GIS FOR TRANSPORTATION: CURRENT PRACTICES, PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS

Geographic information systems (GIS) are a complex combination of hardware, software, data, and organizational arrangements for collecting, storing, analyzing, and disseminating information about areas of the earth. In the area of transportation, GIS can integrate various data to focus in on a particular point in the transportation network via a spatial referencing system. GIS-T, the transportation field's GIS, is a revolutionary technology that is in an infancy stage. This article describes current GIS-T applications, highlighting the work of several state departments of transportation. Obstacles to large-scale implementation of GIS-T are discussed and the potential future applications are noted.