Information Management at State Highway Departments: Issues and Needs

Abstract

The North Carolina Department of Transportation, in its continuing efforts to more fully and effectively use advanced information technology tools to increase institutional productivity and effectiveness in managing its transportation infrastructure, embarked on a study that involved developing a comprehensive and unified enterprisewide information management system. This paper focuses on the issues and needs that emerged as the information system development study evolved. These issues and needs became so significant that they warranted a detailed analysis in and of themselves. It is these issues and needs, which have a degree of universality, that are reported herein. This paper first introduces and discusses the functions of various participating units at state departments of transportation (referred to as stakeholders). Then, the paper identifies the issues and needs that must be fully understood and considered in the development of a unified information management system.