Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM Weather Information for Surface Transportation (WIST) Research and Development Plan: Improving the Safety and Efficiency of the Surface Transportation System Samuel P. Williamson Federal Coordinator for Meteorology June 6, 7, 13, and 14, 2006 Opening Briefing for Weather Information for Surface Transportation Workshops

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM Welcome!! Representatives from: –Academic and Research Institute communities –State weather-related initiative community –Environmental and Climate communities Looking forward to hearing from you! –Weather-related impacts on surface transportation –Ongoing WIST-related R&D activities –Current and future WIST-related R&D needs Help bridge the gap between the public and private sector

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM Welcome!! Representatives from: –Commercial Weather Companies –Industry Associations (Weather, Road, Rail, Transit, Pipeline, Marine, Aviation, and others) –Commercial companies that use weather data –TV and Radio Broadcasters, Print, and Web Media –Other Disseminators of Information Looking forward to hearing from you! –Weather-related impacts on surface transportation –Ongoing WIST-related R&D activities –Current and future WIST-related R&D needs Help bridge the gap between the public and private sector

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM Welcome!! Representatives from: –Government Agencies (Federal, State, and Local) –Emergency Response –Homeland Security –National Defense –Medical Response Looking forward to hearing from you! –Weather-related impacts on surface transportation –Ongoing WIST-related R&D activities –Current and future WIST-related R&D needs Help bridge the gap between the public and private sector

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM Welcome!! Representatives from: –Transportation Vehicle and Equipment Manufacturers –Weather Equipment and Network Manufacturers Looking forward to hearing from you! –Weather-related impacts on surface transportation –Ongoing WIST-related R&D activities –Current and future WIST-related R&D needs Help bridge the gap between the public and private sector

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM Overview OFCM Background/Structure/Mission Importance of Surface Transportation Weather Agenda Summary

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM To ensure the effective use of federal meteorological resources by leading the systematic coordination of operational weather requirements, services, and supporting research, among the federal agencies High-level focus on: Needs and Requirements Issues and Problems Studies, Reports, Plans, and Handbooks Crosscut Reviews, Assessments, and Analyses To ensure the effective use of federal meteorological resources by leading the systematic coordination of operational weather requirements, services, and supporting research, among the federal agencies High-level focus on: Needs and Requirements Issues and Problems Studies, Reports, Plans, and Handbooks Crosscut Reviews, Assessments, and Analyses Mission

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM Aviation Weather Climate Analysis, Monitoring and Services Cooperative Research Environmental Services Urban Meteorology Information Technology and Communications Modeling and Prediction Observing Capabilities Space Weather Weather Information for Surface Transportation Key Focus Areas Agency Priorities

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM OFCM Background Federal Committee for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research (FCMSSR) Interdepartmental Committee for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research (ICMSSR) Federal Coordinator for Meteorology Standing Committees Program Councils National Space Weather National Aviation Weather Environmental Services, Operations, and Research Needs Environmental Information Systems and Communications Integrated Observing Systems Climate Analysis, Monitoring and Services Working Group for Urban Meteorology Federal Meteorological Coordinating Infrastructure National Operational Processing Centers Cooperative Research

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM Departments of: Agriculture Commerce Defense Energy Homeland Security Science & Technology FEMA Coast Guard Interior State Transportation Environmental Protection Agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration National Science Foundation National Transportation Safety Board Nuclear Regulatory Commission Independent agencies: Executive Office of the President: Office of Management and Budget Office of Science and Technology Policy OFCM Partners

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM Importance of Surface Transportation Weather Safety and Efficiency Roadway sector: Weather-related safety and cost estimates –Nearly 7,400 fatalities per year –Over 690,000 injured –$42 billion in economic costs –Over 544 million hours in delays (snow, ice, and fog) Marine transportation sector: 7 percent of recreational boating accidents are weather-related Railway sector: 309 weather-related accidents, over $46 million in damages, 3 deaths, 75 injuries, plus periodic delays and delays due to extreme temperature events (2001) Pipeline sector: Impact of Hurricane Katrina was 90 percent of oil platforms in Gulf were shut down and 20 rigs reported missing

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM Importance of Surface Transportation Weather Safety and Efficiency Roadway sector: –Speed reductions can range from 10 to 25 percent on wet pavement; from 30 to 40 percent on snowy or slushy pavement –Estimated that 23 percent of non-recurrent delay on highways across nation due to snow, ice, and fog –State / local agencies spend more than: $2.3 billion / yr on snow & ice control operations $5 billion to repair snow & ice infrastructure damage –Trucking companies and other CVOs lose an estimated 32.6 billion vehicle hours a year due to weather-related congestion –Estimated cost of weather-related delay to trucking companies ranges from $2.2 billion to $3.5 billion annually

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM Importance of Surface Transportation Weather WIST: Improve Surface Transportation Safety & Efficiency? Examples: –Fog detection/warning system in TN on Interstate 75 (1994) Improved safety; fog-related accidents reduced to zero (0) –2006 Best Of ITS America – Best New Product, Service, or Application –PA Turnpike Commission’s "Fog Warning System" –Finnish road weather service system improves roadway monitoring Result: shorten de-icing activities by 23 minutes on average –U.S. FHWA Sponsored Maintenance Decision Support System –511 usage shows increasing use and great potential

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM Importance of Surface Transportation Weather Need for an Integrated Approach to Surface Transportation R&D? Source: December 2002 WIST Report

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM AGENDA Federal Coordinator’s Opening Remarks WG/WIST Cochair Opening Remarks and WG/WIST Activities Update Surface Transportation Weather-Related Impact/Priority Data Ongoing WIST R&D Activities Overview Lunch on your own WIST R&D and/or Needs Presentations Open Discussion Period Wrap-up and Next Steps

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM SUMMARY Lots of work already done…not starting from scratch! Real and growing need for improved surface weather data, forecasts, integration, dissemination, and education – Ensure safe, efficient movement of goods and people We need an integrated, end-to-end approach to ongoing and planned R&D activities Through WG/WIST: – Working to develop that planning guidance – Seek everyone’s input and support

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM OFCM Web Site WIST Report is available on OFCM Web Site Click on “Publications” and navigate to the desired location

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM HAVE A GREAT WORKSHOP !!!

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM BACKUP SLIDES

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM Public Law (1963) DOC Administrative Order OFCM formed in Jan Accountable to Congress and OMB Coordinate agency budgets Report budgets and activities in annual Federal Plan OFCM Background Historical Perspective GAO Study Revitalizes OFCM 1979

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM US Weather Research Program (USWRP) US Climate Change Science Program (USCCSP) National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Committee on the Environment and Natural Resources (CENR) Subcommittee on Disaster Reduction (SDR) National Research Council (NRC) Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (BASC) Climate Research Committee (CRC) National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) University Corp. for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) American Meteorological Society (AMS) OFCM Affiliations American Geophysical Union (AGU)

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM Where have we been? September 1998: Symposium on Advanced Multimodal Transportation Weather Services, Volpe Center Identify weather information needs and weather products Plan implementation of advanced multimodal weather services through cooperative partnerships December 1998: Meeting of Interdepartmental Committee for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research (ICMSSR) Directed formation of first WIST Joint Action Group (JAG) December 1999: First WIST Symposium Cosponsored by OFCM and U.S. DOT-FHWA

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM Where have we been? December 2000: Second WIST Symposium –Cosponsored by OFCM and U.S. DOT-FHWA December 2002: Weather Information for Surface Transportation: A National Needs Assessment Report is published –First-ever compilation of weather support needs across the six surface transportation sectors –We can often increase safety and realize economic benefits at same time –Highlights importance of environmental support to homeland security –Weather information must be used in operational decision making –Need cooperative efforts and partnerships among Federal, state, and “private-public” entities, and between the governmental and commercial sectors

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM Where have we been? August 2003: Ms. Mary E. Peters, Administrator of the Department of Transportation/Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and VADM Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., USN (Ret.), Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), met –Began a dialog regarding the next steps to take in the area of Weather Information for Surface Transportation (WIST) November 2003: AMS Policy Forum on "Highways and Weather" is held November 2003: NOAA makes Surface Transportation Weather a program element under NOAA’s Strategic Plan Goal for Commerce and Transportation

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM Where have we been? January 2004: National Academy of Sciences' Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (BASC) releases the report entitled Where the Weather Meets the Road--A Research Agenda for Improving Road Weather Services –The BASC report endorses the WIST Report results –Calls for the Federal government to establish a multiyear national road weather research program With a suggested funding level of $25M per year –Also calls for the development of an overarching, multiagency-coordinated WIST implementation program

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM Where have we been? May 2004: Weather Information for Surface Transportation was briefed to the ICMSSR –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

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM Where have we been? July 2005: FHWA Administrator Mary Peters and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Administrator Vice Admiral Conrad Lautenbacher signed a Memorandum of Understanding –Strengthens the working relationship between the two administrations –Foundation upon which FHWA and NOAA can build integrated solutions that combine the best weather services with the latest transportation applications August 2005: The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) was enacted –Contains Section 5308 (Road Weather Research and Development Program) –This will support agency initiatives in road weather and education and training of road weather information users

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM Where have we been? September 1998: Symposium on Advanced Multimodal Transportation Weather Services, Volpe Center Identify weather information needs and weather products Plan implementation of advanced multimodal weather services through cooperative partnerships December 1998: Meeting of Interdepartmental Committee for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research (ICMSSR) Directed formation of first WIST Joint Action Group (JAG) December 1999: First WIST Symposium Cosponsored by OFCM and U.S. DOT-FHWA

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM Where have we been? December 2000: Second WIST Symposium –Cosponsored by OFCM and U.S. DOT-FHWA December 2002: Weather Information for Surface Transportation: A National Needs Assessment Report is published –First-ever compilation of weather support needs across the six surface transportation sectors –We can often increase safety and realize economic benefits at same time –Highlights importance of environmental support to homeland security –Weather information must be used in operational decision making –Need cooperative efforts and partnerships among Federal, state, and “private-public” entities, and between the governmental and commercial sectors

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM Where have we been? August 2003: Ms. Mary E. Peters, Administrator of the Department of Transportation/Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and VADM Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., USN (Ret.), Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), met –Began a dialog regarding the next steps to take in the area of Weather Information for Surface Transportation (WIST) November 2003: AMS Policy Forum on "Highways and Weather" is held November 2003: NOAA makes Surface Transportation Weather a program element under NOAA’s Strategic Plan Goal for Commerce and Transportation

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM Where have we been? January 2004: National Academy of Sciences' Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (BASC) releases the report entitled Where the Weather Meets the Road--A Research Agenda for Improving Road Weather Services –The BASC report endorses the WIST Report results –Calls for the Federal government to establish a multiyear national road weather research program With a suggested funding level of $25M per year –Also calls for the development of an overarching, multiagency-coordinated WIST implementation program

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM Where have we been? May 2004: Weather Information for Surface Transportation was briefed to the ICMSSR –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

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM Where have we been? July 2005: FHWA Administrator Mary Peters and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Administrator Vice Admiral Conrad Lautenbacher signed a Memorandum of Understanding –Strengthens the working relationship between the two administrations –Foundation upon which FHWA and NOAA can build integrated solutions that combine the best weather services with the latest transportation applications August 2005: The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) was enacted –Contains Section 5308 (Road Weather Research and Development Program) –This will support agency initiatives in road weather and education and training of road weather information users

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM Where have we been? September 2005: OFCM forwarded to ICMSSR members the Weather Information for Surface Transportation (WIST) Initiative Document-First Steps to Improve the Nation's WIST Capabilities and Services –Initiative Document represents the initial recommendations of the WG/WIST members on key actions and priorities to collaborate on and address national surface transportation safety, mobility, and productivity issues –Proposed actions are focused on tackling the weather condition having the most impact on the surface transportation systems and on other areas where ongoing R&D or other activities can be leveraged

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM Where have we been? January 2006: The TRB Task Force on Surface Transportation Weather (AH010T) meets for the first time –(Draft) The task force’s objective is to promote research and technology transfer to better manage surface transportation, minimizing the impacts of weather and maximizing safety and mobility

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM Today’s Workshop The WG/WIST continues to work on developing a WIST R&D Plan as directed by the ICMSSR –Carrying out an information gathering effort on ongoing WIST R&D activities –Collecting input on weather-related impacts on all surface transportation sectors as a way to help prioritize WIST R&D needs –June 2006 workshops will help further refine the information gathered during the activities mentioned above