SDDOT GIS Sign Inventory

Previously, the South Dakota Department of Transportation used mileage reference markers (MRM) to track all sign locations, installations, and replacements. Since GNSS and GPS technology use is increasing throughout the state, the SDDOT decided to switch from MRM to GPS coordinates as part of a signing and delineation project for 29 cities, 13 counties, and four tribes. The conversion process proved difficult since the data collection format needed to change for each location to be accurate.

This project required the use of a data collection application called Survey123 that utilizes a smart, survey-based format to collect data. The challenge with creating the survey was the necessity for a very data-driven, automatic-fill format that Brosz Engineering developed to collect sign data at a fraction of the time. After the survey was completed, the team began the data collection process with cities and ended with tribes, resulting in a mass of data automatically transferred from field worker to map. The survey was so precise that it calculated the sign area, and it allowed photo storage with the sign location and associated data. Final plans show the coordinates and maps of corresponding sign locations along with respective data.