ops

• Project Vision — Objectives & Goals
• Stakeholder Involvement
• Environmental Sensor Station (ESS) Location Siting
• ESS Sensor and Devices
• Communications & Power
• System Architecture and Standards
• Anticipated Impacts and Benefits
• Performance Measures
• Outcomes and Next Steps

Slides 3–4:  RWIS Project Vision

• Objectives
  • Provide safer highways
  • Improve road maintenance decision making
  • Improve traveler information
  • Provide data for review of historical weather events to enhance transportation planning
• Goals
  • Reduce the duration of hazardous road conditions
  • Improve maintenance efficiency of all resources
  • Improve traveler information

Slide 5:  Stakeholder Involvement

• State Agencies
• National Weather Service
• Airports
• Transit
• Planning Organizations
• Emergency Response
• Schools
• Businesses
• Local Agencies
• Casinos
• And More!

Slide 6:  ESS Location Siting

• FHWA Siting Guidelines
• Co-Location
• Prioritization
  • Regional/corridor importance
  • Higher than average crash rate per mile in adverse weather conditions
  • Frequent road closure areas
  • Maintenance benefit
  • Unique weather information needs
  • Filling in gaps in existing weather data

Slide 7:  Existing Weather Data Sites
Potential Co-Location Sites

• Airports
• Cities/Counties
• Adjoining States and Countries (Clarus)
• National Weather Service
• National Forests
• State Agencies
  • Transportation
    • offices, PTR/WIM, DMS, Bridge treatment systems
  • State Police, Natural Resources, Agriculture
• National Weather Service

Slide 8:  Reduced Cost for Shared Resources Due to Co-locating

• Reoccurring Fees
  • Power
  • Communication
  • Administration Overhead (billings)
  • Maintenance (routine and unplanned)
• One-Time Fees
  • Installation costs
  • Road side structure

Slide 9:  Co-Location Efforts

[This slide contains a picture of co-located weigh-in-motion equipment. The picture shows two power feeds and weigh-in-motion equipment.]

Early involvement during the Con-op phase and throughout construction

Slide 10:  ESS Sensors and Devices

• ESS Applications
  • Roadway Surface Monitoring
  • Bridge Condition Monitoring
  • Roadway Maintenance
  • Traveler Information & Safety
  • Incident Management
• ESS Options
  • Basic
  • Optional Sensors
  • Reduced Power
  • Portable
• Draft Special Provision

Slide 11:  Communication & Power

• Requirements of sensors and devices
• Capacity of different methods
• Recommended methods for basic, optional, solar, etc. ESS

Slide 12:  System Architecture and Standards

• Collection, Transfer, Storage and Distribution of ESS Data
• Data Users and their Needs
• Draft Special Provision

Slide 13:  Anticipated Impacts

• Technology
• Road Maintenance
• Inter-Agency Data Coordination
• Region ITS Architecture Coordination
• ESS Maintenance
• Staffing
• Training

Slide 14:  Anticipated Benefits

• Roadway Maintenance
• Traveler Information
• Incident Management
• Resource Allocation
• Density of Weather Data
• Historical Weather Information

Slide 15:  Performance Measures

• Time required to clear roadway
• Crash rates
• Maintenance response times
• Maintenance vehicle miles traveled
• Emergency response times
• Road treatment material used
• Traffic volumes and speeds during weather events
• RWIS website usage
• Percentage of "up-time" on system components

Slide 16:  Superior Region RWIS

• 12 Basic ESS Sites with Traffic Data added
• 2 Specialized ESS Sites
• 4 Non-Freeway DMS
• Adding in 2010
  • DMS along the I-75 Corridor

Slide 17:  ESS and DMS Sites

[This slide contains a map of the ESS and DMS sites in the Upper Peninsula in Michigan. The gray triangles represent existing RWIS sites and green triangles represent proposed (this fall) RWIS sites. The green squares represent proposed (this fall) DMS sites.]

Slide 18:  In Pavement Sensors

[This slide contains a picture of pavements sensors. The left sensor detects pavement temperature and the right sensor measures frost depth.]

• Pavement temperature
• Frost depth
• Chemical concentration
• Traffic information

Slide 19:  Atmospheric Sensors

[This slide contains a picture of an atmospheric sensor and camera in Ecanaba, MI. This system can collect wind speed directions, precipitation, and barometric pressure.]

• Wind speed and direction
• Precipitation
• Barometric pressure

Slide 20:  Site Information

Currently 5 locations

[This slide contains a screen shot of the software used to organize data from the atmospheric sensors in Au Train, MI. The information collected includes air data, wind data, distance of visibility, precipitation, accumulation, and snow depth.]

Slide 21:  Surface Conditions

[This slide contains a screen shot of the software used to monitor surface conditions in Engadine, MI. The second column contains different chemical data for the surface. Orange represents icy conditions. Yellow signifies that the surface is "Chemically Wet". Red denotes an "Ice Warning".]

Slide 22:  Harvey

[This slide contains a picture from a camera located along the roadway in Harvey, MI. The spots in the upper right of the picture indicate that ice and moisture have accumulated on the camera’s lens.]

Slide 23:  AuTrain

[This slide contains a picture from a camera located along the roadway in AuTrain, MI. The picture shows the winter weather conditions. The spots in the upper portion of the picture indicate that ice and moisture have accumulated on the camera's lens.]

Slide 24:  Engadine

[This slide contains a picture of one of the atmospheric sensor and camera stations in Engadine, MI along Route 2.]

Slide 25:  Engadine

[This slide contains a picture taken from a camera located along Route 2 in Engadine, MI. The spots in the picture indicate that ice and moisture have accumulated on the camera's lens.]

Slide 26:  Brevort

[This slide contains a picture of one of the atmospheric sensors and camera stations in Brevort, MI.]

Slide 27:  Brevort

[This slide contains a picture of winter weather conditions along a roadway in Brevort, MI.]

Slide 28:  Outcomes and Next Steps

• Proximity to maintenance transfers
• Snow depth measurements
• ITS Construction is NOT Road Construction
• Cameras
• Cell Service
• Mini-RWIS
• Maintenance
• Evaluation

Slide 29:  Take Away

Keep your Con-ops handy!!

It is a very useful document that will provide assistance through your RWIS development.

Slide 30:  Thanks and Good Luck!

Dawn Gustafson, P.E., Traffic and Safety Engineer
Michigan Department of Transportation
(906) 786-1830 ext. 316
gustafsond@michigan.gov

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