FHWA Resource Center
PLANNING TEAM
Transportation GIS
"Its more than just points, lines & polygons"
What's new
One of the issues floating around State DOTs the last two years has been the role of Surveyors in creating or maintaining GIS base maps. Below please find information from NCEES regarding the practice of Land Surveying with respect to GIS.
"NCEES Approves Revision to Model Law for Surveyors
Those of you who have been following the resolution of legal responsibilities for licensed surveyors in the creation and maintenance of GIS-based maps/data may recall that in October, 2000, a Task Force comprised of representatives from five Surveyor professional associations and two GIS professional associations issued recommendations for clarifying respective GIS roles and responsibilities. The recommendations were sent to the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) with the objective of changing the national Model Law, a document from which most State surveyor licensing laws are derived. The recommendation for modifying the Model Law was passed by the full NCEES Council during the week of August 8, 2002 in San Diego. The acceptance of the report by the Council now triggers the actual implementation of the revised language into the NCEES model law and model regulations, a process that will occur at the NCEES committee level throughout this year. The final passage of that language and adoption of the revised model law and regulations by the full Council will occur Summer, 2003. The NCEES Council is comprised of representatives from each state's Board of Registration. The full text of the Task Force recommendations may be seen at NCEES , the report title is "GIS/LIS Addendum to the Report of the Task Force on the NCEES Model Law for Surveying". Most notable in the report is "Appendix B" which lists examples of practices related to GIS data which should be included in, or excluded from, the definition of the 'practice of survey' for which licensure is required. A general description of the Task Force recommendations may be downloaded from ftp://joffes.com, the file name is "GIS-Surveyor_Accord.pdf". For more information, contact James Plasker, ASPRS Executive Director (jplasker@asprs.org), or Bruce Joffe, URISA Board Member (GIS.Consultants@joffes.com)." Many States are implementing the details of the model law through their licensing process without legal changes.
New FHWA Resources!
FHWA has created an new website to consolidate all of the GIS related activies of the agency.
The potential for Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to support the improvement and maintenance of day-to-day transportation safety and efficiency, while protecting and enhancing the human and natural environments, is pronounced. GIS is a tool that maximizes the quality and use of geographic information in order to help answer questions of where, how far, how many, what size, and within what area? GIS can also aid in the creation of maps. Comparisons of maps created at different times enable users to document and forecast trends. Through mapping, GIS allows users to view and interpret more clearly how planning and policy choices will impact an area, providing a mechanism for better decisionmaking.
The purpose of the Federal Highway Administration's new GIS exchange Site is to increase the visibility of transportation-related GIS projects across the country. The GIS exchange Site is also expected to increase the awareness of transportation GIS applications. With increased appreciation, transportation professionals can become better informed as to how GIS might be used as a more prominent instrument of project analysis, facilitation, and streamlining. Finally, the GIS exchange Site aims to help promote communication and education, increasing both GIS data sharing and improved expertise by providing contact information for professionals in the field.
Certifcation of GIS Professionals - Are you Certifiable?
GIS Professionals have struggled for years to receive recognition for their training and talents. A number of States have just started to license selected cartographers, mapping scientists, GIS analysts and/or photogrammetrists. A number of people have seen professional certification as a means of being recognized for their efforts. There is a difference between certification and licensure. Certification is recognition by one's colleagues and peers that an individual has demonstrated professional integrity and competence in their field. Certification is not a substitute for licensure of a profession that is statutorily governed by the States to protect the public health, safety and welfare. Both ASPRS and URISA have certification programs.
ASPRS certifies photogrammetrists and mapping scientists specializing in GIS or remote sensing. There are different skills needed by GIS professionals than mapping scientists. The new URISA GIS Certification Institute certifies these GIS practitioners. At the current time, there are no States that license GIS professionals.
Certification sites:
ASPRS
URISA's GISCI
New workshop
GIS use for Environmental Streamlining and Stewardship in Transportation (GIS4EST)
Within most State DOTs, AASHTO and FHWA, making the environmental process more efficient is a high priority. There are a number of States participating in environmental streamlining initiatives to make the most efficient use of their planning and project development processes in order to quicken implementation of transportation improvements, minimizing the duplication of work efforts while maximizing the enhancement of the environment around the Transportation system. Within these streamlined planning / environmental processes, GIS has served a number of roles to facilitate an improved environmental process as well as speed project development.
The Resource Center is offering a new 1 1/2 day workshop that covers examples of GIS use with Environmental Streamlining and Stewardship from around the country. The workshop is flexible enough to be held with State discussion efforts with their partners and resource agencies. For more information contact Ben Williams at 404-562-3671.
Continuing Knowledge Improvement
Training
FHWA has a training class on use of GIS technology in Transportation. You can arrange to attend or host the class through the National Highway Institute NHI 151039A "Applying Geospatial Data Strategies to Transportation Planning". To attend the class or to host a session in your State see the NHI site and click on the request or schedule buttons.
The Geospatial Information Systems for Transportation Symposium(GIS-T)
The AASHTO Information Systems Committee's GIS Task Force hosts the preeminent Symposium focused on GIS use within the transportation community. It has cosponsors from the Urban & Regional Information Systems Assoc., American Society of Photogrammetry & Remote Sensing and the Highway Engineering Exchange Program, FHWA, FTA, BTS. For more information about the upcoming Symposium see GIS-T . Ben Williams is the Workshop Chairman for the Symposium. Each year, 8 workshops are held the day before the Symposium starts. We are always looking to make the workshops more valuable to the transportation community! If you have ideas for workshops that you would like to attend, instructors that do an excellent job or changes that will help you use GIS tools to accomplish Transportation goals, please send Ben a message.
Peer Reviews
Best Practices
Other Resources
Corps of Engineers Spatial Data Standards
GIS data has become useful in addressing other transportation related program requirements such as Title VI.
Department of Education Office of Civil Rights Elementary and Secondary School Survey.
Models based upon GIS
Minnesota DOT Archaeological Predictive Model
Florida DOT Efficient Transporation Decision Making System
Links
Searching for information ?
Univ. of Kansas links to online GIS and Remote Sensing Data
National Center for Geographic Information & Analysis
Agency Programs
USDOT
Remote Sensing Program
Remote Sensing Consortium
BTS files
National Transportation Atlas Database Shapefile Download Center
HPMS Data Viewer
FHWA's GIS in Transportation
National Highway Planning Network
National Highway System (NHS) Maps
NHS Intermodal Connectors
RSPA Office of Pipeline Safety Unusually Sensitive Environmental Data (data is password protected)
Non DOT Agencies
Corps of Engineers
Internet Guide to GIS Resources
EPA
Enviromapper
Window to My Environment
Microsoft TerraServer
USGA
National Atlas
Earth Resource Observation System Data Center
National Mapping Information Page
The National Map Viewer
HUD
Emaps
Enterprise GIS System - Consolidated Plans, Empowerment Zones/Enterprise Communities and Revitalization areas etc.
Florida Geoplan Center
National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NIMA)
Raster Roam Imagry Viewer
Standards
FGDC
Standards
GIS Clearinghouse links
OMB Geospatial One Stop Initiative
International Standards Organization TC211 Standard
TRAINING
What's New
