He ended up helping to create a computerized information system that not only maps out South Carolina's aviation landscape but promises to revolutionize airport management across the country. Lawrimore is the mapping manager with I2 Alliance, a new technology services group at USC.I2 Alliance worked with the S.C. Division of Aeronautics and the Federal Aviation Administration to develop CAIRS, or Comprehensive Aviation Information Reporting System.

CAIRS compiles reams of information about the 189 aviation facilities in South Carolina and presents it in a handy computerized fashion.

"All of the information was available before, but you had to make a dozen phone calls to track it down," Lawrimore said. "With this system, you can punch a button and get, for instance, a map of every tower over 300 feet in the state or find out the length of any given runway."

The project began a couple of years ago when Lawrimore, who pilots single-engine planes as a hobby, was looking for aeronautical charts of South Carolina airfields. Officials at the state Division of Aeronautics were intrigued with Lawrimore's idea of digitally scanning the maps and feeding the information into a moving map system.

"We started talking about the kind of information that pilots and airport managers need, and it took off from there," he said.

The resulting state and federally funded CAIRS project has drawn praise from the Federal Aviation Administration.

"The system will provide valuable information to all of us in government and the airport industry as we plan improvements to airports," said Rusty Chapman, manager of the airports division of the FAA's southern region. "I am not aware of any other state in the country that has developed a similar comprehensive automation program for its system of airports."

Aviation authorities see the CAIRS project as a model that can be used across the nation for airport managers and the general aviation public.

"Small airports could use this system in many waysÑdetermining if it's safe for a large airplane to land on their runway, for instance. Small plane pilots will finally have a centralized place to get vital information about each of South Carolina's airfields," Lawrimore said.

The Office of Information Technology at USC formed I2Alliance (Innovative Informational Alliance) with a focus on creativity and technology to satisfy a variety of information technology requirements. I2Alliance personnel have expertise in application software programming, graphic information systems, and Web development and hosting services. I2Alliance can be reached at 7-7366 .