Road weather station provides extensive weather data for the further development of automated driving in rain

State-of-the-art road weather station at the Digitrans test center for automated driving

The Digitrans test center for automated driving on the test track in St. Valentin supports the testing of driver assistance systems and automated vehicles in the rain with its expertise and outdoor sprinkler system.

The system for ADAS rain tests at the Digitrans Test Center for Autonomous Driving is supplemented by a state-of-the-art road weather station. This provides a comprehensive real-time data set of the weather conditions on the test track in St. Valentin.

Weather data provides a detailed analysis and in-depth understanding of all environmental conditions on the test track in St. Valentin.

The high-precision Road Weather Information System (RWIS), which can record all relevant environmental and road conditions on the Proving Ground in St. Valentin, was specially developed to record the most accurate and complete weather and road data possible.

Straßenwetterdaten - Beregnungsanlage für ADAS Tests, automatisiertes Fahren in Regen
Straßenwetterdaten für automatisiertes und autonomes fahren - Straßenwetterstation auf der Teststrecke Österreich

The road weather station at the Digitrans Test Center for Automated Driving provides reliable weather data that is directly comparable with the RWIS stations in Europe and the data collected worldwide © DigiTrans GmbH

The following weather data can be recorded with the road weather station on the test track for automated driving in St. Valentin:

  • Visibility
  • Precipitation intensity and type
  • Wind temperature, direction and gusts
  • Air temperature
  • Relative humidity
  • Dew point
  • Solar radiation
  • Temperature of the road
  • Road condition (dry, damp, wet, icy, snow-covered)
  • Height of the water film
  • Salt concentration in percent
  • Percentage of ice
  • Coefficient of friction
  • Freezing temperature NaCl

Use case for the use of the road weather station

Measurement campaign to record the environmental conditions in
the outdoor rain plant at the Digitrans Test Center

As part of the pioneering EUREKA project “EUREKA Test.EPS”, an extensive measurement campaign was carried out that focused on recording environmental conditions. Tests were carried out in Digitrans’ outdoor rain system at different rain intensities and speeds.

 

The advantages of the road weather station on the Proving Ground in St. Valentin

  • Real-time, round-the-clock access to a comprehensive data set of weather and surface-related parameters
  • Access to live measurements and historical records from anywhere within the Digitrans Test Center intranet network
  • Ability to accurately extrapolate weather data to real-world conditions
  • Increased confidence in test results
  • All the information required for a site-specific road weather forecast and nowcast

„The road weather station on the Proving Ground for automated driving in St. Valentin provides us with important weather data to make analytical decisions better and faster. We now have reliable data for the development of automated vehicles and driving functions under various artificial and natural weather conditions.“   

DI Dr. Christoph Feichtinger
Director R&D / Business Area Manager Know How, Consulting & Dataservices
, DigiTrans GmbH

portrait Christoph Feichtinger

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