Information management at state highway departments: Issues and needs

The North Carolina Department of Transportation, in its continuing efforts to more fully and effectively use advanced information technology tools to increase institutional productivity and effectiveness in managing its trans portation infrastructure. embarked on a study that involved developing a co mprehensive and unified enterprisewide information management system. This paper focuses on the issues and needs that emerged as the information syste m development study evolved. These issues and needs became so significant t hat they warranted a detailed analysis in and of themselves. It is these is sues and needs, which have a degree of universality, that are reported here in. This paper first introduces and discusses the functions of various part icipating units at state departments of transportation (referred to as stak eholders). Then, the paper identifies the issues and needs that must be ful ly understood and considered in the development of a unified information ma nagement system.