WHERE THE WEATHER MEETS THE ROAD
A RESEARCH AGENDA FOR IMPROVING ROAD WEATHER SERVICES
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, D.C.
www.nap.edu
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
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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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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.
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
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
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.
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-
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
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
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.