Journal of Harmonized Research in Engineering

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE USE OF GIS AND CONSTRUCTION PROJECT SUCCESS

Abstract

Author(s): Hamad Ahmed Altuwaijri

This survey research effort investigated the relationship between 11 selected Geographic Information System (GIS) functions and three (time, cost, and quality) highway and transportation construction -project success criteria. The population included engineers and information technology professionals in the United States who worked in the highway and transportation area. No significant relationship between GIS function use and construction project success criteria (time and cost) was found. The third success criterion (customer’s specification?quality) was not tested because of the lack of variability of the responses. There were significant differences between organizations that focused on highway, street, road, and public sidewalk jobs and other construction organizations that focused on different construction jobs as related to the following two GIS functions: Terrain Modeling and Traffic Management. Some functions that were very close to the .05 level of significance included Estimating Project Costs, Terrain Analysis, 2D and 3D Visualization, and Route/Site Selection. Recommendations included the following: (a) Engineers and managers should consider using GIS functions for highways, streets, roads, or public sidewalk projects; (b) Special attention should be given to ensuring that appropriate GIS training is provided for all levels in the organization.