The UDOT Citizen Reporting Program enlists volunteers to report on current road conditions along specific roadway segments across Utah. The volunteers can be UDOT employees, law enforcement, truck drivers, plow drivers, experienced commuters, or other volunteers. The long term goal of adding Citizen Reporters to UDOT’s weather operations road reporting is to supplement current condition reporting on segments where drivers are already traveling.

Current and forecast weather conditions are a critical part of traveler information in Utah. Utah has many high mountain passes and rural routes that frequently experience hazardous winter weather, and accurate road condition information for these routes is vital for traveler safety and route planning. Citizen Reporters will help to enhance UDOT’s coverage of road weather reporting by providing data on road segments throughout the state of Utah. UDOT has a network of Road Weather Information Stations (RWIS), traffic cameras and Traveler Information Meteorologists that help to create a road conditions report. UDOT also utilizes reports from snow plow crews. See the diagram below for additional information:

How does UDOT compile all of the incoming data and determine the appropriate road/weather conditions?

UDOT has a sophisticated network of Road Weather Information Systems (RWIS) deployed throughout the state. These RWIS units collect road and weather data and transmit the data back to the UDOT Traffic Operations Center (TOC). Meteorologists at the TOC use this information to verify the conditions seen on atmospheric models. UDOT also receives valuable road/weather information from its plow drivers, and with the launch of the Citizen Reporter Program, trained volunteer reporters. All of the incoming data is compiled with carefully crafted logic to determine the condition of the road surface. Reports from plow drivers, law enforcement and other experienced reporters may be utilized in a different way than volunteer citizen data, however all data is immensely valuable and helpful in determining the condition of the road surface.

How do I become a UDOT Citizen Reporter?

In order to become a UDOT Citizen Reporter, you will need to complete a brief training (either online or in person), take a short quiz and complete a sign-up form. The training takes approximately 30 minutes. Once a volunteer has completed these steps, they will be provided with a login and PIN, and can begin submitting reports. Reports are submitted through the UDOT Citizen Reporting app, downloadable for Android and Apple devices from the iStore or Android Market.

If you would like to become a Citizen Reporter, please follow this link to take the online training: Citizen Reporting Training. For more information or to schedule an in person training, contact UDOT Citizen Reporting program at udotcitizenreporter@utah.gov