Passenger bus industry weather information application (PBI WxApp)

Global Science & Technology, Inc.

FHWA-JPO-11-123

Tech Report

United States

Project findings.

Paul Pisano

United States. Joint Program Office for Intelligent Transportation Systems

NTL-INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS-Road Weather Management ; NTL-PLANNING AND POLICY-Surveys ; NTL-PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION-Bus Transportation ;

Adverse weather significantly affects the United States national transportation system, including commercial companies

that rely on highways to support their enterprises. The Passenger Bus (Motorcoach) Industry (PBI) is one such affected

user whose operational efficiency, occupant safety, and the cost of services can be compromised by adverse weather.

The primary objective of the Passenger Bus Industry Weather Information Application (PBI WxApp) is to integrate

mobile platform environmental observations with fixed-site (airports and road-weather stations) observations in order to

create a window of meteorological information along a commercial vehicle’s intended travel route. The expected

outcome is situational awareness for drivers, passengers, and dispatchers or other operations personnel, including

those who use decision support systems. Mobile platform observations describe environmental conditions in locations

not sampled by fixed-site road-weather equipment. Consequently, the PBI WxApp includes input data that is dynamic

and oft times rapidly changing when the vehicles encounter storms and precipitation.

This report will describe the development of the PBI WxApp and its general outcomes. The findings show that mobile

platform data are reliable and provide a weather window that is more complete than any single source of data.

PDF

DTFH61-10-R-00015

Federal Highway Administration
Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office Digital Library