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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Transportation Research Board and National Research Council. 2004. Where the Weather Meets the Road: A Research Agenda for Improving Road Weather Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10893.
×

WHERE THE WEATHER MEETS THE ROAD

A RESEARCH AGENDA FOR IMPROVING ROAD WEATHER SERVICES

Committee on Weather Research for Surface Transportation: The Roadway Environment

Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate

Division on Earth and Life Studies

Transportation Research Board

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, D.C.
www.nap.edu

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Transportation Research Board and National Research Council. 2004. Where the Weather Meets the Road: A Research Agenda for Improving Road Weather Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10893.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This study was supported by Contract No. DTFH61-01-C-00036 between the National Academy of Sciences and the Federal Highway Administration. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.

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International Standard Book Number 0-309-52980-8 (PDF)

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 2004101858

Additional copies of this report are available from the
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Cover photo: Amanda Staudt, National Research Council.

Copyright 2004 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Transportation Research Board and National Research Council. 2004. Where the Weather Meets the Road: A Research Agenda for Improving Road Weather Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10893.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Wm. A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts and Dr. Wm. A. Wulf are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.

www.national-academies.org

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Transportation Research Board and National Research Council. 2004. Where the Weather Meets the Road: A Research Agenda for Improving Road Weather Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10893.
×

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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Transportation Research Board and National Research Council. 2004. Where the Weather Meets the Road: A Research Agenda for Improving Road Weather Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10893.
×

COMMITTEE ON WEATHER RESEARCH FOR SURFACE TRANSPORTATION: THE ROADWAY ENVIRONMENT

JOHN T. SNOW (Chair),

University of Oklahoma, Norman

ELIZABETH CARTER,

WeatherExtreme, LLC, Kings Beach, California

DENNIS L. CHRISTIANSEN,

Texas Transportation Institute, Texas A&M University, College Station

BRADLEY R. COLMAN,

National Weather Service, Seattle, Washington

PAUL J. DELANNOY,

Environment Canada, Gatineau, Québec

FRANCIS B. FRANCOIS,

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (retired), Bowie, Maryland

GEORGE L. FREDERICK,

Vaisala, Inc., Boulder, Colorado

FRANCES C. HOLT,

NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service, Silver Spring, Maryland

MARGARET A. LEMONE,

National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado

CURT PAPE,

Minnesota Department of Transportation, St. Paul

LELAND SMITHSON,

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Ames, Iowa

DANIEL STOCK*,

American Transportation Research Institute, Wakefield, Rhode Island

RICHARD WAGONER,

National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado

NRC Staff

AMANDA STAUDT, Study Director

STEPHEN GODWIN, Director,

Studies & Information Services Division, Transportation Research Board

JULIE DEMUTH, Research Associate

PAMELA SZATANEK, Intern

ROB GREENWAY, Project Assistant

*  

Ending April 2003

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Transportation Research Board and National Research Council. 2004. Where the Weather Meets the Road: A Research Agenda for Improving Road Weather Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10893.
×

BOARD ON ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES AND CLIMATE

ERIC J. BARRON* (Chair),

Pennsylvania State University, University Park

ROBERT J. SERAFIN (Chair),

National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado

FREDERICK R. ANDERSON,

Cadwalader, Wickersham, and Taft, Washington, D.C.

RAYMOND J. BAN*,

The Weather Channel, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia

ROBERT C. BEARDSLEY,

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts

ROSINA M. BIERBAUM,

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

RAFAEL L. BRAS,

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge

MARY ANNE CARROLL,

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

KERRY A. EMANUEL,

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge

CASSANDRA G. FESEN,

Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire

MARGARET A. LEMONE*,

National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado

JENNIFER A. LOGAN,

Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

MARIO J. MOLINA*,

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge

WILLIAM J. RANDEL,

National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado

ROGER M. WAKIMOTO,

University of California, Los Angeles

JOHN C. WYNGAARD,

Pennsylvania State University, University Park

Ex Officio Members

ANTONIO J. BUSALACCHI, JR.,

University of Maryland, College Park

ERIC F. WOOD,

Princeton University, New Jersey

NRC Staff

CHRIS ELFRING, Director

SHELDON DROBOT, Program Officer

AMANDA STAUDT, Program Officer

JULIE DEMUTH, Research Associate

ELIZABETH A. GALINIS, Project Assistant

ROB GREENWAY, Project Assistant

DIANE GUSTAFSON, Administrative Associate

ROBIN MORRIS, Financial Officer

*  

Ending December 2003

  

Beginning January 2004

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Transportation Research Board and National Research Council. 2004. Where the Weather Meets the Road: A Research Agenda for Improving Road Weather Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10893.
×

TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

GENEVIEVE GIULIANO (Chair),

University of Southern California

MICHAEL S. TOWNES (Vice Chair),

Hampton Roads Transit

ROBERT E. SKINNER, JR. (Executive Director),

Transportation Research Board

MICHAEL W. BEHRENS,

Texas Department of Transportation

JOSEPH H. BOARDMAN,

New York State Department of Transportation

SARAH C. CAMPBELL,

TransManagement, Inc.

JOANNE F. CASEY,

Intermodal Association of North America

JAMES C. CODELL, III,

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet

JOHN L. CRAIG,

Nebraska Department of Roads

BERNARD S. GROSECLOSE, JR.,

South Carolina State Ports Authority

SUSAN HANSON,

Clark University

LESTER A. HOEL,

University of Virginia

HENRY L. HUNGERBEELER,

Missouri Department of Transportation

ADIB K. KANAFANI,

University of California, Berkeley

RONALD F. KIRBY,

Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments

HERBERT S. LEVINSON,

Herbert S. Levinson Transportation Consultant

MICHAEL D. MEYER,

Georgia Institute of Technology

JEFF P. MORALES,

California Department of Transportation

KAM K. MOVASSAGHI,

Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development

CAROL A. MURRAY,

New Hampshire Department of Transportation

DAVID Z. PLAVIN,

Airports Council International of North America

JOHN H. REBENSDORF,

Union Pacific Railroad Company

CATHERINE L. ROSS,

Georgia Institute of Technology

PAUL P. SKOUTELAS,

Port Authority Allegheny County

MICHAEL W. WICKHAM,

Roadway Express, Inc.

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Transportation Research Board and National Research Council. 2004. Where the Weather Meets the Road: A Research Agenda for Improving Road Weather Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10893.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Transportation Research Board and National Research Council. 2004. Where the Weather Meets the Road: A Research Agenda for Improving Road Weather Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10893.
×

Preface

The Federal Highway Administration asked the National Research Council to examine what needs to be done from the research, development, and technology transfer perspectives to improve the production and delivery of weather-related information for the nation’s roadways (see Appendix A for the full statement of task). In response the Committee on Weather Research for Surface Transportation was formed. This committee was asked to investigate the current state of knowledge regarding road weather conditions, identify key areas where future strategic investments in research and development would enhance understanding of the road environment, and suggest how knowledge of that environment might be translated into operational production of information for use by decision makers: from drivers, to dispatchers, to traffic managers, to maintainers. In this report the committee provides a framework to engage the transportation and weather communities, as well as other stakeholders, in advancing road weather research and development in the United States.

The committee heard from a wide variety of experts during the study. It soon became apparent that the road weather problem is highly interdisciplinary, spanning micrometeorology, numerical weather prediction, vehicle technology, communications technology, meteorological and pavement instrumentation, roadway construction and maintenance, routine traffic and emergency management, human factors, and technology transfer. Hearing from experts in all these disciplines provided the committee with a unique perspective of the challenges in addressing the road weather problem and opportunities for advancement. The committee thanks the following speakers who shared their knowledge with the committee: Edward E. Adams, Montana State University; Bob Baron, Baron Services, Inc.; Stanley G. Benjamin, Forecast Systems Laboratory; S. Edward Boselly, Washington State Department of Transportation; Ray Derr, Transportation Research Board; Ian Ferrell, Microsoft Corporation; Robert Hallowell, Massachusetts Insti-

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Transportation Research Board and National Research Council. 2004. Where the Weather Meets the Road: A Research Agenda for Improving Road Weather Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10893.
×

tute of Technology Lincoln Laboratories; Jonathan M. Hankey, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute; Eldon L. Jacobson, Washington State Department of Transportation; Henry Lieu, Federal Highway Administration; Jonathan Lister, Vaisala; Clifford F. Mass, University of Washington; Ronald Miller, Ford Motor Company; Joseph Perrin, Jr., University of Utah; Paul Pisano, Federal Highway Administration; Shelley J. Row, Federal Highway Administration; Larry Senn, Washington State Department of Transportation; Harold Smith, Iowa State University; Timothy Spangler, Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology, Education and Training; Richard C. Steed, University of Washington; Andrew D. Stern, Mitretek Systems, Inc.; Jielun Sun, National Center for Atmospheric Research; Jerry R. Waldman, Surface Systems, Inc.; Samuel P. Williamson, Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research; and Chester G. Wilmot, Louisiana State University.

This report provides the committee’s consensus findings and recommendations. In Chapter 1 the road weather problem is described. Chapter 2 lays out the committee’s vision for the road weather system of the future. In the committee’s view this vision could be readily achieved by the year 2020 if sufficient resources were dedicated to furthering road weather research and development, and to fostering the subsequent implementation of those research results. In Chapter 3 the current status of relevant research and development activities in the meteorological and transportation communities is described. It is apparent to the committee that the two diverse communities are not yet working together to address the road weather problem, and that special efforts are needed to bring these two communities together in an effective working relationship. A number of ways to improve the integration of weather and transportation research could yield a substantial payoff, and these along with other opportunities for improving road weather information are identified in Chapter 4. In Chapter 5 the committee recommends how to build an improved road weather program. In Chapter 6 the committee offers some closing thoughts on how developing improved road weather capabilities will increase the nation’s capacity to respond more effectively to other large-scale trends.

John Snow

Chair

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Transportation Research Board and National Research Council. 2004. Where the Weather Meets the Road: A Research Agenda for Improving Road Weather Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10893.
×

Acknowledgments

This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:

S. Edward Boselly, Washington State Department of Transportation, Olympia

John Campbell, Battelle, Seattle, Washington

Pete Costello, PBS&J, Orlando, Florida

Leon Osborne, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks

Roger Pielke, Jr., University of Colorado, Boulder

Shelley J. Row, Institute of Transportation Engineers, Washington, D.C.

Phil Tarnoff, University of Maryland, College Park

Jerry Waldman, Surface Systems, Inc., Castle Rock, Colorado

Randy Welch, United Parcel Service of America, Atlanta, Georgia

Brian Wolshon, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge

Da-Lin Zhang, University of Maryland, College Park

Although the reviewers listed above have provided constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the report’s conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Eugene Rasmusson, University of Maryland. Appointed by the National Research

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Transportation Research Board and National Research Council. 2004. Where the Weather Meets the Road: A Research Agenda for Improving Road Weather Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10893.
×

Council, he was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibil-ity for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Transportation Research Board and National Research Council. 2004. Where the Weather Meets the Road: A Research Agenda for Improving Road Weather Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10893.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Transportation Research Board and National Research Council. 2004. Where the Weather Meets the Road: A Research Agenda for Improving Road Weather Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10893.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Transportation Research Board and National Research Council. 2004. Where the Weather Meets the Road: A Research Agenda for Improving Road Weather Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10893.
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Page xiii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Transportation Research Board and National Research Council. 2004. Where the Weather Meets the Road: A Research Agenda for Improving Road Weather Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10893.
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Weather has broad and significant effects on the roadway environment. Snow, rain, fog, ice, freezing rain, and other weather conditions can impair the ability of drivers to operate their vehicles safely, significantly reduce roadway capacity, and dramatically increase travel times. Multiple roadway activities, from roadway maintenance and construction to shipping, transit, and police operations, are directly affected by inclement weather.

Some road weather information is available to users currently, however a disconnect remains between current research and operations, and additional research could yield important safety and economic improvements for roadway users. Meteorology, roadway technology, and vehicle systems have evolved to the point where users could be provided with better road weather information through modern information technologies. The combination of these technologies has the potential to significantly increase the efficiency of roadway operations, road capacity, and road safety. Where the Weather Meets the Road provides a roadmap for moving these concepts to reality.

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