computer science

Pontis

Pontis is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Pontis rather than just read about it. In short: Pontis is a software application developed to assist in managing highway bridges and other structures. Known as AASHTOWare Bridge Management since version 5.2, Pontis stores bridge inspection and inventory data based on the U.S.

Key takeaways

Pontis belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Pontis to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Pontis from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Pontis is a software application developed to assist in managing highway bridges and other structures. Known as AASHTOWare Bridge Management since version 5.2, Pontis stores bridge inspection and inventory data based on the U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) National Bridge Inventory system coding guidelines. In addition, the system stores condition data for each of a bridge's structural elements. The system is designed to support the bridge inspection process, recommend a bridge preservation policy, predict future bridge conditions, and recommend projects to perform on one or more bridges to derive the most agency and user benefit from a specified budget. The system uses a Markovian Decision Process to model bridge deterioration and recommend an optimal preservation policy. It uses the Markovian model results, in conjunction with a simulation model, to predict future conditions and recommend work.

History In 1991, the FHWA sponsored the development of a bridge management system called "Pontis" which is derived from the Latin pons, meaning bridge. The system is owned by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). Many states began using Pontis when the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act required each state to implement a system. As of 2008 it was licensed by AASHTO to over 45 U.S. state transportation departments and other organizations in the U.S. and other countries. InspectTech belonging to Bentley Systems is the contractor for ongoing development and support of Pontis. Previous Pontis developers included Cambridge Systematics, Inc., Optima, Inc., and the Michael Baker Corporation.

See also Bridge management system Management system

References

Further reading "Managing Bridges the Pontis Way". Focus. McLean, Virginia: Turner Fairbanks Highway Research Center of the Federal Highway Administration. July 2002. Archived from the original on October 27, 2007. Retrieved April 26, 2009.. Archived from the original on October 27, 2007. "More about Pontis". Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration. Archived from the original on February 15, 2008. Retrieved April 26, 2009.

External links Pontis webpage, for sales and support, at the InspectTech website.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Pontis

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Pontis claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Pontis before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Pontis ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Pontis

In research: Pontis appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Pontis in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Pontis is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Bridges, Computer-aided design stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Pontis outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Pontis in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Pontis means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Pontis out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pontis in simple terms?

Why does Pontis matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Pontis?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Pontis.