RWMP Current Research and Development

RWMP aims to advance technology through targeted, coordinated road weather research and development. Priorities for RWMP involve advancing an operations culture that supports performance measurement to assess appreciable gains in safety, mobility, and constructability, and offering tools, research, guidance, and hands-on assistance that is readily accessible yet can be customized to each agency’s specific needs.

Integrated Modeling for Road Condition Prediction:

The Integrated Modeling for Road Condition Prediction (IMRCP) system is a prototype system and demonstration deployment that provides a framework for integrating road condition monitoring and forecast data to support decisions by travelers, transportation operators, and maintenance providers. The IMRCP tool gathers historical, real-time, and forecast data from a variety of sensor systems and models. These data and models include atmospheric and road weather, hydrology, traffic, work zones, winter maintenance operations, incidents, special events, and demand models. The model could ultimately become a practical tool for transportation agencies to support traveler advisories, maintenance plans, and operational decisions at strategic and tactical levels. Learn more at the following resources:

• IMRCP documentation and code: https://github.com/OSADP/IMRCP
• IMRCP publications: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/weather/resources/publications.htm

Pathfinder: An EDC-4 Innovation (Road Weather Management – Weather Savvy Roads)

Pathfinder is a collaborative strategy for proactive transportation system management ahead of and during adverse weather events, encourages State departments of transportation, the National Weather Service, and weather service contractors to share and translate weather forecasts and road conditions into consistent transportation impact messages for the public. Learn more at the following resources:

• Collaboration Across the Road Weather Enterprise: The Pathfinder Project: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop16086/fhwahop16086.pdf
• Weather-Savvy Roads: 
  • Colorado’s Pathfinder Process: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop18028/fhwahop18028.pdf
  • Truckee, California: Adopting Pathfinder Principles: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop18074/fhwahop18074.pdf
  • Wyoming Department of Transportation Total Solar Eclipse: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop18033/fhwahop18033.pdf
• What is Pathfinder? https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop18034/fhwahop18034.pdf
• Pathfinder: Arizona’s Coordinated Messaging on Snowstorm Impacts: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop22054/fhwahop22054.pdf
• Pathfinder: Implementation Recommendations: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop18059/fhwahop18059.pdf
• Pathfinder: Road Weather Management Program:
  • Project activities: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/weather/resources/publications.htm
• Preparing for a Solar Eclipse: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop22072/fhwahop22072.pdf

Weather Data Environment:

The Weather Data Environment (WxDE) is a research project that collects and shares transportation-related weather data with a particular focus on weather data related to connected vehicle applications. WxDE collects data in real time from both fixed environmental sensor stations and mobile sources. WxDE archives both collected and computed data, and most information is available to all site visitors. Registered users are provided with some additional capabilities, such as creating data subscriptions and accessing data for which the original provider placed restrictions on its distribution by WxDE. Learn more at the following resources:

• Weather Data Environment (WxDE): Road Weather Management Program:
  • Getting Data into the Weather Data Environment: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop18029/fhwahop18029.pdf
  • Project activities: https://wxde.fhwa.dot.gov and for more info: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/weather

Every Day Counts:

The Every Day Counts (EDC) initiative is a State-based model that identifies and rapidly deploys proven, yet underutilized innovations that make our transportation system adaptable, sustainable, equitable and safer for all. Proven innovations promoted through EDC facilitate greater efficiency at the State, Local and Tribal levels, saving time, money and resources to ensure our infrastructure is built better, faster, and smarter. Since the inception of EDC, each state has used 26 or more of the 57 innovations promoted through Every Day Counts, and some states have deployed more than 45. Learn more at the following resources:

• Every Day Counts Round 4 (EDC-4) Integrating Mobile Observations (IMO): 
  Road Weather Management Program:
  • Project activities:
    • Resources: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/weather/resources/publications.htm
    • Mobile observations from IMO activities: https://wxde.fhwa.dot.gov
• Every Day Counts Round 5 (EDC-5) Weather-Responsive Management Strategies: Road Weather Management Program:
  • Resources: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/weather/resources/publications.htm
  • The EDC-5 final report: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/innovation/everydaycounts/reports/edc5_finalreport.pdf
• Every Day Counts Round 6 (EDC-6) Crowdsourcing for Advancing Operations:
  • Project activities:
    • Web page: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/crowdsourcing
    • For more information: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/innovation/everydaycounts/edc_6/crowdsourcing.cfm

Adaptive Route Optimization:

Adaptive route optimization (ARO) is a dynamic and effective method of routing winter maintenance vehicles across all segments of a road network to meet an agency’s maintenance objectives. ARO can help agencies develop more efficient routing plans accounting for staff time, materials, and equipment. ARO systems incorporate real-time and historical data in a snowplow routing solution for agency maintenance and operations during adverse winter weather. Learn more at the following resources:

• Adaptive Route Optimization (ARO): Road Weather Management Program:
  • Adaptive Route Optimization – Concept of Operations: 
    • Report: 
      https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop24055/fhwahop24055.pdf 
    • Flyer: 
      https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop22055/fhwahop22055.pdf
  • Adaptive Route Optimization – Systems Requirements:
    • Report: 
      https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop22029/fhwahop22029.pdf 
    • Flyer: 
      https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop22063/fhwahop22063.pdf
  • Adaptive Route Optimization for Operations – Feasibility and Readiness: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop24043/fhwahop24043.pdf
  • Project activities: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/weather/resources/publications.htm

The following links provide additional information:

Federal:

• National Academy of Sciences, Transportation Research Board (TRB)
• National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP)
• Standing Committee on Extreme Weather and Climate Change Adaptation
• Transportation Research Board Committee on Road Weather (AKR50)
• TRID
• AASHTO Winter Weather Management Technical Service Program
• Standing Committee Winter Maintenance Committee

State:

• Aurora Program
• Clear Roads 

International:

• PIARC
• Standing International Road Weather Commission (SIRWEC)

Academia:

• Montana State University, Western Transportation Institute
• National Center for Atmospheric Research | University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Planned Special Events and Road Weather:

• FHWA’s planning for the 2024 solar eclipse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-lMF-Rdaws
• Planned Special Events: Capability Maturity Framework Tool: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/tsmoframeworktool/available_frameworks/planned_events.htm
• Managing Travel for Planned Special Events: Final Report: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwaop04010/handbook.pdf
• Traffic Management for Planned Special Events: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/tim/about/pse.htm
• Intelligent Transportation Systems for Planned Special Events: A Cross-Cutting Study: https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/3255
• Planned Special Events:
  • For more information: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/tim/about/pse.htm