This section summarizes the key factors for successfully implementing geospatial technologies identified by the case-study state DOTs during the interviews. In instances where there was overlap among state DOTs' comments and suggestions, observations were merged to capture the general sentiment.
Activities key to success that were described include:
Some DOTs also offered recommendations on how FHWA could better support transportation agencies in implementing GIS activities. These recommendations are presented at the end of the section.
Develop upper-level management support and maintain strong relationships. Upper management within the entire agency needs to understand and support GIS development — thus, the need for a "constant sell." Sustained support is key to securing the resources necessary to demonstrate steady and visible accomplishments. One way to do this is to continue to track and communicate the cost and time savings generated by using geospatial technologies. Find both formal and informal opportunities to describe to senior managers how geospatial information supports informed decision-making, leading to better decisions. Make an effort to track cost and time savings in order to be equipped with convincing evidence.
Poll staff and assess business requirements. Continually poll geospatial-data end users on staff to gain an understanding of the business needs of various divisions and to determine the features and enhancements to existing applications that are desired. This open communication can help to maintain the trust and support of other divisions within the DOT. As a DOT moves forward with making and strengthening partnerships for obtaining environmental GIS data layers and integrating new features (e.g. video logging, sign/guardrail inventories, truck routing/permitting system) into the GIS, the importance of polling staff about their business needs and their uses of such data will likely endure.
It can also be extremely useful to have an outside person(s) assess the business requirements of an organization. An outside entity can provide an unbiased and balanced evaluation of business needs, better equipping staff to develop geospatial applications.
Create a permanent GIS Steering Committee. A permanent GIS Steering Committee can better coordinate GIS activities within a DOT and across counterpart state agencies. One of the primary functions of the Steering Committee could be to market and facilitate approved GIS Strategic Plan initiatives both vertically and horizontally within the organization, helping to secure support and funding from division administrators. While other responsibilities could include coordination and possible supervisory tasks (i.e., with a GIS manager), the Committee's primary functions would be to:
The Committee could also formally approve GIS work programs and funding requests, publicize GIS successes, and help to address problems or issues requiring higher-level support and decisions.
Members of such a committee should include mid-level managers from pertinent units who are active GIS stakeholders from a funding and/or implementation standpoint. It is also important to include staff whose units are not yet actively involved in GIS as well as those who may be skeptical about the value of GIS to their unit, as these people often raise important issues or questions that should be considered. A strong leader (chairperson) is necessary to manage members in an appropriate manner.
Appoint/designate a permanent GIS coordinator. Create a permanent GIS coordinator position that has defined responsibilities, including daily operations and long-term planning. This position would best be filled by a relatively nontechnical person who would serve as the single point of contact for GIS and take charge of internal and external coordination for "marketing" and promoting GIS. Part of the GIS staffing plan should be devoted to defining and institutionalizing the responsibilities and functions of this position.
Work to build fast applications. Avoid user frustration by working to ensure that geospatial applications respond quickly to user commands, thereby increasing the chances of subsequent use.
Select and define the data architecture for the GIS environment. It is important that the entire enterprise accept and understand new data architectures when they are introduced. One way to ensure this understanding is to make available an informed facilitator who is knowledgeable about GIS and can work through the process of defining the architectures with stakeholders.
A rule of thumb is to develop user-friendly geospatial applications geared to general business users. Do not overlook senior managers when building applications. A valuable practice is to develop applications that they can use to quickly access and analyze information. Such applications can allow them to see the power of geospatial data firsthand. Upper-level decision-makers can also more easily develop an understanding of the questions that can be asked and answered with GIS, as well as of the benefits that can be demonstrated through the implementation of geospatial technologies.
Seek to secure funding for GIS projects from multiple partners, both internally and externally. Focusing on business needs is the most critical element in developing an effective GIS solution. The expansion of GIS throughout the enterprise is dependent on buy-in from many business units. To develop and deploy more effective GIS-enabled application solutions, partners will likely need to dedicate funding and, possibly, personnel resources.
Funding can be a major obstacle to implementing geospatial technologies, especially within IT divisions. Work with both internal and external counterparts to determine funding needs and to identify how scarce resources can best be allocated.
Evaluate available GIS software solutions and document a selected standard. As part of the software evaluation, an organization must select a standard for the client/server and/or web-based solution that is preferred. This is important for consistency and commonality between delivered software and custom applications that are built in-house or by consultants. The specific version of software should also be identified; thus, the standard will need to be updated as software solutions evolve over time.
Evaluate implemented GIS solutions and document a selected standard. Once a GIS relational database is selected, the specific version of database software to best match with the GIS software must be identified and implemented. This may involve an upgrade of the existing database environment, including applications that use the selected database and servers that house the database environment. If the relational database cannot be aligned with the desired GIS environment due to application limitations or budget constraints, the GIS manager and technical core team can determine the best environment that can be established. It will subsequently be necessary to enforce data standards and to designate a person or group to serve as "enforcer of the standards." Without this function, consistency cannot be maintained and quality cannot be ensured.
Work closely with FHWA. FHWA is often instrumental in providing funding for GIS activities at state DOTs. FHWA is also supportive of workshops where professionals from around the country can come together to share information about standards, ongoing efforts, and cooperation. Some DOTs mentioned that they anticipated opportunities to participate in more such forums in the future.
Never give up the dream. Although making compromises along the way will likely be necessary, it is important to stay committed to the vision of an established and prevalent GIS. While a remarkable GIS can be built around one piece of data, the true power is in being able to compare many sets of data. Sharing a vision for the future with others increases the likelihood of gaining the buy-in and cooperation needed to develop a more robust GIS.
Support visionary ideas. FHWA can significantly encourage the development of effective geospatial technologies for transportation by supporting new and perhaps untested ideas that may originate at state DOTs.
Support the development of basic, generic, nationwide data standards. To promote implementation of effective business models for geospatial technologies at state DOTs, FHWA could:
Such standards could go a long way toward facilitating the integration of geospatial capabilities across applications and data scales at both the federal and state levels. By asking for states' input on their data needs and promoting a shared data standardization effort, more robust geospatial systems might be built. This effort could also later lead to the creation of a Federal Strategic Plan for GIS in Transportation.
A specific opportunity for FHWA to accomplish these goals could be through the Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) 2010 Reassessment. FHWA is advocating that the HPMS 2010 Reassessment be GIS-enabled. In order that some states not view this as an unfunded mandate requiring major business changes, it was recommended that FHWA provide minimum data standards. These standards could improve the quality and timeliness of states' HPMS submittals as well as advance the development and implementation of their geospatial technologies.
FHWA might also help to more clearly define a transportation data model at the national level. It was noted that the NCHRP 20-27 and UNETRANS linear referencing data model has sometimes been difficult to put into practice. Despite the appearance of vendor applications of these data models, research by the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) and FHWA into transportation data modeling seems to have declined since the late 1990s. Many efficiencies of scale are possible if transportation data models are advanced further at the national level.