Highways England, which operates and maintains England’s motorways and major A roads, has launched a £5 million integrated weather information system to enable better management of the nation’s main roads during severe weather.

Developed by IPL, part of the Civica Group, and incorporating Exactrak vehicle navigation and reporting technology, the severe weather information service (SWIS) brings together critical information on weather forecasts, road treatment plans and winter fleet data into a single system.

The system gives 2,000 operational users, including winter service providers, maintainers and control room staff, and external parties access to information in real-time so they can manage and improve the performance of the road network in advance of, and during, severe weather conditions. It allows Highways England to monitor all treatment activity carried out by the winter maintenance fleet.

David O’Connor, weather information services sponsor at Highways England, said: “Severe weather always presents a challenge, but with Civica’s support we’re improving the user experience through access to consistent and comprehensive information.”

Steve Shakespeare, executive director at digital solutions at Civica, commented: “The road network is relied upon by people and businesses across the country and its operation is essential to people’s lives and the economy. The new system improves access to critical information to help Highways England to respond to weather conditions and ultimately reduce risk and save money by keeping the network safer and free flowing.”