Tamil Nadu, India: The Tamil Nadu Highways Department, India, deployed a GIS-based software suite, e-PATHAI (electronic-project, administration, traffic, highway assets and information management system), to enhance its ability to monitor, maintain and keep track of projects.
The software suite consists of two separate software – Projects Human Resources & Finance Management System (P&FMS) and Road Management System (RMS). P&FMS helps in automating existing manual procedures in the highways department so that data and projects reports will be available in electronic formats, whereas RMS collects data of roads and bridges maintained by the department.
So far, RMS has data about 21,000km of state highways and major district roads and over 10,000km of other district roads. Data collected will be analysed and economic feasibility for road project is studied before prioritising it.
“This will ensure efficient and transparent functioning of the department,” said a highways official. Adding muscle to the system, the state government acquired two advanced data collection equipment worth INR 3 crore. As of now, the road condition report generated using RMS reveals that 9,580km of the 62,017km or 6 percent of highways roads are damaged. “The data collected is unbiased and helps in prioritising road improvement works in a scientific manner,” said a highways official.
Source: Times of India
