Managing GIS

Longley Ch. 17

Information Sources

Tomlinson, Roger Thinking about GIS: GIS Planning for Managers ESRI Press, 2003

Zeiler, M. Modeling our World: The ESRI Guide to Geodatabase Design ESRI Press, 1999

Huxhold, William E. and Levinsohn, Allan G. Managing Geographic Information System Projects New York: Oxford, 1995

Harmon and Anderson The Design and implementation of Geographic Information Systems Wiley, 2003

Obermeyer, Nancy J. and Pinto, Jeffrey K. Managing Geographic Information Systems New York: The Guilford Press, 1994 (dated and very academic)

von Meyer, Nancy and R. Scott Oppman Enterprise GIS.URISA, 1999, 98 pp. (set of case studies)

Derek Reeve, GIS, Organizations and People London: Taylor & Francis, 2000 (UK case studies)

The problem

• Graduate student wants to use spatial analysis on field data for health study

• Small consulting company with massive collection of site plans wants to automate delivery of plans to developers to save money

• Government of country wants to support 2010 census with automated mapping, analysis and Internet-based publishing/searching of new data

Which level of GIS?

• Project• Single department application (Departmental

GIS)• Multi departmental application• Enterprise system (Enterprise GIS)• Multi Organizational endeavor (Community GIS)

Example: Enterprise

• Debra Gondeck-Becker, Assoc. AIA Jordani Consulting Group

• Implementing an Enterprise-Wide Space Management System - A Case Study at the University of Minnesota

• 1999 Study with Test Implementation

Conceptual Design

Software Selections

Building/Room level management

Power, facilities etc.

• Organizational Environment– Expected result is a product, e.g a map or

report– Project has an end date an finite project– No long-term support expected & no

commitment to ongoing GIS– Little organizational impact

• GIS Implementation Approach– One-time effort – Need best tool for the job– Consultant or contractor may do entire thing

Level I: Project

• Organizational Environment– Small Organization or Single Department– Well-defined, existing business function to be supported – Ongoing support is required but no commitment to GIS– Little or no reorganization e.g. manual drafters shift to GIS

workstation– Managed by departmental responsible for business activity

• GIS Implementation Approach– PC or standalone workstation– maybe CAD focused– Little or no integration with attribute databases

– Little sharing of information within or beyond department

Level II: Single Department

• Organizational Environment– Mid-size to large organization, more than one department– More significant commitment of staff and budget to GIS– Ongoing support and update strategies– Some organizational implications (“Champion”) – Managed by cooperating departments

• GIS Implementation– Multiple, networked PCs/workstations– Topological GIS– Object/Relational database– Some information sharing between departments

Level III: Multi-Department

• Organizational Environment– Usually medium to large organization, multiple

departments– High level long-term commitment to GIS– Organization-level strategic planning, distributed

implementation and maintenance– Incorporation of GIS as part of organizational

infrastructure – Corporate management support and involvement is

essential

• GIS Implementation– Distributed client-server network(s)– Integration of multiple GIS, database, and related

technologies– Multi-department data sharing, standards and metadata

Level IV: Enterprise System

Level V: Multi-Organizational• Organizational Environment

– Public organizations or industry alliance (See Ch. 20 on Partnerships)– Multi-participant organizational structure for planning and policy– Distributed maintenance responsibilities across organizations– Long-term, high level commitments among participating organizations– Significant reorganization of functions across organizations

• GIS Implementation– Distributed maintenance of shared elements– Data exchange facility and standards and metadata, Internet or other

WAN– Data integration from multiple technologies

Management Responsibilities

• Planning– Choice– Design– Strategy– Staffing

• Standardize– Interoperability– Reuse

• Document– Assume personnel loss and turnover– Write formal documents

Ten step GIS Planning MethodologyTomlinson, Thinking About GIS

• Consider the strategic purpose• Plan for the planning• Conduct a technology seminar• Describe the information products• Define the system scope• Create a data design• Choose a logical model• Determine system requirements• Benefit-cost, migration and risk analysis• Make an implementation plan

Needs Assessment

Concept. Design

Physical Design

Implementation

7. Request forProposal (RFP)

11. Implementation

Plan

12.Contract

13. Acceptance Testing

1.Definition ofObjectives

2. User Requirements

3. Preliminary Design

4. Cost-BenefitAnalysis

5. Pilot Study

Analysis of Requirements

6. Final Design

8. Shortlisting

9. Benchmark Testing

10. Cost-Effectiveness

Evaluation

A Fourteen Step Implementation Process!

14. Implementation

Source: Longley, et. al. p. 391

(assumes external acquisition)

Specification of Requirements

Evaluation ofAlternatives

Implementation of System

Gantt Chart

Task 2006 2007 Name J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M

Kick off Meeting Pilot Test Convert Data Application Dev.

GIS Implementation issues

• GIS Paradigm– Use of spatial location as integrating framework for information– Power of spatial analysis

• Geographic Data Management Principles– Extend data management principles to include geography– Builds on standard IT practice

• Technology– Select appropriate GIS-enabling technology and plan to evolve– Follow and exploit new technologies

• Organizational Setting– Organizational setting a crucial ingredient to success/failure– Level and nature of enterprise

Pilot Projects

• As a demonstration, to show potential users the possible utility of GIS

• As an experiment to test a particular technical aspect of implementation

• As a temporary operation or production environment to assess operational feasibility or to determine organizational impact

• As a trail run to test adequacy of project planing and design

• As a benchmark test to compare hardware, software, network configurations being considered

Resources for Developing a GISResources for Developing a GIS

• Developing a GIS involves investment in five areas: computer hardware, computer software, geographic data, procedures and trained staff.

• Developing the geographic database (which includes some of the procedure and staff costs) can account for 60% to 80% of the GIS development cost.

Staffing Requirements for a GISStaffing Requirements for a GIS

• Three areas where expertise is needed includes management of the GIS project (GIS project manager), GIS database skill (database administrator), and application development for database and users (GIS software analyst).

• In the case that the three experts are hired, a full-time GIS manager is available on staff.

• Alternatives to staff expansion are consultants and data conversion firms.

System development team

L arg e s ites

B u s in essE xp ert

Tech n o log yE xp ert

D a taS p ec ia lis t

S o ftw areS p ec ia lis t

P ro jec tM an ag er

Seconded from

or hired by IT?

Seconded from line

business unit?

Technical staff: IS & GIS programmers, database, computer operators, cartographers, data entry

Full time!

Support Staff: administrative, secretarial

System Development TeamMedium or small sites

Tech n o log yA ssessm en t

S o ftw areD eve lop m en t

D ataD eve lop m en t

G ISA n a lys t

G ISM an ag er

BusinessExpertise

GIS Development CycleGIS Development Cycle

NeedsAssessment

ConceptualDesign

DatabasePlanningand DesignAvailable

Data Survey

Pilot / Benchmark

HW and SW Survey

DatabaseConstruction

Acquisition ofGIS HW andSW

GIS SystemIntegration

Application

Development

GIS Use and

Database

Maintenance

First decides what the GIS should do, second decide how the GIS will accomplish each task.

Process Flow

• Needs assessment

• System conceptual design

• Survey existing data

• Select and implement hardware and software

• Implement

• Evaluate and improve

Needs AssessmentNeeds Assessment• Data/map inventory is not always a wise

approach (legacy approach)• Interviews, focus groups can capture the needs

of a dept (managers, users, customers)• Compiling the results of the needs assessment

– Master data list– Master function list– Budget constraints

• Assess available systems• Create matrix• Score systems (yes, no or ratings)• Select system with highest score

Example: Paper walkthroughExample: Paper walkthrough

RiseLowerSlope

Plateau orTerrace

GIS Application Description Form

(New York State Archives)

Application Identification

Description

Functions

Entities Attributes

Conceptual DesignConceptual Design

• Data needs identification from the needs assessment

• Selection and creation of the data model (including metadata)

• Workflow plan for entering data into the database

• Updating and maintenance

Conceptual DesignConceptual Design

Shelf

LowerSlope

Data Objects Identified During Needs Assessment

Preparation of Data Model

Match Needed Data to Available Data and

Sources

Source Documents: Maps, Images, Air Photos, etc.

Survey and Evaluation of

Available Data

Prepared Detailed Database Plan

Create Initial Metadata

Map and Tabular Data Conversion

Life Cycle of a GIS Database: Source Documents

Add Record Retention Schedules to Metadata

GIS Database

Database QA/QC Editing

Continuing GIS

Database Maintenance

Archives Database Backups(courtesy of New York State Archives)

Describe Formal DesignDescribe Formal Design

DeepOcean

Shelf

UpperSlope

RiseLowerSlope

Plateau orTerrace

Simple Entity - Relationship (E-R) Diagram

Entities represented as rectangles, relationship as diamonds and attributes as ellipses.

Building Located on Parcel

Resides Owned

by

Occupant John Smith Owner Acme Corp.

Need for MetadataNeed for Metadata

Information about data • describe the characteristics of the data (entity and attributes) •provide information on accuracy and source

Functions of metadata•a basic data description of a data set•information for data transfer/sharing•information for entries into clearinghouses to catalog availability

FGDC Metadata standard

Example FGDC Reference Section

Survey of Available DataSurvey of Available Data

• Inventory maps, tables, digital or analog• Consider all useful (air photos, remote sensing,

DEMs, vector maps, CAD files, scanned images, survey data, field data, statistical data

• Document availability: Source, costs, redistribution rights, licenses, etc.

• Document accuracy, precision, date, consistency• Identify, acquire, reformat, transform• Ingest

GIS Hardware and Software SelectionGIS Hardware and Software Selection

Status of the current hardware and software market

What are other people (consulting firms, universities, governments) using?

Note hardware and software combinations

Local data formats and data conversion capabilities

Survey of GIS Hardware and SoftwareSurvey of GIS Hardware and Software

• Select Software first

• Evaluate software functionality and performance

• Conduct tests and benchmarks

• Test systems integration: Use real data

• Select hardware to suit software, plan on 2-3 year HW cycle other than special devices– Memory and disk are cheap

• Make choice and purchase

• Consider licensing, maintenance, training etc.

Large Scale: Hardware and Software Procurement

• Identify an Evaluation Team• Research purchasing rules & processes• Obtain samples of RFPs • Define evaluation criteria & include in RFP• Prepare Request for Proposal (RFP)• Distribute RFP to potential vendors• Hold Bidders Meeting• Evaluate Proposals• Select Winner and Write Contract

GIS Development GuidesState of New York, Local Government Technology Services

(1997)

47

http://www.sara.nysed.gov/pubs/gis/gisindex.htm1

652

8

3

9 9 11

NeedsAssessment

ConceptualDesign

AvailableData Survey

H/W & S/WSurvey

Pilot/Benchmark

DatabasePlanningand Design

DatabaseConstruction

Acquisition ofGIS Hardwareand Software

GIS SystemIntegration

ApplicationDevelopment

GIS Use andDatabaseMaintenance

Issues During ImplementationCampbell, (1992)

• Technological, associated with system compatibility

• Data-related, associated with lack of consistency between data sets

• Organizational, associated with data ownership and control

• Institutional, associated with how to use data in the policy-making process

Tim

e

Institutional FactorsCampbell, 1992

• Organizations, and units in them, jealously guard their scope of activity and treat with suspicion proposals that may change this

• Applications that give cost savings are more readily accepted than decision-making applications

• Local communities very suspicious of developments that suggest centralization of information and therefore power

• GIS techies often uncomfortable with social and political aspects of system implementation and utilization, thus need to involve politically-adept users/line managers/policy makers

…and the process is endlesssource: Longley, et. al. p. 390

Business Planning

Operation and Maintenance

System Design and Acquisition

System Implementation