Fujiko Shibata

"Road Maintenance System" Providing An Integrated Picture of Damaged Highways at Disaster Time

1. Introduction

Japan is hit by frequent disasters such as earthquakes, heavy rain during the rainy season and typhoon seasons, and heavy snow centering on the coastal areas along the Sea of Japan. A few examples include the severe flood disaster caused by the Typhoon Ise-Bay, the mud flow due to the explosion of Mount Fugen, Nagasaki Prefecture, and the Kobe's Earthquake. At the time of the Kobe's Earthquake, the Chugoku national expressway, a key east-west link, was closed immediately following the earthquake. The Tsuruga route of the Kinki national expressway was used as a detour, but increasing traffic made it necessary to designate an alternative route. The road administrators should have developed road management database systems considering disaster-prevention measures. Such systems, however, had not been implemented because no adequate infrastructure was available for information exchange.

PASCO has proposed and started developing a ÒRoad Maintenance SystemÓ incorporating various disaster prevention measures. It is aimed at smoothly managing earthquake-resistant properties of structures, identifying places where traffic regulations are in effect, and selecting detours at the time of a disaster.

2. GIS Utilization at Disaster Time

Quick decision-making is essential during confusion following a disaster. In order to make it possible, information visualization is an important factor in the transfer of precise information. For example, information on the detour to avoid the traffic regulations can be made more efficient by adding image data to text information. The utilization of the GIS for the present Road Maintenance System is shown in the following Figure 1.

Figure 1. GIS USE at Disaster Time

(1) Collection of disaster information

Identify the place where the disaster occurred and the damages which were caused, and transfer the information to the central administrators.

(2) Compilation of damage information

Display on the map the damage information received from various points, on a real-time basis. Display lifeline information on the map as well.

(3) Damage estimate

Judge which areas were damaged and estimate how much damage was caused based on the compiled information.

(4) Buildup for initial actions

Decide to build a set-up for initial actions according to the damage estimate.

(5) Selection of routes for emergency transportation

Select emergency transportation routes based on the information on the locations of damage and the positions of disaster prevention bases.

(6) Development of restoration plans

Work out restoration plans using various data.


In order to realize the above scenario, the system was designed as described below.

(1) Database

The data handled by the system roughly consists of map data, attribute data and image data. The users have a desire to use an outline first and then a detailed diagram. It was then planned to have two maps of different scales, a 1:25,000 digital road map and a 1:500 road register. The coordinate system for public survey was used for both types of diagrams. The 1:25,000 digital road map, which provides a view of a 10 to 20 km wide area, was used to obtain a rough sketch of road networks. The 1:500 road register is useful in making decisions on repair works at damaged places and in calculating the cost required.

The image data consisted of drawings and specifications, and an entire picture of each facility input via scanner, and was treated as a part of the attribute information.

(2) System

In designing the system, an emphasis was placed on smooth flow of damage information as shown in Figure 2.

Roads are managed in several blocks in the prefecture. The roads in a block form a management district, which is managed by a single office. Each office is responsible for daily road maintenance others than disaster-time measures. For example, Office A updates data and the updated information is sent from Office A to the prefectural government. The prefectural government, in turn, updates the database for the entire area. The updated information is sent to other offices. The use of the system makes it possible to manage the data in each office centrally by the server at the prefectural government (having the facilities of UNIX ARC/INFO). Each office (PC MapObjects VB) manages information on the office in the management district adjacent to that under its own control.

Figure 2. Data Collection Path at Disaster Time

sub-systems and their features

Road Register Management

This maintains compatibility between road register diagrams and reports, and that between management documents and the road status. It became possible to do the following.

¥ Compile and output reports required by law.

¥ Display on the screen or output the plan at whatever scale desired for the point specified on a small-scale road map.

¥ Measure length, distance, width and radius of curve on the plan displayed on the screen.

¥ Measure areas for road components (roadway, shoulder, sidewalk, etc.) in whatever diagram specified in the plan displayed on the screen.

Structure Management

Information on key facilities on the road such as bridges, tunnels and railway crossings are managed.

It is possible not only to retrieve structure information on the map, but also to conduct conditional retrieval by specifying parameters such as length and materials used.

Traffic Safety Facilities Management

Detailed information on traffic safety facilities can be obtained without actually visiting the site. Quick conditional retrieval is possible by combining conditions such as position on the map and characteristics of the facility.

Road Property Management

Total management of voluminous boundary information and information on changes in road areas due to widening and other factors is possible. Data on boundary stakes are precise as survey results are basically used as they are. The system data can also be used when lost stakes are restored.

Disaster Prevention Information Management

Information on dangerous places where rock-fall and other disasters are likely to disrupt road traffic is efficiently managed. Information not only on dangerous places but also on damages at disaster time and history of control measures taken can be managed.

Occupied Object Management

Support is provided to all kinds of administrative work from examination of application for road occupation submitted by applicants to the issue of a letter of admission, and calculation of occupancy fees. It is also possible to identify on the map the positions and shapes of registered objects occupied.

Road Traffic Census

The results of nationwide traffic surveys (road traffic censuses) which are conducted regularly are stored in a database. As the data is linked with the digital road map data, it is possible to retrieve survey results for a specific section, or display or output them as a traffic flow diagram or in other formats.

Road Network Analysis

Once the starting point is specified, a diagram covering the area within a certain distance can be produced using the road networks. For example, an area accessible in 10 minutes from the fire station can be extracted. This feature also makes it possible to analyze influential zones of multiple facilities, helping review optimum positioning of facilities.

Road Surface Properties Data Management

Information on the road surface properties at a specified point is available as the data on the road properties obtained through surveys is incorporated into a database, and managed together with the digital road map data. Such information is useful in preparing road repair plans.

Statistical Accident Data Management

Situations and causes of traffic accidents are properly grasped so that safety measures can be implemented effectively.

3. Conclusions

PASCO had proposed and started developing a ÒRoad Maintenance SystemÓ incorporating various disaster prevention measures. Road administrators used to use telephone to transfer traffic flow regulation information and designate detours. It was, therefore, difficult for them to quickly communicate precise information. The proposed system makes it possible for all offices to grasp real-time the traffic regulations and detours to avoid them all over the prefecture. The system would be useful not only for disaster prevention but also for daily road maintenance. This is, however, not the final version. Future developments are planned. One is incorporation of information about rainfall data for the whole prefecture. The information is used as a basis for deciding whether or not regulations will be put into effect, before confirming the situation at the site. Another development is aimed at providing information to road users. The system will be made to work in cooperation with road information transfer systems currently installed along the road.

It is hoped that opinions of road administrators should be fully taken into consideration in future systems development.

Fujiko Shibata
FM Division, SED, PASCO Corporation
Higashiyama BLDG. 5F
1-1-2 Higashiyama, Meguroku
Tokyo 153 JAPAN
Telephone: +81-3-3715-1221
Fax: +81-3-3715-1421