Baker to Develop GIS System of Nashville Water and Sewer Systems.

Business Editors

JACKSON, Miss.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 5, 2000

Michael Baker Jr., Inc., has been selected by the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County Metro Water Services to provide data conversion services for the development of a geographic information system (GIS) of the city's water and sewer systems. Michael Baker Jr., Inc., is a unit of Michael Baker Corporation (AMEX:BKR).

Under the one-year contract, Baker will convert approximately 2,000 existing hard-copy maps of the water and sewer systems into a digital geospatial database. There are approximately 5,000 miles of water and sewer main in the Nashville system. The data conversion and data attribution for the project will be performed by Baker's Jackson, Mississippi, office. Document research and post conversion maintenance of the GIS records will be performed locally in Nashville by Baker's subcontractors, K.S. Ware and Associates, and Neel-Schaffer, Inc.

Once this database is completed, it will be integrated with the Nashville Metro Planning Commission (MPC) database for implementation into a common GIS framework serving both agencies. Spatial referencing of the water and sewer system maps to the MPC landbase and parcels is an important outcome for the data conversion effort.

"By converting its maps to a GIS that integrates with the land base and parcel maintained by MPC, Metro Water Services will be able to manage the city's massive infrastructure and associated attributes more effectively," said Robert Hanson, Baker's project manager. "We are excited to be part of such a significant and challenging project which will benefit the citizens of Nashville."

Michael Baker Corporation (www.mbakercorp.com) provides engineering, management and operations services through its five business units: buildings, civil, energy, environmental and transportation.