Resources
Since its inception, CWIMS has worked closely with the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) to investigate opportunities to improve weather-related traffic safety, mobility, and maintenance operations that are affected by surface roadway weather in Iowa.
CWIMS also supports and collaborates with other agencies in a similar vein. The following resources are instrumental in CWIMS’s work, and are helpful to anyone with an interest in weather and transportation.
State of Iowa
Iowa Environmental Mesonet
The Iowa Environmental Mesonet (IEM) collects, archives, and distributes environmental data from cooperating members with observing networks. This includes a variety of raw and derived information products using the Road Weather Information System (RWIS) (http://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/RWIS/) data, such as a composite of roadway webcam images (https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/current/webcam.php#IDOT-0). The Iowa DOT has played a central role in the RWIS data collection.
The IEM was established and maintained as a partnership between Iowa State University, the Iowa Department of Transportation, the National Weather Service, and KCCI, the CBS affiliated television station in Des Moines, Iowa. The IEM won a national award for excellence in a public-private-university partnership.
Iowa DOT Open Data Portal
The Iowa DOT Open Data portal provides access to a variety of archived and real time data, including operations, crash, and asset inventory. These data are critical in performing integrated, comprehensive analyses.
Iowa DOT Winter Operations
The Iowa DOT winter operations performance site provides summary information regarding current winter events, historic events, historic costs (labor, equipment and materials), and outcomes.
National
FHWA Road Weather Management Program
The objective of the Road Weather Management Program is to understand the impacts of weather on roadways and promote strategies and tools to mitigate those impacts.
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service (NWS) provides a variety of valuable weather-related products, including current hazards, current conditions, radar, and forecasts. CWIMS and REACTOR are working with the Des Moines NWS office (http://www.weather.gov/dmx/) to integrate and analyze weather and traffic data.
Aurora
Aurora is an international partnership of public road agencies working together to perform joint road weather research.
Clear Roads
Clear Roads is a national research consortium focused on the rigorous testing of winter maintenance materials, equipment, and methods for use by highway maintenance crews.
AASHTO Snow and Ice Pooled Fund Cooperative Program (SICOP)
SICOP’s mission is the testing, evaluation and dissemination of winter maintenance technologies as well as a sustainable systems approach to snow and ice control in the U.S.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NOAA provides US-wide conditions, forecasts, and warnings using satellite imagery.
American Meteorological Society (AMS)
The American Meteorological Society (AMS) provides journals, newsletters, articles, and upcoming events in the world of weather.
Salt Institute
The Salt Institute is one of the most frequently used sources of information for winter operations among cities and counties.