Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM Opening Remarks and WG/WIST Activities Update Paul Pisano Mike Campbell WG/WIST Cochairs June 6, 7, 13, and 14, 2006 Working Group Cochair Briefing for WIST Workshops

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM Overview WG/WIST Background WG/WIST Vision and Goals Activities Update Workshop Objectives Participant’s Role Workshop Overview Summary

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM WG/WIST Background May 2004: ICMSSR charter/tasking for the WG/WIST –Actions: OFCM establish a Working Group for WIST (WG/WIST), led by FHWA and NOAA, to allow all Federal departments and agencies to participate in the development of plans or projects to meet their WIST needs and ensure Federal resources are used efficiently WG/WIST develop a multiyear, Federal WIST research program plan to bring together the Federal weather and surface transportation research communities and provide a vision for the public and private sectors to use for planning purposes WG/WIST develop an overarching, Federal, multiagency- coordinated WIST implementation program Charter for the Working Group

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM WG/WIST Vision and Goals Vision: Safe and efficient movement of people and goods on the surface transportation system, whatever the weather. Goals: Timely, accurate, relevant, and accessible information on weather and resulting surface conditions, both observed and predicted, that will support decisions to: –Reduce weather-related surface transportation deaths, injuries, and property damage –Improve management of weather-related delays and operating costs –Mitigate adverse impacts of surface transportation operations on the environment. Facilitate development and delivery of training and outreach materials to build the capacity of surface transportation constituents. Vision and Goals for the R&D Plan

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM WG/WIST Activities Update Collecting already available R&D needs references: –U.S. Weather Research Program: National Need, Vision, & Interagency Plan for FY –Weather Information for Surface Transportation - National Needs Assessment Report, NOAA/OFCM, December 2002 –The AMS Policy Forum focused on “Weather and Highways” in November –National Academy of Sciences’ (NAS) Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (BASC) and Transportation Research Board (TRB) report, Where the Weather Meets the Road--A Research Agenda for Improving Road Weather Services, January 16, –Draft NOAA-FHWA Partnering Plan, last revised on July 1, Preparation for drafting the R&D Plan

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM WG/WIST Activities Update Collecting already available R&D needs references: –Weather Issues in Transportation Report on Research Focus Groups and Recommendations for Future Action September 2004, Prepared by Iowa Department of Transportation and Center for Transportation Research and Education. –Intelligent Transportation Society of America, Weather Information & Applications Special Interest Group (WIA- SIG), Transportation Weather Research and Development Needs to Support ITS, Version 0.0, Date: 18 September Prepared by: National Center for Atmospheric Research –COST 309 Road Weather Conditions - COST is an intergovernmental framework for European Cooperation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research Preparation for drafting the R&D Plan

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM WG/WIST Activities Update Developing a frame of reference for prioritized R&D needs: Preparation for drafting the R&D Plan

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM WG/WIST Activities Update Collecting weather-related impact data to help prioritize WIST R&D needs (railway example): Preparation for drafting the R&D Plan

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM Workshop Objectives A first chance for members of the WG/WIST, together with representatives of the surface transportation weather research and user communities to: –Help determine the priorities for the surface transportation weather information R&D needed –Gather and crossfeed information concerning ongoing or planned surface transportation weather-related R&D Information Sharing

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM Participant’s Role We want to hear your ideas and welcome them –The broad requirements for the provision of weather information to meet surface transportation needs fall on the weather information provider community as a whole, both public and private –The specificity and detail of information needed for individual users speak to important and expanding roles for private sector providers Helping Shape an Inclusive Plan

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM Participant’s Role –The federal agency partners can provide basic weather and environmental observations and forecasts, encourage the transfer of research results into operations, and support the fundamental research and technology innovation needed to advance the state of the art –Success in meeting WIST R&D needs will entail cooperative efforts and working partnerships among federal agencies; among federal, state, and “private- public” entities; and between the governmental and commercial sectors Helping Shape an Inclusive Plan

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM Workshop Overview Surface Transportation Weather-Related Impact/Priority Data Ongoing WIST R&D Activities Overview WIST R&D and/or Needs Presentations Open Discussion Period Main points on the agenda

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM Summary WG/WIST has a vision and goals to guide development of a WIST R&D Plan The WG/WIST needs your: –Ideas –Feedback –Cooperation Both today and during the rest of the plan drafting process WG/WIST Needs Your Help