A framework for integrating green highway performance data with the carbon footprint calculator in Malaysia

Abstract

Highway concessionaires in Malaysia spend considerable assets in collecting, analysing and controlling different forms of data during highway projects’ life cycle. Considering this massive investment, nowadays the data use and information system reliability is becoming the key concern in terms of delivering value to consumers as opposed to the amount generated. The data generated is extensive and heterogeneous. This paper provides a new paradigm for integrating green highway performance data with carbon footprint data for green highway assessment. This framework is used to improve the active use of data in the generation of information and to assist comprehensively in decision-making at all levels of management. The network approach used in this study is the main component for interlinking data with knowledge and decisions, identifying the parameters of data integration for green highway assessment, determining the criteria data for integration, and assessing the overall performance of data usage. Real-time green highway data scenarios are used to demonstrate the applicability of this framework. A new monitoring performance measure called the MyGHI-Dashboard is proposed to control green highway assessment processes and evaluate the level of data usage, which will serve as a green highway performance scorecard. Through data-driven insights, this new paradigm can be used as a benchmarking model by highway authorities to make efficient and accurate decisions. This study is expected to become the central reference to mitigate the challenge associated with the use of highway performance data in real-time for Malaysian highway development.