Early Warning Sensor Network for Brown Out Conditions: Phase III - Pilot Implementation on I-10

The impact of windblown dust and sand on traffic safety has been on the rise in the tri-state area (Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico), owing in part to prolonged droughts that have dried soils and denuded vegetation and biological crusts. In recent years, large, multi-car pile-ups have occurred in all three states within the SOLARIS domain as well as in other states such as Oklahoma, Texas, and Colorado. It is established science that the movement of sand near the ground is responsible for the suspension of visibility impairing dust aloft. As part of an earlier Phase I SOLARIS study, significant improvements were made to a sand sensor prototype that was originally developed by the Investigators as a geomorphic research tool. In Phase II, focus shifted to pilot deployments at several key locations and iterative design improvements. Information from those deployments in relevant environments were used to identify areas for improvement. In this final phase (III) of this work, a complete pilot implementation of the early warning system will be emplaced in an environment relevant to brownout safety concerns. This Phase III component will be a collaborative effort between the Desert Research Institute (DRI) and the New Mexico State University. Data from this field deployment will be used to determine the utility of an early warning system and provide materials for outreach and technology transfer to the tri-state transportation agencies.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Principal Investigators:

  Etyemezian, Vicken

• Start Date: 20170401
• Expected Completion Date: 20180831
• Actual Completion Date: 20180831

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Brownfields; Drought; Dust control; Sand; Sensors; Traffic safety; Visibility; Warning systems
• Geographic Terms: Arizona; Colorado; Nevada; New Mexico; Oklahoma; Texas
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Environment; Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01632285
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Center for Advanced Transportation Education and Research (CATER)
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Apr 13 2017 4:20PM