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Storm indexing process to be presented at national conference

ITD’s innovative and aggressive approach to battling winter storms and documenting maintenance responses will be discussed in a national arena this spring.

Storm indexing, a process developed in District 5 and adopted statewide, provides ITD with empirical data to determine the severity of winter storms and the effectiveness in clearing snow and ice from highways. ITD is the only state to apply storm indexing to its winter maintenance activities – a further example of how the department is emerging as a national transportation leader.

Bob Koeberlein, ITD mobility services engineer, received confirmation last week that a proposal to share the department’s storm indexing processing at the Intelligence Transportation of America (ITS America) annual meeting in Nashville.

Dennis Jensen drafted the “Winter Maintenance Performance Measures” paper and submitted it for presentation as part of the Technical Program at the annual meeting, April 22-24. The ITS America meeting will be at the Gaylord Opryland Convention Center. Jensen is ITD’s mobility services – winter maintenance coordinator.

As part of the invitation to present, Jensen will be given the opportunity to participate in a two-hour interactive/virtual display in the exhibit hall to provide additional details about ITD’s storm indexing process.

The Swedish Road Administration has expressed interest in ITD’s storm indexing, said Paul Bridge of Vaisala. The international technology consultant works with ITD to make weather and highway information available to the public.

The theme for this year’s annual meeting and exposition is “Real Progress – Great Future.” It will focus on how far states have come in the deployment of ITS technologies and illustrate how much more can be done to “create a connected, efficient, sustainable and safe transportation system.”

ITS America was founded in 1991 as a Federal Advisory Committee to the U.S. Department of Transportation. It now operates as a non-profit organization and is the “leading advocate for deployment of technologies that improve the safety, security and efficiency of the nation's surface transportation system.”

Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) encompass a broad range of wireless and wire-line communications, information processing, advanced computing, and electronics technologies. When integrated into the nation’s roadways, vehicles, and public transit systems, these technologies can help reduce congestion, enhance mobility options and help save lives.

Members include private corporations, public agencies and academic institutions involved in the research, development and deployment of ITS technologies.