Applications of Gis in Infrastructure Project Management
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Int. J. Struct. & Civil Engg. Res. 2013 Sandip N Palve, 2013 ISSN 2319 – 6009 www.ijscer.com Vol. 2, No. 4, November 2013 © 2013 IJSCER. All Rights Reserved Research Paper APPLICATIONS OF GIS IN INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT MANAGEMENT Sandip N Palve1* *Corresponding author:Sandip N Palve, [email protected] Developing countries face unique challenges with the design, construction and operations of new infrastructure. Nations with mature infrastructure have followed traditional technology models for planning, design, construction and operation of facilities. With GIS technology, the development of new infrastructure will follow new technology models eliminating data redundancy, miscommunication, and costly conversion when moving through the planning, design, construction, and operation of infrastructure data. Specific site data requirements for the design and construction of infrastructure are developed for quality engineering design and to minimize and accurately predict construction costs. GIS provides the central data system for the process of developing and constructing infrastructure gives the engineers a common means to communicate geospatial data, maintain current data, and allow iterative design/data collection procedures without exchanging data files of differing format, version, and content. Due to superior spatial data handling capabilities, Geographic Information System (GIS) technology is increasingly being considered for implementation in many infrastructure projects. Keywords: GIS, Planning, Applications, Geospatial data, Infrastructure projects INTRODUCTION that form the foundation for future GIS analyses. The GIS has the potential to merge a person’s Wiley suggests that a GIS should be process and field knowledge with a powerful approached as an evolutionary process, one computer system that documents activity and that yields GIS/information system tools and builds a base for further streamlining. It can capabilities in the interim and handle users remove some of the tedious tasks of day-to- immediate information needs as well as allow day operations, thereby easing the burden on for gradual organizational and workflow the worker, resulting in the potential for changes as the system and applications productivity increases. At the same time, new evolve (Wiley, 1997). People involved in the data documentation requirements are added Infrastructure projects believe that saving in 1 University of Pune, India. 110 Int. J. Struct. & Civil Engg. Res. 2013 Sandip N Palve, 2013 time and money can be achieved in actual dispatched and routed using GIS, Callers to construction rather than applying any structural E911 or other emergency response. procedure for project management such as Dispatchers are automatically identified by cost estimation, planning, scheduling and telephone number, and their address recalled. control. Further, success or failure depends on The GIS software matches this address to the the quality and timing of the information nearest fire, police, or ambulance station. A available to the engineers from the database. map or route description is immediately GIS will allow project managers and different generated by the software, based on people involved in project with different information, on location and the street network, backgrounds to get the information about the and sent to the appropriate station with a progress of the project and support Decision dispatch alarm. Making. GIS will provide a common basis of Many businesses have adopted GIS understanding and communication among because they provide increased efficiency in these people. Many people think of GIS as a the delivery of goods and services. Retail presentation tool. A GIS does in fact create businesses locate stores based on a number high quality maps that communicate of spatially-related factors. Where are the considerable amounts of information in an potential customers? What is the spatial efficient and attention-getting manner. Camp distribution of competing businesses? Where and Brown (1993) suggested the use of are potential new store locations? What is database management capabilities of GIS to traffic flow near current stores, and how easy develop a 3-D view. 3-D visualization allows is it to park near and access these stores? the project manager to view the construction Spatial analyses are used every day to answer activities during any stage of the project. these questions. GIS are also used in This paper covers the applications of GIS hundreds of other business applications, such at various stages of Infrastructure projects so as to route delivery vehicles, guide advertising, that it is possible to maintain the quality design buildings, plan construction, and sell throughout the work. real estate. GIS provide spatial solutions to many fields of civil engineering such as WHY DO WE NEED GIS? transportation, water resources, facilities GIS are needed in part because human management, urban planning, construction populations and consumption have reached and E-business. GIS is an effective tool to levels such that many resources, including air visualize the topographical conditions of and land, are placing substantial limits on construction site. The modelling of construction human action. Human populations have site facilitates in construction controlling and doubled in the last 50 years. Public planning process. organizations have adopted GIS because of WHY GIS IN PROJECT legislative mandates, and because GIS aid in MANAGEMENT? governmental functions. For example, emergency service vehicles are regularly The Construction Industry has a huge number 111 Int. J. Struct. & Civil Engg. Res. 2013 Sandip N Palve, 2013 of tasks involved and cost involved in these information system in project management will Projects is also very large. The Project be new in the Indian Construction industry. GIS Managers have a hard time monitoring the will allow construction managers and different projects between site and office. They have to people involved in project with different come on site to know the progress of work and backgrounds to get the information about the decide the sequence of work. They are progress of the project and support Decision generally confused on what to do next or what Making. GIS will provide a common basis of would be the changes faced by them in future. understanding and communication among So the cost involved is large and it varies with these people. Many people think of GIS as a respect to the completion of the project, i.e., presentation tool. A GIS does in fact create time. The traditional approach for scheduling high quality maps that communicate and progress control techniques such as bar considerable amounts of information in an charts and the critical path method are still efficient and attention-getting manner. 3-D being used by the project managers for visualization allows the construction manager planning which a serious disadvantage for the to view the construction activities during any decision is making purpose as the spatial stage of the construction process. GIS can be aspects fail to provide the required integrated with project Management for information. There is pressure on the project construction progress visualization and an managers to shorten the delivery times and integrated information system. thus the current scheduling and progress reporting practices are in need of substantial ROLE OF GIS IN PROJECT improvements in quality and efficiency. MANAGEMENT Integration of Geographical Information GIS is a computer system for capturing, storing, System (GIS) and project management with quarrying, analyzing, and displaying visualization was recognized as one of the Geographic data. GIS is a special class of most important tools for achieving this goal. It information system, which can be divided into should be seen that integration of GIS and four Components involving a computer system, Project management might assist a planner GIS software, human expert, and the data. GIS in a better perception of a project as well as in activity can be grouped into spatial data input, the integration of other parties’ activities in the attribute data management, data display, Data planning process. Furthermore, in large scale exploration, data analysis, and GIS modelling. projects, a visual representation of the GIS can handle both spatial and Attribute schedule can be extended to monitoring not data, spatial data relate to the geometry of the only the construction process itself, but also features, while attribute data describes the all the auxiliary activities, including onsite plant characteristics of the different features and and equipment. In addition, the practical and stored in the tabular form. Each Row of the educational benefits of being able to visualize table represents a feature while column construction at a fine level of detail are represents the characteristic of features. The significant. The application of geographic intersection of a column and a row show the 112 Int. J. Struct. & Civil Engg. Res. 2013 Sandip N Palve, 2013 value of particular characteristics of a feature. • Construction scheduling and progress In the georelational data model, split data control with 3-D visualization system is used to store spatial and Attribute • Government Regulations data in separate files and linked together by the feature Identification Descriptor (ID). These SITE LOCATION two sets of data files are synchronized so that The new four-lane bridge on the Mula-Mutha both can be quarried, analyzed, and