Evaluating the Benefits of Implementing Mobile Road Weather Information Sensors

Abstract

State departments of transportation (DOTs) have traditionally utilized fixed road weather information sensors (RWIS) to improve road safety during inclement weather; enhance the management of labor, equipment, and materials for winter road maintenance; and reduce adverse environmental impacts from road maintenance activities. Despite the benefits of these fixed RWIS sites, their coverage and effectiveness are limited because of their stationary locations. To overcome these limitations, recent advances in mobile road weather information sensing technology and cellular communications have enabled the development of mobile RWIS that can be deployed on vehicles to expand the limited coverage of fixed RWIS networks. Combining mobile RWIS, fixed RWIS networks, automatic vehicle location, and maintenance decision support systems (MDSS) provide DOTs with accurate georeferenced road and weather information that can be used by DOTs to optimize winter road maintenance operations and deicer applications. This report presents the findings of a research project funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation to investigate the effectiveness of mobile RWIS and MDSS in improving winter maintenance operations. This project had the following three objectives. First, conduct a literature review to gather and analyze current practices and latest research studies on mobile RWIS and their use for collecting real-time winter roadway conditions to optimize winter maintenance operations. Second, perform interviews with other state DOTs to gather and analyze their experiences and best management practices for the deployment and use of mobile RWIS and MDSS. Third, develop recommendations for a pilot study to evaluate the deployment and performance of mobile RWIS and MDSS in order to determine their effectiveness, implementation requirements, software/technology needs, operational challenges, and life-cycle costs.