Use of MDSS by the City Use of MDSS by the City and County of Denverand County of Denver

March 14, 2007March 14, 2007

Pat Kennedy, P.E.Pat Kennedy, P.E.

Denver Street MaintenanceDenver Street Maintenance

DENVER

• Full Deployment– 65 plows, 75-80 staff per 12 hour shift

• Partial Deployment– 25+ plows, 35 staff per shift

• Standby– Crews off duty but on-call

Deployment OptionsDeployment Options

• Joined MDSS & Clarus in March 2005• Saw possible value in MDSS• Worked with NCAR/UCAR• Primary snow response technical tool

MDSS ModulesMDSS Modules

• Weather forecasting

• Roadway conditions

• Treatment recommendations

• Treatment selector

Weather ForecastingWeather Forecasting• 48 Hour Prediction

• 3 hour updates

• Data– event start time– duration– intensity– precipitation type– accumulation

amount

Weather ForecastingWeather Forecasting• 48 Hour Prediction• 3 hour updates• Data

– event start time– duration– intensity– precipitation type– accumulation amount– wind– regional RWIS data

Roadway ConditionsRoadway Conditions• Pavement Section• Temperature Profile• Moisture composition

• wet• ice• chemical wet

• Condition forecast• temperature• physical state of

moisture

Treatment RecommendationsTreatment Recommendations

• Based on Denver Standard Practices– Liquid Apex © MgCl– Dry Ice Slicer ©

Treatment RecommendationsTreatment Recommendations

• Based on Denver Standard Practices– Liquid Apex © MgCl– Dry Ice Slicer ©

Treatment RecommendationsTreatment Recommendations• Based on Denver

Standard Practices– Liquid Apex © MgCl– Dry Ice Slicer ©

• Mobility Index– Dimensionless– 0 to 1

Treatment SelectorTreatment Selector

• Effect of various strategies– material availability– environmental effects– traffic speeds– economics

• Supervisors experience• Test MDSS strategies and

historic methods

Future ApplicationsFuture Applications

• Severe summer weather (thunderstorms)– effects on normal operations

• paving• striping

– emergency operations• road closures• localized flooding

• Additional roadway sensors

ConclusionsConclusions• Important tool in our snow response

strategy• Cost of deployment for one 12 hour

shift is $50,000• Improved level of service to the

PublicContact: Pat Kennedy, PE, Denver Public Works, Street Maintenance

email: william.kennedy@ci.denver.co.usphone: 720-865-6860

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MDSS Status

• Releasing Version 5.0 of the Prototype• Conducting 2 Benefit/Cost analyses• Promoting deployments

– RoadShows (Ray Murphy)– AASHTO TIG (MDSS PPT/Video)– Deployment Resource Kit (planned)

• Expanding into Maintenance & Operations Decision Support System (MODSS)

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MDSS RoadShow PresentationsState DOTs & Symposia

APWA

Pacific NorthwestSnowfightersConference

Rural ITS Conference Mid ContinentResearch Forum

Arizona WinterMaintenance Conference

Transportation &Highway EngineeringConference

RoadShow scheduled

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MODSS

• The Maintenance & Operations Decision Support System (MODSS) builds upon the core capabilities of the base MDSS

• Leverages lessons learned & technologies developed to expand the MDSS investment to other operations within surface transportation:– Summer Maintenance– Traffic Management– Construction

• First phase is to document requirements and develop a concept of operations– Expanding stakeholder groups– Initial workshops held the week of 26 Feb 07

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Maintenance & Operations Decision Support System (MODSS)

Stakeholders

Traffic Management DSS Stakeholders

Non-Snow & Ice DSS Stakeholders