Spatial Mapping of Winter Road Weather and Surface Conditions

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Being a northern country, winter conditions are a problem that many Canadians face each year. They make fortreacherous driving as the road conditions deteriorate by becoming snow-covered, ice-covered, or impassibledue to inundation. To mitigate such effects, cities and road authorities strive to maintain these roads to the bestof their abilities based on the information and experience on hand. However, the road network that needs to bemonitored and maintained is vastly large, and the costs are high, adding to the difficulties they face when tryingto service the roads while also keeping costs down. Acknowledging the gap in existing knowledge andmethodologies, this project aims to develop a repeatable yet transferrable method for estimating road surfaceconditions using one of the most important highway intelligent transportation system facilities - road weatherinformation systems (RWIS). The project utilizes big data and advanced modelling techniques to provide citiesand maintenance workers with a tool they need to better assess their roads' conditions and mobilize winter roadmaintenance services in a timely manner. The beneficiaries of this project will be every Canadian, as roads areimportant for everyday life in the city. Delays and collisions are environmentally, economically, and societallycostly; thus, it is in the best interest of everyone that the roads are serviced in a timely and economical way.Cities and road authorities will benefit from reduced costs while road users will enjoy safe driving experiencesduring winter. This will not only contribute to improving transportation safety and accessibility but alsoreducing environmental impacts and winter maintenance operational costs. Therefore, this project will helpCanada lead the way in the advancement and development of marketable technologies and skills in the field ofwinter road maintenance, big data analysis, and advanced artificial intelligence techniques. The outcomes ofthis project will contribute to building up Canada's innovative academic reputation and industrial excellencewhile help further diversify and advance its economy.