Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

ICMSSR – November 2005Weather Information for Surface Transportation

(WIST)

Richard WagonerNational Center forAtmospheric Research

Frank EstisSenior Scientist, STCNovember 18, 2005

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

ICMSSR – November 2005• PURPOSE:

• Provide an update on the Working Group for WIST activities since the last ICMSSR meeting and look ahead to upcoming activities

• DISCUSSION: At its May 2004 meeting, the ICMSSR:

• Directed completion of a NOAA -FHWA Partnering plan, covering road weather needs (Pending)• Directed OFCM to establish a Working Group for WIST (WG/WIST)

• Led by FHWA and NOAA, allowing all Federal departments/agencies to participate in the development of plans/projects to meet WIST needs (Done)• WG/WIST to develop a multiyear, Federal WIST research program plan to provide a vision for future R&D planning (Working)• WG/WIST develop an overarching, Federal, multiagency-coordinated WIST implementation program (Pending)

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

ICMSSR – November 2005• WG/WIST VISION AND GOALS :

• Vision: Safe and efficient movement of people and goods on the surface transportation system, whatever the weather

• Goals:• 1. Timely, accurate, relevant, and accessible observed and predicted information on weather and resulting surface conditions that will support decisions that contribute to:

• A reduction in weather-related surface transportation deaths, injuries, and property damage• Improved management of weather-related delays and operating costs• Mitigation of adverse impacts of surface transportation operations on the environment

• 2. Facilitate development and delivery of training and outreach materials to build the capacity of surface transportation constituents

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

ICMSSR – November 2005 • CURRENT STATUS:

• The Weather Information for Surface Transportation (WIST) Initiative

Document—First Steps to Improve the Nation’s WIST Capabilities and Services (September 2005) was distributed to ICMSSR members on September 23, 2005

• Initial recommendations of the WG/WIST members on key actions and priorities aimed at reducing deaths, minimizing injuries, and improving efficiency in transportation operations

• Work in prioritizing WIST R&D needs is not completed, therefore, there is no priority order, implied or explicit

• The WG/WIST identified three deficiencies and four coordination initiatives that will address these issues

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

ICMSSR – November 2005 • CURRENT STATUS (continued):

• Deficiency 1. Reliable, coordinated methods to access all observation data appropriate for transportation system-related decision making are lacking.

• WIST Coordination Initiative: Integration of Observation Data. Integrate data from roadside environmental sensor stations, satellite sensors, weather radars, and vehicle-based sensors into a National Surface Weather Observing System (NSWOS). Component activities to be coordinated:

• Integrate existing Road Weather Information System Environmental Sensor Stations (RWIS-ESS) into the NSWOS

• Link the FHWA’s surface transportation weather observation data management system with NSWOS (Clarus Initiative)

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

ICMSSR – November 2005 • CURRENT STATUS (continued):

• Demonstrate the concept of the use of vehicle-based road condition probes (Vehicle Infrastructure Integration Initiative)

• Integrate satellite-based sensor data into surface weather support systems

• Demonstrate the concept of collaborative adaptive sensing of the atmosphere (Weather Radar Observations)

• Integrate precipitable water vapor from the Nationwide Differential Global Positioning System Program

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

ICMSSR – November 2005 • CURRENT STATUS (continued):

• Deficiency 2. Lack of implementation awareness: End users need a much better understanding of how to use information on current and forecast weather-related conditions provided to them.

• WIST Coordination Initiative: Transportation Weather Decision Support Systems. Component program to be coordinated:• Winter Weather, Winter Maintenance, and Airport Ground

Operations Initiative• WIST Coordination Initiative: Improved Training for Transportation

Weather Applications. Component programs to be coordinated: • Training for transportation operations on making the most of

NWS products and services• Training for NWS field staff on transportation decision makers

needs• Training for transportation operations on a prototype database

for surface transportation

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

ICMSSR – November 2005 • CURRENT STATUS (continued):

• Deficiency 3. Current forecast models do not adequately represent

surface-level weather phenomena, dynamics, and interactions critical to assessing the impact of weather conditions on surface transportation modes at appropriate spatial and temporal scales

• WIST Coordination Initiative: Surface Weather Modeling and Simulation Component program to be coordinated:

• Statistical Guidance Initiative for improved prediction of precipitation issues

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• ACTION: The WG will track progress on these initiatives during its regular meetings and take action as needed

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

ICMSSR – November 2005 • CURRENT STATUS (continued):

• WG/WIST continues to work on completing the WIST R&D Plan

• WG members are providing their surface transportation sectors’ fatalities, injuries, and property damage figures by November 30th so they can be used to begin work on aligning surface transportation R&D priorities based on these figures

• WG members will be providing their top 5 items for each row of the R&D Priority Matrix by November 21, 2005, so they can be consolidated for the November 30th meeting

Relative Weather Impacts on WIST Working Group Goalsfor Roadways

Fatalities Injuries Delay Costs

Liquid Precipitation

1 1 2 2

Frozen Precipitation

2 2 1 1

High Winds -- -- 4 3

Fog 3 3 3 4

Rank of 1 indicates greatest impact

Relative Weather Impacts on WIST Working Group Goalsfor Pipelines

Fatalities Injuries Delay Costs

Liquid Precipitation

1 1 1 1

Lightning 2 2 2 2

Rank of 1 indicates greatest impact

Roadway - state and local highways, roads, streets, and intermodal freight yards

Long-Haul Railway – rail lines providing intercity freight and passenger service, with their yard stations, and depots

Pipeline Systems – Above and below ground pipelines for commodities such as crude oil, refined petroleum products, and natural gas, plus storage, transfer, and pumping facilities for pipelines

Rural and Urban Transit – bus and van service on streets and roadways, rail lines for metropolitan subway and surface “light rail” systems

Marine Transportation System – coastal and inland waterways, ports and harbors, and the intermodal terminals serving them

Airport Ground Operations – all ground movement of vehicles, work crews, and passengers

Cross-cutting Events

Observations

Modeling, Forecasts, Warnings, Advisories, and Verification

Weather Information Dissemination

Decision Support Systems

Education, Outreach, and Awareness

Data Management

Performance Measures and Weather-Related Crash Reporting

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

ICMSSR – November 2005 • CURRENT STATUS (continued):

• WG/WIST open actions:

• Monitor progress on the WIST Initiatives and take action as needed

• Complete the NOAA-FHWA Partnering Plan

• Complete the WIST R&D Plan

• Begin work on and complete the WIST Implementation Plan