Surface Transportation Weather Research at The University of North Dakota

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Surface Transportation Weather ResearchatThe
University of North Dakota
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The Goals of theUniversity of North
DakotaSurface Transportation Weather Research
Center

• To demonstrate evaluate the effectiveness of
  advanced meteorological analysis and forecasting
  in a surface transportation environment
• To promote improved highway safety and
  efficiencies through improved technologies for
  spatial and temporal weather information
• To expand the knowledge of surface boundary layer
  processes through surface transportation weather
  research
• To successfully transfer university technologies
  through operational deployment in the private
  sector

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Research Steering Committee

• North Dakota Department of Transportation
• South Dakota Department of Transportation
• US Department of Transportation, Federal Highway
  Administration, ND SD
• University of North Dakota
• Surface Transportation Weather Research Center

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Beginnings . . .

• Development of the Advanced Transportation
  Weather Information System, 1995 to 2003
• Public / Private Partnership
• ND/DOT, SD/DOT, Mn/DOT, FHWA, UND
• Cellular Communications Companies across ND, SD,
  MN
• Private sector weather service providers
• Initial Activities Addressed En-Route Travelers
• Became national prototype for statewide 511 in
  2000
• Later Activities Expanded to include Winter
  Maintenance Efforts

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Present Research Topics Areas

• Data assimilation and mesoscale modeling
• Statistical and heuristic modeling
• Pavement Frost
• Pavement precipitation accumulation estimation
• Blowing/drifting snow analysis and prediction
• Roadway visibility
• Improved spring load restriction condition
  prediction
• Environmental sensor station (ESS) quality
  control methods
• Improved prediction of solar loading of pavement
  surfaces
• Advanced pavement condition prediction models
• ITS Integration and Evaluation

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Blowing/Drifting Snow Problem Statement

• Blowing snow in the roadway presents a serious
  challenge to winter maintenance activities and
  driver safety
• Current project
• Develop a road environment blowing snow modeling
  system
• Incorporation of mesoscale weather models
• Integration with blowing snow model tailored to
  the roadway environment
• Incorporation of a roadway Blowing Snow
  Susceptibility Index
• Validation across broad terrain settings
• Operational testing deployment

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Snow Mass Flux Prediction

• Two critical layers monitored
• Saltation Layer (where snow creeps/rolls in short
  trajectories)
• Suspension Layer (where lofted snow attains a
  height that impairs driver visibility)

wind direction
ROAD
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Blowing/Drifting Snow Prediction
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UND Winter 2005-06 Operational Testing

• Validation of blowing snow research is part of
  the Pooled Fund Study Maintenance Decision
  Support System (PFS MDSS) Field Tests
• 1 November 2005 to 15 April 2006
• Resulting technology to be incorporated as part
  of the PFS MDSS package

For information on the PFS MDSS http//mdss.meridi
an-enviro.com
PFS MDSS States
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Focus Research Areas
Ten 1-kilometer Blowing Snow Domains
One 10-kilometer Primary MDSS Domain
Each 1-kilometer Domain Focuses
on Specific Winter Maintenance Routes
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Operational MDSS Display
Blowing Snow Alert
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Validation and Verification
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Blowing / Drifting Snow Field Measurements
Measurements to identify the nature and
constraints within a roadway environment and
provide REBS validation and verification

• Roadway vegetation factors
• Define characteristics of roadway snow holding
  capacity
• Geo-referenced features
• Monitoring of features during winter season

• Video disdrometer measurements
• 0.4-m lowest level possible
• 1.2-m typical driver height
• 2.1-m close to commercial vehicle height

Mature vegetative obstructions Yellow no, red
yes
video disdrometer provided by Dr. Larry Blevin,
NASA
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RWIS-ESS Validation Efforts

• Environmental Sensor Stations (ESS)
• Serve as a foundation data set for road weather
• Concept of ESS developed over 30 years ago
• To provide information on road (and runway)
  conditions
• To represent a reality of the state of the
  pavement and roadway weather
• Effectiveness of the observations questioned
• Do they provide valid pavement conditions?
• Do the adequately represent the broader roadway
  weather conditions for which they are used to
  project?

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UND Surface Transportation Weather Research
CenterRoad Weather Field Research Facility
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University of North DakotaRoad Weather Field
Research Facility

• Joint effort between academia, government and
  private sector
• Located adjacent to Interstate 29 south of Grand
  Forks, ND

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Motivation of Current Effort

• Need for validation of current UND research
• ESS quality control testing
• Pavement frost
• Pavement precipitation accumulation
• Blowing/drifting snow
• Roadway visibility
• Seasonal load restriction prediction
• Support for Multi-State MDSS validation efforts
• Need for better understanding of
• Spatial representativeness of roadway weather
• Physical relationship between pavement and
  atmosphere

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University of North DakotaRoad Weather Field
Research Facility
Video Cameras
15-m Tower
Visible Infrared Pavement Cameras
Net Radiometers
Air temperature, Humidity, and Winds at 2, 5, 10,
15 meters
Road Surface
Video Disdrometers
6-m Towers
Barometric Pressure
Surface Boundary Layer Turbulence Spectra Probes
Ultra-sonic Snow Depth Array
Pavement Temperature Precipitation
Precision Precipitation Gauge
Total Precipitation Sensor
Sub-surface Temperatures
Freeze Point Chemical Concentration
available July 2006
http//stwrc.rwic.und.edu/fieldsite/live
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Acknowledgements

• Research support is provided by the North Dakota
  Department of Transportation and Federal Highway
  Administration under Contract ITS-9999 (174)
• Special recognition of the support provided by
  the North Dakota Department of Transportation
  Office of Maintenance Engineering

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3980 Campus RoadUniversity of North
DakotaGrand Forks, North Dakota
58202http//stwrc.rwic.und.edu701-777-2479