USE OF GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM (GIS) AS A TOOL FOR PROCESS REENGINEERING IN DELIVERING ROAD CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS IN NIGERIA

Kabiru, Rogo Usman

Department of Civil Engineering Technology

Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic Zaria, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria.

E-mail: kbrogo@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT: Geographic Information System (GIS) has permeated virtually all fields of endeavour, its enhanced features was explored by the research with a view to reengineering road construction projects in Nigeria. Road construction is a sector with enormous untapped potentials for stakeholders, having received attention by the government as a means of delivering the dividends of democracy to its populace. The research sought the use of GIS in integrating road construction processes from planning stage to decommissioning as a means of sustaining enhanced efficiency, accountability, integrated processes and teams, waste elimination (Lean) and to ultimately achieve concurrency in the process by fast-tracking the phases. Redesigning’ road construction projects in Nigeria through ‘radical change’ by using GIS as a tool to achieve ‘dramatic’ improvements of the key project success criteria of quality, cost, time and speed, as identified by its guru, Michael Hammer. Questionnaires were employed to ascertain the level of awareness of CPR among construction professionals-notable of whom were Architects, Engineers, Project managers and Land surveyors, in addition to that, structured interviews targeted at other road construction industry value chain members was  conducted in order to capture vital information in grey areas not covered by the survey questions. Result indicated that even though most respondents are not aware of what CPR entails, yet they are optimistic that GIS could aid the reengineering of road projects, however, most of them acknowledged  peculiar challenges the proposed system may face in such a country where automation of processes is minimal. Inferred interview result suggested that there is need for an agency to serve as the provider/warehouse of GIS database (Geodatabase) – like ESRI couple with a level of standardization and enforcement by the government on all construction stakeholders to conduct their businesses using the GIS database.