Pontis
Encyclopedia
Pontis is a software application developed to assist in managing highway
bridge
s and other structures. Pontis stores bridge inspection and inventory data based on the U.S. Federal Highway Administration
(FHWA) National Bridge Inventory System (NBIS) coding guidelines. In addition, the system stores condition data for each of a bridge's structural elements.
The system is designed to support the bridge inspection process, recommend a bridge preservation policy, predict future bridge conditions, and recommend projects to perform on one or more bridges to derive the most agency and user benefit from a specified budget. The system uses a Markovian Decision Process to model bridge deterioration and recommend an optimal preservation policy. It uses the Markovian model results, in conjunction with a simulation model, to predict future conditions and recommend work. The name "Pontis" is derived from the Latin "pons," meaning bridge.
InspectTech Systems, Inc., an asset inspection and management software firm based in Pittsburgh, PA., is the contractor for ongoing development and support of Pontis. The system is owned by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
(AASHTO). it was licensed by AASHTO to over 45 U.S. state transportation departments and other organizations in the U.S. and other countries. Pontis is a registered trademark of AASHTO. Previous Pontis developers included Cambridge Systematics, Inc., Optima, Inc., and the Michael Baker Corporation.
Highway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
s and other structures. Pontis stores bridge inspection and inventory data based on the U.S. Federal Highway Administration
Federal Highway Administration
The Federal Highway Administration is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two "programs," the Federal-aid Highway Program and the Federal Lands Highway Program...
(FHWA) National Bridge Inventory System (NBIS) coding guidelines. In addition, the system stores condition data for each of a bridge's structural elements.
The system is designed to support the bridge inspection process, recommend a bridge preservation policy, predict future bridge conditions, and recommend projects to perform on one or more bridges to derive the most agency and user benefit from a specified budget. The system uses a Markovian Decision Process to model bridge deterioration and recommend an optimal preservation policy. It uses the Markovian model results, in conjunction with a simulation model, to predict future conditions and recommend work. The name "Pontis" is derived from the Latin "pons," meaning bridge.
InspectTech Systems, Inc., an asset inspection and management software firm based in Pittsburgh, PA., is the contractor for ongoing development and support of Pontis. The system is owned by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
AASHTO, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, is a standards setting body which publishes specifications, test protocols and guidelines which are used in highway design and construction throughout the United States...
(AASHTO). it was licensed by AASHTO to over 45 U.S. state transportation departments and other organizations in the U.S. and other countries. Pontis is a registered trademark of AASHTO. Previous Pontis developers included Cambridge Systematics, Inc., Optima, Inc., and the Michael Baker Corporation.
External links
- Pontis webpage, for sales and support, at the AASHTO website.