Road Weather Information System

An RWIS station

A Road Weather Information System (RWIS) comprises automatic weather stations (technically referred to as Environmental Sensor Stations (ESS)) in the field, a communication system for data transfer, and central systems to collect field data from numerous ESS. These stations measure real-time atmospheric, pavement, water level conditions, and visibility. Central RWIS hardware and software are used to process observations from ESS to develop nowcasts or forecasts, and display or disseminate road weather information in a format that can be easily interpreted by a manager. RWIS data are used by road operators and maintainers to support decision making.^[1] Real-time RWIS data is also used by Automated Warning Systems (AWS).

Sensors

Thermometer for measuring temperature and pavement conditions
Anemometer for measuring wind speed
Wind vane for measuring wind direction
Visibility sensor for detecting fog and smoke
Rain gauge for measuring precipitation

References

↑ US FHWA Road Weather Management FAQ

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Earth-based meteorological observation systems and weather stations

General

Aircraft report (AIREP) Automated airport weather station Automatic weather station (AWS) Binary Universal Form for the Representation of meteorological data (BUFR) Dropsonde Hurricane Hunters Mesonet Meteorological Aerodrome Report (METAR) Pilot report (PIREP) Weather ship

By region

Worldwide	Aircraft Communication Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) Aircraft Meteorological Data Relay (AMDAR) Argo Automated Meteorological Data Acquisition System (AMeDAS) Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis (DART) FluxNet Project (FluxNet) Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) Global Sea Level Observing System (GLOSS) Prediction and Research Moored Array in the Atlantic (PIRATA) Research Moored Array for African-Asian-Australian Monsoon Analysis and Prediction (RAMA) Tropical Atmosphere Ocean project (TAO/TRITON) Voluntary observing ship program

United States	Citizen Weather Observer Program (CWOP) Coastal-Marine Automated Network (C-MAN) NEXRAD radar Snow Telemetry (SNOTEL) Remote Automated Weather Station (RAWS) Road Weather Information System (RWIS) Tropospheric Airborne Meteorological Data Reporting (TAMDAR)

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