Adaptive Translative Transportation Geotechnical DBMS Framework for Hampton Roads Third Crossing, Virginia

An Internet-based, adaptive translative Geotechnical Database Management System (GDBMS) Framework was designed, developed and implemented to facilitate accessing and utilizing historical and current geotechnical data specific to the Virginia Department of Transportation's (VDOT) Hampton Road Third Crossing (HR3X) project. Hampton Road Third Crossing (HR3X) project is aimed to relieve congestion at the existing Interstate 64 Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel in Norfolk, Virginia. The GDBMS utilizes an Internet-based GIS server for its interface and for easy data access. Source geotechnical data were compiled from existing and current VDOT geotechnical data and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) existing Craney Island Dredged Material Management Area (CIDDMA) geotechnical data in a gINT® or equivalent format. Geotechnical data were then overlayed by USGS color digital orthophotographs. Typical GIS applications require all the pertinent data to be explicitly included in the GIS spatial database, and are mainly used for retrieval and display of such data. However, in contrast, the GDBMS framework implementation is largely based on an adaptive translative framework concept to allow actual geotechnical data to be used "as-is" without preparing them for the GIS spatial database, therefore provides a rapid implementation. The adaptive translative portion of the GDBMS framework automatically identifies type and characteristic of the "as-is" geotechnical data and subsequent translates it to various output data formats such as boring, STP, CPT, DMT, VibraCore logs, gINT project file, Excel CSV format, etc. and makes it available to the users via standard web browser interfaces. Thus effectively eliminates the need for costly retrofitting of existing geotechnical data. Furthermore, the GDBMS framework facilitates additional design and analysis capabilities including dynamic fence diagram generation over the Internet. The adaptive translative GDBMS framework was implemented based on the open system architecture principle with standard XML, Php, Javascript programming languages to ensure flexibility, expandability and scalability of the framework.