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Clarus SystemITS America – June, 2007

Presenter: Brenda Boyce, PMP

Mixon/Hill, Inc.12980 Metcalf Avenue, Suite

470Overland Park, KS 66223

(913) 239-8400

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The Clarus Initiative

• Clarus is an R&D initiative to demonstrate and evaluate the value of “Anytime, Anywhere Road Weather Information” that is provided by both the public agencies and private weather enterprise to the breadth of transportation users and operators.

• To do so, we needed to create a robust• data assimilation, • quality checking, and • data dissemination system

that can provide near real-time atmospheric and pavement observations from the collective states’ investments in environmental sensor stations (ESS).

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The Clarus System

State DOTRWIS Server

CollectorServices

QualityChecking

WebPortal

7 DayData Cache

MetadataCache

The Clarus System

State DOTRWIS Server

State DOTRWIS Server

State DOTGPS/AVL

VII Probe-Based Data

Nationwide Data Management System forSurface Transportation Environmental & Pavement Condition Observations

•Observations•Metadata•Quality Flags

Environment CanadaRWIN Server

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Activities since ICC Meeting #4

• Proof of Concept Demonstration– Concluded December 2006– AK, UT & MN contributed ESS data/metadata– Ingest of ASOS/AWOS for quality checking– Test of web portal and subscription services

• Quality Checking Algorithm Evaluation– Report delivered by NCAR

• Under FHWA review– Planning additional algorithm development

• Applied research on use of CCTV– MIT/LL completed research in Fall 06– Presented at AMS Annual Meeting in Jan 07– Final report deliverable pending

• Metadata Task Force– Met in Boulder, CO in Fall 06– Created critical & optional metadata fields– Available on the Clarus Initiative web site

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• Ensure that the Clarus System works as designed– Demonstrate the ability of the Clarus

System to process data from large numbers of ESS

– Promote/educate on metadata collection• Foster proactive transportation

system management• Encourage improved private sector

services for road weather information

Regional Demonstration - Objectives

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Regional Demonstration Phases• Phase 1: Request for Applications (RFA)

– Team-based approach/public transp agencies– Creation of ConOps tailored to agencies’ needs– Requires providing ESS data into the Clarus

System• Phase 2: Connection Incentive Program (CIP)

– Build (public) agency participation in Clarus– Offset some costs for metadata & data access

• Phase 3: Request for Proposals (RFP)– Private sector to build & test the ConOps– Independent evaluation of the Clarus System

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Regional Demonstration: Phase 1• Objectives

– Develop Concepts of Operations of business-to-government solutions

– Continue to expand Clarus with ESS data• RFA posted Oct 1st – Dec 1st 2006• Awards made to 3 teams on May 1,

2007• Period of performance: 9 months• Clarus training (May/June 2007)• ESS connections by Sept (ICC meeting)

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IN OHILIA

WI

MNND

SD

MT

WYID

WA

AK

Yukon

British Columbia

Alberta

South Dakota – NW Passage

Iowa – Aurora Program

Alaska Canada RWP

Applicants for the Clarus Multi-State Regional Demonstration

Concept of Operations Development

Note: Underlined StateIDs represent team leads

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Clarus/VII Activities

• Mitretek (now called Noblis) winter & summer mobile sensing reports completed Jan 2007– Vehicle-based temperatures can be used to

estimate atmospheric temperatures:• Dependent on probe location• Dependent on vehicle speed/congestion• Similar vehicles can have different profiles• Conditions on roads can differ from nearby ASOS

• NCAR VII Feasibility Report delivered– Use of vehicle-based data appears feasible– Need actual VII data to move forward – Available on the FHWA Electronic Document

Library

(1 of 2)

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Clarus/VII Activities

• VII Proof of Concept (PoC) Demonstration– Scheduled for Fall 07/Winter 08 in Detroit– Worked with DOT contractors to create

requirements for PoC and “Day 1” Applications• For PoC, 3 weather-related tasks combined into 1• “Day 1” still has 4 individual applications

– Working on a prototype “Weather Data Translator”, to study• data sampling (size & frequency)• quality checking/bias removal• combining with complementary data

(2 of 2)

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Clarus Home Page

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ICC Meeting #5 – Sept 20 & 21, 2007• Location: Kansas City, MO at the NWS Training

Center facility (near KC Airport)• Funding for one State DOT representative to attend• Logistics information will be emailed to the ICC

group in June• MDSS meeting on Sept 18 & 19 before ICC meeting• DRAFT ICC Meeting Agenda

– Status/Update Clarus Regional Demonstration• Concept of Operation creation (Phase 1)• Connection Incentive Program (Phase 2)• ConOps solution implementation (Phase 3)

– Clarus transition to NOAA– Clarus prototype development activities– Private sector showcase– Clarus/VII-related activities

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Clarus on the Web

• The Clarus Initiative web site– www.clarusinitiative.org

• The FHWA Road Weather Management page – www.fhwa.dot.gov/weather

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Clarus Demonstration

• The Clarus System is being demonstrated (live) at ITS America

• Look for the NCAR booth in “Weather Alley” in the exhibition hall

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Clarus Authors & Contacts• Paul Pisano, FHWA

– Phone: 202-366-1301– Email: Paul.Pisano@dot.gov

• James Pol, FHWA– Phone: 202-366-4374– Email: James.Pol@dot.gov

• Pat Kennedy, FHWA– Phone: 202-366-9498– Email: Pat.Kennedy@dot.gov

• Andy Stern, Noblis, Inc.– Phone: 703-610-1754– Email: astern@noblis.org

• Brenda Boyce, Mixon/Hill, Inc.– Phone: 913-239-8400– Email:

Brenda.Boyce@mixonhill.com• Lee Mixon, Mixon/Hill, Inc.

– Phone: 913-239-8400– Email: Lee.Mixon@mixonhill.com

• Chris Hill, Mixon/Hill, Inc.– Phone: 540-822-9717– Email: Chris.Hill@mixonhill.com

• Kyle Garrett, Mixon/Hill, Inc.– Phone: 913-239-8400– Email:

Kyle.Garrett@mixonhill.com