# Presentation: 060050

## Culture Change:  Operations and Surface Transportation WeatherITS America  – Executive SessionTuesday, May 3, 2005

- Jeffery F. Paniati
- Associate Administrator
- Office of Operations
- Federal Highway Administration

**Notes:**
ITS America Annual Meeting
Executive Session A: The ever increasing role of weather information in ITS
Tuesday, May 3, 2005
10:30 AM – Noon, Phoenix Convention Center, Room 21

## Our Goal

- Build, maintain and operate
-      ...a transportation system that is safe,
-      reliable and secure.

## Current Reality

- Build, maintain and operate
-      ...a transportation system that is safe,
-      reliable and secure.

## Achieving 21st Century Operations

- Institutional
- Change
- Customer focused
- Performance based
- Systems, not jurisdictions
- Real-time information
- Proactive
- 24/7

- Technological
- Advancement
- Information Gathering
- Information Sharing
- System Mgmt. & Control
- Vehicle-based
- Vehicle-to-Vehicle
- Vehicle-to-Roadside-to-Home Base
- Electronic Payment

## Realizing the Vision

- Institutional Change

- Technical Advancement

**21****st**** Century Operations**

- A Cultural Shift

**Notes:**
To realize the vision, there must be a cultural shift in the way that institutions make decisions.
In addition, the decision makers need to be able to change, learn and take advantage of advancements in technology.

## Culture Change & Surface Transportation Weather

- Road Weather Management program objectives:
- Partnership and Collaboration
- Customer Service and Outreach
- Program Management and Evaluation
- Tools and Technologies
- Steps to success:
- Developing Integrated solutions
- Leveraging resources
- Building markets

**Notes:**
The FHWA is fully engaged in culture change for surface transportation weather, primarily through the Road Weather Management program.  This program is multi-faceted, addressing such objectives as:
Institution building through partnerships,
Training and outreach, 
Performance Measuring, and
Research and development of new tools and technologies.
In order to change culture change, and hence change the way we do business, we need to take the steps that will knock down the barriers to change.  Such steps include:
Developing integrated solutions that overcomes information overload
Leveraging resources
Building markets
Taking these steps requires the right tools and technologies, and focused R&D is necessary in order to build these tools.  I will spend the rest of my time talking about two key efforts we are pursuing within the RWM program to build these tools:  the Maintenance Decision Support System and Clarus. 

## Culture Changes & the Maintenance Decision Support System (MDSS)

- MDSS helps solve the ‘Information Overload’ problem
- Surface transportation managers don’t want more information, they want better information
- Technology must be used to create better, targeted products and decision support tools through the _integration_ of both weather and transportation information
- This integrated product enables maintenance managers to change when and how they deploy resources and treat roads

**Notes:**
Surface transportation managers do not want more information, they want better information.
They want someone or something else to make sense of the excessive and conflicting information.
And they don’t need the weather forecast as much as they need guidance on what actions to take because of the weather.
Based on these needs, our goal was to use technology to create better products and more sophisticated decision support tools. More importantly, these tools had to effectively integrate weather and surface transportation information to allow the manager to quickly make informed decisions.
The MDSS is the result of such an effort, and it enables maintenance managers to make better, more effective decisions on when and how to deploy resources and treat snow and ice covered roads.
In other words, it enables them to be proactive.

## Culture Change & the MDSS

- MDSS combines
- Advanced Weather Modeling
- Coded Winter Maintenance Rules of Practice
- Data Fusion
- MDSS creates
- route-specific treatment recommendations
- Integrated display

**Notes:**
For those of you unfamiliar with the MDSS, here’s a screen shot.
Without going into detail about how it works, let me just say that the MDSS combines advanced numerical weather prediction technology with coded winter maintenance rules of practice, generating road treatment recommendations on a route-by-route basis.
Here’s an example of how MDSS is used for a typical snow storm:
1.  TRACK – 2-7 days before an event, a maintenance manager will track extended forecasts via standard media outlets (TV, Weather Channel, etc.)
2.  PLAN – 12-48 hours from the event, MDSS will show the evolution of the storm based on national models – managers will be in “monitor” mode and begin planning
3.  SPIN-UP – 6-12 hours from the event, MDSS will use high resolution forecasts to show details about the storm’s effects on the roads – managers will refine staffing plans and call for equipment to be prepared.
4.  DEPLOY – 0-6 hours from the event, MDSS will provide treatment recommendations based on the high resolution forecasts – managers will deploy personnel and equipment for snow & ice control (esp. pre-treatment/anti-icing).
The MDSS initiative began in 2000 and has matured from a set of requirements to a functioning prototype.
This prototype has served as the basis for several companies to develop products, which are in various stages of deployment.
The prototype MDSS has also undergone several field tests (in central Iowa and in Colorado near Denver).
The Next Steps are to make MDSS a “market-ready technology.”  This includes:
Making the software available to everyone, for free, so that it can be incorporated into private sector product lines,
Offering technical assistance to the private sector for deployment
Offering assistance to State DOT staff for procurement (e.g., we’ve developed an RFP template)
Conducting annual stakeholder meetings to allow the community to share experiences

## Extending the Culture Change Reach - Clarus

- Culture change must occur across the entire surface transportation community
- Like MDSS, the way to facilitate this change is through integrated solutions, but they must enable **all** surface transportation users and operators to make better decisions.
*Clarus* is our newest initiative to achieve that goal

**Notes:**
The success provided by projects such as MDSS allow only a glimpse at a much larger challenge – the culture change must spread across the entire surface transportation community.
And like MDSS, we believe that integrated solutions that take into account both weather and transportation are a key to facilitate this change.
The Clarus initiative is our newest initiative, which enables the deployment of integrated solutions.
The difference between MDSS and Clarus is that MDSS is an end-to-end solution for a single weather-related application – winter maintenance, whereas Clarus is an enabler that will support a wide range of weather-related applications.
Clarus focuses on leveraging road weather observing capabilities, and making them available to the community at large so that others can use their expertise and imagination to create a whole new market in road weather information.

## Unlimited Possibilities!

**Spawn New Technologies**
**(in-vehicle, PDA)**

***Clarus***

**Notes:**
Clarus, which is Latin for “Clear”:
Is a joint FHWA Operations and ITS JPO Initiative
It will be a system to collect, Quality Control and make available the nation’s surface transportation-related environmental observations
It will also provide QC feedback to State DOTs so they can make the most of their RWIS investments
Clarus is an ‘enabling technology’ which will change the culture of observing and forecasting for surface transportation by unleashing a host of new products and services that will reach the end users via a variety of dissemination mechanisms, such as those depicted in this slide.
By providing information that is timely, accurate and relevant, road users will find the information to be more intuitive and credible, whether that’s by:
Targeted messages on Dynamic Message Signs and Highway Advisory Radios,
More precise Decision Support Systems
Or route-specific information on websites or via 511

## Clarus Roadmap Overview

**Track 2**

**Track 3**

**Track 4**

**Track 1**

**Stakeholder Coordination**

**System Design**

**Multi-State Regional**
**Demonstration**

**Final Design, ****Model ****Deployment**

**FY04              FY05                    FY06                     FY07                     FY08                     FY09      **

**Notes:**
Here’s a high-level view of the program roadmap for Clarus
Key points that I’d like to highlight include:
Stakeholder coordination is a key aspect throughout the length of the intiative, and is being achieved through an Initiative Coordinating Committee – also known as the ICC.
We immediately kicked-off the initiative last July with a task to develop a Concept of Operations.  That ConOps has been drafted, and reviewed by the ICC.  The final version is due out later this month.
Last month we awarded the System Design contract, which will take the ConOps to the next level of design and end with a small-scale test to prove the concept.  The contract was awarded to Mixon-Hill.
Following the completion of the System Design, we will conduct a Multi-state Regional Demonstration, which will provide real-world testing of the system.
Based on what we learn in the Regional Demonstration, we’ll refine the design, and then conduct a final Model Deployment.
There are many opportunities to get involved in this initiative, and I would encourage to take advantage of them if you aren’t already.  We’ve held 2 ICC meetings to date, and will sponsor several more over the course of the initiative.  In between meetings we have volunteer task forces from within the ICC that work on specific design features.  For example, there will be task forces to review high level and detailed system requirements over the course of this summer.  We are also planning to hold our next ICC meeting in November.
To learn more and get involved, go to the clarusiniative.org website.  And while you’re here, visit the FHWA booths in the exhibit hall.

## Clarus & Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII)

***Clarus & Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII)***

**Notes:**
While Clarus will first focus on assimilating data from weather sensors installed along the roadside, we think the prospect of collecting weather and road condition data from vehicles will play a huge role in knowing what’s happening on the roads with respect to weather.
The Vehicle Infrastructure Integration initiative, also known as VII, will create an “Enabling Communication Infrastructure” to support vehicle-to-vehicle And Vehicle-to-Infrastructure Communications
It will also provide the means by which we develop, test and evaluate the collecting of weather and road condition data from vehicles.
This will not require the installation of new sensors on vehicles, but instead will take advantage of the data already being collected.
For example, Traction Control Systems can be used to determine pavement slickness
Windshield wipers could be used to determine the occurrence and intensity of precipitation.
The Clarus/VII connection will facilitate culture change in several ways:
1.  It will leverage a huge resource – the vehicle fleet – to fill gaps in road weather observation 
2.  It will affect the way meteorologists develop forecasts for the surface
3.  It will enable many new products that will be brought right to the driver
And between Clarus and VII, we will help build a market for new surface transportation weather products that don’t exist today.

## Facilitating Culture Change

- Engaging stakeholders
- MDSS stakeholder group
*Clarus* Initiative Coordinating Committee
- Institution building
- American Meteorological Society ITS/Surf. Trans. committee
- TRB Task Force on Surface Transportation Weather
- ITS America Weather Info. Applications Special Interest Group
- NOAA Surface Weather Program

**Notes:**
Changing culture isn’t just about technology.  There are two other facets that are critical to success:
Engaging stakeholders
Institution building
It’s absolutely essential to engage all the stakeholders in the solution development process.
For MDSS, we’ve held numerous Stakeholder Meetings
These meetings typically occur annually, & have been attended by increasing numbers of participants.  At the last meeting there were 115 people representing 27 different State DOTs, dozens of private companies, universities and international organizations.
The Clarus Initiative has the Initiative Coordinating Committee (ICC) to provide direction at significant milestones.  At the last ICC meeting there were 100 people in attendance from both the transportation and weather communities.

The flipside of the “Engaging Stakeholder” coin is “Building Partnerships Across Institutions.” 

We see Institution Building as a major factor in sustaining culture change.  For Road Weather Management, this goes beyond the usual efforts to engage all key transportation stakeholders.  We must also build bridges with the key meteorological stakeholders.  And such bridge building continues on many fronts and with many people, including:
American Meteorological Society (AMS) ITS/Surface Transportation committee
The brand new Task Force on Surface Transportation Weather at TRB, and
ITS America Weather Information Applications Special Interest Group
And for FHWA, our growing partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under their new Surface Weather Program has been one of the biggest success stories to date [segues to the next slide].

## NOAA/FHWA Partnership

- NOAA & FHWA have common strategic goals
- reducing the loss of lives on the surface transportation system
- improving mobility to aid the free flow of commerce
- A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) will solidify the working relationship between NOAA & FHWA

**Notes:**
NOAA and FHWA have common strategic goals of:
Reducing the loss of lives on the surface transportation system, and
Improving mobility on roadways that aids the free flow of commerce

Given these common goals, it only made sense for the two agencies to work together.  And such collaboration has been occurring for years.
For example:
FHWA has supported the MADIS (Meteorological Assimilation and Data Ingest System) effort at the NOAA Forecast Systems Lab, which is providing guidance to Clarus ways to access and integrate State DOT RWIS data.
FHWA & NOAA are co-chairs of the Working Group on Weather Information for Surface Transportation at the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology (OFCM)
FHWA has sponsored collaborative efforts between State DOTs, the National Weather Service, and academic institutions to study road weather problems.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will be signed by the Federal Highway and NOAA Administrators later this month or in June will institutionalize this relationship.

## Culture Change Results

- Continued investments by State and local agencies in RWIS and Environmental Sensor Stations
- At least 10 states and several local agencies are exploring or deploying decision support systems
- MDSS software was requested by 45 companies and organizations
- We are seeing several companies introduce decision support  technologies into their product lines
- Weather and 511

**Notes:**
Measuring success is always important if not tricky.  Based on the following results, we think we’re on the right track:
States have continued to invest in RWIS Environmental Sensor Stations (approx. 2,500 installed today)
At least 10 states (ND, SD, IA, IN, CO, MN, FL, VA, MD, OR) and several local agencies (in Colorado) are actively involved in the deployment of MDSS
There have been 45 requests for MDSS software CDs by both public and private sector entities, and
We are seeing several companies introduce decision support technologies into their product lines
Weather information has also been a driver in the deployment of 511 especially in rural states.
Many of the initial deployments were in rural states:
Nebraska and Utah in 2001
Arizona and Minnesota in 2002
And based on a Gallup poll conducted in 2001, 40% of those surveyed said weather-related and road surface condition information was the most critical element for 511 systems to provide.

## Conclusion

- We are in the midst of a culture change in surface transportation weather and operations
- Creating demand for integrated solutions that overcome information overload
- Leveraging public sector resources to build markets and improve private sector services
- Engaging stakeholders and building partnerships
- These efforts will ultimately change the way that we make decisions which will save lives, time and money

## Feedback/Input

- We are always looking for feedback or input:
- What are we doing right?
- Are we doing anything wrong?
- Should we be doing anything differently?
- FHWA Weather Team:
- Paul Pisano	_[paul.pisano@fhwa.dot.gov](mailto:paul.pisano@fhwa.dot.gov)_
- James Pol		_[james.pol@fhwa.dot.gov](mailto:james.pol@fhwa.dot.gov)_
- Roemer Alfelor	_[roemer.alfelor@fhwa.dot.gov](mailto:roemer.alfelor@fhwa.dot.gov)_
- Ray Murphy	_[ray.murphy@fhwa.dot.gov](mailto:ray.murphy@fhwa.dot.gov)_

**Notes:**
Since Stakeholder Participation is so important to us, we are always looking for feedback.
I’d like to thank you for your time and attention, please feel free to share your thoughts with me during this panel or with my staff.