AASHTO Journal, 15 July 2016
The association’s computer software development unit – AASHTOWare – has launched a new product to help state departments of transportation manage their outdoor advertising control issues, and is offering a 120-day free trial to help deploy it across the country.
As previously reported, AASHTOWare partnered with the Mississippi DOT to produce this Outdoor Advertising Control, or OAC, product, building on software that state agency already used. It is part of AASHTOWare’s broader Right of Way suite of products.
A new video report from Transportation TV has details on how it works to help state agencies inventory and track existing ad billboards and permits for new ones that will be vying for motorists’ attention along roadways.
Like other AASHTOWare products, OAC pools the knowledge and resources of multiple state DOTs, which leverages economies of scale to provide customized-solution software at low costs.
“Based on a system originally developed by the Mississippi DOT, AASHTOWare OAC is totally designed with the state department of transportation staff in mind,” said Jan Edwards, AASHTOWare project director. “It is a very cost-effective solution for outdoor advertising control that provides real-time status on permits, quick location and identification of billboards, and allows easy review of related data.”
The TTV report highlights such OAC features as geospatial mapping, through which customers use Google Maps to pinpoint billboard locations. It also contains point-and-click metadata to identify those billboards.
In addition to the free trial period, the product includes an automated payment process, through which users can make prompt and secure payments.
And as with all AASHTOWare products, OAC provides secure user assistance through an annual license fee that covers technical support, maintenance and all software updates. In addition, its data can either be stored at the customer agency under the user’s control, or the data can be hosted.
Here is that TTV report.