Fangyu Guo

With the advancement of various technologies, transportation agencies are transitioning from two-dimensional (2D) paper-based to three-dimensional (3D) digital data-based project delivery. This transition results in an increasing amount of digital data exchange throughout the project delivery process, and a holistic framework is required to better manage data for improved decision making. A recently developed concept, civil integrated management (CIM) could potentially assist transportation agencies to transition to digital data-based project and program delivery by providing appropriate stakeholder access to an agency-wide data pool. The purpose of this paper is to further define this vision and concept and establish an initial framework for CIM implementation. An extensive amount of information was collected through two weeks of on-site visits to seven transportation agencies in the United States on their current CIM-related practices. The results obtained from using qualitative research methods...

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is often perceived as a software tool that is applicable solely for designing and constructing buildings. BIM is more than just a software tool. It is a process that can enhance collaboration between project participants through three dimensional (3D) intelligent models, and it can be effectively used for designing, constructing, operating and managing any type of facility, including those for horizontal infrastructure. According to a recent smart market report by McGraw Hill, an increasing number of horizontal projects are now taking advantage of a process that is similar to BIM. In order to recognize the special needs of horizontal projects, the Civil Information Modeling (CiM) moniker has been adopted by the participants of these projects to describe the process that is equivalent to BIM. Some innovative contractors for horizontal projects are the early users of CiM and some state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) have also started adopting CiM. Furthermore, some DOTs also take advantage of advanced data collection technologies, such as LIDAR, that generate surveying data in 3D point cloud form which can be used as basis for 3D design that allows the entire workflow to be in 3D format. This paper presents content regarding the analysis results of interviews conducted with officials of the Iowa and Missouri DOTs who are involved with CiM implementation. It reviews the driving forces and challenges, as well as the benefits of using 3D intelligent models throughout the project development process and on into the operation and maintenance stages from DOT's perspectives. It explores current CiM practices while providing a gap analysis that defines what remains to be done in order to fully implement CiM.

Mechanical contractors play a vital role during construction of a building project, which could affect the overall project success significantly. Traditional 2D paper-based solutions for design and fabrication of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) components has proven to be an inefficient and fractured method to communicate the project design. Moreover, if a problem arises during construction, such as clashes between MEP systems and structural components, the problem often has to be solved onsite, which is not cost efficient, because it often requires rework. Therefore, most mechanical contractors today are switching from traditional paper-based workflows to adopting Building Information Modeling (BIM) processes into their practices. One of the greatest benefits of BIM is that it facilitates exploring clashes and coordination issues within a virtual environment instead of in the field, consequently reducing requests for information and change orders along with the associated health and safety risks. This paper presents a case study based on content analysis results of the interviews conducted with two leading Midwest mechanical contractor companies. It explores current BIM applications, such as clash detection and fabrication, benefits and challenges of implementing BIM within both companies. The first major finding of this research is that BIM standards and manuals are helpful tools for the development and implementation of BIM models. Also found is that contractors need to make adjustments to their workflows to achieve better results with their BIM implementations. Finally, there is a need to investigate how to use BIM models for facility management in an effective manner and possibly fuse them with building automation systems.

Researchers at Iowa State University have investigated several alternatives for the stabilization of granular shoulder materials. Soybean oil soap-stock (SOS) appears to be an effective and environmentally friendly treatment. The stabilizer used in field studies is a proprietary formulation of SOS called "DUSTLOCK." SOS is a by- product of the refining process of soybean oil. Being a by-product, it is relatively inexpensive, though several other uses exist. It is also attractive because it can be applied at ambient temperatures with distributor trucks and fits the equipment and labor skill set that is available in many state Department of Transportation (DOT) shops and local jurisdictions. SOS shows promise in certain cases. In previous testing, some sections performed very well. Continuing research is investigating the traffic levels and materials where SOS stabilization can be both successful cost-effective. Iowa State University researchers are working with Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT) personnel to investigate application techniques and alternative equipment configurations so that SOS might be used in as many situations as possible. In the summer and fall of 2011, ISU researchers worked with IDOT to test application procedures in locations with differing traffic levels and using various application techniques. Ongoing research is monitoring the performance of the stabilized shoulders over time.