IBTTA 2015 In-Cab Weather Information You Can Use Matt DeSimone IWAPI Vice President and Manager of Technology Michael McMahon HDR Senior Hydro-meteorologist and Resiliency Lead
Accidents skyrocket when weather effects the roads. In addition to educating the public, the next best step to prevent accidents is to ensure the roads are in the best condition possible. Road conditions are improved by providing correct and effective weather treatment procedures. Quickly identify trouble spots and deploy the correct assets to manage the situations
So what are correct procedures? Have the right equipment on the roads Apply correct treatments Know the storm Proper planning prevents poor performance
Common Failures Plows deployed improperly When plows are deployed and for how long are common mistakes Deploying too early or too late can effect the entire storm treatment plan Incorrect materials for the conditions and mismanagement of how the materials are applied Bad forecasts
How do we correctly deploy? Most importantly, use an accurate weather forecast Know where your plows are before the storm Have plows at the ready Ensure that plows are on the road as soon as conditions alter the road surface Maintain the road with proper treatment
But is that enough? Weather conditions and weather patterns constantly change With plows out in the road, we need to ensure that they get the most updated information possible
Best Practices Accurate information in the cab that is dynamic and robust can greatly improve operations Giving the operators practical information improves quality and efficiency during storm operations
What do we offer Accurate forecasts - Know when the storm is here AVL location - Know where your fleet is Practical dynamic treatment recommendations Incident management in cab - Create and manage road incidents Full Asset Management
Dynamic Recommendations Know the best time and best material to use when treating roads Using correct recommendations can reduce the total fleet needed for a storm event Ice Storms can be treated up to 48 hours before an event Knowing correct times to treat and correct amounts greatly improves efficiency and reduces costs
AVL
Incident Management
Asset Management
HDR forecast
Why would I want to use a private hydro-meteorologist, when the NWS gives the information for free? Getting exactly what you want where you want it Getting the most accurate information at the time you need it Customized data for decision support It all boils down to cost-to-benefit. Dinah Wisenberg Brin - While the National Weather Service focuses heavily on public safety, privatesector meteorology businesses take the government s free, raw data and in some cases generate their own and tailor it to their commercial customers.
HDR and IWAPI HDR pairs in-situ field data with current weather conditions a nd uses them to improve forecast weather guidance Decision support for road treatments begins 7 days before decisions need to be made and are updated continuously throughout the event.
Accurate HDR Forecasting and IWAPI is Data Driven IWAPI provides superior real-time operational data from vehicles in the field Free roaming road temperature sensors Google Geo platform Data from fixed DOT sensors Includes Air temperature and humidity (dew point) data a complete Access to webcams package to provide This methodology develops HDR takes these additional inputs that are received in real-time and integrates them with: a Knowledge of current and forecast solar radiation GFS and WRF atmospheric modeling data Live Doppler Dual Pol radar 40+ years of weather forecasting experience
Cost-to-Benefit to Benefit A minimum of 5% increase in the efficiency of road treatments. (e.g. Colorado - $3.0M) Additional savings in operational staffing efficiencies The increased effectiveness of road treatments PRICELESS!
Questions?