Background:

Since 1998, the Federal Committee for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research (FCMSSR) has made weather services and research and development (R&D) activities supporting the surface transportation community a priority for the federal meteorological community. In December 2002, the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research (OFCM) published the comprehensive report, Weather Information for Surface Transportation - National Needs Assessment Report. This publication provides the first-ever compilation and analysis of weather support needs across six surface transportation sectors: roadway, railway, transit, marine transportation, pipeline systems, and airport ground operations.

The report also made a number of recommendations for future work regarding weather information for surface transportation (WIST) R&D needs. Among these recommendations were the suggestions to expand coordination among WIST R&D program managers and WIST providers; translate research results and new technologies into WIST applications; and provide the fundamental knowledge to support future technology development and application. In August 2004, acting on guidance from the Interdepartmental Committee for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research (ICMSSR), the OFCM established the Working Group for Weather Information for Surface Transportation (WG/WIST) to develop both a WIST Research &Development Plan and a WIST Implementation Plan.

• Roadway: On average, there are over 6,442,000 vehicle crashes each year. More than 24 percent of these crashes are weather-related with nearly 7,400 people being killed and over 690,000 people being injured.
• Railway: Between 1995 and 2005, 865 weather-related crashes occurred on America’s railways, causing 8 deaths, 1,242 injuries, and $189 million in property damage costs. Most of these weather-related crashes were associated with extreme temperature variations.
• Marine Transportation System: Between 1996 and 2000, weather-related causes accounted for 11 percent of marine transportation mishaps and 3.6 percent of all recreational boating mishaps.
• Transit: National statistics on weather-related mishaps are currently not available. However, overall safety incidents decreased from 2002 to 2004, resulting in a decrease of 32 fatalities and 278 injuries.
• Pipeline: In 2005, the pipeline systems sector experienced 4 weather-related fatalities and 14 injuries. Three fatalities were attributed to incidents caused by temperature and one to high winds.
• Airport Ground Operations: National statistics on weather-related mishaps are not currently available. However, there are anecdotal examples of weather’s impact. For example, all airport grounds operations (e.g., baggage loading and unloading, refueling, ramp activities) cease when lightning is detected within a certain distance of an airport.
  

Progress Being Made:

There is preliminary evidence that since the first WIST Report was released in 2002, there has been some improvement in lessening the impact of weather on the surface transportation system. Although data collection and incident monitoring is still limited, the available data do show that potentially some progress is being made. For example:

• On the Nation’s roadways, weather-related crash injuries declined by 3.5 percent (21, 023 injuries) in the first 2 years following the release of the WIST Report in 2002. During the same period, vehicle-miles driven increased by 3.7 percent. The 21,023 fewer injuries equate to about $0.5 billion saved in direct and indirect economic consequences.
• From 2002 to 2004, weather-related recreational boating accidents decreased from 228, with 66 fatalities, to 178 with 43 fatalities. Since 2002, weather has dropped out of the Coast Guard’s “Top Ten Contributing Factors” for recreational accidents.
• Surveys of users of State “511” road information services show that users want and use information on weather conditions affecting their route of travel. Most of these WIST users have altered their route or their travel plans to avoid weather-related hazards or delays. Local television and radio stations now routinely carry combined traffic and weather updates for their broadcast area.
• Roadway freight lines are equipping their trucks to receive NOAA Weather Radio anywhere on the Nation’s highways. Automobile manufacturers are offering new cars equipped with radios that can receive NOAA Weather Radio.

The successes we’ve achieved are due to the combined efforts of many federal agencies, state and local authorities and transportation departments, the university R&D community, professional organizations, the news media, and partners in industry who provide or use WIST services and products. When statewide transportation incident reporting systems are implemented, we will be better able to monitor, assess, and manage transportation weather risks, as well as evaluate the benefits of WIST informed transportation decisions. R&D programs are in progress to improve warnings and decision support systems, implement weather-responsive traffic management in communities, and provide the observational support necessary for location-specific WIST.

Symposium Objectives:

This symposium is designed to provide a forum for members of the WG/WIST, together with representatives of the surface transportation operations, research, and user communities, to work together to implement the recommendations outlined above.

• Overarching Objective: Provide a forum for the surface transportation operations, research, and user communities to work together to enhance collaboration and partnerships, ultimately o improve surface transportation weather products/services for those who use, operate, and manage surface transportation infrastructure
• Enhance understanding of social / economic benefits derived from increased use of improved surface transportation weather and climate info
• Review, validate, and prioritize surface transportation weather research and development needs
• Define and prioritize the products / services needed to support surface transportation community
• Provide recommendations for weather and surface transportation communities on way ahead to meet needs using attendee input / feedback
• Provide information on surface transportation weather and climate activities to enhance decision-making processes

Symposium Overarching Concepts:

It’s worth repeating three key ideas from the December 2002, Weather Information for Surface Transportation - National Needs Assessment Report (referred to as the WIST Report), which should help focus our thoughts on some key concepts during these workshops.

1. The Twin Values of Safety and Economic Productivity. The WIST report demonstrates how the sometimes competing values of safety and economic benefits are closely intertwined when we consider the potential for improving the information available to all those who make decisions concerning surface transportation systems and activities. From the WIST report, we find that many of the impacts that increase costs, slow down a transportation activity, or divert resources from other tasks result from actions necessary to mitigate risks to the safety of personnel across the spectrum of transportation sector activities. By meeting the requirements for the provision of WIST to users, as outlined in the WIST report, we can often increase safety and realize economic benefits at the same time.

2. Primary Use for Decision Support. In a sense, we have always used weather information as one input into life’s daily decisions: what to wear, when to plant or harvest, whether to move up or delay a shipment or a ship. The WIST Report corroborates and expands on a key point made in numerous other technical and program documents on transportation weather. The weather information provider community must better understand how users can incorporate more detailed weather information (which is also more accurate and at finer spatial and temporal scales) in operational decision-making processes.

3. Essential Cooperation among Weather Information Providers. The WIST report stresses that the broad requirements for the provision of weather information to meet surface transportation needs fall on the weather information provider community as a whole. The specificity and detail of information needed for individual users speak to important and expanding roles for private-sector providers. The federal agency partners can provide basic weather and environmental observations and forecasts, encourage the transfer of research results into operations, and support the fundamental research and technology innovation needed to advance the state of the art. The WIST report’s use of the term “information provider community” is not a euphemism. Success in meeting these requirements will entail cooperative efforts and working partnerships among federal agencies; among federal, state, and “private-public” entities; and between the governmental and commercial sectors.

Symposium Format:

The conference will be held at the Sheraton Premiere at Tysons Corner, Vienna, Virginia, from Wednesday, July 25 through Friday, July 27, 2007. Attendees will learn more about the social and economic benefits that can be obtained from increased use of improved surface transportation weather and climate information. They will hear about the federal-level research and development (R&D) priorities for improvements in surface transportation weather and climate information, and provide feedback on them and help shape how we will move forward to meet our research and development needs. The following provides an initial look at the planned activities for the symposium:

The conference will begin Wednesday morning. The morning’s agenda will include several keynote and invited addresses, and a panel session addressing improving economic and life decisions--social and economic impacts and benefits.

On Wednesday afternoon and Thursday, sessions are being planned on the following topics:

• Priorities for Surface Transportation Weather Research and Development
• Leveraging Related R&D Activities to Benefit Surface Transportation
• Observation Data Requirements for Surface Transportation
• Modeling and Prediction: Required Products and Services--Where are the Gaps and Who’s Filling Them?
• Weather Information Dissemination for Effective Decision Making
• Research to Operational: The Pathway to Operational Implementation

Friday morning will be the closing Plenary Session focused on creating synergy in all components of surface transportation weather applications.

The Third National Surface Transportation Weather Symposium is sponsored by:

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research (OFCM)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Road Weather Management Program
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

The Third National Surface Transportation Weather Symposium is supported by the following Professional Partners:

Surface Transportation Weather Task Force
Transportation Research Board

Intelligent Transportation Systems and Surface Transportation Committee
American Meteorological Society

Weather Information Applications Special Interest Group
ITS America

For further information about the Conference contact:

Conference Logistics
Erin McNamara
Erin.mcnamara@noaa.gov

or

Conference Agenda

Frank Estis
Frank.estis@noaa.gov

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology
8455 Colesville Road
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Tel: 301-427-2002; Fax: 301-427-2007

or

Paul Pisano
Federal Highway Administration
202-366-1301
e-mail: Paul.Pisano@fhwa.dot.gov

or

James O’Sullivan
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
301-713-1792 x 121
e-mail: jim.osullivan@noaa.gov