Provision of Snowstorm Visibility Information

Traffic hindrance that is frequently caused by snowstorm-induced poor visibility or snowdrifts due to snowstorms at winter roads in snowy cold regions has a significant social impact. The Civil Engineering Research Institute of Cold Region (CERI) developed techniques for estimating visibility distances on the basis of meteorological data. In February 2013, CERI started to use its website Snowstorm Visibility Information System for informing road users of visibility forecasts. In December 2013, the Snowstorm Visibility Information System was made accessible from smartphones, and a mail delivery service was started for providing visibility forecasts. With an aim of understanding the usefulness of the visibility information, the authors asked users of the Snowstorm Visibility Information System to answer a questionnaire. The questionnaire result indicated that 80% of respondents used the system for determining whether or not to change their travel plans.