1. Road Weather Information Systems (RWIS)
Snow Conference, Saskatoon
September 2018
Ted Reeler P. Eng.

2. 55,000 people, 60 countries, 400+ offices worldwide
wood plc
Wood is a global leader in technical, engineering and project services
over
160
years of
experience
around
$10BN
revenue
55,000 people, 60 countries, 400+ offices worldwide
A presentation by Wood.

3. Met-Ocean Services
A Team of Meteorologists, Scientists and Technologists
20 meteorologists
20 information management staff
10 staff scientists
10 equipment service technicians
Primary Business Lines
Road Weather Forecasting
Energy Forecasting
Marine Forecasting
Climate Consulting
Instrumentation services
Information management services
Mississauga Ottawa Halifax St. John’s
A presentation by Wood.

4. Road Weather Information Systems
450 RWIS Sites
in 7 Canadian Provinces monitored in real time
15 Years
Monitoring and Analysing Pavement Condition Temperature Models
RWIS

5. What is RWIS - Road Weather Information Systems
Wind Speed/Direction
30 foot roadside meteorological folding tower
Traffic Camera
Air Temperature / Pressure
Snow Depth Sensor
RWIS Processing Unit RPU
Tipping Bucket Rain Gauge
Road Surface Sensor
RWIS helps Provinces and Municipalities to
Keep Winter Roads Safe
RWIS tells them:
When will the Pavement Freeze?
When will chemicals be required?
When to clear the Winter Roads?
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A presentation by Wood.

6. RWIS Weather Web Portal
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A presentation by Wood.

7. Radar Precipitation Types
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A presentation by Wood.

8. Atmospheric Local Area Forecast
Atmospheric Forecasts
Atmospheric Local Area Forecast
A presentation by Wood.

9. Pavement Temperature Forecast
Pavement Temperature Forecasts
Pavement Temperature Forecast
A presentation by Wood.

10. Local Area Forecast and Pavement Temperature Forecast for Smartphones
Smartphone Formats
Local Area Forecast and Pavement Temperature Forecast for Smartphones
A presentation by Wood.

11. Data Accessibility
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A presentation by Wood.

12. Maintenance Decision Support (MDSS)
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A presentation by Wood.

13. Mini RWIS Stations
As a supplement to the Full RWIS Network
Providing Additional Data, Cameras and Forecasting Potential
low cost; basic instrumentation; include a camera; polled only once per hour;
air temperature; non invasive pavement temperature; relative humidity; dew point;
at locations in remote areas with no power (solar powered);
at temporary locations and/or for a lower cost (potentially movable).
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A presentation by Wood.

14. Mini RWIS Stations
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A presentation by Wood.

15. Mobile RWIS
A presentation by Wood.

16. Mobile RWIS
A presentation by Wood.

17. Virtual RWIS Add caption over coloured rectangle on detailed images.
Additional pavement temperature forecasts
along critical sections of highway; showing differences for localized micro climates;
interpolated between 2 or more existing RWIS stations;
monitored by mobile RWIS to improve the quality; mobile data is collected (light and dark blue);
pavement temperature profiles are developed over time;
cold patches are identified along the highway in different weather conditions;
localized micro climates are analyzed in more detail.
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A presentation by Wood.

18. Roads Structural Integrity
A presentation by Wood.

19. Road Condition Warning System (RCWS)
Specialized RWIS Instrumentation
Specialized Weather Models for Micro Climates
Dynamic Message Signs activated
Alerts Sent to Authorities
Highways Closed
Vaisala Visibility Sensor
A presentation by Wood.

20. Tantramar Marsh RCWS between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia
Whiteout conditions closed the Trans Canada Highway for 12+ hours in February 2015
A collaborative warning system was developed for the Sackville to Amherst corridor
A presentation by Wood.

21. Public Facing 511 Interactive Map
Based on Severe Weather Forecasts with Thresholded Values
Interactive map available on line
Alerts the public of any inclement weather affecting driving conditions
Based on severe weather forecasts with thresholded values
Categorized Driving Conditions; Good / Fair / Caution / Poor
A presentation by Wood.

22. Winter Severity Index Calculation of winter severity by area:
based on precipitation (snow, freezing rain), freeze thaw cycles, wind (blowing snow);
accumulating values over the winter season;
tailored for Performance Based Snow Clearing Contracts.
A presentation by Wood.

23. Road Weather Forecasting for Truck Companies
Transportation Companies deploy their vehicles on cross country trips
Forecast Freezing Roads, High Winds and Low Visibility along road segments
Thresholded to Corporate Safety Standards
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A presentation by Wood.

24. Dashboards Showing Hazards
Specialized Alerting based on specific concerns
Industries and Organizations have their own safety thresholds
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A presentation by Wood.

25. Questions Ted Reeler P. Eng. Senior Project Manager
Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
ext. 2365