Extended Abstract (112K)18.10
Evaluation of the accuracy of road and bridge forecasts provided to the Iowa DOT
John J. Mewes, Meridian Environmental Technology, Inc., Grand Forks, ND; and R. Hart and D. Burkheimer
Contractual performance criteria and mandatory forecast verification are being evaluated by several state Departments of Transportation as a means of ensuring that a dependable winter maintenance forecast service is obtained. Toward this end, Meridian Environmental Technology, Inc. has performed a critical evaluation of the operational road and bridge temperature forecasts it provided to the Iowa DOT during the 2002-2003 winter maintenance season. The results, based on over 1.25 million forecast / observation pairs, set a reasonable benchmark for forecast performance within the industry. The evaluation also illustrates the complexities of forecasting road and bridge temperatures, and exposes potentially erroneous readings from the road temperature sensors against which forecast quality must be gauged.
Session 18, Advances and Applications in Transportation Weather Part II (ROOM 6B)
Thursday, 15 January 2004, 1:30 PM-5:15 PM, Room 6B
Previous paper Next paper