February 21st, 2006
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Road Weather Information Systems (RWIS) are high-tech Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) for collecting, transferring and disseminating road weather information. RWIS provides transportation agencies with road and atmospheric weather conditions to improve highway operations and safety, and provide the traveling public with travel planning and decision information.
Procuring, deploying and managing RWIS can be challenging and involve:
- Learning the latest technology
- Identifying and specifying requirements
- Technical evaluation of bids and proposals
- Assuring quality design and deployment
- Testing for acceptance
- Specifying maintenance/calibration requirements
- Disseminating public travel information
Performing these tasks can be time consuming, compete with critical operations and be a distraction from daily responsibilities.
Focused RWIS knowledge and experience can assist with these tasks by reducing staff workload, providing technical expertise and alternative ideas.
Company Overview
Colledun Enterprises, LLC (Colledun) specializes in transportation weather systems.
The firm’s broad experience is an excellent resource for system design, procurement, deployment and on-going support.
With its extensive background, Colledun is fully prepared to address a wide array of weather system issues.
The firm can provide unique insight based on its vendor/contractor background.
Colledun can provide third-party review for all types of weather system programs.
The firm is employee owned, independent and committed to the highest standards of integrity, excellence and innovation.
Company Services
Design:
- Requirements assessment. Guidance as a committee member evaluating RWIS information needs.
- System design. Encompassing RWIS:
- Computer architecture
- Sensor selection
- Data communications
- Software
- Agency user interfaces
- Data sharing interfaces for ITS systems, weather forecast consultants and third parties
Site analysis. Conduct analysis for locating Environmental Sensor Station (ESS) sites following the “Road Weather Information System Environmental Sensor Station Siting Guidelines�?, April 2005, published by the FHWA. These services include site drawings detailing tower, sensor, power and communication locations.
- Procurement:
- Contract type. Assist in determining if a “build to agency specifications�? or a “contractor design-build�? contract best meets agency needs.
- Ownership options. Guidance in analyzing ownership structure to meet the agency’s needs, including:
- Complete RWIS system ownership with agency or contracted maintenance.
- ESS ownership with contractor provided maintenance, RWIS data collection and Internet hosting.
- Contractor owned, operated and maintained RWIS with agency RWIS data access via the Internet.
- Solicitation development. Develop RWIS project specification and solicitation documents.
- Bid and proposal evaluation. Provide the RWIS technical expertise for bid/proposal evaluation.
- Project management. Manage the contractor’s performance during contract execution.
- Acceptance Testing. Develop, conduct, manage or observe RWIS acceptance testing.
- Maintenance, training and support. Develop solicitation or contract documents for:
- On-going RWIS maintenance
- Accuracy testing
- Customer, system and software support
- User and weather training
- Maintenance training
- Communications analysis. Perform RWIS communication system analysis for applicability of recently available lower cost communication solutions.
Deployment:
On-going support:
Qualifications
Colledun through its principal, Mr. Dwayne Collett, has over 27 years of diverse knowledge and experience in transportation weather system design, implementation and support.
Mr. Collett previously held executive and management positions with a leading RWIS manufacturer and was instrumental in creating weather system solutions to support transportation operations. He has extensive experience in reviewing RWIS solicitations and preparing proposal and bid responses.
Mr. Collett testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Surface Transportation on the benefits of RWIS in support of Federal RWIS funding for transportation agencies.