Geographic information systems (GIS) as an integrated decision support tool for municipal infrastructure asset management

The three-year Municipal Infrastructure Investment Planning (MIIP) project is currently investigating investment planning and strategic asset management. The project proposes using geographic information systems (GIS) as the framework for decision support tools for municipal infrastructure managers, and more specifically, as tools to assist them to prioritize infrastructure maintenance and capital renewal. GIS helps store, manage, analyze, manipulate and display data that are linked spatially. In essence, GIS relates database records and their associated attribute data to a physical location in "real" world coordinates, thereby creating a "smart map". Visualization of discrete parts of these data on a GIS map is possible by layering the data into different "themes". GIS applications can then display the intersection of various "themes". Typically, GIS applications in use today in Canadian municipalities primarily assist administrative functions; however, municipalities are recognizing the benefits of spatially related data to manage their municipal infrastructure assets. The paper provides an overview of the state-of-practice for using GIS to manage municipal infrastructure. It outlines geospatial tools and technologies that augment GIS data collection such as global positioning systems, personal digital assistants, mobile computing, automated vehicle location, road weather information systems, and remote sensing. It describes associations and networks that assist GIS education, research, and technology transfer in the field. It provides examples of GIS implementations for managing municipal infrastructure from the body of GIS research and practitioner literature. Shortcomings of using GIS for managing municipal infrastructure include the high costs of data conversion, the lack of strong 3D capabilities, no ability to store "time-dependent" data, and the lack of object-oriented representation. The major opportunity for GIS for an organization is to create an "Enterprise GIS" solution where data, information and knowledge can be shared and flow freely throughout the enterprise and potentially to the general public.