Automated Real-Time Weather Detection System using Artificial Intelligence

Adverse weather conditions, such as snow, rain, and fog, can directly impact roadway safety, by reducing the visibility and roadway surface friction, negatively affecting vehicles' and drivers' performance. In Wyoming, the number of snow-related crashes are particularly significant. Merely in winter 2018, there were 1,438 snow-related crashes, which resulted in fatalities, extended closures, and significant economic loss. Therefore, detection of real-time weather conditions and providing timely Traveler Information Messages to drivers are crucial for safe driving. The state-of-practice of broadcasting road weather information to travelers has been predominantly based on sporadic and expensive Road Weather Information Systems. With consideration of the limitations of the existing weather detection systems, and in view of the opportunity of the emerging video-image processing technologies, this research aims at developing an affordable weather detection system, which will use video images collected primarily by the WYDOT roadside fixed webcams and secondarily by examining the feasibility of extending the algorithms to snow plows trajectory-level cameras. The product of this research will assist WYDOT with providing road users with accurate and reliable road surface weather conditions, resulting in safer travel decisions and more conservative driving behaviors to mitigate the negative impacts of adverse weather on traffic safety.

• Record URL:
  http://www.dot.state.wy.us/files/live/sites/wydot/files/shared/Planning/Research/Completed%20Projects%20for%202009/RS05220%20Automated%20Weather%20Detection%20using%20AI.pdf
• Record URL:
  https://www.mountain-plains.org/research/downloads/2020-mpc-630-project-update.pdf
• 

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $162315
• Contract Numbers:

  RS05220

  69A3551747108

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Wyoming Department of Transportation

  5300 Bishop Boulevard
  Cheyenne, WY  United States  82009-3340
• Managing Organizations:

  Wyoming Department of Transportation

  5300 Bishop Boulevard
  Cheyenne, WY  United States  82009-3340
• Project Managers:

  Garcia, Vince

  Tolliver, Denver

• Performing Organizations:

  University of Wyoming, Laramie

  1000 E University Avenue, Department 3295
  Laramie, WY  United States  82071

  Mountain-Plains Consortium

  North Dakota State University
  Fargo, ND  United States  58108
• Principal Investigators:

  Ahmed, Mohamed

• Start Date: 20200106
• Expected Completion Date: 20220531
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• Source Data: MPC-630

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Artificial intelligence; Detection and identification technologies; Real time information; Road weather information systems; Snow; Weather conditions
• Identifier Terms: Wyoming Department of Transportation
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Environment; Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01732206
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Wyoming Department of Transportation
• Contract Numbers: RS05220, 69A3551747108
• Files: UTC, RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Feb 26 2020 4:21PM