Management Decision Tools for Winter Operations MMC03A017

1
Management Decision Tools for Winter
OperationsMMC03-A017

• Teresa Adams, Professor

Department of Civil and Environmental
EngineeringUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison
Funded by Wisconsin Department of Transportation
2
Project Overview

• Objectives
• Use of winter maintenance concept vehicle data
• Improve efficiency of winter operations
• Improve effectiveness of winter operations

3
Project Status

• Currently Ending Year 4
• Year 1 Accomplishments
• Identified Applications Areas
• Winter Storm Reporting
• Operational Uses
• Budgeting / Forecasting
• Real-Time Monitoring
• Developed a Database Model and GIS Framework for
  Analysis
• Identified Sources of Digital Roadway Maps
• Established DGPS Testing Facility and Determined
  Accuracy of DGPS Positions of Concept Vehicles

4
Project Status Year 2 Accomplishments

• Established Performance Measures
• Winter Storm Reporting
• Machinery Management
• Began Development of Prototype Wiscplow System
• Analyzed Accuracy of WisDOT Local Roads Digital
  Maps (3 counties) and Made Recommendations for
  Map Accuracy and Maintenance

5
Project Status Year 3 Accomplishments

• Completed Prototype Wiscplow System
• Winter Storm Reporting
• Machinery Management
• Installed Prototype at 2 Counties for Testing
• Tested Performance on Large Data Sets
• Determined Requirements for Data Editing
  Functions
• Developed Performance Measures
• Operational Uses
• Analyzed Sensitivity to Temporal Resolution and
  Positional Accuracy of DGPS Data

6
Project Status -Year 4 Tasks

• Conduct November 2002 Workshop
• End-user feedback
• Identification of decision management tools
• Refine Wiscplow Applications
• Manage Computational Ambiguities in Data
• Code Operational Uses Performance Measures
• Analyze WisDOT Videolog Data as Potential Source
  of Accurate Digital Roadway Maps
• Develop User Documentation for Wiscplow
• Conduct August 2003 Training Session
• Develop Implementation Plan and Detailed Data
  Requirements

7
Motivated by WisDOTs Winter Concept Vehicle
technology development project

• Front plow air foil
• Reduced glare HID head lights
• New spinner design
• Heavy duty anti-icing system
• Improved cab controls
• Ground speed spreader control
• Material presence sensor
• On board pre-wetting
• In vehicle weather
• Automatic vehicle location
• Rearward and adjustable side front video cameras

8
The Raven Message Set
Time and location recorded for each message.
9
The Raven Message Set
10
GIS framework for analyzing vehicle data GPS,
application rates, speed, air/pavement temp.,
equipment use, etc.
Operational Performance Measures
Inputs
Storm Patrol Section Tons of Salt 12/07/02 105 15
12/10/02 105 32 12/10/02 107 28
Analysis
Wiscplow
10
11
Development Process - Simplified
Involve end-usersCounty, District, State

• Statewide Management
• County-level Management
• Budgeting and Forecasting Equipment Needs

Identify Business Goals and Objectives
Identify Performance Measures
Develop Charts to Support Decision-making
12
Principles that guide selection of performance
measures

• Acceptable to stakeholders
• Meaningful to decision makers
• Objective measure for discussion
• Reflect achievement of goals or objectives
• Reflect compliance with guidelines
• Reflect current issues and/or concerns
• Facilitate comparisons among alternative
  strategies for providing service
• Facilitate comparisons across jurisdictional
  boundaries
• Facilitate prediction of future trends
• Facilitate asset valuation and depreciation

13
Criteria for Selecting Performance Measures

• Computability / Measurability
• Forecast-ability
• Collect-ability / Measurability
• Clarity

• Useful
• Temporal Issues
• Geographic Scale
• Control-ability
• Relevance

14
Development of Performance Measurement Charts

• Develop performance measures definitions
• Create table reports
• Involve end-users
• Columbia County
• Portage County
• Create 9 sample graphical charts
• Central Office
• November 2002 workshop
• Defined 13 additional charts
• Synthesis and Evaluation Select 11 charts for
  WiscPlow version 1
• Attach charts as spreadsheets to WiscPlow software

15
Management Decision Charts

• Hourly average salt application rate and pavement
  temperature
• Average material application rates and pavement
  temperature
• Cumulative material usage per season by patrol
  section
• Compliance with initial application rate
  guidelines for pre-wet salt
• Compliance with repeat application rate
  guidelines for pre-wet salt
• Operating hours for a truck and its attachments
• Weekly cumulative operating hours for attachment
  units
• Seasonal winter severity index and salt usage
• Comparison of operating life among blade units
• Total material, labor, and equipment cost
• Total labor hours (overtime and standard)

16
Hourly average salt application rate and pavement
temperature
17
Average material application rates and pavement
temperature
18
Cumulative material usage per season by patrol
section
19
Guideline 35.30 de-icing application rates for
pre-wet salt (2 lanes)
20
Compliance with initial application rate
guidelines for pre-wet salt
21
Compliance with repeat application rate
guidelines for pre-wet salt
22
Comparison among events of operating hours for
truck and attachments
23
Weekly cumulative operating hours for units of an
attachment class
24
Seasonal winter severity index and salt usage
25
Comparison of operating life among blade units
26
Comparison among patrol sections of total
material, labor, and equipment cost
27
Comparison among events of total labor hours
(overtime and standard)
28
ConclusionsPerformance Measures

• Input
• Application Rate Compliance
• Material Usage and Inventory
• Equipment Cost
• Equipment Operations
• Labor
• Output Productivity
• Cycle time
• Clean-up duration factor
• Reference to
• Date/time (event)
• Location (patrol section)

• Operator
• Vehicle

29
Conclusions on improving performance of winter
operations

• Right thing? Right time? Right place?
• Benefits of concept vehicle data
• Efficiency measures
• Input measures material, equip, labor
• Output measures
• Productivity
• Limitations of concept vehicle data
• Effectiveness need and outcome
• Customer priority
• Safety
• Travel speeds

30
Thank you!