# Presentation: 356787

## John T. Snow
The University of Oklahoma

**John T. Snow**
**The University of Oklahoma**

**Session 8: Keys to Success: Creating Synergy in All Components of Surface Transportation Weather Applications*****Where the Weather Meets the Road*****: Reflections, Synthesis****and****Editorial Comments**

## Road Weather As An Interdisciplinary Endeavor 

**An interface problem ******** working at a boundary**
**On the physical side – between the atmosphere and the surface**
**On the human side – at the edge of several traditional disciplines**
**Pushing the boundaries in several areas of science, engineering, and technology**

## Need More Innovation InSensing Systems

**Need More Innovation In****Sensing Systems**

**Snow, ice, rime, frost – presence and accumulation**
**Blowing, drifting snow (also dust, smoke, clouds of insects)**
**Night, dusk and dawn**
**The video camera as a present weather sensor and platform for other instruments**
**Opportunity to leverage large public investment**

## Plan for Worst Case

**Plan for Worst Case**

**Life safety issue**
**A robust system is essential ******** service when it is really needed; tied to credibility**
**Most needed in worst case situations**
**Power, comms, servers, C&C  ******** “weather proof”**
**Argues for a decentralized, distributed system with lots of backup, redundancy**
**Adaptive to the weather, traffic situation**

## Legal Issues

**Need model legislation package for states, federal government that promotes sharing of data, and addresses directly liability questions**
**Are there legal impediments that hinder transition to operations; private sector involvement?**

## Road Weather Observing Systems In Context 1

**Integral part of a regional 4-D meso- and micro (urban)-scale environmental monitoring system**
**Overlap with other federal programs (e.g., NIDIS)**
**Not a Federal system, but rather a National one ******** composite of regional/state/local contributions by government, private sector **
**Key federal roles: **
**Setting standards to guarantee seamless of date/metadata and comms ******** *****compatibility, interoperability***
**Facilitating the leveraging of resources of many partners**

## Need several regional scale test beds
Important step in transition from R&D to operations  proving ground for science, for technology, and for delivery vehicles
Demonstrate effectiveness, seamlessness
Large enough and with a life-time long enough to attract private sector, but not so large as to be unmanageable

**Important step in transition from R&D to operations ******** proving ground for science, for technology, and for delivery vehicles**
**Demonstrate effectiveness, seamlessness**
**Large enough and with a life-time long enough to attract private sector, but not so large as to be unmanageable**

**Road Weather Observing****Systems In Context 2**

## The Chisholm Network:A Prototype Regional ScaleEnvironmental Monitoring System

_**Major Cities Included:**_** Dallas-Ft. Worth; Houston; Austin; Oklahoma City; Amarillo; Lubbock; San Antonio; Corpus Christi; Shreveport; Tulsa; New Orleans; Mobile; Little Rock; Jackson; ........**

**~1500km**

**The Chisholm Network:****A Prototype Regional Scale****Environmental Monitoring System**

## To demonstrate effectiveness of road weather improvements, facilitate nationwide implementation of research results, and provide a seamless stream of road weather information to users and developers 

**To demonstrate effectiveness of road weather improvements, facilitate nationwide implementation of research results, and provide a seamless stream of road weather information to users and developers **

**One running north-south (e.g., I-35)**
**One running east-west (e.g., I-80)**

**National Demonstration Corridors**

## Movement to Operations“Demonstrate value, leave it to the field”

**Regional Research Centers**
**To develop new technologies, foster technology implementation on regional roadways, and facilitate interaction between governments, the private sector, and academia **
**Should bring together weather and transportation researchers, and  practitioners/service providers in the public and private sectors **

## Communicating To Users

**Social/Psychological/Behavioral Issues**
**A “last mile” problem: (technology – solvable; response --???**
**May be THE central issue, since will control “demand” for services ******** an issue in common with many other information delivery services**
**Complicated by the diversity of the audience: e.g., drivers, operators, dispatchers, dontrollers ******** very different sets of customers**
**Development of “credibility” is one step ******** *****perception is reality***
**Accuracy + *****recent***** successes (what have you done for me today?)**
**Timeliness (latency in link from “obs” to “service” in second, not minutes)**
**A Test**

**Notes:**
June 2006 - Santa Barbara County Fire Department
Gaviota Creek Swift Water Rescue Incident

## Slide 12

## John T. Snow

**John T. Snow**
**Dean, College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences**
**The University of Oklahoma**
**c/o National Weather Center, Suite 1100**
**120 David L. Boren Blvd.**
**Norman, Oklahoma 73072**
- _[jsnow@ou.edu](mailto:jsnow@ou.edu)_
**T: 405-325-3095**
**F: 405-325-3072**