THE INFORMATION AGE IS HERE

By John Severance

    Road Agents and Public Works Directors need to manage a multitude of information to efficiently operate their municipal road and drainage systems. Their information sources are often a hodgepodge of construction plans, sketches, maps, drawings, and notes. Storing and finding this information can be a large problem. A Geographical Information System (GIS) is a viable solution.

    GIS consists of layers of information over an accurate base map. One layer might include the road system, another drainage, and a third signage. With the click of a "mouse," a user can access features of a road section such as culverts and inverts, catch basins and inverts, pipe sizes, depths, conflicting buried utilities, previous construction plans, percent slope, road crown, width and length, last maintenance, and condition. Data from other systems, such as RSMS and SIMS, can add information to the GIS base map.

Advantages

• All information is digitally stored in one place.
• Information retrieval is quick and easy.
• The system is easy to update and keep current.
• Selected areas can be printed to provide maps and visual information to managers, crews, and the public.
• Information, such as construction plans, sketches, pictures, and AutoCAD drawings can be scanned and linked to the base map.
• Calculations and future costs can be determined through mathematical modeling and from databases such as RSMS.
• A road layer can be viewed with other layers such as water, sewer, and parcels, to show features that may conflict or prove advantageous for expansion.
• Municipalities can establish a GIS in annual increments. For example, it can budget for a base map and culverts one year, catch basins and drainage another year, and so on.
• By establishing GIS as an ongoing process, it will provide current, accurate information.

Suggestions

• Start with an accurate base map because it is the foundation for all additional information. An accurate tax map is often adequate.
• The software should allow for future growth and for queries, modeling, networking, and additional layers.
• Data must be consistent and accurate. "Garbage in equals garbage out."
• Other departments should be involved in planning, data entry, and implementation.
• Provide for annual updates, with municipal employees a consultant, to incorporate additions and changes to road and drainage systems.
• Use a GIS consultant for the initial setup of the GIS, and ask them questions as you proceed.

Computers are becoming as common as telephones, and digitized information is used increasingly. Prices continue to tumble, making hardware and software attainable and useful to small towns. Thanks to advances in user-friendly software, the average person can access, store, and use information with a GIS. By keeping information accurate, current, and accessible, municipal managers can efficiently operate a system that meets current and future needs. With the arrival of the Information Age, coupled with increasing demands of services from the public, a GIS might soon be a necessity rather than a luxury.

John C. Severance Manager, Public Works Information Management Cartographic Associates, Inc. (800) 322-4540 www.cai-info.com john@cai-info.com

Return to UNH T2 Center, 33 College Road, Durham NH 03824 603-862-2826 Fax 603-862-2364