Electronic Construction Collaboration System—Phase II, SPR RB02-008, 2010

During the first year of research, work was completed to identify Iowa DOT needs for web-based project management system (WPMS) and evaluate how commercially available solutions could meet these needs. Researchers also worked to pilot test custom developed WPMS solutions on Iowa DOT bridge projects. At the end of the first year of research, a Request for Proposals (RFP) was developed and issued by the Iowa DOT for the selection of a commercial WPMS to pilot test on multiple bridge projects. During the second year of research, the responses to the RFP issued during the first year of research were evaluated and a solution was selected. The selected solution, Attolist, was customized, tested, and implemented during the fall of 2009. Beginning in the winter of 2010, the solution was implemented on Iowa DOT projects. Researchers worked to assist in the training, implementation, and performance evaluation of the solution. Work will continue beyond the second year of research to implement Attolist on an additional pilot project. During this time, work will be completed to evaluate the impact of WPMS on Iowa DOT bridge projects.

Issue review : electronic document management system or EDMS.

This issue review provides an overview of the electronic documents management system, or EDMS project.

Issue review : electronic document management system, or EDMS.

This issue review provides an overview of the electronic document management system, or EDMS, project, withing the judicial branch and courts.

A plan for an electronic library and information services program for Iowa : presented to the Honorable Terry E. Branstad and members of the Iowa General Assembly, 1995

This document summarizes the conclusions and recommendations of the Library Services Advisory Council who were appointed by Governor Terry E. Branstad to develop a coordinated, cost-effective and comprehensive plan for the implementation of an electronic statewide library and information services program.

Proof of Concept: Examining Characteristics of Roadway Infrastructure in Various 3D Visualization Modes, 2015

Utilizing enhanced visualization in transportation planning and design gained popularity in the last decade. This work aimed at demonstrating the concept of utilizing a highly immersive, virtual reality simulation engine for creating dynamic, interactive, full-scale, three-dimensional (3D) models of highway infrastructure. For this project, the highway infrastructure element chosen was a two-way, stop-controlled intersection (TWSCI). VirtuTrace, a virtual reality simulation engine developed by the principal investigator, was used to construct the dynamic 3D model of the TWSCI. The model was implemented in C6, which is Iowa State University’s Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE). Representatives from the Institute of Transportation at Iowa State University, as well as representatives from the Iowa Department of Transportation, experienced the simulated TWSCI. The two teams identified verbally the significant potential that the approach introduces for the application of next-generation simulated environments to road design and safety evaluation.

Issue review : Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund (RIIF).

The state has several resources that provide funding for infrastructure-related projects. The Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund, or RIIF, established in code section 8.57, subsection 6, is the primary funding source for state-financed public infrastructure-related expenditures. This issue review provides an overview and history of the RIIF, revenues deposited in the RIIF, recent funding trends and timeline of items affecting RIIF for future planning.

Development of LRFD Procedures for Bridge Pile Foundations in Iowa, Volume I: An Electronic Database for PIle LOad Tests (PILOT), TR-573, 2011

For well over 100 years, the Working Stress Design (WSD) approach has been the traditional basis for geotechnical design with regard to settlements or failure conditions. However, considerable effort has been put forth over the past couple of decades in relation to the adoption of the Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) approach into geotechnical design. With the goal of producing engineered designs with consistent levels of reliability, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) issued a policy memorandum on June 28, 2000, requiring all new bridges initiated after October 1, 2007, to be designed according to the LRFD approach. Likewise, regionally calibrated LRFD resistance factors were permitted by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) to improve the economy of bridge foundation elements. Thus, projects TR-573, TR-583 and TR-584 were undertaken by a research team at Iowa State University’s Bridge Engineering Center with the goal of developing resistance factors for pile design using available pile static load test data. To accomplish this goal, the available data were first analyzed for reliability and then placed in a newly designed relational database management system termed PIle LOad Tests (PILOT), to which this first volume of the final report for project TR-573 is dedicated. PILOT is an amalgamated, electronic source of information consisting of both static and dynamic data for pile load tests conducted in the State of Iowa. The database, which includes historical data on pile load tests dating back to 1966, is intended for use in the establishment of LRFD resistance factors for design and construction control of driven pile foundations in Iowa. Although a considerable amount of geotechnical and pile load test data is available in literature as well as in various State Department of Transportation files, PILOT is one of the first regional databases to be exclusively used in the development of LRFD resistance factors for the design and construction control of driven pile foundations. Currently providing an electronically organized assimilation of geotechnical and pile load test data for 274 piles of various types (e.g., steel H-shaped, timber, pipe, Monotube, and concrete), PILOT (http://srg.cce.iastate.edu/lrfd/) is on par with such familiar national databases used in the calibration of LRFD resistance factors for pile foundations as the FHWA’s Deep Foundation Load Test Database. By narrowing geographical boundaries while maintaining a high number of pile load tests, PILOT exemplifies a model for effective regional LRFD calibration procedures.

Iowa's Renewable Energy and Infrastructure Impacts, TR-593, 2010

The federal government is aggressively promoting biofuels as an answer to global climate change and dependence on imported sources of energy. Iowa has quickly become a leader in the bioeconomy and wind energy production, but meeting the United States Department of Energy’s goal having 20% of U.S. transportation fuels come from biologically based sources by 2030 will require a dramatic increase in ethanol and biodiesel production and distribution. At the same time, much of Iowa’s rural transportation infrastructure is near or beyond its original design life. As Iowa’s rural roadway structures, pavements, and unpaved roadways become structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, public sector maintenance and rehabilitation costs rapidly increase. More importantly, costs to move all farm products will rapidly increase if infrastructure components are allowed to fail; longer hauls, slower turnaround times, and smaller loads result. When these results occur on a large scale, Iowa will start to lose its economic competitive edge in the rapidly developing bioeconomy. The primary objective of this study was to document the current physical and fiscal impacts of Iowa’s existing biofuels and wind power industries. A four-county cluster in north-central Iowa and a two-county cluster in southeast Iowa were identified through a local agency survey as having a large number of diverse facilities and were selected for the traffic and physical impact analysis. The research team investigated the large truck traffic patterns on Iowa’s secondary and local roads from 2002 to 2008 and associated those with the pavement condition and county maintenance expenditures. The impacts were quantified to the extent possible and visualized using geographic information system (GIS) tools. In addition, a traffic and fiscal assessment tool was developed to understand the impact of the development of the biofuels on Iowa’s secondary road system. Recommended changes in public policies relating to the local government and to the administration of those policies included standardizing the reporting and format of all county expenditures, conducting regular pavement evaluations on a county’s system, cooperating and communicating with cities (adjacent to a plant site), considering utilization of tax increment financing (TIF) districts as a short-term tool to produce revenues, and considering alternative ways to tax the industry.

Wireless Sensor Networks for Infrastructure Monitoring, TR-611, 2010

A good system of preventive bridge maintenance enhances the ability of engineers to manage and monitor bridge conditions, and take proper action at the right time. Traditionally infrastructure inspection is performed via infrequent periodical visual inspection in the field. Wireless sensor technology provides an alternative cost-effective approach for constant monitoring of infrastructures. Scientific data-acquisition systems make reliable structural measurements, even in inaccessible and harsh environments by using wireless sensors. With advances in sensor technology and availability of low cost integrated circuits, a wireless monitoring sensor network has been considered to be the new generation technology for structural health monitoring. The main goal of this project was to implement a wireless sensor network for monitoring the behavior and integrity of highway bridges. At the core of the system is a low-cost, low power wireless strain sensor node whose hardware design is optimized for structural monitoring applications. The key components of the systems are the control unit, sensors, software and communication capability. The extensive information developed for each of these areas has been used to design the system. The performance and reliability of the proposed wireless monitoring system is validated on a 34 feet span composite beam in slab bridge in Black Hawk County, Iowa. The micro strain data is successfully extracted from output-only response collected by the wireless monitoring system. The energy efficiency of the system was investigated to estimate the battery lifetime of the wireless sensor nodes. This report also documents system design, the method used for data acquisition, and system validation and field testing. Recommendations on further implementation of wireless sensor networks for long term monitoring are provided.

Iowa Infrastructure Investment Program: Report of the Governor on the Status of the I-Jobs Program, January 7, 2011

Department of Management reporting on the status of the Iowa Infrastructure Investment Program, known as the I-JOBS Program, as of September 30, 2010 with additional survey information from departments on the number of positions supported through October 31, 2010.

Annual Infrastructure Status Report 2014

This is the Iowa Department of Transportation’s summary of project status for infrastructure projects that have been appropriated revenue from various funds including Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure, Health Restricted Capitals, Revenue Bonds Capitals and Revenue Bonds Capitals II.

Annual Infrastructure Report 2009, January 25, 2010

Major maintenance; health, safety, loss of use; and Americans with Disabilities Act deficiencies at the Capitol Complex and statewide for twelve agencies and divisions participating in the Vertical Infrastructure Program in collaboration with the Governor's Vertical Infrastructure Advisory Committee, including the Department of Administrative Services; the Department of Commerce, Alcoholic Beverages Division; the Department of Corrections; the Department of Cultural Affairs; the Department of Education, including Iowa Public Television and Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services; the Department of Human Services; Iowa Law Enforcement Academy; the Department of Public Safety; Terrace Hill; Iowa Veterans Home and Iowa Workforce Development. The advisory committee meets on a monthly basis to review the progress of the work and to make recommendations on procedures and priorities. Additional information on major maintenance projects is available in the advisory committee's Tenth Annual Report to the Governor, dated December 15, 2008.

Annual Infrastructure Report 2010 January 28, 2011

Major maintenance; health, safety, loss of use; and Americans with Disabilities Act deficiencies at the Capitol Complex and statewide for twelve agencies and divisions participating in the Vertical Infrastructure Program in collaboration with the Governor's Vertical Infrastructure Advisory Committee, including the Department of Administrative Services; the Department of Commerce, Alcoholic Beverages Division; the Department of Corrections; the Department of Cultural Affairs; the Department of Education, including Iowa Public Television and Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services; the Department of Human Services; Iowa Law Enforcement Academy; the Department of Public Safety; Terrace Hill; Iowa Veterans Home and Iowa Workforce Development. The advisory committee meets on a monthly basis to review the progress of the work and to make recommendations on procedures and priorities. Additional information on major maintenance projects is available in the advisory committee's Tenth Annual Report to the Governor, dated December 15, 2008.

Annual Infrastructure Report 2012, January 15, 2012

Major maintenance; health, safety, loss of use; and Americans with Disabilities Act deficiencies at the Capitol Complex and statewide for twelve agencies and divisions participating in the Vertical Infrastructure Program in collaboration with the Governor's Vertical Infrastructure Advisory Committee, including the Department of Administrative Services; the Department of Commerce, Alcoholic Beverages Division; the Department of Corrections; the Department of Cultural Affairs; the Department of Education, including Iowa Public Television and Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services; the Department of Human Services; Iowa Law Enforcement Academy; the Department of Public Safety; Terrace Hill; Iowa Veterans Home and Iowa Workforce Development. The advisory committee meets on a monthly basis to review the progress of the work and to make recommendations on procedures and priorities. Additional information on major maintenance projects is available in the advisory committee's Tenth Annual Report to the Governor, dated December 15, 2008.

Annual Infrastructure Report 2013, January 15, 2014

Major maintenance; health, safety, loss of use; and Americans with Disabilities Act deficiencies at the Capitol Complex and statewide for twelve agencies and divisions participating in the Vertical Infrastructure Program in collaboration with the Governor's Vertical Infrastructure Advisory Committee, including the Department of Administrative Services; the Department of Commerce, Alcoholic Beverages Division; the Department of Corrections; the Department of Cultural Affairs; the Department of Education, including Iowa Public Television and Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services; the Department of Human Services; Iowa Law Enforcement Academy; the Department of Public Safety; Terrace Hill; Iowa Veterans Home and Iowa Workforce Development. The advisory committee meets on a monthly basis to review the progress of the work and to make recommendations on procedures and priorities. Additional information on major maintenance projects is available in the advisory committee's Tenth Annual Report to the Governor, dated December 15, 2008.