MODIFYINGPMMSDATABASEUSINGGISANDGPS INSTRUMENTS(CASE STUDYONHOSANNAWULBAREGROAD

Abstract

In order to have the updated road information regarding inventory management of road maintenance it requires digitized database. Nowadays, all data and information management are conducted in integrated digital form. Road organizations in Ethiopia have no such a system currently. Lacking of such a system creates gaps in information and data which in turn affects remedial measure developments. In order to have the updated road information regarding inventory management of road maintenance it requires digitized database. GIS is a powerful application and able to analyze and store all the geospatial data because road information has both spatial and attribute data. Pavement defects extent and severity were assessed by field survey in parallel by collecting each section coordinates with the help of GPS. GIS is a powerful technology which integrates both attribute and spatial data of the road inventory information and additionally, it also is able to carry out different various analyses through spatial and attribute database. Researchers successfully integrated the GIS into PMS for storing, repossessing, analyzing, and reporting information needed to support pavement-related decision making. The main characteristics of a GIS system are that it enables joining data/information to its geographical location which can be expressed by latitude/longitude instead of the milepost or reference-point system traditionally used in transportation. GIS technology is also capable of rapidly repossessing data from a database and can automatically generate customized maps to meet specific needs such as identifying maintenance locations. The study assessed road pavement condition and evaluated the road by PCI, and used GIS to produce spatial and attribute database of road distresses so that to prioritize the sections of road pavement for maintenance based on the better visualization of sections of the road in GIS. Different maps are produced from the PCI results from which section prioritization for maintenance can be done. PMMS data can be better managed with GIS and GPS integration. In conclusion, GIS PMMS gives a modified and standard pavement data management. Hence, I recommend road organizations to practice or use GIS-PMMS.