Inventory, condition, and performance data describing facilities and components is a primary information source supporting maintenance and rehabilitation (M and R) decisions. At present, this data, which serves as the basis of billions of M and R expenditure dollars, is incomplete, inaccessible, or nonexistent. This situation leads to costly reactive maintenance and project overruns, and prevents organizations from implementing rational M and R programs. In contrast, the recent revolution in sensors, electronics, and computers has made technology available that can rapidly collect this physical data and automatically enter it into the management database. The full exploitation of this technology has been limited by the lack of a profit motive, the need to adapt traditional management methods to the new information capabilities, and the lack of a clear‐cut rationale for technological performance specifications. These limitations can be overcome through the initiation of educational and research programs, which integrate the disciplines of physical science, electronic sensing, and facilities management. Such programs will produce researchers and practitioners with the perspective needed to address these and other complex issues in infrastructure management.