Priorities for Surface Transportation Weather Research and Development

1. Priorities for Surface Transportation Weather Research and Development Nelson Keeler Director, Office of Aviation Programs U.S. Department of Transportation Research and Innovative Technologies Administration Volpe National Transportation Systems Center July 25, 2007

2. Volpe Center in the U.S. DOT Organization U.S. Secretary of Transportation Administrator Research and Innovative Technology Administration Associate Administrator/ Director Intelligent Transportation Systems, Joint Program Office Associate Administrator/Director Bureau of Transportation Statistics Associate Administrator Research, Development and Technology Associate Administrator/ Director Volpe Center Director Transportation Safety Institute

3. Some Basic Weather Priorities • Acknowledge Weather as a Factor for many Transportation Issues Congestion, safety, capacity, emergency response, bio-surveillance, environmental modeling, climate change • Think Intermodally Situation displays-geospatial overlays of freight and passenger transportation networks and weather • Develop Partnerships Innovative arrangements with UTCs, private industry, academia, state & local governments • Leverage Technologies Doppler radar determination of weather hazards for surface transportation (pavement wetness and visibility). Develop applications for emerging dual polarization radar

4. Volpe Center Weather Activities • Enhanced Traffic Management System • Wake vortex research • Analysis of weather impacts and information requirements for surface modes and aviation • Human factors research • Emissions modeling

5. Weather Information and Human Factors • Background • Ultimate end user community must be accounted for in terms of their needs, applications and diversity • Benefits • Benefits of weather information depend upon its timeliness, accessibility, and interpretability for decision making • Objectives • Systematically define traditional and non-traditional end users and their weather information needs • Develop a guidance document specifying user requirements for various identified applications

6. Global Meteorological Data for Environmental Modeling • Background • DOT environmental models (noise & air quality) need a single, consistent meteorological database, global in scope, that can evolve over time • Objective • Identify a scalable database to support micro-level analyses and macro-level, international policy decisions • Benefits • Support a scientific methodology for running models • Could later support broader level DOT programs • RITA/Volpe role • Supports design and development of several models (e.g., SAGE, Integrated Noise Model & FHWA Traffic Noise Model). Work activity could later include ingestion of global meteorological data

7. Objectives of Freight Weather Initiative • Understand the impact of weather on freight movement • Assess how Clarus and other weather products can assist freight users • Identify additional unmet weather needs relevant to the freight sector • Lay out a roadmap and recommendations to present a first generation white paper to industry • Engage the freight industry with the continued development of products

8. Volpe’s Otis Weather Test Facility • Climate appropriate for aviation weather related tests • Annual averages of: 37” snow, 48” total liquid precipitation, and 16thunderstorms • Frequent fogs and low clouds • Frequent wind gusts, often exceeding 40 kt • Temperatures ranging typically from–10º F to +99º F • 155 acres of flat ground and 2,600-ft² of secured building • Instrumentation towers (10-to 200-ft) to accommodate testing of weather conditions along the near-ground aircraft landing corridor • Weather instrumentation • Anemometers – Visibility Sensors • Ceilometers – Present Weather Sensors, • Raingauges –Pressure Sensors, • Humidity Sensors – Thermometers

9. Katrina Landfall Displayed on ETMS

10. Dual Polarization Radar • Our research indicates that dual polarization radar may offer improvement in several areas • Quantitative and qualitative rainfall measurements • Hail detection and other severe storm detection • Characterization of hydrometeor forms in clouds (e.g., light rain, moderate rain, intense rain, supercooled rain, hail, type of ice phase such as graupel, aggregates, etc.) • In-cloud icing conditions • Storm evolution, forecasting and nowcasting

11. Using NEXRAD Radar to Determine Weather Hazards Along Interstate-5 in Washington Existing Radar Technology to Manage Safety and Congestion ( + ) Values Speeding Up Current Time Strongest Storm Cells Wave Couplet Deceleration Followed by Acceleration Traffic Flow Acceleration Contours ( - ) Values Slowing Down Seattle Urban Center Traffic Effect 65-MPH Tacoma Seattle Marysville N

12. Summary - to Evolve and Improve the Transportation System • Make the best use of the weather information infrastructure and services • R&D requires efforts at all phases of the development cycle • Define information and technology requirements in support of new applications • Establish partnerships with public and private organizations • Build on expertise in weather radar for trucking, railroad, marine transport, emergency service providers • Provide leadership in problem definition and solution architectures, and innovative funding mechanisms.

13. Thank you Ned Keeler 617-494-2769 Nelson.keeler@volpe.dot.gov