FHWA NJ 2002-06

GIS APPLICATIONS IN GEOTECHNICAL

ENGINEERING

FINAL REPORT
March 2002

Submitted
by
Dr. Trefor Williams* Mr. Thomas Thomann**
Associate Professor Mr. Clifford Konnerth**
Ms. Emery Nemeth**
Mr. Patrick Szary***
Research Engineer and Associate Director

*Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering **URS

***Center for Advanced Infrastructure & 201 Willowbrook Blvd
Transportation (CAIT) Wayne, New Jersey 07470
Rutgers, The State University
Piscataway, NJ 08854-8014

NJDOT Research Project Manager

Mr. Nicholas Vitillo

In cooperation with

New Jersey
Department of Transportation
Division of Research and Technology
and
U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
 Disclaimer Statement
"The contents of this report reflect the views of the
author(s) who is (are) responsible for the facts and the
accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do
not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the
New Jersey Department of Transportation or the Federal
Highway Administration. This report does not constitute
a standard, specification, or regulation."

The contents of this report reflect the views of the authors,

who are responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the
information presented herein. This document is disseminated
under the sponsorship of the Department of Transportation,
University Transportation Centers Program, in the interest of
information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no
liability for the contents or use thereof.
 TECHNICAL REPORT STANDARD TITLE PAGE
1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient’s Catalog No.

FHWA 2002-06
4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date
GIS Applications in Geotechnical Engineering March 2002
6. P e r f o r m i n g O r g a n i z a t i o n C o d e
CAIT/Rutgers/URS
7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No.
Dr. Trefor Williams, Mr. Patrick Szary, Mr. Thomas
FHWA 2002-06
Thomann, Mr. Clifford Konnerth and Ms. Emery Nemeth
9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No.

New Jersey Department of Transportation

CN 600 11. Contract or Grant No.
Trenton, NJ 08625
13. Type of Report and Period Covered
12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address
Final Report
Federal Highway Administration 6/27/1997 - 3/31/1999
U.S. Department of Transportation
Washington, D.C. 14. Sponsoring Agency Code

15. Supplementary Notes

16. A b s t r a c t
The NJDOT Bureau of Geotechnical Engineering currently maintains a large database of
boring location plans and corresponding test boring logs. These plans and logs are in hard
copy format and are stored in boxes, file cabinets, and plan drawers. Locating specific boring
location plans and test boring logs can be a very time consuming process that also relies on
the memory of the personnel that are responsible for maintaining the database. This report
presents the results of a successful pilot study to investigate the development of a Geographic
Information System (GIS) to better manage and disseminate soils information, as developed
from test boring results.

The Rutgers Soil Series is used within and outside the NJDOT to assist in designing roadways
and performing preliminary assessments of soil conditions at a bridge or structure. Since the
original soil series maps were developed in the 1950’s, the base maps used then are not
representative of the transportation system as it is today. As such, it is sometimes very difficult
to locate a roadway or bridge project using the soil series maps alone. In addition, once the
soil type(s) has been identified, the user must go to a soil series book to obtain engineering
information regarding the soil type. By placing the scanned soil series maps on the NJDOT
base map and digitizing the areas of the soil types, the pilot study presented herein has
resulted in an GIS system that makes it easier to obtain information regarding soil types at a
specific project location.
17. K e y W o r d s 18. D i s t r i b u t i o n S t a t e m e n t

GIS, geotechnical engineering, soil boring,

location plans, soil polygons

19. S e c u r i t y C l a s s i f ( o f t h i s r e p o r t ) 20. S e c u r i t y C l a s s i f . ( o f t h i s p a g e ) 2 1 . N o o f P a g e s 22. P r i c e

Unclassified Unclassified 25
Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-69)
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page No.

ABSTRACT 1

INTRODUCTION 1

General 1

Purpose and Objectives of Project 1

Report Organization 2

GEOGIS SYSTEM 3

Soil Boring Management System 3

Rutgers Soil Series Maps 14

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 20

ii
 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Typical Test Boring Log 5

Figure 2: Boring Contracts Located on Base Map 8

Figure 3: Selection of Desired Boring Contract 9

Figure 4: Selection of Boring Location Plans 10

Figure 5: Selection of Test Boring Logs 11

Figure 6: Test Boring Log 12

Figure 7: Search Screen 13

Figure 8: A section of Sheet 6 of the

Morris County Engineering Soil Map 15

Figure 9: Digitized Soil Polygons 17

Figure 10: Soil Polygon Attribute Data 18

Figure 11: Selection of Multiple Soil Polygons 19

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Overview of Documents used in Pilot Study 4

iii
ABSTRACT

The NJDOT Bureau of Geotechnical Engineering currently maintains a large database

of boring location plans and corresponding test boring logs. These plans and logs are in
hard copy format and are stored in boxes, file cabinets, and plan drawers. Locating
specific boring location plans and test boring logs can be a very time consuming process
that also relies on the memory of the personnel that are responsible for maintaining the
database. This report presents the results of a successful pilot study to investigate the
development of a Geographic Information System (GIS) to better manage and
disseminate soils information, as developed from test boring results.

The Rutgers Soil Series is used within and outside the NJDOT to assist in designing
roadways and performing preliminary assessments of soil conditions at a bridge or
structure. Since the original soil series maps were developed in the 1950’s, the base
maps used then are not representative of the transportation system as it is today. As
such, it is sometimes very difficult to locate a roadway or bridge project using the soil
series maps alone. In addition, once the soil type(s) has been identified, the user must
go to a soil series book to obtain engineering information regarding the soil type. By
placing the scanned soil series maps on the NJDOT base map and digitizing the areas
of the soil types, the pilot study presented herein has resulted in an GIS system that
makes it easier to obtain information regarding soil types at a specific project location.

INTRODUCTION

General
The purpose of this report is to present the results of a pilot study to create a statewide
test boring management system and engineering soil series system for the New Jersey
Department of Transportation (NJDOT). These systems are referred to as the
Geotechnical Geographic Information System (GEOGIS). The purpose of the pilot study
is to assess the feasibility and effort that will be necessary for full implementation of the
system.

The pilot program for the GEOGIS project has been performed by URS in association
with the Center for Advanced Infrastructure Technology (CAIT) of Rutgers University,
which is under subcontract to the NJDOT to provide the necessary services.

Purpose and Objectives of Project

The NJDOT maintains a large database of soil boring location maps and individual soil
boring logs. This database is currently in hard copy format, stored in boxes, file
cabinets, and plan drawers, and is maintained by personnel from the Bureau of
Geotechnical Engineering. When soil boring information is requested by NJDOT units
or outside agencies and consultants, the personnel search through the hard copy files to
locate the appropriate logs and location maps and mail or fax the information to the

1
requester. This is a very time consuming process that relies on the memory of the
personnel (institutional knowledge) to locate the correct information from multiple
locations.

In addition, many designers within and outside of the NJDOT use the information
contained in the Rutgers soils series. Some of the information included in these series
are engineering soil maps and tables of engineering soil properties. The current hard
copy maps of the Rutgers soils series do not contain the complete State, Interstate, or
county road network which makes finding the needed soils information very time
consuming and inefficient.

It is the objective of the NJDOT to transform the information contained in these two
sources into a digital format compatible with the existing NJDOT GIS system for use by
the Bureau of Geotechnical Engineering and others. Following full implementation of
the GEOGIS system, it will satisfy the main need of the Bureau of Geotechnical
Engineering, which is to easily locate and retrieve this information.

It is estimated by the Bureau of Geotechnical Engineering that there are approximately

70,000 boring log sheets currently maintained by NJDOT, as well as approximately
4,000 soil boring location plan sheets. The Rutgers soil series consists of almost 100
soil maps and corresponding tables of engineering soil properties. Conversion of all of
this information to digital form is a major undertaking. Therefore, the NJDOT has
decided to perform this pilot study to investigate the most efficient and cost effective
methods for developing the GEOGIS and integrating them into the NJDOT GIS system.

Report Organization
This report is organized in four sections. The summary and introductory section are
followed by a section which presents the soil boring management system and includes
an overview of the representative boring information that were used in this pilot study.
This section also presents an overview of the Rutgers soil series maps and the
information that has resulted from this source. Our conclusions are presented in the
final section.

2
GEOGIS SYSTEM

The pilot GEOGIS system basically consist of two modules. One module allows users to
obtain electronic boring location plans and boring logs from NJDOT’s projects. The
other module allows users to obtain electronic information from the engineering soil
survey series developed by Rutgers University (hereafter referred to as the Rutgers soils
series). The GEOGIS system was developed using the computer software GeoMedia.

The following sections present an overview of the soil boring management system and
the Rutgers soil series system

Soil Boring Management System

This section presents an overview of the development of the Soil Boring Management
System. Initially, an overview of the boring location plans and logs that were used in the
pilot study is discussed. Following this, a description of the methodology used to
develop the Soil Boring Management System for the pilot study is presented along with
an overview of the implementation of the system.

Overview of Representative Boring Information

For the purpose of this pilot study, a representative sample of boring information from
the NJDOT’s library of geotechnical boring information was selected. The NJDOT
Bureau of Geotechnical Engineering selected a total of 14 projects located throughout
the state. Each project contains a boring location plan(s) and corresponding boring
logs. A list of type and number of boring location plans and number of borings and
boring sheets for each project is included in table 1. In total, there are 32 boring location
plans and 267 test boring logs (382 boring log sheets).

The boring logs are all on similar NJDOT forms, with general project information at the
top of each sheet, and sample descriptions with depth on the remainder of the sheet.
Most boring logs include location information relative to the project baseline or alignment
(stationing and offset) but do not include any project independent coordinates (e.g.,
latitude and longitude, NJ state plane coordinates, etc). A typical test boring log is
shown in figure 1.

The detail on the boring location plans varies significantly from one project to the next.
The best location plans provide maps showing where the project is located within the
state and more detailed information such as local street names. The worst location
plans provide no information where the project is located within the state and only
provides very local information (e.g, bridge features such as piers and abutments). In
addition, the boring location plans do not contain survey information related to an
independent coordinate system (e.g., latitude and longitude, NJ state plane coordinates,
etc.)

3
 Table 1: Overview of Documents Used in Pilot Study
Pilot Project Name Document type # of Boring Numbers Number
Study of
Project Sheets Borings
No.

1 Route 4 over Kinderkamack & Boring Logs 49 b2, b3-b11, b14-b29 25

Hackensack
Mylar 4
2 Vincentown -Retreat Road Boring Log 6 SB-1 to SB-3 3

Mylar drawing 1
3 Route 1 Dinky Railroad Bridge Boring Log 7 515W-99 to 515W-104 6
Section 2K
Mylar drawing 1
4 Route 1 & Raritan River Railroad Boring Log 14 119W-16 to 119W27 12
Bridge
Paper Drawing 1
5 Washington Street Bridge Boring Log 6 354W-28 to 354W-32 5

Paper Drawing 1
6 Green Bank Road Bridge Boring Log 9 354W-33 to 354W-41 9

Paper drawing 2
7 North Beverwyck Road Boring Log 5 354W-44,45, 47to 49 5

Paper drawing 3
8 Bloomfield Avenue Boring Log 14 354W-51 to 354W-65 15
Improvements, Change Bridge
Road to Hook Mt. Road
Paper drawing 2
9 Green Pond Road Boring Log 27 354W-66 to 354W-93 28
Reconstruction

Paper Drawing 8
10 Abbett Avenue Bridge over Boring Log 6 354W-94 to 354W-97 4
Whippany River

Paper Drawing 1
11 North Main Street Boring Log 5 354W-101 to 354W-104 4
Paper Drawing 1
12 Route 55 Freeway Vineland Boring Log 6 H1 to H3 3
Bypass
Mylar drawings 2
13 Route 9 Improvements Boring Log 64 192A-1 to 22, 24, 28, 33, 62 to 43
192A-66. 192W-1 to 6, 19 to 29,
36, 37, 43 to 192W-46
Paper Drawings 4
14 Route 1 Orchard Street to Union Boring Log, Plug 164 S39 to 68, S96, W65 to 88, 92 to 105
county line Sampler logs 97, 101 to 115, 146 to W150. 229P-
74 to 229P-77. 229W-4, 229W-5.
B48 to 61, 63, 95 to B-97.
Paper Drawings 1
Total Number of Boring log sheets 382 Total Number of Available boring 267
logs

Total Number of Boring Location Plans 32

4
Figure 1: Typical Test Boring Log

5
Methodology
Implementation of the Soil Boring Management System generally consists of:

1. Identifying the boring location plans and boring logs that go with a specific boring
contract;

2. Scanning hard copies of the boring location plans and boring logs;

3. Placing the boring location plans at the proper location on the NJDOT base map;

4. Linking the boring logs to their corresponding boring location plans, and;

5. Inputting key attribute data (values placed in the database that are linked to a
graphical image) that is included in the boring location plans and boring logs.

After the boring location plan(s) for a specific boring contract are scanned, the boring
location plans must be located on a statewide base map. One method for doing this
would be to use the New Jersey State Plane Coordinate System. However, this
information is not typically available from the soil boring location plans. In addition, the
NJDOT base map was compiled at a very small scale with a single line representation of
state roadways. The absolute accuracy is estimated by the NJDOT GIS staff to be
plus/minus 50 feet. Therefore, even if a boring location plan was tied to the New Jersey
State Plane Coordinate System and it was placed on the base map using these
coordinates, a 50 foot “error” in its location relative to other features on the base map
may occur. Considering these limitations, the boring location plans for a specific boring
contract were located on the NJDOT base map by placing a symbol at the approximate
location of the boring contract. Once the boring contract location is properly located
within the state, the boring logs associated with the boring contract are linked to the
symbol.

The attribute data associated with a boring contract, which consists of a set of boring
location plans, are as follows:

• Site Identification Number • Municipality

• Route Number • Local Project Name
• County
The site identification number is a unique identification number that is sequentially
numbered.

6
The attribute data associated with a test boring location are as follows:

• Local Test Boring Identifier • Final Depth

• Source of Data (In house / • Coordinate Validity
Contractor)
• Soil Boring Reference Identifier • Northing Coordinate
• Section • Easting Coordinate
• Station • Route
• Offset • Local Project Name
• Reference Line • County
• Ground Elevation • Municipality
• Contractor • Region
• Date Started • Agreement Number

The Soil Boring Reference Identifier (SBRI) is a unique number for a given test boring
that is sequentially numbered. The coordinate validity will be used to describe the
accuracy with which the test boring was located. Not all of the attributes noted above
will be available from every boring log; therefore, the table of attributes will not always
be complete. Most of the attribute information is provided in the header information of
the boring logs.

Implementation
An example of the placement of some of the pilot test boring contracts on the NJDOT
base map is shown in figure 2. The test boring contract desired can be s elected by
either directly clicking on a symbol, or drawing a “fence” around a certain portion of the
base map. If a fence is drawn, every test boring contract within the fence will be
selected. After performing this, a new screen is displayed, as shown in figure 3. If an
area is selected that contains multiple boring contracts, the pull down menu at the top of
the screen is used to select the specific boring contract desired, as shown in figure 3.

Once the desired boring contract is selected, the first boring location plan is shown on
the screen. If the boring contract consists of multiple boring location plans, each boring
location plan can be retrieved by selecting the tabs at the top of the screen, as shown in
figure 4. Once the desired boring location plan is retrieved, the buttons at the bottom of
the screen can be used to print the plan, zoom in on desired features, annotate on the
plan before printing, as well as other options.

The boring logs associated with the boring contract are selected using the tabs located
at the bottom of the screen, as shown in figure 5. Once a desired tab is selected, the
scanned image of the boring log is retrieved and shown on the screen, as shown in
figure 6. The available attribute information associated with the boring is shown on the
right side of the screen, as shown in figure 6. As with the boring location plans, the

7
buttons at the bottom right portion of the screen can be used to print the boring logs,
zoom in on desired areas of the log, and annotate on the log as well.

Test boring
contract
symbols

Figure 2: Boring Contracts Located on Base Map

8
 Pull-down menu for
selection of desired
boring contract

Figure 3: Selection of Desired Boring Contract

9
 Tabs for
selection of
multiple boring
location plans

Buttons for printing,

zooming, annotating, etc.

Figure 4: Selection of Boring Location Plans

10
 Tabs for Selection of
Test Boring Logs

Figure 5: Selection of Test Boring Logs

11
 Test Boring
Log

Test Boring
Attribute Data

Figure 6: Test Boring Log

12
It is also possible to locate a boring contract by performing a search, or query, on the
attribute information. The screen for performing such a query is shown in figure 7. For
example, the user could search for all the boring contracts along Route 4 by placing the
number “4” in the appropriate field on the screen, as shown in Figure 7. Once the query
is submitted and completed, the number of boring contracts found is listed at the bottom
left side of the screen. The user then selects the “View Plan(s) and Boring Log(s)”
button located at the bottom of the screen to launch a screen similar to the one shown in
figure 3.

Figure 7: Search Screen

Future Test Boring Implementation

There are several ways that future test boring information can be incorporated into the
soil boring management portion of the GEOGIS. The use of a commercial program for
logging the borings and transferring the information to a database is not recommended
because it would mean that in-house forces, as well as all consultants would need to
purchase and use this program. In addition, these programs are typically developed to
handle many different boring log formats. Since the NJDOT boring log format is
standardized, the use of the multiple formats of a commercial program are not needed

13
and will make implementation more difficult. As such, during full implementation of the
soil boring management system, a computer program will need to be developed
specifically for development of boring logs in NJDOT’s standardized format. The
program will be developed such that the necessary information is entered via specific
fields. This information would be stored in a database that is then retrieved to create the
boring log in the proper format.

The procedure for incorporating future soil boring information would be similar to that
described previously for converting the current paper archives. However, it is envisioned
that future soil boring information will be collected by a Web based input and retrieval
system. It is also envisioned that New Jersey State Plane coordinates would be
required for the boring location plans and the boring logs so that they can be easily
located on the base map. The boring location plan(s) would be developed and delivered
in a digital format and then located on the base map. The corresponding test boring
logs would then be linked to the boring location plans.

Rutgers Soil Series Maps

This section presents an overview of the Rutgers Soils Series Maps, a description of the
methodology used to develop this portion of the GEOGIS and a description of the
implementation of the system.

Overview of Rutgers Soil Series

The Rutgers Soil Series, officially called the “Engineering Soil Survey of New Jersey,” is
a series of maps and 22 Reports (bulletins) which cover the entire State of New Jersey,
on a county by county basis. They were developed in the early to mid 1950’s by
Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, and funded by the New Jersey
State Highway Department.

The main purpose of the soil maps is to identify the surficial (i.e., shallow) soil type in an
area and to show the extent of the soil type in that area. In addition, the maps provide
municipal boundaries, and to a limited extent roadways, and man made and natural
features (as they were when the maps were created). The identification of a soil type
within an area is defined with specific labels. In some instances the label for an area
may include a colayer or an underlayer. A colayer indicates that two distinct soils
coexist in the same area and are mixed such that it is difficult to delineate where each
soil type is concentrated. For example, AR/GL-67pi represents a recent alluvium (AR)
mixed with a glacial lake bed deposit (GL) with AASHTO classification ranging from A-6
to A-7 (67) and ground water at 1-3 ft (pi). When an underlayer is indicated, it means
that the primary soil is underlain at a relatively shallow depth by the underlayer soil. For
AM − 24
example, indicates that the material denoted by the numerator of the fraction
MV − 47
(i.e., AM-24) is present at the ground surface. However, it is underlain at variable
depths (but usually shallow) by the material indicated by the denominator of the fraction
(i.e., MV-47).

14
The reports present detailed information concerning the various soil types shown on the
soil maps. Each county contains a separate bulletin. The contents of the report include
pertinent reference data, an explanation of the labels shown on the maps, and
comments on the various soil and non-soil areas shown on the maps. The main
chapters of each report include information regarding the soil type such as parent
material characteristics, land form characteristics, drainage conditions, and engineering
aspects. In addition, for some soil types, tabulated engineering test values are
presented.

Figure 8: A section of Sheet 6 of the Morris County Engineering Soil Map

This pilot study used the Rutgers Soil Series maps and soil information from Morris
County, New Jersey. There are a series of six maps for Morris county available at a 1
in. = 0.5 mile scale. No specific information has been discovered as to the source of the
base map for these (Rutgers Soil series) maps. Reports reference interpretation of
aerial photography but the level of accuracy, both absolute and relative, cannot be
determined. Each map includes a latitude/longitude grid divided into two minute
increments. A portion of one of the Morris county soil maps is shown in figure 8.

15
Methodology
Implementation of the Rutgers Soils Series Map System generally consists of the
following:

1. Inputting key attribute data associated with soil type;

2. Scanning the soils series maps;

3. Fitting the soils series maps to the NJDOT base map;

4. Digitizing the various soil types into polygons and linking the polygons to the
corresponding attribute data;

After the soil maps are scanned, they are fit to the base map as best as possible. The
soil types are then digitized and assigned a polygon identification. The polygon is then
linked to the attribute information.

The key attribute data associated with a soil type includes the following:

• Soil Type
• County
• Polygon Identification Number
• Colayer
• Underlayer
• Drainage Descriptor
• Special Designator

In addition, for each soil type that used, the attributes associated with the individual soil
types are:

Soil Type Attributes:

• Depth
• Horizon A • Horizon B • Horizon C
• Depth • Depth • Depth
• % Passing #4 Sieve • % Passing #4 Sieve • % Passing #4 Sieve
• % Passing #200 Sieve • % Passing #200 Sieve • % Passing #200 Sieve
• % of Silt Particles • % of Silt Particles • % of Silt Particles
• % of Clay Particles • % of Clay Particles • % of Clay Particles
• Plasticity Index % • Plasticity Index % • Plasticity Index %
• Max Density (pcf) • Max Density (pcf) • Max Density (pcf)
• Optimum Moisture, % • Optimum Moisture, % • Optimum Moisture, %
• HRB (AASHTO) • HRB (AASHTO) • HRB (AASHTO)
Classification Classification Classification
• Group Index • Group Index • Group Index

16
Implementation
An example of a portion of the Morris County soil map with the digitized soil polygons is
shown in figure 9. Also shown on this figure is the scanned image of the soil map which
is used to create the digitized polygons. Once a desired soil polygon is selected by
clicking, the corresponding attribute information is retrieved, as shown in figure 10. The
lower part of the screen shown in figure 10 allows the user to select portions of the soil
series books that go along with the maps. If multiple soil polygons are selected, a pull
down menu is used to select the desired polygon, as shown in figure 11.

It should be noted that the results from the pilot study indicate that digitizing of the soil
polygons will be a very time consuming process, and therefore a relatively costly

Digitized Soil
Types

Figure 9: Digitized Soil Polygons

process. The cost of digitizing the soil polygons may also not outweigh the benefits. As
such, it is recommended that the NJDOT consider other options whereby the soil maps
are scanned are roughly fit over the NJDOT base map. This option will satisfy the
NJDOT’s most basic desire to have the soils series maps overlying the most recent
roadway system.

17
 Soil Polygon
Information

Tabs for selection of

scanned soil maps
within a county

Chapters
of county
soil book

Figure 10: Soil Polygon Attribute Data

18
Pulldown menu for
selection of desired
soil polygon

Figure 11: Selection of Multiple Soil Polygons

19
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The results of this pilot study indicate that development of a GIS system to better
manage the NJDOT’s soil boring system can be implemented. Once developed, this
GIS system will allow for the rapid dissemination of information to NJDOT personnel, as
well as outside consultants. In addition, the development of a GIS system will eliminate
the need for maintaining the current system of paper originals and copies of the boring
location plans and test boring logs, which are susceptible to loss. Development of the
GIS system will result in digital images that are less susceptible to loss.

The results of the pilot study also indicate that overlaying the Rutgers Soil Series maps
over the NJDOT base map will assist designers in identifying the soil types that may be
encountered at a bridge site or along a roadway. The digitizing of the soil types shown
on the soil maps into polygons provides the user with a quick method to identify the soil
types and retrieve engineering information regarding the selected soil type. The
digitizing of the soil types into polygons will provide a user with the ability to query for
soil types, or display those intersected by a proposed route as well as retrieve
engineering information regarding selected soil type(s). However, digitizing of the soil
polygons will be a relatively costly process. Other less costly options whereby the soil
polygons are not digitized can also be considered by the NJDOT. The simplest option is
to overlay the soil map images over NJDOT’s base map to allow for a quick visual
evaluation and retrieval of associated information.

The graphical accuracy of any of the above options or steps is directly related to the
existing NJDOT base map. The portrayal of graphic locations of location plans and soil
polygons should be fit to the most accurate version of the base map available. While it is
recommended that future borings be captured with an accurate state plane coordinate,
these coordinates will not automatically improve the accuracy of features (roads and
bridges) already shown on the base map. These coordinates can be used to improve
the accuracy of the base map however, this is not recommended as a cost-effective
approach.

Location Plans should be submitted by contractors in a nonproprietary image format

such as .DXF. It is envisioned that future soil boring information will be collected by a
Web based input and retrieval system. Html programs can be developed to create
capture screens for the boring log data that would then be filled in by in-house forces or
outside consultants. It is also envisioned that read only access to stored data would be
made available over NJDOT’s website.

Ongoing maintenance must also be addressed once a GeoGIS is implemented.

Specifically hardware and software support and most importantly knowledgeable staff to
maintain the proposed GeoGIS database.

20