ABSTRACT

The role of Civil Engineers is evolving beyond that of a technical professional with
recognition that civil engineers play a critical role in the planning, management, and
development of the infrastructure of a community. One critical element of Civil
Engineering, as demonstrated by recent reports developed by the American Society of
Civil Engineers and the National Academy of Engineering is the ability to visualize the
impact that design decisions will have not only on the technical aspects but also on
economic, social, environmental, and political consequences. Geographic information
systems (GIS) enable users to visualize some of these factors and as such are
becoming a critical tool for the Civil Engineering design professional.
Geographic information system (GIS) technology is attracting interest from a broad
range of civil engineering disciplines because of its potential to provide a new
environment for problem solving which could lower costs, improve quality, and support
multidiscipline analysis for complex projects. This work reviews the primary components
and capabilities of GIS technology and shows how it is used in many civil engineering
applications including infrastructure management, transportation, land use planning,
water resources engineering, and environmental engineering.
Civil Engineering projects involve the management, analysis and integration of large
amounts of geographic information to ensure success. This can include a wide range of
information such as detailed design drawings originating from CAD solutions, detailed
mapping, air photography, geological investigations, population information, traffic flows
and environmental models.

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