The expansion in affordable technology and communications has provided unparalleled access to data and information to user communities for weather services. With this has come the growing challenge to service providers of maintaining awareness of the end-user's capabilities to utilize information and their perception of how information should be provided. Their exposure to such rapid changes in technology has come at the price of the end-user not necessarily understanding the limitations that exist in the technology and science supporting their operational needs for weather.

This presentation addresses the implications of the growth in technology and communications on the surface transportation community and how this growth has made for interesting challenges for weather service providers to anticipate the user's needs and capabilities. The impact these factors have on the development and offering of weather services to the surface transportation user community are discussed.