Establishing National Distributed Network For Long-Term Pavement Performance Information Management System

FHWA’s Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) information management system (IMS) is a relational database management system that has been developed to collect the data necessary to accomplish the goals of the LTPP program established under the Strategic Highway Research Program. The LTPP database and the technology available to collect and manage the data have evolved a great deal since the initial design of the system in 1988. Data from this system are available to users by request by filling out a form. Although some upgrades have been made to hardware and software, a comprehensive evaluation of the computing environment and general IMS procedures had not been performed until the migration analysis. The original design of the LTPP IMS is based on four stand-alone IBM-compatible single-user personal computers transferring data to a minicomputer at the national center that houses all the data collected throughout the United States and Canada. The design concept and some details for the establishment of a national distributed network for the internal operation of the LTPP IMS, intended to migrate to a system that is more compatible with the current hardware and software technology, are described. On the basis of the evaluation of the options considered, cost, technical criteria, and management considerations, the design platform for migration is established as upgrades to Oracle V7, Windows NT, and a national distributed client-server environment. An Integrated Services Digital Network solution is recommended for the network communication. The proposed environment will greatly enhance the data processing and administrative capabilities of the FHWA LTPP IMS. As a result, the data availability and customer service to end users of the data such as state highway agencies would improve.