THE FHWA PROGRAM FOR PROTOTYPING ADVANCED DECISION SUPPORT FOR

WINTER ROAD MAINTENANCE

PAUL PISANO

ROAD WEATHER MANAGEMENT COORDINATOR

FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION

Presentation Overview

• Summarize Surface Transportation Weather Decision Support Requirements (STWDSR) effort

• Highlight STWDSR findings

• Review Maintenance Decision Support System (MDSS) project

Goals

STWDSRNeeds, Requirements, Outcomes

DecisionDecisionSupportSupportSystem System

SystemResources

(Information)

PerformanceRequirements

on DSS

User Needs forInformation

The Highway SystemThe Highway System

Safety

Mobility

Productivity

Environment

National Security

(Outcomes)

OperationalTechniques

(Output)

Progress to Date

STWDSRProject

(Mitretek)

OperationalConcept

Description

Stakeholders: State DOTs, National Labs (6),Value Added Meteorological Services (VAMS)

MDSSPrototype

& Ops.Test

00-03

STWDSR V2.0

PreliminaryInterface

Reqs.

STWDSRNeeds(V1.0)

RoadWeather

Mgmt. Prog.

FHWAWeather

Team

WhitePaper

1997 2000

Met. Comm.

Decision Support Needs (V1.0)

• Defined “needs” as “decisions”• Covered all surface transportation

decision makers• Defined 426 needs

– Across 44 decision maker categories– Across 3 scales: planning,

operational, and warning

Micro-Scale Meso/Synoptic Synoptic/ClimaticD M#

Need# Warning Operational Planning

1.0 Infrastructure Operators

1.1 Highway maintainer (winter)1.1 control spreader application1.2 control plow1.3 control static (bridge) deicer1.4 observe/report1.5 navigate spreader/plow truck2.1 monitor conditions2.2 prepare2.3 select strategy2.4 assign crews2.5 prepare equipment2.6 activate staff2.7 initial dispatching2.8 contracting2.9 mid-storm management

2.10 cleanup3.1 devise response plan3.2 hire staff3.3 train staff3.4 buy equipment/services3.5 stock stores3.6 budget3.7 schedule seasonal tasks3.8 calibrate treatment controls

Examples of Needs

Operational Concept Description (V2.0)

• Analyzed winter road maintenance decisions– Originally 10 operational scale decisions– Expanded to 53– Organized into 16 clusters

• Defined essential functions (i.e., system requirements) for the Weather Information for Surface Transportation – Decision Support System (WIST-DSS)

9, 77%

2.I Init. Dispatch

33, 60%

2.F Asgn. Crews

14, 56%

2.D Prep. Exp.

Time Before Event (Hrs., pseudo logarithmic)

100 030 10 3 -3

41, 40%

2.B Prepare

16, 72%2.C Get Ready

2.E Select Strat.

14, 75%

2.G Prep Equip.2.H Act. Staff

0, 96%

2.K Prime Disp.

3.8, 95%49, 46%

2.A Aware

29

Monitor Detect

Needs: Timing and Confidence

Preliminary Interface Requirements (V2.0)

• Defines the information resources needed from external sources for decision support.

• Synthesizes the Information Taxonomy– 212 items necessary to support winter road

maintenance decisions– Three categories: environmental information,

transportation state information, and the treatment asset information.

TreatmentAssets

TransportationState

EnvironmentalThreat

Formation of the MDSS

212DataObjects

Prototype DevelopmentThe MDSS Project

• Puts STWDSR effort into practice for one user group (winter maintenance managers)

• Based on design elements captured in the OCD and information interfaces in the PIR

Logical Functions Defined by OCD for MDSS

Update Clock

Select Context

GenerateScenario

UpdateContext

MonitorConditions

PresentDecision

MakeDecision

conditions_scenario

decision_situation

context_planning

context_parameters

time_local

time_universaldecision_operational

presentation_user

input_user

decision_selector

decision_criteria

scenario_selector

situation_selector

context_operational

decision_file

(to all processes)

context_update

context_selector

query_scenarioresponse_scenario

response_decision

query_decision

Primary InformationInterfaces Computer-Human

Interface

MDSS Approach

• Employ National Labs to develop prototype modules– Iterative development with users and

system deployers– Based on open systems principles

• Field test

MDSS 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)

Development Schedule

PrototypeDevelopment

OCD&

PIR

9/00 9/01

Field Test& Evaluation

7/03

Deployment

Labs, DOTs,VAMS

References & Contacts

• All documents are posted on the Electronic Document Library

www.its.dot.gov/welcome.htm

• To participate in MDSS contact– Rudy Persaud – 202-493-3391

rudy.persaud@fhwa.dot.gov– Gary Nelson – 202-488-5718

gnelson@mitretek.org