Increasing responsiveness and maximizing resources are important factors in how transportation agencies improve their business in today’s data-driven, performance-based environment. The ability to deliver projects on time and within budget is one measure of a transportation agency’s performance. The effective delivery of real property by the right-of-way office is fundamental to achieving this agency objective. A well designed and implemented information management system can substantially improve this capability. Adding geospatial capabilities (GIS) to the system to replace reliance on hardcopy maps and tabular information and to give additional management and analysis functions can significantly increase its usefulness. Understanding the critical factors necessary to successfully implement an information management system can ensure the best value for the necessary outlay in resources and can substantially improve the realization of the system’s full potential. Obtaining strategic buy-in from agency executive-level decision makers to pursue implementation will provide the necessary foundation for system.

A primary purpose of [a property] information management system is to facilitate standard business operations and support information and decision making by providing easy access to both internal and external information relevant to meeting the goals and operational needs of the transportation agency and the real estate office.

A well designed and implemented information management system can substantially improve management of resources – personnel, money, information, and time – which is critically important to successfully meeting state performance goals and budgets. Adding geospatial capabilities (GIS) to the system to replace hardcopy maps and tabular information and to give additional management and analysis functions can significantly increase its usefulness.