An Assessment of Satellite Thermal Imagery for Estimating Road Surface Temperatures
Stennis Space Center
Objective
• Conduct exploratory assessment of ASTER thermal imagery for estimating road surface temperature–Key parameter for Winter Road Maintenance
–Primarily proof-of-concept to demonstrate applicability of NASA data to surface transportation
What is Maintenance Decision Support Systems
• The MDSS is a complex prototype system that merges state-of-the-art weather forecasting with computerized roadway maintenance rules of practice. Output from the system consists of a series of optimized road treatment guidance geared specifically for winter road maintenance managers.
• Road Weather Impacts:–800,000 Injuries, 7,000 Fatalities–Estimated Annual Cost Of $42 Billion–544 Million Vehicle-Hours of delay from Snow, Ice, And Fog
Weather Information for Surface Transportation
Hypothesis Testing
• Goal: Is not to use ASTER as a weather prediction tool, but to characterize road thermal properties between RWIS stations, thereby enabling thermal-model enhancement
Assumptions:• 95% Confidence Interval• Land surface variation within a 90-
meter ASTER Temperature pixel can be explained by 3 dominant thermal types: – pavement– non-pavement: vegetation, soil– water
• ASTER reflectance and radiance models to remove atmospheric effects are fully effective
Summary
• Iowa results demonstrate that ASTER 90-meter thermal data can estimate road surface temperature.
• Portability and seasonality of the model remains undetermined
280.0
285.0
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280.0 285.0 290.0 295.0 300.0 305.0 310.0 315.0 320.0 325.0 330.0
ASTER Observed Temperature (K)
RW
IS M
easu
red
Tem
per
atu
re (
K)
290.0
295.0
300.0
305.0
310.0
315.0
320.0
325.0
330.0
290.0 295.0 300.0 305.0 310.0 315.0 320.0 325.0 330.0
ASTER & Solar Azimuth Modeled Temperature (K)
RW
IS M
easu
red
Tem
per
atu
re (
K)
290.0
295.0
300.0
305.0
310.0
315.0
320.0
325.0
330.0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Station Number
Ro
ad S
urf
ace
Tem
per
atu
re (
K)
rwis
regress
y = 215.96 -0.54*solar_az+0.58*asterR2 = 0.98
F-test = 339.12
Statistical Results
Stepwise Multiple Linear Regression
RWIS Stepwise Regression Plot
ASTER vs. RWIS Scatterplot
Research Study Site
IA005
IA003
IA017
IA016
60 km
60 k
m
IA005
IA003
IA017
IA003
ASTER Imagery – VNIR 15m
ASTER Thermal Imagery – 90 m
Applied Science DirectorateCrosscutting Solutions: Surface Transportation
