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Road Weather Management Performance Metrics Development: An Update

Chris Cluett, Leon Osborne, Arthur Handman, Jeff Jenq

ITS America 2007 Annual Meeting

Palm Springs, CA

Session 17

Monday, June 4, 2007

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FHWA’s Road Weather Management Program Seeks to:

• Encourage partnership and collaboration leading to better understanding of the impacts of weather (snow, rain, fog, wind, heat, etc.) on highway operations

• Develop, promote and implement strategies, tools and technologies to mitigate those impacts

• Provide outreach and training

• Develop measures that can be used to evaluate and compare alternative road weather management strategies and assess their performance against SAFETEA-LU goals

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What is Performance Measurement?

• The process of applying measurable indicators that can be systematically tracked to assess:– progress toward achieving intended program outputs

and outcomes (are we making progress in the right direction?);

– program activities and their contribution to achieving the desired goals and objectives (are our actions helping us reach our goals?).

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Project Activities and Deliverables

• Period of Performance: Nov. 06 to Nov. 07 (1 yr)

• Literature Review and Synthesis

• Developed Hypotheses and Preliminary Measures– Conducted stakeholder workshop

• Obtaining feedback from general weather and transportation communities through an RFI– USDOT, NOAA, AASHTO, ITE, State DOT’s, Aurora,

TRB, TMC Pooled Fund, private sector, academia, etc.

• Refine metrics and prepare technical memo– Flyer

– Presentation materials

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Literature Review and Synthesis

• Reviewed more than 135 documents in weather & road weather; traffic, maintenance, and transit management; safety; and related disciplines

• Identified

–Lessons learned in state and federal agencies- Federal: US DOT, FHWA, FAA, NOAA, NSF, OMB

- State: AASHTO, State DOTs

–Possible application to FHWA RWMe.g. establish and apply best practices

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Literature Review and Synthesis

• Reasons to adopt performance measures:

–Accountability

–Efficiency

–Effectiveness

–Communications

–Clarity

– Improvement Over Time

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Workshop and Request for Information

• A workshop was held April 24, 2007 in Washington, DC with federal and state agency participants

• Reviewed draft set of metrics organized by SAFETEA-LU goals, RWM program objectives, performance hypotheses, and draft output and outcome metrics

• The metrics were revised and the set of outcome metrics were distributed on-line to about 240 stakeholders across the country for further feedback and suggestions

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SAFETY-LU Section 5308 WRMP Goals

Develop performance measures to evaluate RWMP success in achieving Section 5308 goals:

Maximize use of available road weather information and technologies;

Expand road weather R&D efforts to enhance roadway safety, capacity, and efficiency while minimizing environmental impacts; and

Promote technology transfer of effective road weather scientific and technological advances.

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Specifying Goals and Objectives

• The goal is where we want to be. Goals are more abstract and broad.– First SAFETEA-LU Goal: Maximize use of available road

weather information and technologies

• The objectives are the steps needed to achieve the goal. Objectives are more concrete and specific.– Maximize access to and use of current road weather data

and information

– Maximize use of road weather forecast information

– Maximize use of integrated weather and traffic data

– Promote deployment and adoption of mobile environmental sensor station technology

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Specifying Hypotheses

• SAFETEA-LU Goal: Maximize use of available road weather information and technologies

• RWM Program Objective: Maximize access to and use of current road weather data and information

• Hypothesis: Current road weather data are available, accessible from various sources, and used by agencies, and with proper quality control provide accurate and reliable road weather information to transportation agencies and the traveling public

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Measuring Outputs and Outcomes

• Outputs describe the processes, functions, services and products produced by a program and usually are measured at regular intervals.

» Number of agencies using current road weather information to make advisory, control and treatment decisions

» Number of travelers having access to travel-related weather information

• Outcomes describe the goal (intended result, consequence or benefit of carrying out a program).

» Reduction in travel times and delays associated with the use of road weather information

» User satisfaction with road weather information and technologies

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Metrics: Questions and CriteriaMetrics: Questions and Criteria

• Are the measures relevant – do they get to the heart of the goals and objectives?

• Are the measures too complex, at the expense of being readily understood by all affected parties?

• Do the measures support comparative assessments across agencies?

• Are the data to support the measures readily available?

• Are the costs to collect, validate, and update the underlying data reasonable?

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RFI On-Line Survey (~240 Stakeholders)

OutcomeMetrics

Good(Keep it)

Fair(Improve it)

Poor(Drop it) Comments

List of draft metrics □ □ □Option to add metrics

If you would like to take the survey to comment on the draft metrics, please provide us your e-mail address and we will send you the survey.

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Next Steps

• Refine the metrics based on RFI responses

• Prepare a technical memorandum–Summarize project and findings

–Recommend measures and data sources

• Prepare a communication flyer to promote the use of the performance metrics

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For More Information, Contact:

• Roemer Alfelor, FHWA RWMPRoemer.Alfelor@dot.gov

• Chris Cluett, BattelleCluett@battelle.org

• Leon Osborne, Meridian Environmental TechnologyLeono@rwic.und.edu

• Arthur Handman, KMJ ConsultingAhandman@kmjinc.com