Systems that integrate road weather monitoring with other forms of Intelligent Transport System (ITS) have both safety and efficiency benefits. They put managers in touch with road conditions on the ground. A recent poll in the US state of Minnesota found that the major concern of road users there was the safety of its roads in winter. Specific weather forecasts, combined with ground temperature information, now make it possible to implement much more efficient winter operations programmes in the USA. Road weather information systems (RWIS) have changed the way in which maintenance organisations respond to and deploy resources for weather-related events. RWIS improve confidence in making decisions to employ highway crews. The many parts of an RWIS include a variety of accurate weather sensors, a central computer system, and telecommunications links. RWIS in urban and rural areas give local, regional, state, and federal agencies in the USA additional benefits including: (1) rural real-time information; (2) specific weather information; (3) ability to communicate weather-related information; (4) direct notification of unusual weather events; (5) other communication links; and (6) RWIS systems in 44 states. For example, the Colorado Department of Transportation (DOT) uses over 150 RWIS sites.
Abstract