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Best Practices for Road Weather Management Version 2.0

Best Practices > Publications > Publication Titles

Title:

Evolution of The U.S. Department of Transportation Clarus Initiative: Project Status and Future Plans

Abstract:

The U.S. DOT FHWA Road Weather Management Program, in conjunction with the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Joint Program Office (JPO) established the Clarus Initiative in 2004 to help reduce the impact of adverse weather on surface transportation users. The goal of Clarus is to create a robust data assimilation, quality checking, data management, and dissemination system that can provide atmospheric and pavement observations from the collective state's investments in road weather information system (RWIS), environmental sensor stations (ESS). The Initiative has undergone rapid development using proven systems engineering practices and soliciting guidance from an active multidisciplinary stakeholder group. In Fall 2006, the Clarus Initiative shifted from its initial development phase to a proof-of-concept demonstration, processing data from three State DOTs. In addition to systems engineering, there has been substantial work performed to optimize quality checking algorithms in the Clarus System for ESS observations and to define the final developmental phase. This phase, the Clarus regional demonstration, will test the ability of the network to perform as designed, and also challenge users to be innovative in the creation of new observational, forecast and decision support products. Such products are intended to ultimately create a safer and more efficient surface transportation system. This paper reviews the development of the Clarus Initiative to date, and provide details about its future plans.

Source(s):

FHWA, Mitretek Systems, Inc. and Mixon/Hill, Inc.

http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/weather/resources/publications/fhwa/evolclarusams07.pdf

Date: 2006

Author:

Pisano, et al

Keywords:


Road Weather Information System (RWIS)
Observing network
Internet/Web site
Institutional issues
Observing network

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