Previous research in pavement management systems in the United Kingdom has primarily concerned itself with one or other of the two maintenance "tracks" of project and network level analysis. Those systems that do combine both "tracks" adopt a micro level approach to strategic planning at the network level. This work redresses that imbalance by advancing upon previous work, in the form of System BSM and NETCOM, in the development of the Strategic Planning Model (SPM) suite of software programs. In addition, it was decided to include a maintenance standards selection process, which would take account of sociopolitical preferences in addition to economics and legislation in the decision process. This necessitated the creation of a completely new process for the selection of maintenance standards based on multiple criteria analysis (MCA). The SPM adopts a macro level approach to strategic planning, through the STRAT-2 component, while at the same time addressing the much sought after link between the project and network levels by way of the project to network interface (PNI). The PNI provides for seamless transfer of all relevant data, between STRAT-2 and the project to network level system HMS-2, thereby ensuring that detailed project level decisions are not taken in isolation but instead take account of political and economic constraints made at the network level. Conversely it ensures that global or strategic decisions are not taken without reference to the true situation of the road network under review. Maintenance standards selection is executed through the MCA component of the software. The central database (CDB), placed at the heart of the process, ensures integrity of data across the system thereby allowing the strategic decision making process, in STRAT-2, and the prioritisation process, in HMS-2, to proceed with confidence. The CDB has also been designed as a "shell" capable of being customised to the agency's requirements, however basic or advanced in the first instance. This ensures accessibility to a broad spectrum of agencies, from the highly advanced to the resource scarce. This same "shell" design also ensures sustainability of the system by providing the necessary flexibility to evolve with the agency's requirements. Finally, the SPM has been successfully trialed as part of a full scale study on the A30/A35 Exeter to Bere Regis Design Build Finance and Operate (DBFO) project. The industrial sponsor has since taken this "pilot" study forward and is currently implementing the SPM not only on its sister project, the A50 Stoke Derby DBFO, but also as a decision support tool to assist in the bidding process for the forthcoming AI (M) DBFO tender bid. In addition, the industrial sponsor is currently in the process of implementing the SPM in the "Super" Agency Area 12 in Birmingham to assist with periodic maintenance planning.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:633080 |
| Date | January 2001 |
| Creators | Costello, Seosamh |
| Publisher | University of Birmingham |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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