decentralization trends in france in recent years have made decision makers and engineers aware of the importance of having modern computer-based tools for the effective management of the major infrastructures represented by urban roads. Considerable developmental work was initiated and conducted jointly by the association of engineers of french cities and the decentralized highway engineering networkof the ministry of equipment. This has led to a range of computerized maintenance management programs designed with standard, user-friendly features for easy adaption to the everyday requirements of the highway departments of local communities. An observatory for generalmaintenance practices was set up, allowing the forecasting of requirements from the standpoint of the general approach and programming, as well as from the finer standpoint of diagnostics and expertise. These applications are examined and the two computer-aided tools most frequently used are described in greater detail along with the most promising technical and organizational potentialities for their distribution to engineers. What is involved is the relational tool formaintenance management (orage) management aid system and the expertsystem for highway diagnostics and maintenance (sevader). This paper appears in transportation research record no. 1304, Highway maintenance operations and research 1991.
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