IDAHO NATIONAL TRANSPORTER Idaho
Transportation
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New Web application provides Every mile of Idaho’s state highways holds a story, and a new Geographic Information Systems-based Web site developed at ITD will make that story easier to tell. The new ITD Highway Information Web site provides users with detailed highway information for each mile of the state’s highway system, such as physical condition of the pavement, average daily traffic counts or number of motor vehicle crashes. “This new Web-based application compiles data and statistics from many ITD sections and generates a customizable single report for any segment of state highway,” said GIS Manager Brian Emmen. “Development of the site is an important part of ITD’s commitment to be transparent, share information, increase efficiencies and reduce costs,” he added. Any user will be able to access a map of Idaho and zoom to an area of interest, select a segment or multiple segments of state highway and have a custom report generated as a Portable Document File (pdf) containing geographical information, physical characteristics of the roadway segment, engineering data and highway safety information. In addition to data and statistics, the site offers photographs of bridges, railroad crossings and guardrails along the selected location. Users also can use the site to access more than 30 separate parameters about the highway including the kind of terrain a highway crosses, the speed limit, a history of improvements made to the highway, if the highway is part of Idaho’s Scenic Byways and if any historical markers are present. The visual display allows users to activate aerial images of the state and turn on layer overlays of information compiled. “This Web site was developed using existing technology within the GIS Section over a three-month timeframe from May to July,” Emmen said. “Having this depth and breadth of information available to our constituents at their desktop will have tremendous time and efficiency savings for ITD.” The application is unique to DOTs in the nation and has caught the attention of the Federal Highway Administration, which recently requested a demonstration of application’s capabilities. As a result, FHWA awarded ITD a technology and innovation grant of $8,000 to help pay for the costs of developing the application. The GIS Section of the Planning Division encourages people to log on to http://itd.idaho.gov/highwayinfo and give it a try.
Illustrations: Top, Opening view of state in highway information web application with control bar; middle, Aerial view of McCall/Payette Lake region with Layer and Legend options; bottom, Display of Idaho 55 through the heart of McCall (beginning milepost 143.03, ending milepost 145.16). Published 10-9-09 |