This meeting was held on 7/25/00 in rooms 30-34 of the ITC in the UNI Cedar Falls, Iowa, campus.

Present at the meeting:
Profs. Salim (chair), Timmerman (secretary), Fahmy, Emch and Strauss representing UNI.
Mr. Dennis Burkheimer representing DOT-AMES.
Mr. Steve Decker representing the City of Waterloo Street Department.
Mr. David Nelson representing DOT-WATERLOO.
Mr. Budd Curttright representing the City of Cedar Falls Public Works Department.
Ms. Barbara Berquam representing Black Hawk County as the County's GIS Coordinator.

The meeting started at 1:02 PM.

1. Strauss--made introductory comments.
2. Salim--introduced the attendees.
3. Salim--described the project goals.
4. Strauss--described and demonstrated several GIS software packages with an emphasis on relevance to the project goals.
5. Salim--described the terminology used in artificial intelligence work and gave a description of ongoing work in selecting a software package for the project.
6. Timmerman--described optimization methods and gave an overview of the methods that might be used in this project.
7. All--discussion of the project.

• Relevance of real-time weather data to the project.
• Need to evaluate cost of moving resources.
• Need to focus on safety concerns.
• Acceptable levels of plowing, what is good enough.
• Priorities of plowing schedule; traffic load, four level classification system, special use exceptions, personal experience in relationship to wind direction and other weather factors.
• Cooperation between agencies.
• Ice storm problems, need to put salt and sand frequently at intersections.
• Communications between agencies; data sharing, cost minimization through bulk purchases of supplies, effectiveness versus cost of chemicals, salt brine, scientific basis for analyzing weather data, mechanisms for updating and sharing data, compatible data systems.
• Globalization of project to include coordination between agencies.
• Pilot study first but make sure that the results of the project are useful.
• Enhancements needed in current practice.
• Some software tools already available, project must be better than these tools.
• Use of GPS and digital radio communications to share data between plows and base in real-time during plowing.

8. All-setting of action items.

• Explore data fusion, data selection, DOT and DTM data, weather data.
• Explore use of real-time data from trucks in field; GPS issues.
• Explore issues of cooperation between agencies and data sharing.
• Explore issue of interfacing data and operations.
• Continue software evaluation; must be sensitive to cost issues involved in deployment.
• Explore automation of system maintenance; data and procedures
• Consider types of useful outputs; routes, costs, resource allocation in re personnel and budgets.
• Consider testing and validation issues of system.

9. Salim/All--future meeting plans, every three to six months, possibly October/November or December/January.
10. Burkheimer, Decker, Nelson, Curttright, Berquam --final comments included a general support for the project as meeting an area of critical need.

Respectfully submitted to the Advisory Committee by,
Marc A. Timmerman, Ph.D., meeting secretary.