  While many municipalities and organizations see value in converting
infrastructure data from Computer-Aided Design (CAD) to Geographic Information
System (GIS) format, the process can be complex, expensive, and time-consuming.
Given that municipal employees often prefer to continue performing work in both
CAD and GIS, depending on the type of work required, an improved conversion
process would help municipalities more fully employ GIS-based analyses.
Municipalities facing budget and capacity challenges would especially benefit
from an improved conversion process. With advances in GIS functionality and the
promise of smart and connected cities, more emphasis is placed on the quality
of data, and in this case, the potential loss of data quality from CAD to GIS
formats. The goals of this article are twofold. First, to understand the common
practices municipalities use to convert infrastructure CAD data to GIS and the
specific challenges they face. Second, based on knowledge of those practices
and challenges, this article proposes a five-step process to reduce common
conversion errors and reduce the time required to correct these errors. The
process is illustrated through the conversion of CAD data from the University
of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) campus. The findings were validated with
qualitative, semi-structured interviews conducted with GIS Analysts and
Managers working in eleven municipalities across the United States who directly
manage at least one of the following infrastructures: water, sanitary sewer, or
stormwater sewer systems. The interviews confirmed the challenges
municipalities faced with the conversion and identified solutions interviewees
undertook to enable data-informed decision-making.
