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The Korean Earth Science Society (한국지구과학회)
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Preliminary Study on Black-Ice Detection Using GPS Ground Reflection Signals

  • Young-Joo Kwon (Moon Soul Graduate School of Future Strategy, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) ;
  • Hyun-Ju Ban (Department of Environment, Energy, and Geoinformatics, Sejong University) ;
  • Sumin Ryu (Satellite Application Division, Korea Aerospace Research Institute) ;
  • Suna Jo (Department of Environment, Energy, and Geoinformatics, Sejong University) ;
  • Han-Sol Ryu (Department of Environment, Energy, and Geoinformatics, Sejong University) ;
  • Yerin Kim (Department of Environment, Energy, and Geoinformatics, Sejong University) ;
  • Yun-Jeong Choi (Department of Environment, Energy, and Geoinformatics, Sejong University) ;
  • Sungwook Hong (Department of Environment, Energy, and Geoinformatics, Sejong University)
  • Received : 2024.07.22
  • Accepted : 2024.08.29
  • Published : 2024.08.31
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Abstract

Black ice, a thin and nearly invisible ice layer on roads and pavements, poses a significant danger to drivers and pedestrians during winter due to its transparency. We propose an efficient black ice detection system and technique utilizing Global Positioning System (GPS)-reflected signals. This system consists of a GPS antenna and receiver configured to measure the power of GPS L1 band signal strength. The GPS receiver system was designed to measure the signal power of the Right-Handed Circular Polarization (RHCP) and Left-Handed Circular Polarization (LHCP) from direct and reflected signals using two GPS antennas. Field experiments for GPS LHCP and RHCP reflection measurements were conducted at two distinct sites. We present a Normalized Polarized Reflection Index (NPRI) as a methodological approach for determining the presence of black ice on road surfaces. The field experiments at both sites successfully detected black ice on asphalt roads, indicated by NPRI values greater than -0.1 for elevation angles between 45° and 55°. Our findings demonstrate the potential of the proposed GPS-based system as a cost-effective and scalable solution for large-scale black ice detection, significantly enhancing road safety in cold climates. The scientific significance of this study lies in its novel application of GPS reflection signals for environmental monitoring, offering a new approach that can be integrated into existing GPS infrastructure to detect widespread black ice in real-time.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This work was funded by the Korea Meteorological Administration Research and Development Program under Grant KMIPA2017-0040 and supported by a grant from the National Institute of Environment Research (NIER), funded by the Ministry of Environment (MOE) of the Republic of Korea (NIER-2024-01-02-035).

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