WTI

Development of a Surface Transportation Weather Decision Support Tool and Strategic Plan for Improved Highway Operations in Montana

Primary Investigator Contact Information

External Project Contact(s)

Report(s)

1. Montana Weather and Road Report
   1. Meyer Mohaddes Associates and Lisa Ballard
   2. 428468_Final_Report.pdf
2. Executive Summary
   1. Meyer Mohaddes Associates and Lisa Ballard
   2. 428468_Executive_Summary.pdf

Project Objective

To improve winter road maintenance decision making in Montana, recommend improvements in the use of current equipment, identify training requirements, develop a concept for a new decision support tool.

Project Abstract

In order to provide for safe and efficient winter highway maintenance and operations, the Montana Departments of Transportation must know of the current and forecasted road-weather conditions; have confidence that the information is accurate and reliable; and evaluate those conditions so that maintenance staff can allocate resources to manage the conditions. To help address these issues, MDT has deployed a road-weather information system (RWIS) including 59 environmental sensor stations throughout the state. Maintenance staff also has access to a variety of other sources of information that can be used to help in winter maintenance. However, MDT has found that these different sources of information are not used as fully as anticipated and that the purchased systems do not meet their long-term expectations. Western Transportation Institute has teamed with Meyer Mohaddes and Associates to evaluate how MDT uses RWIS and other tools to make winter maintenance decisions, recommend improvements in the process and equipment, and determine an appropriate tool to provide decision support. In order to meet the functional requirements of MDT, WTI and Meyer Mohaddes will take a systems engineering approach to understand the user perspectives. An early task will be a review of research and an examination of the state-of the-practice in other states and of neighboring communities. MDT maintenance staff will be surveyed and interviewed in order to gain a full understanding of their needs. Once user needs are understood, MDT and Meyer Mohaddes will develop a concept for a decision support tool. Finally, the team will collect the necessary guidelines, contact information, and other data that will be included in the decision support tool. It is envisioned that the decision support tool will be developed with additional funds after this project has finished.

Task Descriptions

1. Develop Winter Road Maintenance Management Guide
   1. The final task of this project, if funds are available, is the development of the decision support tool. The approach taken for this task and the duration of the task will be dependent on the outcomes of Task 7, Identify Applicable Technology. If a computer-based approach is chosen for the tool, it is assumed that this task will not be completed within the 12 month time frame set out for this project, and this task will have to be moved to a separate phase.
2. Conduct Further Needs Analysis
   1. It is predicted that further interaction with maintenance staff will be required to determine needs that were not addressed in the survey. The goal of the needs analysis is to determine how the maintenance staff conducts the work related to the goals of this project and to identify areas where the work methods can be improved and to determine potential requirements for a tool that can help improve the work. Interviews will be conducted with maintenance staff, either individually or in groups. Tools to be used to elicit user needs may include use case diagrams, operational scenarios, brainstorming, or paper prototyping.
3. Collect Information to be Included in Guide
   1. Independent of the technology to be used, the information to be included in the guide will need to be collected. This may include but is not limited to procedures, contact names and numbers, or instructions on the use of other decision support tools.
4. Identify Applicable Technology for Decision Support Guide
   1. Based on the wants and needs of the maintenance community as well as available funding, the team will choose the appropriate technologies to be used for a decision support guide. The technology may range from a simple paper manual to a computer-based expert system.
5. Document Recommendations for Improvements
   1. The findings from Tasks 2-5 will be compiled and presented in a report. This report has two purposes. The fist purpose of the report is to serve as recommendations to MDT to improve their winter maintenance decision process. The second purpose of the report is to serve as a primary input into a decision support tool.
6. Survey System Users
   1. As a first step in determining the needs of MDT maintenance staff, the WTI team will conduct a survey. The purpose of the survey is to identify the areas of strength and weakness in the winter maintenance decision making process as well as to identify areas where further needs analysis is required. The subtasks to be performed follow.
7. Problem Recognition and Definition
   1. The purpose of this task is to ensure that the problem being studied is understood and agreed upon by all people participating in the project. The problem will be defined recognizing that it should provide an advantage when solved, it can be measured, and it is reasonable.
8. Review Related Initiatives
   1. In order to build on the experiences of others, to identify national and state programs, and to better understand the problem, research into related initiatives will be conducted. The transportation libraries and web sites will be reviewed for related information. Some information may be obtained from conference seminars and presentations. Also, WTI will use personal contacts with people involved in other initiatives. Furthermore, related projects within DOT will be identified in order to avoid duplication of efforts and augment those initiatives.
9. Project Management
   1. Throughout the course of the project, WTI will manage the progress of the project to ensure the quality and timely completion of the project. Items to be completed are: Coordinate Project Meetings; Develop Quarterly Reports; Project Control/Quality Control; Coordinate Subcontractor Involvement

Milestones, Dates, Schedule

Student Involvement

True

Relationship to Other Research Projects

True

Technology Transfer Activities

True

Transportation Research Board Keywords

Road Weather Information Systems, Winter Maintenance, Decision Support Systems, Weather Conditions

Partners

MDT, Meyer, Mohaddes and Associates and Research and Innovative Technology Administration