11.3
Treatment Recommendations
11.3.1 Overview
One of the biggest improvements to the MDSS in 2004 was the total revision of the Rules
of Practice (RoP) code based on lessons learned and experience gained from the first
MDSS field demonstration. The primary improvement in the RoP was in considering the
entire storm life-cycle for characterizing the overall storm conditions and for
recommending treatment strategies. Referring to Fig. 11.16, the storm life-cycle includes
not only the in-storm conditions when precipitation is falling but also the pre- and post-
storm road conditions. Pre-storm conditions control the application or pre-treatment
chemicals (such as liquid brine) that are used to prevent icing at precipitation onset. Post-
storm conditions (including road temperature and residual water on the pavement) are
utilized to protect against re-freezing of the roads after the precipitation has stopped.
Fig. 11.16. Illustration of the complete storm life-cycle.
Verification of the recommended treatment strategy vs. the actual treatment strategy is
detailed for three Iowa events. Actual treatment recommendations are estimated from a
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