This paper will address the topic of how GIS can be effectively used to assist in the task of highway infrastructure management. Specific examples will be given to illustrate where such systems have been applied to the solution of this problem. The issue of digital base mapping requirements will be discussed, along with suggestions for the adoption of common standards to support transportation community requirements. New and complimentary technologies such as Global Positioning Systems (GPS) will be examined from the perspective of data collection and maintenance support for highway infrastructure management. The author contends that GIS and GPS technologies are effective tools to assist the transportation professional in the management of highway infrastructure. GIS can be presented as a data integrator which can combine multiple disparate datasets using a common geographic reference base. The increasing availability of digital base mapping and more cost-effective data collection technologies have now reduced the high cost of initial data capture which has been an impediment to GIS implementation in the past. (A)
Abstract