Project. Asset management Completed

Principal investigator. Dr. Jonathan Gifford, George Mason, 703-993-1395, jgifford@gmu.edu

External contact. none

Project objective. To identify how the emerging discipline of asset management, which has wide-ranging applications in the transportation area, can be of specific use to ITS.

Project abstract. Transportation and other infrastructure management and operation agencies are beginning to adopt Aasset management@ as an operating philosophy. AAsset management@ covers a fairly broad range of concepts, from the integration of standalone management systems (e.g., bridge, pavement, and safety), to the use of economic theory and private sector financial management practices. In the U.S., a number of major public works agencies have asset management initiatives, including the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and the American Public Works Association (APWA). AAsset Management@ is ultimately intended to provide a systematic framework that allows infrastructure-providing agencies to improve the efficiency and effectiveness with which they manage their resources.

This research examines the role of ITS in transportation asset management. At least two apparent synergies exist between these two fields. First, the success of Asset Management is contingent upon access to timely and accurate data. ITS=s data archiving user service holds great promise for collecting, storing, and communicating data, and may therefore serve as an enabling technology for asset management. The second synergy is asset management=s potential to evaluate ITS investments appropriately relative to traditional Aasphalt and concrete@ investments. This study will assess the extent to which these synergies may enhance asset management techniques, with direct benefit to ITS.

Tasks. 1) Completion of a preliminary report which lays out the full range of potential applications of asset management, with attention to ITS. 2) Completion of a final report, which takes account of input from transportation operations and researchers who have reviewed the initial report.

Milestones. The first task is due Sept. 1, 2000. The second is due June 30, 2001.

Student involvement. One GRA will work half-effort (that is, quarter-time) on this project for its duration.

Budget.   $40,000

Relationship to other research projects. No immediate relationship.

Technology transfer. Papers in professional journals.

Potential benefits. A major problem with ITS is the deep current divide within the transportation community between infrastructure and operations. Techniques for asset management can help bridge this divide. This research will make a contribution to building this bridge.

TRB keywords.  ITS, asset management