An Overview of Implementation and Deployment of the Pooled Fund Study Maintenance Decision Support System

Maintenance decision support systems (MDSS) are becoming an effective decision support tool for highway maintenance and operations’ requirements. An MDSS considers past, present, and future weather conditions, pavement conditions, and maintenance actions, as well as agency policies, practices and resources information, in the decision process. The development of the pooled fund study (PFS) MDSS has been guided by 10 state transportation agencies, and as such is accommodating a wide range of operating practices and deployment options. The PFS MDSS has been developed as an open system to which external data sources can be directed and integrated into the decision process. The PFS MDSS incorporates observations from surface weather observing networks (including roadway weather information systems) and integrates them with other remotely sensed meteorological information such as that collected from weather radars and satellites. The combined effects of these weather conditions and agency maintenance actions that have already been performed are simulated by using a sophisticated model, creating an ongoing assessment of current and recent road conditions along agency-defined maintenance routes. Using this same model, the current road condition (with its computed concentration of a deicing agent) and the forecasted weather conditions become the basis for route-specific treatment recommendations. Each recommendation considers available local resources (such as materials, equipment, and personnel), institutional policies and practices, and the specified level of service for the designated route. This paper will describe the development of the PFS research program and the resulting software. It will highlight the objectives of the program and summarize the accomplishments of PFS MDSS in meeting the operational needs of winter maintenance operations. The paper will also discuss the range of deployment options available and illustrate how these options can be tailored to meet the specific needs of the wide range of agencies tasked with winter maintenance activities.