New GIS and Data Management Features to Meet Environmental Requirements for VDOT

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CLIENT: Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT)
LOCATION: Virginia

“The new Facilities module provides our users with a simple, but modern, way to track facility inventory and assessments. The simplicity of the application design has been a huge success for the early adoption of the new module.”
— Allison Wishon, CEDAR Administrator, Environmental Division, VDOT

CHALLENGE

Built in 2004, VDOT's Comprehensive Environmental Data and Reporting (CEDAR) system, used for managing workflows and information related to environmental impacts and regulatory commitments, required an upgrade and new functionality. The legacy application had a backlog of necessary enhancements and new modules that were needed to stay current with changing environmental regulations.

SOLUTION

The CEDAR enhancement project included two parts – developing new modules and upgrading existing components of the legacy system. New modules included a Facilities module and a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) module, and both have GIS mapping and editing features. The existing Threatened and Endangered Species module was updated with enhanced reporting that leveraged multi-layer geoprocessing functions. VDOT's Esri ArcGIS Portal infrastructure was leveraged to accommodate web-based mapping, editing, and data collection capabilities.

The new Facilities module enables staff to maintain inspection data on VDOT-owned facilities to meet environmental regulations. A mobile-based component was added for this module to permit in-field inspection and data capture using Esri's Survey123 for all facility data. The asset management aspect of this solution helps manage facility data such as above-ground and underground tanks, the topography of the facility, salt domes, oil tanks, gasoline tanks, and more.

The TMDL module relates data to roadway projects where VDOT must meet TMDL requirements. This module manages the data for best management practices (BMP) to determine the effectiveness of BMPs in meeting the environmental regulations. BMPs help control the pollutant concentrations and loads of watersheds in and around roadway projects, which impacts TMDL measures.

With the Threatened and Endangered Species module, the team upgraded business rules and data sources to help identify and analyze the presence of endangered species within VDOT project spatial boundaries. Upgrades to the analysis and reporting leveraged existing and enhanced geoprocessing capabilities from internal datasets as well as information from other resource agencies – Department of Conservation & Recreation, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Geological Survey, and others.

KEY TECHNOLOGY

  • AngularJS Framework

  • RESTful

  • Java

  • Oracle

  • ArcGIS Survey123

  • ArcGIS Portal

  • ArcGIS JavaScript API

KEY RESULTS

  • Improved environmental compliance efficiency.

  • Augmented data collection, analysis, and visualization capabilities.

  • Decreased data entry time by automating paper-based workflows.

  • Created effective cross-utilization of data by adding TMDL into CEDAR, making it the source system of record for all environmental data at the agency.