Innovations in areas of materials, equipment, and methods are continuously being developed by maintenance operations personnel. These innovations are rarely communicated beyond organizational boundaries. Today operational-level personnel often are not aware that their innovations could solve problems in other organizations and they do not have a comfortable way for transferring this information. Consequently, other operations personnel do not have access to knowledge that could increase their productivity. A data base identifying these innovations, and shared within and between states, is needed that would be available to maintenance personnel.

The objective of this project was to develop a system design for a cost-effective microcomputer-oriented network to create and to access a dynamic data base of innovations in highway maintenance operations. The users were intended to be the operational-level maintenance personnel in highway agencies for first and second level supervisors. This research effort involved a review of various communications technologies and the conceptual design of a menu-driven data entry and retrieval system. The system covered all aspects of highway maintenance and it described the procedures and resources that would be necessary to implement, operate, and maintain the system. A plan for a prototype installation to evaluate the feasibility and practicality of the system was also prepared.

Status: Research has been completed; the final report will not be published. Copies are available from the NCHRP.