What The WebMDSS Heads-Up Display Is And Why You Should Use It

Looking for a way to view the road ahead and sub-surface conditions? The heads-up display (HUD) feature in Iteris’ web-based maintenance decision support system (WebMDSS) provides a visual representation of the analyzed and forecast pavement conditions produced by the Highway Condition Analysis and Prediction System (HiCAPS) pavement model.

To access the HUD, user can click on a route and then navigate to the bottom of the information panel on the right-hand side of the screen to click the HUD road icon to the right of the graph view icon. This will bring the user to the HUD.

Main sections within HUD

Once you have accessed the HUD panel, information regarding the road conditions and pavement information can be viewed. There are four main sections of the HUD:

• Cross-section – found in the center of the page is a cross-section of the roadway. The cross-section can be viewed at multiple angles with the surface conditions displayed over time, which can help the user understand what is on the road. Road conditions are displayed in a three-dimensional view in various colors above the road surface.

• Header bar – found at the very top of the screen are the route name, navigation buttons and three dropdown menus. The dropdowns help select the section of road, road surface and if the roadway information is with or without the MDSS recommended treatment.

• Information panel – found on the far left of the screen is information on the selected route. Atmospheric data, pavement data and maintenance recommendation information can be viewed individually or all at once.

• Graphical view – found below the cross-sectional view are graphs of Maintenance, Pavement Conditions, Pavement Temperature and Precipitation Probability.

Sub-pavement information

Only found within the HUD view, sub-surface composition and temperatures for the selected route can be viewed. On the left-hand side of the screen, below the information panel, a diagram of the road composition below the surface is displayed with a graph of the modeled temperatures below the surface. This information is helpful as displays where the freezing line is and how far below the surface the temperatures are estimated to stay below freezing, indicating whether ice will accumulate on the roadway or if the warmer sub-pavement temperatures will help to melt any moisture.

Robert Bergman IP

This design was created by Robert Bergman, who holds a patent on the HUD design. In Robert’s opinion: “One of the largest benefits of the HUD is [the ability] to correlate MDSS recommended maintenance actions with how the roadway is affected at that time.” By looking at the cross-section, the user can get instant feedback into what the MDSS maintenance actions will do to the roadway. When switching the view from MDSS Treatment to No Treatment, the user can evaluate the change in the conditions of the road, which offers insight into the consequences of providing no treatment to the roadway, compared with following MDSS guidelines.

Coming Soon

A feature in the works will allow a user to propose their own custom recommendations for application to the roadway. Using the HUD, the road conditions will appear as though the roadway has been treated with your own recommendations to see the anticipated road conditions as a result of that application.

The Bottom Line

The HUD provides an advanced view of road conditions and residual conditions on the roadway. With displays of what can be found on the roadways, graphical views and numerical data of maintenance and pavement information, and sub-surface data, the HUD proves to be an excellent tool within WebMDSS to view the road conditions ahead.