THE FHWA PROGRAM FOR PROTOTYPING ADVANCED DECISION SUPPORT FOR

WINTER ROAD MAINTENANCE

Steve Beningo

Rural Intelligent Transportation

Systems Specialist

Midwestern Resource CenterFederal Highway Administration

Maintenance Decision Support System Objective

The objective of the Maintenance Decision Support System (MDSS) project is to produce a prototype tool for decision support to winter road maintenance managers.

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FORECASTS

SENSORS

OBSER-VATIONS

EXPERIENCE

SALT USAGE

CONSTITUENTSMATERIALS

The Maintenance Decision Support System

• Will be based on leading diagnostic and prognostic research systems of weather and road behavior.

• Will be non-proprietary, thus the intellectual content contained in the MDSS prototype will be available for Federal and private applications.

Maintenance Decision Support System Prototype

Developers National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA):

Environmental Technology Lab (ETL)Forecast System Lab (FSL)National Severe Storm Lab (NSSL)

 Department of Defense (DOD):

The Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Lab (CRREL)The Air Force MIT/Lincoln Lab (MIT/LL)

University consortium:

The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)

Maintenance Decision Support System Approach

• Employ National Labs to develop prototype modules– Iterative development with users and

system deployers– Based on open systems principles

• Field test

Maintenance Decision Support System Project

GoalTo develop a prototype capability that:• Capitalizes on existing road and weather

sources.• Augments data sources where they are

weak.• Fuses data to make an open, integrated

and understandable presentation of current environmental and road conditions.

• Generates diagnostic and prognostic maps of road conditions.

Maintenance Decision Support System Project

GoalTo develop a prototype capability that:• Provides a display capability on the state

of the roadway.• Provides a decision support tool, which

provides recommendations on road maintenance courses of action.

• Uses a single platform, with simple and intuitive operating requirements.

• Provides a readily comprehensible display of results and recommended courses of action.

Development Schedule

• FY 2001 – The Federal Highway Administration works with State Departments of Transportation and the private sector on the development of a prototype Maintenance Decision Support System.

• FY 2002 and FY 2003 – Demonstration and evaluation of selected components of the prototype in one or more operational systems.

Development Schedule

PrototypeDevelopment

9/00 9/01

Field Test& Evaluation

7/03

Deployment

Decision Support Needs

• Covered all surface transportation decision makers

• Defined 426 needs– Across 44 decision maker categories– Across 3 scales: planning,

operational, and warning

Examples of NeedsMicro-Scale Warning

• 1.1 Control Spreader Application• 1.2 Control Plow• 1.3 Control Static (Bridge) Deicer• 1.4 Observe/Report• 1.5 Navigate Spreader/Plow Truck

Examples of NeedsMeso/Synoptic Operational

• 2.1 Monitor Conditions• 2.2 Prepare• 2.3 Select Strategy• 2.4 Assign Crews• 2.5 Prepare Equipment

Examples of NeedsMeso/Synoptic Operational

• 2.6 Activate Staff• 2.7 Initial Dispatching • 2.8 Contracting• 2.9 Mid-Storm Management• 2.10 Cleanup

Examples of NeedsSynoptic/Climatic

Planning

• 3.1 Devise Response Plan• 3.2 Hire Staff• 3.3 Train Staff• 3.4 Buy Equipment/Services

Examples of NeedsSynoptic/Climatic

Planning

• 3.5 Stock Stores• 3.6 Budget• 3.7 Schedule Seasonal Tasks• 3.8 Calibrate Treatment Controls

Important Environmental Factors

• Event Definition – start and stop times• Precipitation Characteristics - type,

amount, and rate• Road Condition – temperature, chemical

concentration, coverage by liquid phases)

• Snow Status – depth on road and drift patterns

• Risk – Confidence and/or probabilities associated with the data elements.

Conceptual System Structure

• Weather Data• Advanced Weather Capabilities• Road Condition Module• Decision Support Logic• Display

Weather Data

• Standard Data Sources – such as National Weather Service data.

• Nonstandard Data Sources – such as road weather sensor data, video images, and advanced numerical forecast model output.

• Surface data will be critical for the system.

Advanced Weather Capabilities

• Precipitation-Type Algorithms• Weather Condition Diagnosis from

Video Cameras• Data Fusion Algorithms and

Advanced Forecasting Technologies

Road Condition Module

• Road Temperature Algorithm• Road Surface Friction Algorithm• Road Chemical Concentration• Snow Drift Algorithm

Decision Support Logic

• Integrates environmental, road condition and State Department of Transportation operations data.

• Rules of Practice Algorithms – Will suggest courses of action based on predicated conditions, and the potential consequences of inaction.

Display

• ArcView will be used for the prototype.

• ArcView is a commercial desktop GIS system developed by the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI).

• ArcView can display point or grid data, and numerous map data sets.

References & Contacts

• All documents are posted on the Electronic Document Library

http://www.its.dot.gov/welcome.htm

• To participate in the Maintenance Decision Support System contact:– Rudy Persaud – 202-493-3391

rudy.persaud@fhwa.dot.gov– Gary Nelson – 202-488-5718

gnelson@mitretek.org