This digest describes the findings of the 1998 International Scanning Review of European Winter Service Technology organized jointly under the auspices of the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA's) International Outreach Program and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) through the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP). The review was undertaken to examine several Japanese and European technologies for winter maintenance originally identified by the 1994 International Winter Maintenance Technology Scanning Review as prime candidates for further, detailed investigation, viz, new sensor developments, integration of winter service road condition in IVHS technology, and pavement anti-icing and deicing systems. The 1998 European scanning review (conducted from March 6 to March 22) was organized to enable team members to do the following: Discover, understand, publicize, and assist with the marketing of state-of-the-art developments in winter maintenance technology and techniques; Focus on methods, equipment, and processes to improve customer service and awareness; Make recommendations on the development and implementation of customer-based performance measures; and Assist state and local agencies to implement state-of-the-art technologies and techniques by using the resources of FHWA, AASHTO, the National Association of County Engineers (NACE), the American Public Works Association (APWA), and the Transportation Research Board (TRB). Chapter 2 of this digest presents the country summaries for Switzerland, France, Norway and Sweden. Chapter 3 contains observations, discussions and recommendations in the following areas: public information and education programs; use of studded tires; road-weather information systems; snow removal in urban areas; performance measures and contracting for winter service; computer-assisted dispatch and other technology applications; Traffic Management Centers; avalanche protection and control; and other equipment, materials, and methods.
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