The concept of bridge elements is the foundation of the Pontis Bridge Management System. Pontis uses element level inspection data as the basis for bridge preservation analyses. The main components of a typical bridge, such as deck, superstructure, and substructure are sub-divided into numerous elements to add more detail and precision. A superstructure might contain several elements such as steel girders, steel floor beams, bearings, etc. Elements are also classified by material types, such as concrete, steel, or timber. Through element-level inspections, agencies quantify the condition of structures. Pontis uses this information to compute the costs and benefits of bridge preservation. All of an agency's bridges can be defined from a set of 106 commonly recognized, or CoRe, elements as defined by AASHTO.