The application of modern GIS technology in the development of railway asset management systems

The assets that consist of railway track components and facilities must be managed by using appropriate management systems such as asset management systems (AMS). In recent years, modern railway technologies which are recording vehicles, remote sensing technologies (airborne photo, airborne laser) and Global Positioning System enable managers to store huge amounts of data precisely and combining them with Geographical Information Systems (GIS) makes AMS very powerful. This paper discusses modern technologies and some GIS applications to railway assets, stations, segments, traffic accidents, maintenance and renewal works (M&R), and railway operations (freight and passenger) in Turkish State Railways.