国際活動（グダンスク冬期大会）

A variety of winter road related information is provided to road users through various media. These include the Internet (websites, e-mail services, social networking services), roadside variable message boards, dedicated information terminals at “michi-no-eki” roadside rest areas, and local FM radio broadcasts. Road users can access the current road conditions, weather forecasts, visibility information and other information. These can be obtained prior to departure on home computers, office computers and smartphones. When the conditions are unfavorable for travel, road users may decide to reschedule their trips. While in transit, road users can obtain road weather information, which changes from time to time, from their smartphones, information terminals at michi-no-ekis, and local FM radio broadcasts.

In addition to information on current road conditions being provided, notifications are given one hour before roads are reopened to service. This message sign on Route 39 notifies drivers that an expressway will be reopening to service. (Aibetsu, Hokkaido Pref.)

At times of extreme snowfall, traffic hindrances occur. Traffic is expected to be suspended, and poorly equipped vehicles are expected to become stuck on uphill sections, blocking traffic. The provision of winter traffic hindrance information via smartphone has been tested using a dedicated app towards full-scale introduction.

The aim is to inform drivers promptly of road closeres and to change their behaviors by encouraging them to equip their vehicles with tire chains, to avoid road sections where congestion is expected or to suspend their trips.

The Snowstorm Visibility Information System:
Climate change has been causing snowstorm-induced traffic hindrances in regions where extreme snowstorms were once rare. Such snowstorms are caused by rapidly developing low-pressure systems.

Snowbreak woods, snow fences and other infrastructure have been effective in mitigating snowstorm disasters. However, such measures are costly and they take a long time to become effective

As a way of rapidly addressing the danger of recent sudden snowstorms, the provision of current and forecast visibility during snowstorms to road operators and road users is regarded as effective, as it helps them make decisions on how to avoid snowstorm danger.

Since February 2015, snowstorm visibility forecasting technology has been under development and experiments on providing the visibility information have been conducted.

This photo shows the website of the Snowstorm Visibility Information System.

Information Provision by Users:
The registered users upload winter road photos using a dedicated smartphone app.

- For general drivers, CCTV camera images and weather data are useful for understanding the road conditions in snowstorms. However, CCTV cameras are installed at a limited number of locations.

In addition, the Snowstorm Visibility Information System provides information according to former municipal divisions, so it’s not possible for users to understand the visibility conditions in more localized areas.

Toward understanding localized events, the system asks the users to upload more detailed information and photos to the website. Such information is made open to the public.

Useful information provided by users about traffic suspension and about which road sections are difficult to drive on supplement the snowstorm visibility information provided by the system.

The Automatic Road Photo Uploading System:
- For understanding road conditions when a snowstorm occurs, a system in which images are taken by the road patrol vehicles are viewed by relevant people is effective.

We developed an app that takes photos automatically and send the data with the GPS location information. The smartphones with the app are installed on road patrol vehicles and newspaper delivery vehicles.

The app is easy to install. Installation is only setting a smartphone on the front of the dash board. Efficient information collection is promised.