IceBreaker

IceBreaker is a case study we have built to illustrate the requirements process. It uses a variety of data to predict precisely when ice will form on roadways, and it uses these predictions to schedule trucks to treat the roads with deicing material (a salt compound) before the roads become dangerous. The IceBreaker case study uses subject matter knowledge from the many ice forecasting and road de-icing systems, and other products produced by Vaisala (U.K.) Ltd. and Vaisala Worldwide. We acknowledge Vaisala's permission to use its material and the company's kind cooperation. See Figure 3.3 for an illustration of a weather station used by IceBreaker.

Figure 3.3.

This weather station transmits data about the weather and road surface conditions to IceBreaker, which uses the information to predict ice formation. These predictions are used to dispatch trucks to treat the roads with de-icing material. (Photo of Vaisala Weather Station ROSA courtesy of Vaisala, www.vaisala.com)

Imagine IceBreaker is your project. You work for Saltworks Systems, and you are responsible for producing the requirements specification. Your customer is the Northumberland County Highways Department, which will be providing information and requirements. Northumberland is a county in the northeast of England, tucked up under the border with Scotland. The Highways Department is responsible for keeping the roads free of ice during winter when freezing conditions are likely to cause accidents.