Enterprise-Wide Data Integration and Analysis for Oversize/Overweight Permitting

Abstract

The automation of oversize/overweight (OS/OW) vehicle permitting can be achieved through GIS-based systems. OS/OW permitting involves network pathfinding given spatial and temporal constraints that are associated with the physical roadway network. This paper presents a data model design that extends and satisfies the consensus functional requirements of OS/OW permitting. Although departments of transportation at the state level invest millions of dollars in development and management of enterprise databases of bridges and highways, many GIS-based OS/OW permitting systems require development of application-specific versions of these databases. Consequently, agency motor carrier service divisions are faced with huge data management problems. The system design in this paper facilitates sustainability by being consistent with the notions of enterprisewide data integration. A robust location-referencing strategy and adherence to the national intelligent transportation systems architecture achieve enterprisewide data integration. This paper presents general system requirements, an OS/OW application design, an enterprisewide database schema, and algorithms for finding OS/OW vehicle routes given spatial and temporal roadway restrictions. The system design accommodates multiple data sources, multiple location-referencing methods, and state-to-state interoperability. Spatial and temporal constraints for OS/OW permitting are represented in a unified modeling language class diagram.