1. THE FHWA PROGRAM FOR PROTOTYPING ADVANCED DECISION SUPPORT FOR WINTER ROAD MAINTENANCE
Steve Beningo
Rural Intelligent Transportation
Systems Specialist
Midwestern Resource Center
Federal Highway Administration

2. Maintenance Decision Support System Objective
The objective of the Maintenance Decision Support System (MDSS) project is to produce a prototype tool for decision support to winter road maintenance managers.

3. SENSORS SALT USAGE ???????????? OBSER- FORECASTS VATIONS MATERIALS
CONSTITUENTS
EXPERIENCE 3

4. The Maintenance Decision Support System
Will be based on leading diagnostic and prognostic research systems of weather and road behavior.
Will be non-proprietary, thus the intellectual content contained in the MDSS prototype will be available for Federal and private applications.

5. Maintenance Decision Support System Prototype Developers
 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA):
Environmental Technology Lab (ETL)
Forecast System Lab (FSL)
National Severe Storm Lab (NSSL)
 Department of Defense (DOD):
The Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Lab (CRREL)
The Air Force MIT/Lincoln Lab (MIT/LL)
University consortium:
The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)

6. Maintenance Decision Support System Approach
Employ National Labs to develop prototype modules
Iterative development with users and system deployers
Based on open systems principles
Field test

7. Maintenance Decision Support System Project Goal
To develop a prototype capability that:
Capitalizes on existing road and weather sources.
Augments data sources where they are weak.
Fuses data to make an open, integrated and understandable presentation of current environmental and road conditions.
Generates diagnostic and prognostic maps of road conditions.

8. Maintenance Decision Support System Project Goal
To develop a prototype capability that:
Provides a display capability on the state of the roadway.
Provides a decision support tool, which provides recommendations on road maintenance courses of action.
Uses a single platform, with simple and intuitive operating requirements.
Provides a readily comprehensible display of results and recommended courses of action.

9. Development Schedule
FY 2001 – The Federal Highway Administration works with State Departments of Transportation and the private sector on the development of a prototype Maintenance Decision Support System.
FY 2002 and FY 2003 – Demonstration and evaluation of selected components of the prototype in one or more operational systems.

10. Development Schedule Prototype Development 9/00 9/01 Field Test
& Evaluation
7/03
Deployment

11. Decision Support Needs
Covered all surface transportation decision makers
Defined 426 needs
Across 44 decision maker categories
Across 3 scales: planning, operational, and warning
With respect to decision makers: first understand the information needs of these users and operators of the transportation system to be able to treat, respond to or cope with weather threats.

12. Examples of Needs Micro-Scale Warning 1.1 Control Spreader Application
1.2 Control Plow
1.3 Control Static (Bridge) Deicer
1.4 Observe/Report
1.5 Navigate Spreader/Plow Truck

13. Meso/Synoptic Operational
Examples of Needs
Meso/Synoptic Operational
2.1 Monitor Conditions
2.2 Prepare
2.3 Select Strategy
2.4 Assign Crews
2.5 Prepare Equipment

14. Meso/Synoptic Operational
Examples of Needs
Meso/Synoptic Operational
2.6 Activate Staff
2.7 Initial Dispatching
2.8 Contracting
2.9 Mid-Storm Management
2.10 Cleanup

15. Synoptic/Climatic Planning
Examples of Needs
Synoptic/Climatic Planning
3.1 Devise Response Plan
3.2 Hire Staff
3.3 Train Staff
3.4 Buy Equipment/Services

16. Synoptic/Climatic Planning
Examples of Needs
Synoptic/Climatic Planning
3.5 Stock Stores
3.6 Budget
3.7 Schedule Seasonal Tasks
3.8 Calibrate Treatment Controls

17. Important Environmental Factors
Event Definition – start and stop times
Precipitation Characteristics - type, amount, and rate
Road Condition – temperature, chemical concentration, coverage by liquid phases)
Snow Status – depth on road and drift patterns
Risk – Confidence and/or probabilities associated with the data elements.

18. Conceptual System Structure
Weather Data
Advanced Weather Capabilities
Road Condition Module
Decision Support Logic
Display

19. Weather Data
Standard Data Sources – such as National Weather Service data.
Nonstandard Data Sources – such as road weather sensor data, video images, and advanced numerical forecast model output.
Surface data will be critical for the system.

20. Advanced Weather Capabilities
Precipitation-Type Algorithms
Weather Condition Diagnosis from Video Cameras
Data Fusion Algorithms and Advanced Forecasting Technologies

21. Road Condition Module Road Temperature Algorithm
Road Surface Friction Algorithm
Road Chemical Concentration
Snow Drift Algorithm

22. Decision Support Logic
Integrates environmental, road condition and State Department of Transportation operations data.
Rules of Practice Algorithms – Will suggest courses of action based on predicated conditions, and the potential consequences of inaction.

23. Display ArcView will be used for the prototype.
ArcView is a commercial desktop GIS system developed by the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI).
ArcView can display point or grid data, and numerous map data sets.

24. References & Contacts
All documents are posted on the Electronic Document Library
To participate in the Maintenance Decision Support System contact:
Rudy Persaud –
Gary Nelson –