4D information management system for road maintenance using GIS

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1 icccbe 2010 Nottingham University Press Proceedings of the International Conference on Computing in Civil and Building Engineering W Tizani (Editor) 4D information management system for road maintenance using GIS Satoshi Kubota Iwate Prefectural University, Japan Ichizou Mikami Kansai University, Japan Abstract In order to carry out effective road management, the use of spatial and temporal information is necessary. Four-dimensional information is required for storing the historical information of the latest road conditions. In this paper, four-dimensional information is defined as the combination of threedimensional spatial information and temporal information. This paper proposes a 4D information management system to collect, accumulate, share, and utilize the four-dimensional information. The system has the functions of spatial data infrastructure, product data models, model library systems, a common system interface, common functions, a road database, and a road application system. The functions of representation, simulation, and progress management were developed using the fourdimensional information. Keywords: highway, four-dimensional information, product data model, management system 1 Introduction Roads are networks that connect social infrastructure facilities and that accommodate lifeline facilities. Moreover, roads are necessary in all kinds of circumstances, from moving around in daily life to implementing disaster recovery efforts. If large-scale damage occurs to roads in urban areas and they cannot be used due to degradation of their function, many areas of life will be affected. Thus, it is important to protect roads from large-scale damage and to carry out road maintenance in order to maintain services to the public (Hassanain et al., 2003). During the life cycle of a road, spatial attributes such as geographical and positional information as well as temporal attributes such as the time that service opens and closes to the public are generated (Fisher and Kunz, 1995; 2004; Fisher and Kam, 2002). Spatial attributes can be used as threedimensional data, taking elevation into account in accordance with ISO/TC211. Temporal attributes can also be described in accordance with ISO/TC211 and combined with spatial attributes. In conventional road information management systems, spatial attributes are plentiful but temporal attributes are few, and it is difficult to analyze the causes of road damage with spatial attributes alone. It is difficult for those responsible for road maintenance to immediately determine the latest situation from the information accumulated day by day. This results in the problem of road users not being informed of the schedules for road maintenance work. Therefore, it is necessary to provide fourdimensional road maintenance information that includes spatial attributes and temporal attributes in order to collect and use the latest information generated in road maintenance work.

2 In the present research, a framework for handling four-dimensional information was constructed that systematized spatial and temporal attributes as four-dimensional information in order for this information to be collected, stored, controlled, shared, and used by those engaged in road maintenance. System sharing functions such as searching and registration were developed as application systems for handling the four-dimensional information, and functions such as the display of four-dimensional information and simulation support were developed. 2 Definition of Four-dimensional Information A four-dimensional information was defined by linking temporal attributes to three-dimensional spatial attributes. To construct the four-dimensional information, a method of linking the spatial data infrastructure and the road information models based on geographical information standards was considered. Methods using the spatial and temporal attributes were devised for the construction of the four-dimensional information. The method using the spatial attributes utilized the attribute data GM_Point representing the points of the land objects forming the spatial data infrastructure in road information models. The method using temporal attributes utilized the attribute data TM_Instant representing the time added to the spatial data infrastructure to the road information model. The information generated during road management work is dispersed both spatially and in time among the road managers and private companies. By using four-dimensional information in road management work, the information that is to be shared is stored in order that the state of road management, in which time attributes are set within three-dimensional space. 3 Outline of the System 3.1 System Architecture In the present research, a 4D information management system was constructed to allow those engaged in road maintenance to collect, store, control, share, and use four-dimensional information consisting of spatial and temporal attributes. As shown in the outline of the system in Figure 1, the 4D information management system consisted of spatial data infrastructure, a road database, a product data model of road, a model library, a common interface, system sharing functions, and road application systems. Figure 1, Outline of 4D information management system.

3 The 4D information system was structured so that in the future, if new information items or system functions are added to the system, the system can be developed based on the common interface and the product data models of road. The spatial data infrastructure (GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION STANDARDIZATION PROMOTION COMMITTEE 2002; MLIT 2005) is a skeletal collection of land objects formed from nine items such as terrain and administration data for all national land included in the digital national land data. It includes fundamental map data consisting of spatial attributes that includes geographical information, locational information, and three-dimensional spatial information including elevation. The road database stores all the information generated during the life cycle of a road. In this research, some data was stored in the road database as a prototype system. The product data models of road were defined and systematized to be generated throughout the life cycle of the road for exchange and sharing among those involved in road maintenance. The definition and systematization of the information were carried out by specifying the functions required for carrying out road management, extracting and defining the information to satisfy those functions, and producing diagrams of the attributes of that information, associations between the information, and the structure of the inheritance hierarchy. The common interface has the functions of sending and receiving requests and results for the management system and model library, the road database, and the spatial data infrastructure, as well as sending, receiving, and displaying data. The system sharing function is for not only road management, but also data searching, registration, updating, and management. These functions allow the sharing of information with social infrastructure systems. The system includes various functions for road management, for example, an inspection support function, a degradation diagnostic function, and a pavement management function. In this research, a four-dimensional information display function, a simulation support function, and a progress management function were developed in the system. Within the system, the model library, road database, and spatial data infrastructure are operated based on the web, and the road application system is operated in the client/server (C/S) form. The road managers obtain information from the model library, the road database, or the spatial data infrastructure using a client PC, and use the system. The reason why the model library, road database, and spatial data infrastructure are web-based is so that many users can easily use a browser to search, extract data, and use dispersed model libraries, road databases, and the spatial data infrastructure. The C/S format was adopted for the road application system because it was expected that updates would occur in the analysis function as a result of changes in the work content or the systems, and thus it was necessary to reduce the cost and time of these updates. In addition, from a practical viewpoint, the number of users carrying out analysis would be limited. Moreover, the information generated (text, drawings, photographs, etc.) was considered to be important for road management work, and it is necessary to effectively utilize this information in analysis. 3.2 Use of the system An image depicting the use of the 4D information management system is shown in Figure 2. The four-dimensional information generated during the life cycle of the road is collected, stored in the road database and spatial data infrastructure, and administered by the road managers. The road managers share the information stored in the road database with those carrying out construction work; therefore, it is possible to use simulations to compare three-dimensional shapes before and after modifications or determine the necessary repair work when preparing repair plans, and visually explain the schedule and contents of the construction to those engaged in construction or to residents.

4 Figure 2, Use of 4D information management system. 4 Development of 4D Information Management System In this research, a four-dimensional information display function, a simulation support function, and a progress management function were developed as a prototype of the system. 4.1 Linking the system and database In the system, product data models of road stored in the model library and applied schemes stored in the spatial data infrastructure are searched, and results for the obtained road management work are created. Moreover, the created results are registered in the road database or the spatial data infrastructure. In addition to four-dimensional information, photographs, drawings, documents, and other related files are stored in the database. A database management system was developed for searching for and registering four-dimensional information. If the results of work or an item not stored in the model library arises, the information model and applied scheme are added to the model library and updated. 4.2 Composition of the system screen The composition of the system screen (Figure 3) was designed taking into consideration the operability for the user, in order that changes in the state of the road management or attribute information can be checked in four dimensions. In the function field, buttons for registration, search (spatial and temporal), simulation, and progress management are set as the menu. Tools for manipulating the screen are set as buttons and include navigation for manipulating the viewing position of the three-dimensional spatial attributes using the mouse in the map information display screen, bird's eye view, move, display all, zoom in, zoom out, and attribute information. A calendar bar and a time sequence bar are set in the field for manipulating the temporal attributes. In the field for displaying related information, map information layers and explanatory notes regarding road construction information are displayed. In the map information display screen, it is possible to simulate the change in the state of a road on the screen by manipulating the time sequence bar. Also, it is possible to specify a position or time by using the menu or screen manipulation tools.

5 Figure 3. An example of the system display. 4.3 Function design and development A four-dimensional information display function, a simulation support function, and a progress management function were developed as functions of the system. The composition of the system functions is shown in Figure 4. These functions were developed using the common functions of the system and the common interface using the spatial data infrastructure and the product data models, so that new functions can be easily added. Figure 4. Functional composition of management system Four-dimensional information display function The four-dimensional information display function is the function in which the system searches the road database and the spatial data infrastructure, and displays the results received in four dimensions. A user carries out a search of the road database and the spatial data infrastructure using the web, downloads the search results, and stores them on the hard disk. For carrying out searches from the system via the web, the HTTP interface is used. The system converts the XML data stored in the road database to be distributed and the spatial data infrastructure into a map display format, and manipulates the temporal attributes (TM_Instant in ISO/TC211) associated with the four-dimensional information to display the temporal attributes on the map information display screen Simulation support function The simulation support function supports the prediction of future road management using past stored information and displays the prediction as a time sequence of four-dimensional information. After

6 selecting the applicable road line using the spatial search function, the temporal attributes and associated information are extracted from the road database, and the display period and the simulation items are set. The simulation results are displayed by the four-dimensional information display function, and the change in the state of the applicable road line within the set display period is checked using the time sequence bar. By confirming the state of the road construction visually on the screen, all the people associated with the road management can confirm the road construction program on the screen Progress management function The progress management function displays the state of progress of road works on the screen, using information generated during each stage in the life cycle. The state of progress of construction is displayed as a result on the four-dimensional information display screen using the simulation support function. This together with the state of progress shown as a graph can be visually checked by those involved with the road, so that they can understand and predict the progress of the construction. 5 Conclusions In this research, a 4D information management system for collecting, storing, controlling, sharing, and using four-dimensional information generated in road management was proposed, and a prototype was constructed by using GIS. The system consists of a spatial data infrastructure, a road database, product data models of road, a model library, a common interface, a system sharing function, and a road application system. Four-dimensional information is defined as information in which threedimensional spatial attributes are linked to temporal attributes, and a method of linking spatial attributes or temporal attributes was proposed as the method of constructing four-dimensional information. Four-dimensional product data models of road were constructed based on the proposed method, and a model library was constructed for managing product data models and applied schemes of spatial data infrastructure. A four-dimensional information display function, a simulation support function, and a progress management function were implemented in the system. Conventionally, the spatial attributes and the temporal attributes generated in the life cycle of a road are managed separately, and there were few examples of management of the accumulated past information in the maintenance stage. As a result, there was a problem of finding past information in a timely manner. However, all the information generated during the life cycle can be continuously accumulated and used with the proposed management system. The system has not been experimented on the site yet. We plan the experiment in the future by the engineer. References FISHER, M. and KUNZ, J., Architecture for Integrating Software, J. Comp. in Civ. Engrg, ASCE, Vol.9, pp FISCHER, M. and KAM, C., Product Model and 4D CAD Final Report, Center for Integrated Facility Engineering Technical Report, Stanford University, No.143. FISCHER, M. and KUNZ, J., The Scope and Role of Information Technology in Construction, J. Const. Manage. and Eng., JSCE, Ⅵ-63, No.763, pp GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION STANDARDIZATION PROMOTION COMMITTEE, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism s Geographical Survey Institute, Geographical Information Standard in Japan. HASSANAIN, M. A., FROESE, T. M. and Vanier, D. J., Framework Model for Asset Maintenance Management, J. Perf. Constr. Fac., ASCE, Vol.17, No.1, pp MINISTRY OF LAND, INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT AND TOURISM S GEOGRAPHICAL SURVEY INSTITUTE (MLIT), Geographical Information Standard Profile in Japan. MORII, T., MIKAMI, I., and KUBOTA, S., Method of Updating and Management of Spatial Data Infrastructure in Japan, Proceedings of the Tenth International Conference on Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering Computing, Civil-Comp Press, Stirling, United Kingdom, paper 70.