The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the use of geographical information systems (GIS) and transportation-related management systems so that a comprehensive management tool for transportation engineers can be developed. The focus of the paper is on microcomputer-based systems. A network-level culvert ranking system was attached to two GIS to illustrate the procedures and approach. It was demonstrated that when data are stored in most standard electronic formats, a significant effort is not usually required to integrate them into GIS. Base maps are readily available for many of the systems because of the TIGER files used during the 1990 census. Examples were presented to illustrate how GIS can be used to enhance the results from one type of management system. Although each system is different, other systems would work in a similar way. The use of microcomputer-based GIS has proved to be a significant time saver and could be used to improve the productivity and capability of transportation officials in the future. (Author/publisher)
Abstract