Enhancing Infrastructure Management Efficiency with GIS: Woodford County Highway’s Asset Management Mapping Portal

Woodford County, located in the heart of Central Illinois farmland, is home to over 35,000 residents. While not as consistently traveled as in more populous areas, the 159 miles of the county’s roads still demand regular maintenance, and Woodford’s Highway Department takes on that important responsibility. With an eye on the future, the Highway Department’s 11 staff members   decided to take a proactive approach to maintaining and monitoring their infrastructure assets. To this end, the county chose Cloudpoint Geospatial to develop and deploy a web-based GIS asset management system (AMS), using ArcGIS Online. This comprehensive solution consolidates and streamlines asset inventories, promotes efficient planning, and enables intelligent, data-driven decision-making. The Woodford County Highway Department’s use of GIS quickly empowered staff to efficiently monitor and maintain its transportation system while optimizing resource allocation.

Woodford County has recognized the importance of asset management, undertaking various inventory projects since the early 2000s. However, due to limited funding and resource constraints, not all assets had been inventoried, and existing inventories were not contained in a single system, which prevented them from being fully utilized. Before implementing the AMS, paper records for culvert inspections were kept in a three-ring binder. When crew members out in the field saw an issue with a culvert, they would take pictures on their phone, then return to the office to consult the binder and attempt to figure out which picture went with which culvert. Now when inspections are completed, crews head out to the field with an iPad and complete each inspection using ArcGIS FieldMaps.

This data is immediately stored safely and made accessible to anyone who needs it without any further processing. With the implementation of the AMS, the department has experienced several notable benefits and improvements in its operations, including more streamlined field-to-office workflows that immediately connect information discovered by mobile workers in the field with decision-makers in the office.

To provide a GIS-centric hub for completing inspections and storing the data digitally, Cloudpoint staff located and completed an initial inspection on 75 percent of the county’s 538 culverts and 36,000 feet of guardrails, while Highway Department staff completed the same for the remaining 25 percent.

The AMS was created using ArcGIS Experience Builder, with a series of web maps and dashboards configured on and delivered through the county’s ArcGIS Online organizational account. It consumes asset information and related inspection data submitted through ArcGIS FieldMaps, allowing field crews to easily collect and update inspection records, and interact with their data spatially.

One of the primary objectives of the AMS was to consolidate existing asset inventories into a single platform. Previously, asset data was scattered across various sources, both paper and digital, making it difficult to access and utilize effectively. Now, all asset inventories for culverts, guardrails, signs, bridge structures, and pavements are centralized, providing a comprehensive view of the county's infrastructure assets. This consolidation has eliminated redundancy, saved innumerable hours having to find the correct asset data, and improved data accuracy, ensuring that the Woodford County Highway Department has reliable information at its fingertips.

The AMS has helped the county to establish a systematic method for monitoring asset conditions and scheduling inspections. Field crews can easily collect and update inspection records using ArcGIS FieldMaps, which seamlessly integrate with the AMS. This real-time data collection allows the Highway Department to stay on top of asset conditions and identify potential issues before they escalate. By proactively scheduling inspections based on asset conditions, the department can allocate resources efficiently and prioritize maintenance and repair activities.

The AMS enables interactive mapping that allows staff to update, manage, and view asset data spatially. This functionality has significantly improved the efficiency and accuracy of data management. Staff members can easily add or modify asset information on the map, track changes over time, and visualize the spatial relationships between different assets. This feature was specifically utilized during the AMS deployment, as culvert data was extremely lacking at the onset of the project. A field crew was dispatched to collect accurate data on these critical assets with a speed and precision that had never been achieved before. This spatial perspective enables better decision-making, as staff can assess the conditions of assets in relation to other infrastructure elements and plan maintenance activities strategically.

With the AMS, the Woodford County Highway Department has embraced data-driven decision-making. The system provides powerful analytics and reporting capabilities that allow staff to analyze asset data and extract valuable insights. By leveraging these insights, the department can make informed decisions regarding asset maintenance, budget allocation, capital improvement projects, and long-term planning. 

Woodford County Highway Department's implementation of the Asset Management System has proven to be a game changer in their infrastructure management efficiency. By consolidating asset inventories, establishing a systematic monitoring process, providing an interactive mapping tool, and promoting data-driven decision-making, the department has transformed the way it maintains and manages its transportation system, resulting in significant cost savings and improved infrastructure management efficiency. The AMS has enabled proactive maintenance, optimized resource allocation, and improved public engagement.   

Woodford County serves as an excellent example of how leveraging GIS technology can enhance infrastructure management and benefit both the department and the community it serves. With the continued use and advancement of the AMS, the Woodford County Highway Department is well-positioned to ensure the longevity and sustainability of its infrastructure assets, providing a safe and efficient transportation network for its residents.