Cross‐National Bridge Management Systems: A Geomatics Framework for Italian and Swiss Authorities

Abstract Effective bridge management requires structured methods that integrate information gained through visual inspections, non‐destructive tests or monitoring systems to prioritize maintenance activities on bridges at a territorial level. The Italian and Swiss authorities offer different perspectives on maintenance prioritization, with Italy emphasizing multi‐level classification and flexible data integration for risk assessment, and Switzerland relying on condition assessment and a centralized BMS including damage predictive capabilities to determine maintenance policy, while minimizing the long‐term costs. Both approaches highlight the need for interoperable digital solutions to collect, analyse and process large amount of heterogeneous data. In addition, recent federal regulations enforce the “open by default” principle, promoting transparency, participation, and innovation using open‐source software to fulfil Public Authority tasks. Moving from these considerations, the study proposes a modular framework for bridge management that includes inventory and data management, inspection workflows, risk analysis, predictive monitoring, GIS/BIM integration, intervention planning, and regulatory compliance. By leveraging open source and widely used tools, the framework improves data accessibility, interoperability, and decision‐making efficiency. A comparative analysis with existing proprietary solutions highlights large possibilities of improvement in terms of adaptability and integration, underscoring the need for a flexible, standardized digital approach to bridge infrastructure management.