scholarly journals Developing Statewide Optimal RWIS Density Guidelines Using Space-Time Semivariogram Models

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Simita Biswas ◽  
Tae J. Kwon
Keyword(s):  
Surface Condition ◽  
Space Time ◽  
Optimization Techniques ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Road Maintenance ◽  
Weather Information ◽  
Regional Topography ◽  
Winter Road ◽  
Near Future

Preventing weather-related crashes is a significant part of maintaining the safety and mobility of the travelling public during winter months. To help mitigate detrimental effects of winter road conditions, transportation authorities rely on real-time and near-future road weather and surface condition information disseminated by road weather information systems (RWIS) to make more timely and accurate winter road maintenance-related decisions. However, the significant costs of these systems motivate governments to develop a framework for determining a region-specific optimal RWIS density. Building on our previous study to facilitate regional network optimization, this study is aimed at considering the nature of spatiotemporally varying RWIS measurements and integrating larger case studies comprising eight different US states. Space-time semivariogram models were developed to quantify the representativeness of RWIS measurements and examine their effects on regional topography and weather severity for improved generalization. The optimal RWIS density for different topographic and weather severity regions was then determined via one of the most successful combinatorial optimization techniques—particle swarm optimization. The findings of this study revealed a strong dependency of optimal RWIS density on varying environmental characteristics of the region under investigation. It is anticipated that the RWIS density guidelines developed in this study will provide decision makers with a tool they need to help design a long-term RWIS implementation plan.

A geostatistical approach to winter road surface condition estimation using mobile RWIS data

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 511-521
Author(s):  
Lian Gu ◽  
Tae J. Kwon ◽  
Tony Z. Qiu
Keyword(s):  
Robust Regression ◽  
Surface Condition ◽  
Road Surface ◽  
Road Maintenance ◽  
Surface Conditions ◽  
Modelling Framework ◽  
Geostatistical Approach ◽  
Winter Road ◽  
Systematic Framework

In winter, it is critical for cold regions to have a full understanding of the spatial variation of road surface conditions such that hot spots (e.g., black ice) can be identified for an effective mobilization of winter road maintenance operations. Acknowledging the limitations in present study, this paper proposes a systematic framework to estimate road surface temperature (RST) via the geographic information system (GIS). The proposed method uses a robust regression kriging method to take account for various geographical factors that may affect the variation of RST. A case study of highway segments in Alberta, Canada is used to demonstrate the feasibility and applicability of the method proposed herein. The findings of this study suggest that the geostatistical modelling framework proposed in this paper can accurately estimate RST with help of various covariates included in the model and further promote the possibility of continuous monitoring and visualization of road surface conditions.

scholarly journals A Geostatistical Investigation into the Effective Spatiotemporal Coverage of Road Weather Information Systems in Alberta, Canada

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Xu Wang ◽  
Lian Gu ◽  
Tae J. Kwon ◽  
Tony Z. Qiu
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Road Maintenance ◽  
The Road ◽  
Weather Information ◽  
Geostatistical Approach ◽  
Adverse Weather ◽  
Winter Road ◽  
Winter Road Maintenance

Inclement weather acutely affects road surface and driving conditions and can negatively impact traffic mobility and safety. Highway authorities have long been using road weather information systems (RWISs) to mitigate the risk of adverse weather on traffic. The data gathered, processed, and disseminated by such systems can improve both the safety of the traveling public as well as the effectiveness of winter road maintenance operations. As the road authorities continue to invest in expanding their existing RWIS networks, there is a growing need to determine the optimal deployment strategies for RWISs. To meet such demand, this study presents an innovative geostatistical approach to quantitatively analyze the spatiotemporal variations of the road weather and surface conditions. With help of constructed semivariograms, this study quantifies and examines both the spatial and temporal coverage of RWIS data. A case study of Alberta, which is one of the leaders in Canada in the use of RWISs, was conducted to indicate the reliability and applicability of the method proposed herein. The findings of this research offer insight for constructing a detailed spatiotemporal RWIS database to manage and deploy different types of RWISs, optimize winter road maintenance resources, and provide timely information on inclement road weather conditions for the traveling public.

Winter Road Condition Recognition Using Video Image Classification

1998 ◽  
Vol 1627 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Kuehnle ◽  
Wilco Burghout
Keyword(s):  
Network Architecture ◽  
Video Camera ◽  
Road Maintenance ◽  
Video Cameras ◽  
The Road ◽  
Weather Information ◽  
Road Condition ◽  
Maintenance Decisions ◽  
Winter Road ◽  
Hidden Neurons

Sweden spends 1.7 billion Crowns on winter road maintenance annually. A large part of this money goes into plowing, salting, and sanding of the roads. The decision about what maintenance to perform is made, in part, based on data received from road weather information stations, some of which are also equipped with video cameras. These video cameras form an additional unexploited sensor for determining the road condition during winter. Images taken from a handheld roadside video camera are investigated here to see if it is possible to determine the road state (dry, wet, snowy, icy, snowy with tracks) from the video images alone. The system is intended to supplement the other weather station measurements, such as temperature and wind speed, and make better maintenance decisions and quality control of maintenance possible. The results indicate that it is possible to distinguish between all road states except for ice/wet and ice/tracks. Typical class separations are a Mahanalobis distance between 0 and 2. Neural networks with three or four input features, three to five hidden neurons, and a sigmoid-sigmoid-linear architecture are used to classify the road state. Rates of correct classification are typically 40 to 50 percent with these networks. There are useful feature combinations, including purely monochrome features, which do not depend on the network architecture.

scholarly journals Map support of winter road maintenance

Geografie ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 114 (3) ◽  
pp. 218-229
Author(s):  
David Konečný
Keyword(s):  
Road Maintenance ◽  
Winter Maintenance ◽  
The Road ◽  
Weather Information ◽  
Maintenance System ◽  
Road Condition ◽  
System Operator ◽  
Winter Road ◽  
Weather Stations ◽  
Maintenance Activities

The aim of this paper is to present road weather information system and map sources which can be used by winter maintenance system operator to clarify his perception of road meteorological situation in order to be able to take well-founded decision while managing maintenance activities. Presently the so-called status map showing current warnings from road weather stations is the principal map in winter maintenance. In its new version displaying the map of any feature measured by outstations as well as layer handling and zooming will be available. Map outputs of the model forecasting the road condition and temperature are described in the last chapter.

scholarly journals Challenges and opportunities for human geography: A few remarks

2020 ◽  
Vol 93 (4) ◽  
pp. 525-537
Author(s):  
Vladimír Ira ◽  
René Matlovič
Keyword(s):  
Hierarchical Structures ◽  
Human Geography ◽  
Space Time ◽  
Global Changes ◽  
Technological Changes ◽  
Common Base ◽  
Behavioural Patterns ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Near Future

n the long-term development of human geography we can observe a tendency to combine ideas from an intradisciplinary debate and those imported from outside the discipline. It is profoundly influenced by a number of impulses from the rapidly changing world. This paper provides a brief survey of challenges for human geography setting them within the context of paradigmatic development and economic, social, cultural, environmental, political, and technological changes. It briefly focuses on the debates of human geographers what their discipline could or should study in the near future and how it could be done. Part of the paper is devoted to a few reflections of authors from the Visegrad Four countries concentrating attention to further direction of human geography. Human geography is unlikely to be characterised by a mono-paradigm dominance in the next few decades, but a discussion on how to find a common base for the integration of paradigms in geography is likely to continue. Changing hierarchical structures, significant modernization processes, as well as local, regional and global changes influencing space-time behavioural patterns of humans can be expected among the main sources of inspiration for the human geographic research.

scholarly journals Monitoring of The Impact of Road Salting On Spruce Forest Ecosystem In The Vicinity of The Highway D1 In The Bohemian-Moravian Highlands, Czech Republic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jitka Hegrová ◽  
Lubomír Prokeš ◽  
Petr Anděl ◽  
Martina Bucková ◽  
Vilma Jandová ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Sodium Concentration ◽  
Road Maintenance ◽  
Winter Maintenance ◽  
The Road ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Winter Road ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Winter Road Maintenance

Abstract Monitoring of pollution in the vicinity of roads connected to winter road maintenance is one of the important tools for optimising winter maintenance technology and reducing its environmental impact. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between winter road maintenance and the increased concentration of sodium ion to characterize the harm caused by the de-icing agents on selected types of individual components grown in the Norway Spruce ecosystem. The model area is located in the immediate vicinity of the D1 motorway connecting Prague and Brno (Czech Republic), at 103rd kilometer. The area is thus exposed to long-term contamination from automobile transport and the monitoring was carried out for three consecutive years. A clear effect of the de-icing agents on conifers near the road has been demonstrated by the symptoms of salt damage visually observed in close proximity to the road (at a sampling distance of 5 m). The needles of these spruce trees also showed increased sodium concentrations, regardless of the age of the needles. The study also confirms that sodium accumulates in all selected components of the analysed ecosystem (moos, humus, soil). The sodium concentration has been found to decrease with increasing distance from the road for all of the components.

scholarly journals Policy Forum: Crisis, Cleanup, and the Prospect of Long-Term Fiscal Change

2021 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 1009-1029
Author(s):  
Shirley Tillotson
Keyword(s):  
Life Experience ◽  
Second World War ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Post War ◽  
The Moment ◽  
Near Future ◽  
Income Assistance ◽  
Policy Forum ◽  
Second World

In this article, Shirley Tillotson compares policies adopted by the Canadian government to address the fiscal demands of the Second World War with a widely available income-assistance measure introduced in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She also discusses elements of post-war tax administration with an eye to parallels that can help us to think about our current situation and plans for the near future. Emphasizing the great difficulties and worries that burdened decision makers in the earlier period, Tillotson underscores the need for modesty in our expectations and urges attention to both contingencies of the moment (such as the life experience of key decision makers) and the longer-term structural dynamics at play (such as changes in the composition of the labour market).

Demographic gaps between Syrian and the European populations: What do they suggest?

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mustafa Murat Yucesahin ◽  
Ibrahim Sirkeci
Keyword(s):  
Transition Theory ◽  
World Population ◽  
Demographic Analysis ◽  
Demographic Differences ◽  
Syrian Crisis ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Syrian Population ◽  
Displaced People ◽  
Near Future

Syrian crisis resulted in at least 6.1 million externally displaced people 983,876 of whom are in Europe while the rest are in neighbouring countries in the region. Turkey, due to its geographical proximity and substantial land borders with the country, has been the most popular destination for those fleeing Syria since April 2011. Especially after 2012, a sharp increase in the number of Syrian refugees arriving in Turkey was witnessed. This has triggered an exponential growth in academic and public interest in Syrian population. Numerous reports mostly based on non-representative sample surveys have been disseminated whilst authoritative robust analyses remained absent. This study aims to fill this gap by offering a comprehensive demographic analysis of the Syrian population. We focus on the demographic differences (from 1950s to 2015) and demographic trends (from 2015 to 2100) in medium to long term, based on data from World Population Prospects (WPP). We offer a comparative picture to underline potential changes and convergences between populations in Syria, Turkey, Germany, and the United Kingdom. We frame our discussion here with reference to the demographic transition theory to help understanding the implications for movers and non-movers in receiving countries in the near future.

Saskatchewan Highways and Transportation Reduced Tire Pressure Initiative

1997 ◽  
Vol 1589 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas L. Davies ◽  
Tami F. Wall ◽  
Allan Carpentier
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Membrane Surface ◽  
Vehicle Stability ◽  
Road Maintenance ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Tire Pressure ◽  
Reduced Pressure ◽  
Maintenance Costs ◽  
Short And Long Term

After examination of the research carried out by other agencies, Saskatchewan Highways and Transportation (SHT) embarked on an initiative to adapt low tire pressure technologies to the province's needs and environment. The focus of the initiative was to explore several technical questions from SHT's perspective: (a) Can low tire pressures be used to increase truck weights from secondary to primary without increasing road maintenance costs on thin membrane surface roads? (b) What are the short- and long-term effects of tire heating under high-speed/high-deflection constant reduced pressure (CRP) operations in a Saskatchewan environment? (c) What effects do lower tire pressures have on vehicle stability at highway speeds? To date, significant opportunities have been noted on local hauls (less than 30 min loaded at highway speeds) for CRP operation and long primary highway hauls that begin or end in relatively short secondary highway sections that limit vehicle weight allowed for the whole trip for central tire inflation technology. The background and environment for the initiative and the investigations and demonstrations envisioned and undertaken are briefly outlined.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document