ITS - Intelligent Transportation Systems Report ITS Home Page

Weather Information Integration
in Transportation Management Center (TMC) Operations

Final Report
FHWA-JPO-11-058

Logo for U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration.

February 2011

Photograph montage of transportation-related images including sensor tower, variable speed limit sign, snowy roadway, and interior of a Transportation Management Center.

PDF File Logo.  PDF Version 6.72MB

Get Adobe PDF Reader Here

 

 

Sources for cover images:

Produced by Federal Highway Administration Road Weather Management Program for
ITS Joint Program Office
Research and Innovative Technology Administration
U.S. Department of Transportation

Notice

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange.  The United States Government assumes no liability for its contents or use thereof.

 

Report Documentation Page

Form Approved
OMB No. 0704-0188

The public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing the burden, to Department of Defense, Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports (0704-0188), 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302. Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR FORM TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS.

1. REPORT DATE (DD MM YYYY)
02/01/2011

2. REPORT TYPE
Technical

3. DATES COVERED
April 2009 – December 2010

4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE
Weather Information Integration in Transportation management Center (TMC) Operations

 

5a. Contract Number
DTFH61-06-D-00007
5b. Grant Number
5c. Program Element Number
5d. Project Number
5e. Task Number
BA07-012
5f. Work Unit Number

6. AUTHOR(S)
Chris Cluett and Deepak Gopalakrishna (Battelle), Fred Kitchener (McFarland Management, LLC), Kevin Balke (TTI), and Leon Osborne (Meridian Environmental Technology, Inc.)

 

7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES)
Battelle Seattle Research Center
1100 Dexter Avenue North, Suite 400
Seattle, WA  98109-3598

8.  PERFORMING ORGANIZATION
REPORT NUMBER

 

9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES)
United States Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration, Office of Operations
1200 New Jersey Ave., SE
Washington, DC  20590

10. SPONSORING/MONITOR’S ACRONYM(S)
HOIT

11. SPONSORING/MONITOR’S REPORT NUMBER(S)
FHWA-JPO-11-058

12a. DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
This document is available to the public through the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia 22161.

12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE

 

13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES
Mr. Roemer Alfelor (COTM)

 

14. ABSTRACT
This report presents the results of the third phase of an on-going FHWA study on weather integration in Transportation Management Center (TMC) operations. The report briefly describes the earlier phases of the integration study, summarizes the findings from the implementation and evaluation of an automated weather alert notification system in the Sacramento Regional TMC, and discusses the efforts of four TMCs (Cheyenne, Colorado Springs, Kansas City, Louisiana, and Redding) that used the FHWA self-evaluation guide to identify their weather integration needs and strategies that could be implemented to meet those needs. Four of those TMCs prepared weather integration plans with implementation tasks and schedules. The report tracks their progress toward implementing those strategies and identifies the outcomes and benefits they have achieved to date. Efforts to refine, market and promote the self-evaluation guide are also discussed. Finally, lessons learned and recommendations based on the experiences working with a variety of TMCs are offered to encourage and facilitate greater weather information integration in the future.

15. SUBJECT TERMS
Road Weather Management, Weather Information Integration, Transportation Management Center (TMC), Transportation Operations, Self-Evaluation Guide

16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF:

17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT
None

18. NUMBER OF PAGES
302

19a. NAME OF RESPONSIBLE PERSON
Roemer Alfelor

a. REPORT
Unclassified

b. ABSTRACT
Unclassified

c. THIS PAGE
Unclassified

19b. TELEPHONE NUMBER
(202) 366-9242

 

 

Preface/
Acknowledgements

This report is the third in a series of linked studies, beginning in 2004, that have sought to develop and promote strategies that support Transportation Management Centers (TMCs) in more effectively and proactively responding to a variety of road weather events and conditions that impact traffic and transportation system performance. The content of this report focuses on selected TMCs, their identified needs for weather integration in operations, their selected strategies for meeting those needs, and, in one case, an evaluation of the implementation of one of those strategies – an automated weather alert notification system. The members of the consultant team and authors of this report would like to acknowledge and thank the many individuals in the Road Weather Management Program and in many TMCs around the country who have enthusiastically supported this program with their time, effort, and ideas for improving weather integration. TMC managers and operators spent significant time working through a self-evaluation and planning process, and worked collegially together to help make this program a success.

While many individuals deserve recognition, we want to particularly acknowledge a few individuals for supporting and coordinating efforts to encourage enhanced weather information integration in their TMCs. Jason Sims and Nancy Powell at Kansas City Scout, Brian Simi and Bob McNew at the Sacramento RTMC, Rob Helt and Steve Tobias at the Colorado Springs TMC, Vince Garcia and Kevin Cox at the Wyoming Statewide TMC, and Michael Muffoletto at the Shreveport, Louisiana TMC were all immensely supportive and engaged in this effort. Finally, Roemer Alfelor and Paul Pisano of the Road Weather Management Program have provided their on-going support of this effort with a clear guiding vision of how the proactive use of weather information in TMC operations can improve the performance of our nation’s transportation system and the experience, safety and mobility of all travelers.