Esri News for Transportation keeps you informed with software news, events, and user stories showing how GIS brings the geographic advantage to transportation organizations worldwide.
Stories in this issue showcase how GIS helps DOTs manage construction, capital budgeting projects, and maintenance.
1. Esri News
for Transportation Summer 2012
GIS Keeps Traffic Moving during Large-Scale
Bridge Repair Project in State of Oregon
By Matthew DeMeritt, Esri Writer
With 12 percent of US bridges declared as structurally deficient by the Oregon Transportation Investment Act
Federal Highway Administration in 2006, bridge repair remains a top From 2001 to 2003, Oregon passed a series of funding packages called
priority of most states. Three years before that, an extensive investi- the Oregon Transportation Investment Act (OTIA I, II, and III) to improve
gation of Oregon’s bridges conducted by the Oregon Department its highway infrastructure. After an investigation that identified 365
of Transportation (ODOT) found that 365 Oregonian bridges had bridges in critical need of repair in 2003, ODOT set aside a large portion
structural problems that necessitated a large-scale bridge repair plan. of OTIA III funding to fix those bridges before Oregon’s freight network
Implementing that plan required the department to improve its GIS felt the effect of enforced closures. For the OTIA III State Bridge Delivery
infrastructure and integrate a new traffic modeling application to ease Program, ODOT turned to engineering consultants Oregon Bridge
congestion at multiple construction zones along the state’s highway Delivery Partners (OBDP), a joint venture between HDR Engineering
system. and Fluor Corporation, to oversee the task of managing the program.
One of the primary goals of the program was to reduce the impact on
commuter and business traffic during large-
scale construction on its road system.
Many of the bridges designed during the
early development of Oregon’s highway
system used a reinforced concrete deck girder
(RCDG) design specified in the regulations
of that time. As specifications became more
stringent in the 1960s, Oregon transitioned
to prestressed and post-tensioned concrete
bridges that improved structural integrity
at a reduced cost. Despite this, many RCDG
bridges remained in service past their expira-
tion dates and predictably began to show
signs of deterioration on deeper investigation.
“In 2001, ODOT inspectors noticed that cracks
identified in previous inspections had grown
to the point of threatening structural stabil-
ity,” said Jim Cox, assistant manager of major
projects at ODOT. “We immediately placed
load restrictions on these bridges and started
discussion on how to plan repairs with the least
impact on commercial and commuter traffic.”
GIS and Geodesign
The Oregon Department of Transportation’s OTIA III State Bridge Delivery Program is a 10-year, Established in 2004, ODOT’s GIS comprised
$1.3 billion program to repair or replace hundreds of aging bridges on Oregon’s highway system. the department’s information sharing
3. Esri News
Welcome Uncover the Business Value of
GIS at the Esri International
User Conference
Terry Bills Attend the Esri International User Conference
Esri Industry Manager (Esri UC) to discover how GIS adds value
Transportation and to transportation organizations. Learn best
Logistics practices that will show you ways GIS can help
locate success in the dynamic transportation
I recently attended two events that left a strong market. Come to the Esri UC to improve your
impression on me. The first was our Second Esri GIS, grow professionally, and be successful in
European Aviation GIS Summit, held at Brussels your work. Meet GIS experts, industry profes-
International Airport (you can read a synopsis at sionals, and a community of users who can
http://bit.ly/ISlxl9). A majority of Europe’s major help you find the answers you need.
airports professionals, along with a number • Explore the business value of GIS for
of the European Civil Aviation staff, were in transportation.
attendance, all presenting their latest develop- • Discover GIS product innovations that help
ments with Esri technology. It was heartening you meet your goals.
Learn more and register at
to see the progress that these agencies have • See how others are using GIS to increase esri.com/uc.
made as more and more of the day-to-day production and efficiency.
operations of these airports become integrated
with GIS. The first day’s presentations were
from the airports themselves, while the second
Esri International User Conference
day was devoted to the European Civil Aviation July 23–27, 2012, San Diego, California
and the EUROCONTROL initiatives in support
of the next generation of air traffic control
system—SESAR—in Europe.
Esri Aeronautical Solution—
The Spanish airports, Amsterdam’s Schiphol
Airport, and Brussels and Manchester airports
are all well on their way to enterprise systems,
with GIS supporting workflows across the
various divisions at their respective airports.
Airports GIS Package Version 2
At the same time, many of these airports and
civil aviation administrations are being called Improves Data Quality
upon to deliver GIS-based data relating to their
airports, which will form part of the infrastruc-
ture for the new GPS-based air traffic control The Aeronautical Solution—Airports GIS FAA-18B specification, enabling airports to
systems. As the composition of our summit Package version 2 is now available for down- improve their data quality and better comply
illustrated, aviation air and land data require- load from the Aeronautical Solution Resource with FAA review.
ments are certainly beginning to merge. Center. This updated offering expands the
But by far, the major topic of discussion at number and types of preconfigured auto-
GIS-T was the rapid movement of many agen- mated validation checks to include checks
For more information
cies to the cloud. The Utah DOT’s enterprise used by the Federal Aviation Administration regarding Esri Aeronautical
portal sits on ArcGIS Online for organizations, (FAA) during data submission as well as criti-
and a large number of DOTs are beginning cal and noncritical attributes.
Solution—Airports GIS,
to put their public-facing traveler information Esri Aeronautical Solution—Airports visit esri.com/airportsgis.
websites in the cloud for quick scalability and GIS Package is a software suite specifically
greater flexibility. You will see much more on developed to help US airports and the con-
this in these pages in the coming months. sultant community meet the requirements of
the FAA Airports Surveying—GIS program.
Enjoy. Version 2 includes more than 300 preconfig-
ured validation checks developed from the
Summer 2012 esri.com/transportation 3
4. GIS Keeps Traffic Moving during Large-Scale Bridge Repair Project in State of Oregon continued from page 1
infrastructure to plan and manage roadway projects. To integrate into a spreadsheet. “Gradually, that process evolved to incorporate
with ODOT’s GIS, OBDP designed its system on the same ArcGIS plat- GIS processes,” Kirkman said. “Using macros and automation tools in
form for flexibility and scalability throughout the project life cycle and ArcGIS, ODOT’s traffic group was able to automatically populate the
beyond. “We wanted easy adoption of tools and practices to smooth spreadsheets with information from the database.”
transition during project closeout and ensure usefulness beyond that,” Although much leaner, the spreadsheet-only approach experienced
said Robb Kirkman, GIS services manager for HDR Engineering. “GIS crashes as the database grew ever larger. The traffic team worked with
provided the foundation to start linking program systems, automate OBDP on a more efficient GIS-based method for running traffic sce-
tasks, and better mitigate environmental impacts.” narios—one that tightly wove ODOT’s geospatial data into a dedicated
Before shovel hit dirt, ODOT collected comprehensive environmental web-based analysis tool. Using common protocols, the team worked
data on more than 400 of its bridge sites to identify nearby environ- on tying the department’s datasets together to give ODOT staff direct
mental resources. Standard ODOT practice involves consultation with access to the department’s databases from a single interface. Called
experts such as biologists, wetland specialists, and archaeologists the Work Zone Traffic Analysis (WZTA) tool, the application allowed
to get a better understanding of the effects of construction zones in traffic scenarios to be run and shared in a web browser.
ecologically sensitive areas. “We took a different approach for the WZTA serves as a repository for information on traffic and road data
OTIA III bridge program by conducting environmental fieldwork before that can be accessed and queried in a browser. The system allows
we did any design,” said Cox. “In ArcGIS, we drew a box around a users to view ODOT data to determine the effects on mobility created
bridge site and identified all the resources inside the box. This allowed by lane closures related to construction and roadwork. Today, the
the engineers to develop designs that minimized impacts on the sur- department can run traffic scenarios in a matter of minutes, eliminating
rounding environment.” redundancy and enabling ODOT engineers to modify traffic plans on
the fly.
Work Zone Traffic Analysis Using a GIS-based interface also improved accuracy by allowing the
Prior to its collaboration with OBDP, ODOT had been using spread- ODOT analysts to select the location and information for a specific
sheets containing traffic counts and automatic traffic recorder informa- project site from the map itself rather than tabular lists. “Lookup tables
tion from across the state to document and predict traffic impacts for using numbering systems aren’t intuitive to all users,” Kirkman said.
its various road construction projects. That process could take up to “GIS enabled users to find exactly what they were looking for and verify
four hours for each scenario because data had to be searched and the correct project information within a more appropriate map-based
collected from multiple databases within the agency and then inserted user interface where spatial relationships are more obvious.”
WZTA and the team
that developed it won a
2007 Team Excellence
Pathfinder Award from
the American Association
of State Highway and
Transportation Officials.
4 Esri News for Transportation Summer 2012
5. Esri News
Esri on the Road
Ñ The Oregon
Department of
Transportation
repaired the Snake
River Bridge on
Interstate 84 as part ACI Europe 2012
of the OTIA III State
Bridge Delivery June 20–22, 2012
Program, which will Madrid, Spain
repair or replace
hundreds of aging www.aci-europe.org
bridges across
Oregon.
Esri International User Conference
July 23–27, 2012
Ñ As part of the San Diego, CA, USA
OTIA III State esri.com/uc
Delivery Program,
funds were
dedicated to replace ACI NA/World Annual Conference and Exhibition 2012
the Interstate 5
Willamette River September 9–12, 2012
Bridge in Eugene, Calgary, Canada
Oregon. Construction
began in May 2009,
http://2012.aci-na.org
and the project will
be open to traffic in
2013. AREMA 2012
September 16–19, 2012
Chicago, IL, USA
www.arema.org
Economist Documents Return on Investment
In 2010, ODOT and OBDP documented their experience with the tools Post Expo 2012
to evaluate the impact of ODOT’s investments and determine their September 18–20, 2012
use after completion of the bridge program. With the assistance of Brussels, Belgium
economic consultant Mark Ford, they analyzed every piece of soft-
www.postexpo.com
ware OBDP created for the OTIA III bridge program to determine the
economic benefits and cost to the department. The study concluded
that ODOT experienced a combined benefit-cost ratio of 2:1 for all en- Innotrans 2012
terprise IT investments related to management of the bridge program. September 18–21, 2012
“ODOT’s GIS infrastructure alone returned a [benefit-cost] ratio of Berlin, Germany
3:1,” Ford said. “Integration of formats and standards proved to be www.innotrans.de/en
important in generating value from the investment.”
In addition to these tangible benefits, ODOT experienced three
types of intangible benefits that could not be measured. Migrating
the data from disparate sources into a unified system allowed OBDP to
program consistent analysis methods and reduce the risk of calculation
errors. The centralized database also made it easier for ODOT to main-
tain data integrity and reduce the potential of analysts from different
locations working with outdated information. “Systems like ODOT’s
GIS infrastructure generate accurate, consistent, and timely informa-
tion for reporting and responding to inquiries,” Ford said. “WZTA and
GIS in particular have resulted in improved coordination with other
agencies and interest groups, increasing the credibility of both ODOT
and the bridge program in the eyes of the public and the legislature.”
At the beginning of 2011, 351 of the 365 bridges in the OTIA III
bridge program were free of construction zone delays. WZTA played
a primary role in expediting the construction process by allowing the
team to run lane closure traffic analyses in minutes as opposed to
hours. The tool is now being used by ODOT on other roadway main-
tenance and construction projects to quickly determine impacts from
lane closures across the state.
Summer 2012 esri.com/transportation 5
6. A Look at the Michigan Department of
Transportation’s Lane Mile Inventory
Cory Johnson and Kevin What is the history of the LMI? supports MDOT in delivering annual main-
MDOT, like many other departments of trans- tenance and capital funds to MDOT regions
McKnight, transportation portation, has struggled with the best method (each of which receives a certain amount
planners at Michigan to collect and maintain an LMI. In the past, of maintenance funds per lane mile that it
MDOT Central Maintenance would ask each of manages).
Department of MDOT’s seven regions to submit annual lane MDOT defines a lane mile as one mile of
Transportation (MDOT), mile totals based on ongoing projects and roadway that is designed as a driving lane.
estimated future construction. But without a This straightforward definition was intended
discuss developing a system to accurately track these assets based to provide a concise starting point and a clear
GIS-centric lane mile on ongoing operations, it did not take long methodology for completing field collection
for numbers to stray from reality. Inaccuracies of inventory within one season. As the LMI
inventory (LMI) to collect would force expensive system reviews, continues to mature, the definition will be
and maintain MDOT’s which sometimes contained inconsistencies expanded to account for the complex nature
themselves. Additionally, MDOT had multiple of maintaining roadway networks.
lane mile assets. This lane mile inventories that met slightly different
interview was originally business needs. Where is the data stored?
In 2009, MDOT leadership decided to The foundation of the LMI is the Michigan
published in the United search for a new solution that would function Geographic Framework [MGF] centerline GIS
States Department of as the sole resource for lane miles paired with file. The centerline file and linear referencing
a process to govern the inventory. MDOT’s system are maintained by the Michigan
Transportation’s GIS in Asset Management Division was tasked Department of Technology, Management and
Transportation newsletter. with developing a solution that would meet Budget’s Center for Shared Solutions [CSS],
MDOT’s needs to responsibly manage its with funding and staff support provided from
9,652 miles of state highway. MDOT. MDOT’s Asset Management Division
staff teamed up with CSS to develop routines
What is the purpose of the LMI? to migrate the data forward to match ongoing
The primary purpose of MDOT’s LMI is to LRS [linear reference system] updates as
provide a critical centralized resource that needed. Syncing the LMI with the MGF allows
PR Finder Application Showing the LMI
6 Esri News for Transportation Summer 2012
7. Case Study
data to be centrally stored via Esri’s ArcGIS for vehicle, a laptop, ArcGIS for Desktop, and a
Server technology, thereby enabling broader “hockey puck” GPS receiver. Using this equip-
accessibility. ment, the two-person crew was able to collect
information on the entire lane mile system in
How was the inventory one summer season.
completed?
The initial LMI was developed by modifying How is the inventory maintained?
a copy of the MGF state highway centerline After MDOT completed its initial investment in
file, enabling it to host the required business collecting the entire system, the LMI entered “The LMI will continue
data for the LMI. This required data included an ongoing maintenance mode. During this
fields such as number of lanes, lane miles, phase, data [was] loaded into an ArcGIS for to serve as a model of
maintenance responsibility, and a “field Server instance. In addition, an official contact how to develop a GIS-
checked” date. Two staff members from the person was established within each MDOT
Asset Management Division then verified the region. This contact is responsible for provid- centric solution to meet
accuracy of the GIS database in the field. ing Asset Management Division staff with the larger goals of an
Once MDOT had established business logic information about any ongoing operations
for what constituted a lane and how informa- that impact the total number of lane miles. organization.”
tion would be collected, it only needed a state This information provides the specific Cory Johnson, MDOT
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Summer 2012 esri.com/transportation 7
8. A Look at the Michigan Department of Transportation’s Lane Mile Inventory continued from page 7
location data necessary for Asset Manage- MDOT to better compare costs per lane mile of ArcGIS for Server technology and related
ment staff to field verify each location and across the department and between contract map services. MDOT is laying the groundwork
update the LMI as needed. agencies, leading to effective, data-driven for implementing an enterprise asset
This “honest broker” role that the Asset business decisions. management system; the LMI is one of over
Management Division played allows the LMI The LMI will continue to serve as a model of 60 databases already loaded into ArcGIS for
to function as one consistent resource for how to develop a GIS-centric solution to meet Server. In 2012, MDOT expects to make some
MDOT to use in its annual budgeting process. the larger goals of an organization. critical decisions regarding enterprise asset
management software. This will help to chart
How does staff access the LMI? What were the critical success a solid and exciting course for the LMI and
Staff members have several options for ac- factors? related asset inventories while ensuring that
cessing the LMI to support their daily duties. The most critical success factor was the fact the LMI remains as a critical resource in the
Provided they are on the state network, that MDOT leadership mandated and sup- budgeting process.
staff can access the LMI via any Esri desktop ported changes to a long-standing program.
Leadership also helped encourage staff mem-
GIS software. They can also view the inventory
via the PR Finder web application, which is bers to adopt the new LMI solution. Another
Get more information on
available at www.mcgi.state.mi.us/prfinder. essential factor was the fact that Michigan the LMI:
Staff can view the inventory in spreadsheet had a robust GIS centerline file maintained
format broken down by geographic and through CSS. Finally, it was critical to develop Cory Johnson (e-mail at
partnerships between Asset Management,
maintenance responsibility summaries.
Central Maintenance, and regional staff.
JohnsonC45@michigan.gov
How has the use of the LMI or call 517-335-2931)
benefited MDOT? What are future plans for the LMI?
The new LMI has provided a reliable process The MDOT staff will continue to improve the Kevin McKnight (e-mail at
LMI’s ability to account for difficult issues
for updating MDOT’s inventory, a central
resource for information providing statewide such as parking, bike lanes, and highway
Mcknightk@michigan.gov
consistency, and a means for governing the shoulders. There are also ongoing efforts or call 517-241-4548)
program. It has resulted in a better use of to create a work order-based web solution
resources and staff time. It has also enabled for the LMI that will take greater advantage
LMI Displayed in ArcGIS for Desktop
8 Esri News for Transportation Summer 2012
10. Bulgarian Railway Network Management Is
Streamlined with GIS
“By implementing ArcGIS, Located in the heart of the Balkan Peninsula, responsibilities of the Bulgarian National
the Republic of Bulgaria plays a crucial stra- Railway Infrastructure Company (NRIC)—as
NRIC has a modern tegic role for Europe because of its location. much of the railway’s infrastructure was built
system that provides It is a transportation crossroads between in the middle of the twentieth century.
western Europe, the Middle East, and the NRIC is one of the significant economic
access to actual data Mediterranean, as well as an external border structures in Bulgaria, with assets worth
about the railway network for the European Union (EU). In addition, four hundreds of millions of euros. Established by
international land transport corridors pass the Bulgarian state government on January 1,
and its ownership through its territory. All these factors make 2002, NRIC assumes the management of the
throughout all levels of the development and maintenance of the entire railway network located in Bulgaria. As
Bulgarian transportation network a critical the infrastructure manager of the Bulgarian
the company.” priority, not only for Bulgaria but also for the railway, NRIC must comply with Bulgarian
Balkan Peninsula and Europe as a whole. requirements for effective management, mod-
Erol Mustafov, Bulgarian National
The Bulgarian railway network consists of ernization, and development of the railway
Railway Infrastructure Company
more than 4,000 kilometers of railway lines, a network, as well as with EU standards. It also
significant number of which coincide with in- has the obligation to synchronize the informa-
ternational transportation corridors. Because tion systems of the company with those in
of the diverse nature and topography of the other EU countries—a step toward building a
country, there are more than 180 spectacular common EU spatial infrastructure.
railway tunnels, 970 railway bridges, and For these purposes, NRIC must collect all
840 grade crossings along the railway network. the descriptive and spatial information about
To fulfill the needs of Bulgaria’s current the railway network and property and other
market economy, as well as those of Europe relevant data and implement a centralized
and the European Union, the Bulgarian integrated information system. For the estab-
railway network is being modernized and lishment of a comprehensive GIS, NRIC began
developed—a complex task within the a project called Design and Implementation
11. Case Study
An orthophoto map with
10 cm resolution of the railway
infrastructure of Veliko Tarnova
City (Image courtesy of NRIC)
An ArcGIS web application provides information about the
railway infrastructure together with cadastral data.
of Geographic Information System for NRIC’s used together. NRIC is planning to add other By implementing ArcGIS, NRIC has a
Needs. Esri Bulgaria Ltd., Esri’s distributor for subsystems in the future. modern system that provides access to actual
that country, was the selected contractor—a ArcGIS provides capabilities for monitoring, data about the railway network and its owner-
company with more than 16 years of experi- evaluating, and analyzing sites and infrastruc- ship throughout all levels of the company. In
ence in implementing most of the biggest ture facilities to integrate staff responsibilities addition, the ability to generate various types
national GIS projects in Bulgaria. and address strategic and operational tasks. of reports results in improved planning and
Activities on the Design and Implementation By improving the management of the railway management of the company.
of Geographic Information System for NRIC’s infrastructure, significant economic perfor- The implementation of GIS in NRIC helps
Needs project started in May 2009 and ended mance is achieved. improve the quality and efficiency of railway
in November 2010. NRIC’s GIS is based on The system improves the processes for structure management and creates condi-
ArcGIS and is designed for collection, accumu- asset management (rail infrastructure and tions for economic growth. The system gives
lation, storage, transmission, and analysis of property) and ensures attainment of rail NRIC an advantage in achieving long-term
spatial and descriptive information about the transportation standards in the European objectives for sustainable development and
railway infrastructure, property, ownership, and Community by introducing modern geospatial modernization of the national transportation
other relevant data and to provide conditions information technologies. Moreover, it gives infrastructure.
for improving the operational, commercial, and the company the capability to manage cadas-
financial management of the company. tral data and technical infrastructure using
NRIC’s GIS provides access to a central- NRIC’s intranet.
For more information,
ized database with geospatial parameters of GIS supports operation, maintenance and contact Erol Mustafov, MS,
the railway infrastructure with the ability to repair, inventory, inspection, investigation
identify its objects and establish their location and planning, analysis and reporting, decision
head of the GIS Unit and
in space, as well as perform geoanalysis and making, property management, and other project manager, NRIC
effectively manage infrastructure operations. workflows.
This is particularly important for the company, NRIC’s GIS offers many advantages, includ-
(e-mail: erolmustafov@
as it helps in providing services to railway ing quick access to integrated information rail-infra.bg), or Stefan
operators, emergency response, carrying out from different sources, effective management
planned repairs, and modernization of railways. of information in real time, strong analytic
Tchapkansky, technical
The GIS includes two major subsystems: capabilities, prioritization of efforts in plan- marketing, Esri Bulgaria
Railway, and Cadastre and Property Register. ning and maintenance, multiple options for
Each subsystem has both a desktop and web information display, and implementation of
(e-mail: stefan@
part. Furthermore, digital drawing archive and international standards and models. Being esribulgaria.com).
administration modules were developed. All able to rely on Esri Bulgaria’s expertise in GIS
these components are closely integrated and design and implementation is another benefit.
Summer 2012 esri.com/transportation 11
12. Florida Department of Transportation on the Map
Department’s District 4 Turns to ArcGIS for Better Project Management
By Karen Richardson, Esri Writer
Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is not normally collected for a project, such as API for Microsoft Silverlight/WPF. The main
is in charge of a vast network that includes sidewalk locations, bus stops, school zones, screen of ProjectSuite is divided into different
trains, planes, automobiles, and boats. Almost and property ownership, is also difficult. panes—the top pane allows the project
120,000 miles of state highways and local Assembling the data needed for just one manager to search for projects of interest, the
roads, more than 700 aviation facilities, project can take hundreds of man-hours. left pane shows the project manager a list of all
14 seaports, and five active launch facilities are “There is one element in common between the projects that have been assigned to him or
maintained by FDOT to keep the state bustling. these disparate systems—location,” said José her, and a project tree in the top center of the
To effectively manage the transportation Theiler, program services administrator, FDOT screen allows the manager to set up specific
system, ensuring people and goods can move District 4. “The only way to relate projects and options for each project and type in the pro-
safely while preserving the lush environment of all the data that is needed is with location- ject number to see more detailed information.
Florida, FDOT divides the workload between driven information managed with GIS.” Once a particular project is selected, all
its central office, located in Tallahassee, FDOT has hundreds of layers of geographic the information available for that location is
Florida; seven districts that cover different re- information available to staff. Location infor- displayed. This information includes the road-
gions of the state; and one turnpike enterprise, mation specific to projects is captured through way segment ID, project descriptions from the
a business unit of FDOT that covers most toll a roadway identification number that is found mainframe, and financial information including
roads in the state. Each district creates and between every milepost on the freeway. In key performance indicators (KPIs) based on
maintains a five-year work program that details the case of bridges, the actual geographic the project budget and schedule.
specific maintenance and upgrades to roads, coordinates of the structure are used. Staff After this displayed data, a list of modules
bridges, rail lines, and other capital invest- use ArcGIS to manage all the spatial informa- that gives the manager access to databases
ments of the transportation system. tion from a pool of floating licenses. While that are relevant to each project is shown. One
To get a better idea of the health of the most geographic information is stored in one of these modules is called Project Impacts,
many projects open at any given time, FDOT’s geodatabase, staff also maintain separate which is how the GIS data is accessed. The
District 4 developed a sleek, easy-to-use geodatabases of project-specific data. interface to this module is an interactive map
computerized dashboard connected to a To make this decentralized information that displays every active project as a point
central repository of georeferenced informa- easier to access by anyone at District 4 who on the map, along with the boundaries of all
tion. Every capital project—and its associated needs it, such as managers of nearby or the projects. The map and data in this module
data—is available to FDOT project managers adjacent projects and executive staff, Atkins come from District 4’s GIS portal that is built
whenever they need it. From this application, Global was hired. Atkins is the UK’s largest on ArcGIS for Server.
created using ArcGIS, project managers have engineering and design consultancy and the “This interface gives project manager[s]
access to more than 100 transportation-rich world’s eleventh-largest design firm. The firm a frame of reference for where their project
georeferenced datasets including proposed worked with District 4 staff to create a project is,” said Manuel Alayon, software develop-
designs, construction plans, as-built drawings, website based on ArcGIS called ProjectSuite. ment manager at Atkins. “We call this module
and straight-line diagrams that are relevant to Now, approximately 200 District 4 staff mem- Project Impacts because it provides infor-
their projects. bers, including project managers, find, store, mation about what is around their projects
and analyze information for every project daily and allows them to see external factors that
Location, the Common Ground using the website. may need to be considered for their project
Any given project has a vast array of informa- ProjectSuite essentially aggregates all completion.”
tion, from scope and schedule to roadway the data located in disparate systems and Under the map is a section that shows other
characteristics, asset inventory, as-built performs nightly data pulls, including from a information that is tied to certain locations—
construction plans of the existing structure, mainframe located back in the central office either roads or bridges—so the project man-
financial and contractual information, and pro- in Tallahassee. The most current information ager can access this easily. Documents such
ject location, to name a few. Historically, there from these sources is updated in a single as straight-line diagrams are scanned and
has been no central system that maintains Microsoft SQL Server data warehouse at stored on a file server and tied to the roadway
this information. Instead, project managers District 4 and accessed through ProjectSuite. segment. With a simple click on the segment,
continually navigate between different project the diagram can be opened.
databases for financial and contract data and ProjectSuite Provides a
request hard-copy as-builts and diagrams Destination to Access Information Driving Efficient Projects
from other departments as they are needed. ProjectSuite opens to an easy-to-use dash- ProjectSuite is used throughout the district for
Gathering information that can be helpful but board application built on .NET using ArcGIS many purposes, from denoting which manager
12 Esri News for Transportation Summer 2012
13. Case Study
“ProjectSuite has become a fundamental
tool in the everyday life of staff here at
District 4,” said Theiler. “The GIS interface
makes this a complete package for decision
making by a project manager, executive, or
anyone around the district.”
Making Data Meaningful
The success and functional richness of
ProjectSuite prompted the FDOT central
office to adopt District 4’s dashboard ap-
proach for project management throughout
the organization. This enterprise effort is the
ProjectSuite Enterprise Edition. “The dials and
easily customized interface make this applica-
tion something that people can use easily,”
said Alayon. “Some can get overwhelmed
when they see all the information at once.
With ProjectSuite and ProjectSuite Enterprise
Edition, beginners can handle a small image
and a table of information. More advanced
users can move to the map, edit it, and gener-
ate reports.”
It is with the fluidity of the system that
ProjectSuite caters to both audiences, allow-
ing someone to see everything at once or dig
ProjectSuite maps help engineers and executives avoid logistical conflicts. around. The important aspect is that users
can choose how they view the data—either a
portfolio thumbnail of all projects, a graphic
oversees a particular project to understanding a point that roads get completely shut down, representation of certain items such as a
the scope of the project and its development something that FDOT tries very hard to avoid. critical path diagram for a project’s schedule,
progress. Instead of engineers sorting through Tracking location information is obviously or even analysis services for the entire data
thousands of stored, hard-copy as-built plans, much easier using a map. For example, if warehouse. “We have a ton of information,”
all plans from the 1940s to the present have water is not draining properly on a project, said Theiler. “Now we can take all that data
been digitized and are now easily accessed by instead of tracking information in a database and make it mean something, because it is all
a click of the mouse. Like with as-built plans, by typing in the name of a project and making tied together by location.”
engineers would spend hours sifting through the best guess of where that location actually
paper maps that contained right-of-way is, it can now be viewed on a map and the
information for each project. Today, access to issue noted. After resolution, the data in the
For more information,
all this information is quick. database can be updated, and this in turn contact José Theiler, PE,
The Project Impacts module has proved to updates the map. A map showing where and
be particularly valuable. By alerting engineers when projects are planned also provides
FDOT District 4 program
to projects that are close to their own project, opportunities to save costs associated with re- services administrator, at
issues can be discovered that may impact sources like fill dirt and heavy equipment that
construction. For example, it would not be could be more easily shared between nearby
Jose.Theiler@dot.state.fl.us
practical for two projects next to each other jobsites. It is in this way that Project Impacts or 954-777-4402.
to build at the same time due to staging helps project managers and executives work
and sequencing of construction and traffic together more easily to avoid conflicts and
maintenance. These activities may conflict to realize efficiencies during construction.
Summer 2012 esri.com/transportation 13
14. Perth Airport Flies High with
Geospatial Intelligence
Australian Airport Gains Enterprise-Wide Access to Location Intelligence Tools
“Location intelligence Strategically located in relation to Southeast reporting a 7.5 percent increase in passenger
Asia, Europe, and Africa, Perth Airport is numbers for the 2009–2010 financial year.
is vital in planning the Australia’s fourth largest airport in terms More than 10.4 million passengers traveled
airport infrastructure of passenger traffic. Under a 99-year lease through Perth Airport in 2009–2010, and total
arrangement with the commonwealth govern- passenger movements per year are forecast to
for the construction or ment, the airport is operated by Westralia more than double to 18.9 million by 2029.
relocation of services Airports Corporation Pty Ltd (WAC). The Perth To meet this growth projection and prepare
Airport estate encompasses more than 2,100 for the expansion of terminal facilities, WAC
and the maintenance of hectares and is the premier international, sought to gather more data across the airport
airport assets.” domestic, and regional gateway to the state of estate, taking multiple safety and security,
Western Australia. operational, environmental, customer service,
Fiona Lander, Westralia Airports Western Australia is home to a strong commercial, and service infrastructure factors
Corporation Pty Ltd. economy led by natural resources, and since into account. WAC wanted to be able to
Perth is Australia’s most isolated capital city, integrate data from this range of complex
Perth Airport is a critical infrastructure com- interrelated areas and understand how the
ponent in the state. The airport has recently location of various factors was influencing
experienced the highest passenger growth their use and constraints.
rates of any Australian capital city airport,
Enterprise Spatial Services for Transportation
• Alternative impacts analysis
Critigen offers a broad range of enterprise consulting, spatial and • Asset and work order management
application development services enabling our clients to realize • Data development & translation
• Web-based development and hosting
value and minimize risk through the use of location intelligence and • Mobile data collection
enterprise geo-integration. Critigen knows the planning, engineering • Master planning
and management issues faced by transportation agencies and has • Infrastructure routing
developed technology services and solutions to meet those challenges. • Regulatory compliance
• Permitting
• Public safety and security
For more information contact: Ken Hill, Vice President, Consulting and Solutions
ken.hill@critigen.com 1.865.560.2937
Trademarks provided under license from Esri
14 Esri News for Transportation Summer 2012
15. Case Study
Westralia Airports
Corporation effectively
disseminates and
manages its data
throughout multiple
departments, creating
work force efficiencies
through time-saving
and near real-time
information sharing
processes.
To achieve this, WAC required a solution work force efficiencies through time-saving informed and therefore empowered to make
that provided more enhanced spatial infor- and near real-time information sharing better business decisions.”
mation management. During the research processes. Beyond the ability to create maps and visu-
and investigation process, WAC contacted WAC is a significant service provider, alize where assets are, location intelligence
Esri Australia Pty. Ltd., Esri’s distributor in managing the power, gas, sewer, water, fuel, is playing a major role in the planning and de-
Australia, which had developed a technology drainage, and communications needs of two velopment of the expanding airport precinct.
that could help Perth Airport find a corporate- terminals and more than 200 tenants. It is also “Location intelligence is vital in planning
wide location intelligence solution, and the effectively the landlord, retail hub, and con- the airport infrastructure for the construction
two companies decided to work together on servation authority within the Perth Airport or relocation of services and the maintenance
the project. estate. The corporate-wide solution enables of airport assets,” said Lander. “Through
The team’s key goals were to create a solu- WAC staff throughout the entire organization effective use of location intelligence, we will
tion using ArcGIS technology that would do to access essential location-related data to be able to move to a more proactive mainte-
the following: support operation of the airport. nance schedule and more efficiently allocate
• Provide a single authoritative source of “Before we implemented GIS, all spatial and plan resources, resulting in significant
spatial information information requests were submitted to cost savings and a better-running suite of
• Add value to the business and decision- the Design Office to generate the relevant assets.”
making processes maps and data,” said Fiona Lander, general WAC has many more plans for using
• Improve efficiencies in repetitive or com- manager, Corporate Services. “This meant location intelligence at Perth Airport to
plex tasks that departments did not have real-time optimize workflows and better understand
• Provide an intuitive way to locate informa- access to information, and the Design Office the dynamic nature of the site, for example,
tion held in business systems could become bogged down fulfilling the further integration with the asset manage-
• Ensure that adequate and reliable technol- myriad of simple requests rather than utilizing ment and maintenance processes, detailed
ogy is deployed to support location-based [staff] skills for design and spatial information land-use reporting, enhanced utilization of
systems and business activities management. location intelligence for operational activities,
At the heart of WAC’s location intelligence “Through the implementation of GIS, we and mobile access to GIS.
solution was Esri GIS and Dekho software, now provide all staff with access to self-serve
which was developed by Esri Australia. Based maps,” Lander continued. “These can help
on ArcGIS, Dekho helps WAC integrate with anything from planning the location of a
information from databases that have a loca- new vending machine to scoping the environ-
tion element, including property and asset mental impacts of building a new warehouse
management. The software enables WAC to on the estate. With so many stakeholders
effectively disseminate and manage this data using location intelligence to get a greater
throughout multiple departments, creating insight into their working area, staff are better
Summer 2012 esri.com/transportation 15
16. Spanish Airports and Air Navigation Improves
Aeronautical Charting
“Producing some More than 190 million passengers pass and quality check operations. Sometimes
through airports in the country of Spain each charts have to be delayed because of lack of
aeronautical charts year. Air transport in the country is managed time and resources.
for the four runways at by the Spanish Public Authority for Airports Because airspace charts change so frequent-
and Aerial Navigation (AENA), headquartered ly, multiple charts are needed to cover each
Madrid Barajas Airport in Madrid, Spain. AENA’s mission is to guar- area. Different views of the same data need
took only one day antee safe, fluid, effective, and economic air to be provided to cover the needs of different
travel. The Aeronautical Information Service end users. This creates editing tasks that are
instead of the traditional (AIS) at AENA is in charge of disseminating the often highly repetitive and quality processes
six it took before.” aeronautical information that is critical for this that are very time-consuming to maintain co-
safe and efficient air navigation for 47 airports herence between all the products. These tasks
Javier Fenoll Rejas, AENA across the country. This is accomplished by make keeping up with the current map produc-
publishing several cartographic products. tion cycle among the biggest challenges AENA
AENA maintains 1,000 maps that are faces. The organization is under constant
updated every 28 days. These maps are used pressure to ensure all products are accurate
for its AIS, which delivers air navigation and and up-to-date using the diverse information
safety-related data to pilots flying in Spanish coming from various data originators.
airspace. Typically more than 50 maps need to Due to international agreements, there
be updated every working week. A considera- continues to be a need to produce and
ble amount of effort is spent on chart cleanup distribute paper printed aeronautical charts.
16 Esri News for Transportation Summer 2012
17. Case Study
Ñ AENA relies on
ArcGIS and Esri
Aeronautical Solution
to create aeronautical
charts.
However, there is a growing demand for approach to a runway. Prescribed altitudes and processes and workflows. For example, per-
access to digital products as well. AENA’s headings to be flown, as well as any obstacles, forming the obstacle analysis used to produce
legacy systems required separate systems for terrain, and potentially conflicting airspace, some aeronautical charts for the four runways
cartography and digital transmission of data are depicted. Standard Instrument Departure at Madrid Barajas Airport took only one day
in the industry interchange standard for aero- charts can also be created and provide flight instead of the traditional six it took before.
nautical information, Aeronautical Information crews with information to facilitate their de- ArcGIS geoprocessing tools and geodatabase-
Exchange Model (AIXM) format. AENA lacked partures from airports. Enroute charts provide centric map production have automated tasks
a true central database that could manage detailed information that is used for instrument and improved workflows, leading to reduced
both requirements and needed a system to flight and include information on navigational production hours and dramatically increas-
produce high-quality charts both digitally and fixes such as waypoints, intersections, standard ing cost-effectiveness by improving overall
on paper. The ability to post the charts on the airways, airport locations, and minimum data management and usage. Aeronautical
web for publication was also a necessity. altitudes for flight. The system also supports Solution has allowed high-quality carto-
After researching available solutions, the interoperable messaging using AIXM. graphic products to be generated using more
Aeronautical Information Division at AENA se- Publishing the data in a geodatabase automation from the central geodatabase.
lected Esri technology as part of the agency’s makes it possible for AENA to use the Open This improves the coherence between
aeronautical information management system, Geospatial Consortium, Inc., standard tech- products and allows AENA to create more
named INSIGNIA. The technology implement- nologies like the Web Feature Service (WFS) tailored products that meet the specific needs
ed includes ArcGIS for Server Enterprise and and provide maps and charts via the Internet of its clients. With the ArcGIS system, AENA
Esri Aeronautical Solution. The technology without fear of users changing the data. This has gained the flexibility needed to generate
solutions provide AENA with the flexibility it opens the door for a completely new range new cartographic products and deliver spatial
required to manage complex, critical aeronau- of products and services, allowing improved, services across the organization. It is able to
tical information in a spatial environment that more efficient, and safer use of aeronauti- do this with the same resources and is finding
is centered on an aeronautical geodatabase. cal information. AENA is able to use this new commercial opportunities, creating a
The system allows design, production, ability and transition from the productcentric healthy business model.
and printing of high-quality charts to AENA services it provides today to the datacentric
specifications, conforming to International service of tomorrow.
Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards. The transition to GIS for data management
For more information,
These charts include detailed instrument and cartography was a major cultural shift contact Javier Fenoll Rejas
approach procedures, which are documents for the organization. Despite this, AENA is
to be followed by pilots for a particular type of already receiving benefits from its improved
at jfenoll@aena.es.
Summer 2012 esri.com/transportation 17
18. Reducing Roadway Fatalities and Increasing
Public Awareness through GIS
By Brian N. Hilton and Thomas A. Horan
With approximately 40,000 automobile fatalities a year, traffic safety the spatial density of traffic fatalities. Concurrent with the analysis and
is a major public health issue. Unfortunately, alarming statistics like development of the national heat maps, the top 100 rural and urban
that don’t always get the commensurate attention they deserve. While hot spots were identified. SafeRoadMaps version 3 was launched on
researching the role of information technology in making emergency July 1, 2010, and included data for all years that contain georeferenc-
response systems more effective, Claremont Graduate University ing information and featured several new user-friendly interfaces for
(CGU) professor Tom Horan noticed that geographic information about travelers, policy researchers, and analysts—My Travel, My Community,
traffic fatalities wasn’t being used to its fullest potential. My State, and Analysis & Tools. Hot spot analysis was also extended
“I’ve been working on a variety of research studies on health and across both spatial (rural/urban) and temporal (summer/nonsummer)
transportation,” said Horan, speaking from CGU’s School of Information dimensions.
Systems and Technology (SISAT). “I started to think about the public The SafeRoadMaps site is part of a multiyear collaboration with the
health problem that these fatalities represent.” Automobile accidents University of Minnesota’s National Center for Excellence in Rural Safety
are the number-one killer of teenagers in this country. With the intent (CERS). Lee Munnich, the center’s director, noted that “SafeRoadMaps
to increase understanding on this issue, Horan undertook a project to has provided an invaluable tool for communicating about the issue of
make US traffic fatality statistics accessible from an easy-to-use website. traffic safety and raised national policy awareness to this public health
SafeRoadMaps was developed by SISAT research faculty member problem.”
Brian N. Hilton, who teaches classes in GIS solution development at While the site was created for public use, Horan has been ap-
SISAT, along with several SISAT students. Working under the technical proached by a variety of organizations, such as driver’s education
direction of Hilton, the team created the SafeRoadMaps website, which programs, about creating specialized SafeRoadMaps modules.
offers a variety of features, including interactive maps that display for Additionally, throughout its development, Horan has briefed James
visitors where vehicular fatalities have occurred in their community. L. Oberstar, former US representative (Minnesota’s 8th congressional
When visitors type an address or ZIP Code into SafeRoadMaps, the site district) and chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure
displays information from state geodatabase records. SafeRoadMaps Committee (2007–2011), who has also championed its use. Though
uses data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) provided Horan’s research is novel and unique, he points out that it’s on
by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for the years the continuum of the work that created the field of public health:
2001–2010. “Epidemiology got its start when there was a cholera outbreak in
“SafeRoadMaps displays the key data on automobile accidents,” London. An intrepid researcher named John Snow mapped the cases
said Horan. “Visitors can discover when the accident occurred, how and discovered it was originating from a specific public water pump.
people were involved, whether the fatality was a driver or pedestrian, What we’re trying to do is bring that same sensibility—a map, a visual
and whether alcohol or some other inebriate was involved.” The site tool that can help people understand the problem of public safety—
also displays a photo of the location where the accident occurred. and improve upon it.”
FARS contains data on all fatal traffic crashes within the United States The maps have helped millions understand road conditions and
where each case has more than 100 coded data elements that charac- prevent fatal car accidents.
terize the crash, the vehicles, and the people involved.
Since its inception in 2008, the SafeRoadMaps website has logged
almost 12 million hits. It serves a variety of user types and needs and
For more information, contact Thomas A.
houses an expanding spatial database. Horan, PhD, professor, or Brian N. Hilton,
Horan observed, “ArcGIS for Server provides us with the ability to
more easily integrate our growing quantity and variety of data sources,
PhD, clinical assistant professor, both
allows us to perform more complex spatial queries, provides advanced at the School of Information Systems
geoprocessing functionality, and facilitates the creation of map tiles
on the fly. In addition, we’re using ArcGIS Viewer for Flex for rapid
and Technology, Claremont Graduate
user interface development, something that was time-consuming and University, 130 East Ninth Street,
unwieldy with the previous implementation.”
SafeRoadMaps version 1 was publicly launched on July 28, 2008, and
Claremont, California 91711 (phone: 909-
integrated a range of spatial data regarding motor vehicle crashes, trans- 621-8209, fax: 909-621-8564, e-mail:
portation policy legislation, and driver behavioral data presenting a visual
representation of traffic safety across the United States. SafeRoadMaps
tom.horan@cgu.edu or brian.hilton@cgu
version 2 was launched on July 1, 2009, and extended this functionality to .edu), or visit www.saferoadmaps.org.
include national heat maps as a visual means for communicating
18 Esri News for Transportation Summer 2012
19. Discover the Power of Where
Transportation professionals rely on NAVTEQ® Maps and Traffic to deliver high-value,
comprehensive GIS-T solutions for managing, planning, and maintaining transportation
systems.
• NAVTEQ Traffic™ delivers detailed information about road construction, traffic
speeds and incidents such as accidents, allowing drivers to make better routing
and re-routing decisions.
• NAVTEQ Transport™ data offers detailed road attributes including physical
restrictions, legal restrictions, HAZMAT and specific POIs like truck stops
• Point Addressing is points adjusted to the road to provide a precise address
location. Point Addressing enables more accurate to-the-door arrival as well as
more reliable geocoding for transportation solutions.
For more information, email enterprise@navteq.com.