Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

Weather Information for Surface Transportation (WIST) Research and

Development Plan: Improving the Safety and Efficiency of the

Surface Transportation System

Samuel P. WilliamsonFederal Coordinator for Meteorology

June 6, 7, 13, and 14, 2006

Opening Briefing for Weather Information for Surface Transportation Workshops

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

Welcome!!• Representatives from:

– Academic and Research Institute communities– State weather-related initiative community– Environmental and Climate communities

• Looking forward to hearing from you!– Weather-related impacts on surface transportation– Ongoing WIST-related R&D activities– Current and future WIST-related R&D needs

• Help bridge the gap between the public and private sector

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

Overview• OFCM Background/Structure/Mission

• Importance of Surface Transportation Weather

• Agenda

• Summary

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

To ensure the effective use of federal meteorological resources by leading the

systematic coordination of operational weather requirements, services, and supporting research,

among the federal agencies

High-level focus on:• Needs and Requirements• Issues and Problems • Studies, Reports, Plans, and Handbooks• Crosscut Reviews, Assessments, and Analyses

Mission

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

• Aviation Weather • Climate Analysis,

Monitoring and Services• Cooperative Research• Environmental Services• Urban Meteorology

• Information Technology and Communications

• Modeling and Prediction• Observing Capabilities• Space Weather• Weather Information for

Surface Transportation

Key Focus AreasAgency Priorities

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

OFCM BackgroundFederal Committee for Meteorological Services

and Supporting Research (FCMSSR)

Interdepartmental Committee for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research (ICMSSR)

Federal Coordinator for Meteorology

Standing Committees

Program Councils

National Space Weather

National Aviation Weather

Environmental Services, Operations, and Research Needs

Environmental Information Systems and Communications

Integrated Observing Systems

Climate Analysis, Monitoring and

ServicesWorking Group for Urban Meteorology

Federal Meteorological Coordinating Infrastructure

National Operational Processing Centers

Cooperative Research

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

Departments of:• Agriculture• Commerce• Defense• Energy• Homeland Security

• Science & Technology• FEMA• Coast Guard

• Interior• State• Transportation

• Environmental Protection Agency• National Aeronautics and Space

Administration• National Science Foundation• National Transportation Safety Board• Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Independent agencies:

Executive Office of the President:• Office of Management and Budget• Office of Science and Technology Policy

OFCM Partners

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

Importance of Surface Transportation Weather Safety and Efficiency

• Roadway sector: Weather-related safety and cost estimates– Nearly 7,400 fatalities per year– Over 690,000 injured– $42 billion in economic costs – Over 544 million hours in delays (snow, ice, and fog)

• Marine transportation sector: 7 percent of recreational boating accidents are weather-related

• Railway sector: 309 weather-related accidents, over $46 million in damages, 3 deaths, 75 injuries, plus periodic delays and delays due to extreme temperature events (2001)

• Pipeline sector: Impact of Hurricane Katrina was 90 percent of oil platforms in Gulf were shut down and 20 rigs reported missing

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

Importance of Surface Transportation Weather

Safety and Efficiency• Roadway sector:

– Speed reductions can range from 10 to 25 percent on wet pavement; from 30 to 40 percent on snowy or slushy pavement

– Estimated that 23 percent of non-recurrent delay on highways across nation due to snow, ice, and fog

– State / local agencies spend more than:• $2.3 billion / yr on snow & ice control operations• $5 billion to repair snow & ice infrastructure damage

– Trucking companies and other CVOs lose an estimated 32.6 billion vehicle hours a year due to weather-related congestion

– Estimated cost of weather-related delay to trucking companies ranges from $2.2 billion to $3.5 billion annually

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

Importance of Surface Transportation WeatherWIST: Improve Surface Transportation Safety & Efficiency?• Examples:

– Fog detection/warning system in TN on Interstate 75 (1994)• Improved safety; fog-related accidents reduced to zero (0)

– 2006 Best Of ITS America – Best New Product, Service, or Application

– PA Turnpike Commission’s "Fog Warning System" – Finnish road weather service system improves roadway monitoring

• Result: shorten de-icing activities by 23 minutes on average – U.S. FHWA Sponsored Maintenance Decision Support System– 511 usage shows increasing use and great potential

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

Importance of Surface Transportation Weather

Need for an Integrated Approach to Surface Transportation R&D?

Source: December 2002 WIST Report

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

AGENDA• 1000-1015 Federal Coordinator’s Opening Remarks• 1015-1030 WG/WIST Cochair Opening Remarks

and WG/WIST Activities Update• 1030-1115 Surface Transportation Weather-Related

Impact/Priority Data• 1115-1145 Ongoing WIST R&D Activities Overview • 1145-1245 Lunch on your own• 1245-1430 WIST R&D and/or Needs Presentations• 1430-1530 Open Discussion Period• 1530-1600 Wrap-up and Next Steps

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

SUMMARY• Lots of work already done…not starting from scratch!

• Real and growing need for improved surface weather data, forecasts, integration, dissemination, and education

– Ensure safe, efficient movement of goods and people

• We need an integrated, end-to-end approach to ongoing and planned R&D activities

• Through WG/WIST:

– Working to develop that planning guidance

– Seek everyone’s input and support

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

OFCM Web SiteWIST Report is available on OFCM Web Site

Click on “Publications” and navigate to the desired location

http://www.ofcm.gov/

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

HAVE A GREAT WORKSHOP !!!

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

BACKUP SLIDES

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

Public Law 87-843 (1963)

DOC Administrative Order

OFCM formed in Jan 1964

1963

1964

• Accountable to Congress and OMB

• Coordinate agency budgets

• Report budgets and activities in annual Federal Plan

OFCM

BackgroundHistorical Perspective

GAO Study Revitalizes OFCM

1979

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

US Weather Research Program (USWRP)

US Climate Change Science Program

(USCCSP)

National Science and Technology Council (NSTC)Committee on the Environment and Natural Resources (CENR)Subcommittee on Disaster Reduction (SDR)

National Research Council (NRC)Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (BASC)Climate Research Committee (CRC)

National Center for Atmospheric Research

(NCAR)

University Corp. for Atmospheric Research

(UCAR)

American Meteorological Society (AMS)

OFCM Affiliations

American Geophysical Union

(AGU)

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

Where have we been?• September 1998: Symposium on Advanced Multimodal

Transportation Weather Services, Volpe Center• Identify weather information needs and weather products • Plan implementation of advanced multimodal weather services

through cooperative partnerships

• December 1998: Meeting of Interdepartmental Committee for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research (ICMSSR)

• Directed formation of first WIST Joint Action Group (JAG)

• December 1999: First WIST Symposium• Cosponsored by OFCM and U.S. DOT-FHWA

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

Where have we been?• December 2000: Second WIST Symposium

– Cosponsored by OFCM and U.S. DOT-FHWA• December 2002: Weather Information for Surface Transportation:

A National Needs Assessment Report is published– First-ever compilation of weather support needs across the six surface

transportation sectors – We can often increase safety and realize economic benefits at same time – Highlights importance of environmental support to homeland security – Weather information must be used in operational decision making– Need cooperative efforts and partnerships among Federal, state, and

“private-public” entities, and between the governmental and commercial sectors

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

Where have we been?• August 2003: Ms. Mary E. Peters, Administrator of the Department

of Transportation/Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and VADM Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., USN (Ret.), Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), met

– Began a dialog regarding the next steps to take in the area of Weather Information for Surface Transportation (WIST)

• November 2003: AMS Policy Forum on "Highways and Weather" is held

• November 2003: NOAA makes Surface Transportation Weather a program element under NOAA’s Strategic Plan Goal for Commerce and Transportation

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

Where have we been?• January 2004: National Academy of Sciences' Board on

Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (BASC) releases the report entitled Where the Weather Meets the Road--A Research Agenda for Improving Road Weather Services

– The BASC report endorses the WIST Report results– Calls for the Federal government to establish a multiyear

national road weather research program • With a suggested funding level of $25M per year

– Also calls for the development of an overarching, multiagency-coordinated WIST implementation program

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

Where have we been?• May 2004: Weather Information for Surface Transportation was

briefed to the ICMSSR– Actions:

• OFCM establish a Working Group for WIST (WG/WIST), led by FHWA and NOAA, to allow all Federal departments and agencies to participate in the development of plans or projects to meet their WIST needs and ensure Federal resources are used efficiently

• WG/WIST develop a multiyear, Federal WIST research program plan to bring together the Federal weather and surface transportation research communities and provide a vision for the public and private sectors to use for planning purposes

• WG/WIST develop an overarching, Federal, multiagency-coordinated WIST implementation program

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

Where have we been?• July 2005: FHWA Administrator Mary Peters and National

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Administrator Vice Admiral Conrad Lautenbacher signed a Memorandum of Understanding

– Strengthens the working relationship between the two administrations– Foundation upon which FHWA and NOAA can build integrated solutions

that combine the best weather services with the latest transportation applications

• August 2005: The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) was enacted

– Contains Section 5308 (Road Weather Research and Development Program)

– This will support agency initiatives in road weather and education and training of road weather information users

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

Where have we been?• September 1998: Symposium on Advanced Multimodal

Transportation Weather Services, Volpe Center• Identify weather information needs and weather products • Plan implementation of advanced multimodal weather services

through cooperative partnerships

• December 1998: Meeting of Interdepartmental Committee for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research (ICMSSR)

• Directed formation of first WIST Joint Action Group (JAG)

• December 1999: First WIST Symposium• Cosponsored by OFCM and U.S. DOT-FHWA

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

Where have we been?• December 2000: Second WIST Symposium

– Cosponsored by OFCM and U.S. DOT-FHWA• December 2002: Weather Information for Surface Transportation:

A National Needs Assessment Report is published– First-ever compilation of weather support needs across the six surface

transportation sectors – We can often increase safety and realize economic benefits at same time – Highlights importance of environmental support to homeland security – Weather information must be used in operational decision making– Need cooperative efforts and partnerships among Federal, state, and

“private-public” entities, and between the governmental and commercial sectors

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

Where have we been?• August 2003: Ms. Mary E. Peters, Administrator of the Department

of Transportation/Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and VADM Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., USN (Ret.), Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), met

– Began a dialog regarding the next steps to take in the area of Weather Information for Surface Transportation (WIST)

• November 2003: AMS Policy Forum on "Highways and Weather" is held

• November 2003: NOAA makes Surface Transportation Weather a program element under NOAA’s Strategic Plan Goal for Commerce and Transportation

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

Where have we been?• January 2004: National Academy of Sciences' Board on

Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (BASC) releases the report entitled Where the Weather Meets the Road--A Research Agenda for Improving Road Weather Services

– The BASC report endorses the WIST Report results– Calls for the Federal government to establish a multiyear

national road weather research program • With a suggested funding level of $25M per year

– Also calls for the development of an overarching, multiagency-coordinated WIST implementation program

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

Where have we been?• May 2004: Weather Information for Surface Transportation was

briefed to the ICMSSR– Actions:

• OFCM establish a Working Group for WIST (WG/WIST), led by FHWA and NOAA, to allow all Federal departments and agencies to participate in the development of plans or projects to meet their WIST needs and ensure Federal resources are used efficiently

• WG/WIST develop a multiyear, Federal WIST research program plan to bring together the Federal weather and surface transportation research communities and provide a vision for the public and private sectors to use for planning purposes

• WG/WIST develop an overarching, Federal, multiagency-coordinated WIST implementation program

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

Where have we been?• July 2005: FHWA Administrator Mary Peters and National

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Administrator Vice Admiral Conrad Lautenbacher signed a Memorandum of Understanding

– Strengthens the working relationship between the two administrations– Foundation upon which FHWA and NOAA can build integrated solutions

that combine the best weather services with the latest transportation applications

• August 2005: The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) was enacted

– Contains Section 5308 (Road Weather Research and Development Program)

– This will support agency initiatives in road weather and education and training of road weather information users

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

Where have we been?• September 2005: OFCM forwarded to ICMSSR members

the Weather Information for Surface Transportation (WIST) Initiative Document-First Steps to Improve the Nation's WIST Capabilities and Services

– Initiative Document represents the initial recommendations of the WG/WIST members on key actions and priorities to collaborate on and address national surface transportation safety, mobility, and productivity issues

– Proposed actions are focused on tackling the weather condition having the most impact on the surface transportation systems and on other areas where ongoing R&D or other activities can be leveraged

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

Where have we been?• January 2006: The TRB Task Force on Surface Transportation

Weather (AH010T) meets for the first time – (Draft) The task force’s objective is to promote research and technology

transfer to better manage surface transportation, minimizing the impacts of weather and maximizing safety and mobility

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology OFCM

Today’s Workshop

• The WG/WIST continues to work on developing a WIST R&D Plan as directed by the ICMSSR

– Carrying out an information gathering effort on ongoing WIST R&D activities

– Collecting input on weather-related impacts on all surface transportation sectors as a way to help prioritize WIST R&D needs

– June 2006 workshops will help further refine the information gathered during the activities mentioned above