Baselining Current Road Weather Information: Final Report

This final report contains research findings on the characterization of the quality and value of road weather information resources used by members of the surface transportation community in their decision-making process. The objectives of the project were to identify current road weather information resources, develop a process to measure the quality of road weather information, and establish a baseline metric of the existing resources, and the recommendation of a strategy for an ongoing monitoring program. The project evaluated the existing sources of road weather information and the methods used by departments of transportation (DOT) to use this information for both internal and external applications. The analysis of weather service provider sources, road weather products, and DOT uses of the data permitted the research team to define six quality attributes that could be used to measure DOT users’ perception of road weather data quality and value. The road weather information that DOTs receive/use were separated into product type packages and the basic weather elements within the resource deliverables. The baseline assessment of quality was accomplished through an online survey. DOT personnel who use road weather information routinely as part of their daily operations participated in the survey. The report details the organization of the survey responses into a quality attribute matrix and then analyzes the results of the survey. The report addresses variable user responses within and amongst quality attribute classes that illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of specific products and weather elements. The resulting measures from the survey serve to establish quality markers and point out road weather products or elements that could benefit from improvement. The technique chosen to characterize the quality of existing road weather information for this study was evaluated as the project evolved to assess its viability for an ongoing quality characterization monitoring program. The team also looked at appropriate time intervals for regular quality assessment, and evaluated the potential impacts of issues that occurred during the quality characterization process. The report evaluates these factors and proposes a strategy for implementing a regular quality assessment monitoring program. Finally, the research report projects the team’s anticipated outcomes from an ongoing road weather quality monitoring program.