Implementation of CIM-related technologies within transportation projects

Technologies are continuously evolving and transportation agencies are always trying to find appropriate technologies to assist with their projects. However, it might be hard to answer what technologies and tools are appropriate for them to use and when to use those technologies and tools. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate leading transportation agencies’ uses of various advanced technologies (e.g. geographic information system (GIS), light detecting and ranging (LiDAR), 3D engineered models, automatic machine guidance (AMG), mobile devices, intelligent compaction (IC), and electronic document management (EDM) system). Based on the 2 weeks of on-site visits to seven transportation agencies, benefits and lessons learned of using these technologies are summarized in the paper. Additionally, a framework is developed to suggest the proper occasions to use various technologies and manage the resulting data throughout the lifecycle of a transportation project.