Strategic plan to optimize the management of right-of-way parcel and utility information at FDOT.

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) manages a huge right-of-way asset. Examples of core processes related to this asset include determining right-of-way boundaries; inventorying roadside features; preparing right-of-way maps; acquiring, selling, and leasing assets; and regulating the accommodation of utilities within the right-of-way. Ready access to related information is a key requirement not just for streamlining project delivery but also throughout the life cycle of transportation infrastructure facilities. This report summarizes the results of research conducted to assist FDOT in developing a strategic implementation plan for the management of right-of-way parcel and utility data at the department. To support this effort, the research involved a review of current FDOT systems and practices and development of recommendations as to what vision and/or strategies to pursue. More specifically, the research included conducting meetings with key stakeholders, reviewing and analyzing existing documentation, developing data models, conducting a demonstration of a prototype application developed to test the data models, examining potential implications related to the Bentley Map® initiative, and preparing recommendations for implementation. Meetings with key stakeholders included meetings with officials from Central Office as well as Districts 5 and 6. The purpose of the meetings was to learn or confirm information about business processes, systems, and other items of interest in connection with the management of right-of-way parcel and utility data. The research included a comprehensive review of MicroStation design libraries in use at the department and a determination on how to apply this information to the development of a data model and protocol for the extraction of parcel and utility data from MicroStation into a geographic information system (GIS) environment. The research team evaluated expanded and compact versions of the data model, which includes features, feature attributes, and linkages to other business processes within the department, including projects and documents. Recommendations include implementing a systematic use of existing survey and Bentley GEOPAK® data to generate parcel shapes in Bentley MicroStation® for later use in other applications including GIS as well as a systematic database approach for managing utility-related levels in MicroStation. Recommendations also include steps for integrating parcel and utility data into FDOT’s enterprise GIS framework.