Transportation planners have been hearing it for years. The population is increasing, trade barriers are down, the highways and railroads are humming and traffic volume is swelling to record numbers. At the same time, there are new standards for managing the traffic; and more ambitious expectations of transit ridership and emergency service delivery; public review of designs is required and environmental impacts must constantly be monitored. Fortunately, as the challenges for transportation management become more demanding, new tools emerge — from cellular phones to GPS and internet communications, technology is making information more accessible to managers and users. As Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) are deployed, a wider variety of technologies will become available.
Geospatial information technologies have made a real difference in a number of management domains, from cadastral mapping to commercial logistics. In the transportation arena, state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) have embraced GIS technology over the last two decades, and reaped significant benefits. While gross budgets may or may not have been reduced, DOTs have produced much more for every dollar spent, by integrating a wider range of variables in planning, and disseminating information better...more
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