Purpose of Field Research Test Facility
Although Road Weather Information Systems (RWIS) are recognized as potentially critical sources of road weather data, concerns remain as to their effectiveness in providing appropriate, high-quality road weather information.
From these concerns it is clear there is a need for:
- Long-term field evaluation of RWIS-Environmental Sensor System (ESS) components.
- A framework for incorporation of RWIS-ESS data validation within an applied weather and road condition environment.
Site Description
The test facility is a joint effort between the state, university and private sectors to determine the efficacy of existing and future RWIS-ESS data to provide support for research and operations. Located along and adjacent to Interstate 29 in eastern North Dakota, the field test site, expected to be operational by the end of December 2004, will provide in situ field test resources to conduct sensor validation from multiple technologies during weather extremes. In addition, the field research site will provide the capability to explore methods to validate road weather forecast methods using RWIS-ESS.
Research Support Activities
- Pavement Temperature Validation
- Freeze Point Temperature
- Soil Moisture Beneath Pavement
- Chemical Concentration Testing System
- Precipitation Onset/Accumulation Estimation and Validation
- Test to Measure Snow Flux and Various Heights
- Comparison of Modeled Temperatures versus Measured Temperatures
- Lower Boundary Heat Flux and Heat Flow in Subsurface