Enterprisewide Spatial Data Integration of Legacy Systems for Asset Management

Abstract

This paper describes the spatial information system infrastructure implemented by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to enable delivery of information to management decision makers in asset management applications. This spatial data warehouse infrastructure makes extensive use of geographic information system (GIS) technologies to integrate information from a variety of database structures and formats. GIS products and tools have been developed to portray and analyze these data in useful combinations focused on practitioner needs. In June 1999 the Governmental Accounting Standards Board issued Statement 34 requiring governments to have a systematic approach to managing their assets. As a result, transportation agencies have placed an increased emphasis on developing mechanisms to integrate information from disparate management information systems and legacy databases. IDOT has used GIS to develop a spatial data warehouse to enable integration. A valuable characteristic of the department's information systems infrastructure is the embedding of the underlying link–node structure into roadway inventory databases to enable the direct linkage of data through various system identifiers, including differing milepost referencing and project numbering schemes. This direct linkage enables the complex integration of asset management–related data files across the enterprise and provides access to historical asset information. Changes to route referencing systems are readily accommodated, without loss of integrative capabilities. Outputs include a variety of user-developed analyses and output products with accessibility through networks, intranets, and the Internet.