Ensuring AM/FM/GIS Data Accessibility For Everyone
It’s usually apparent that many solutions are required. A published viewing solution, desktop
GIS, and a telecommunication solution might all be beneficial to a particular organization. For
example, one category of user may find they only need to reference the data. Another category
might find they need to perform analysis which in turn, may indicate a desktop GIS is required.
Let’s recall the “doers-users-viewers” ratio and keep in mind the vast majority of map users
simply need to reference map data. The value of quickly being able to find out who lives at a
given location or the square footage of a parking lot or where the nearest sewer main is located is
enormous.
I recently watched a businessman declare that the “future is here” as he watched his PC display
his city’s vector data and corresponding aerial photography. He realized that the current
estimating process used by his asphalt surfacing business was about to go the way of the 8“
floppy. The current estimation process involves driving to the site, taking measurements,
making drawings, and manually calculating areas. For new sites, add time for investigating
240.utility line locations and vegetation removal. He determined that convenient access to the
existing digital data will significantly improve his company’s estimation process.
There are many other area businesses that will benefit just as much or more from the distribution
of the city’s map data. Their needs call for a simple viewing solution.
3. What efficiencies can begained by providing digital map access instead of paper access?
In the early days of AM/FM/GIS, solutions to access the corporate mapping database were
expensive. Because of the high cost of providing digital access, the only map product that a
majority of the organization’s employees ever saw was a paper plot. If an individual’s job
responsibilities could not justifi the thousands of dollars necessary for hardware, software and
training, then he got paper plots. It is not unusual for organizations to generate thousands of
plots a month. Today, the following scenario is more common than we would like to admit:
- The organization has a fully implemented GIS.
- The (seamless) GIS map data is used to create 24” x 36” paper maps (tiles).
- It takes hundreds of tiles to cover the organization’s jurisdiction.
- There are multiple plots for each tile because different users have identified different
features desired for display.
- There might be multiple plots for each area because maps are required at different
scales.
- Thousands of master plots are all hanging in the map room.
- The map room attendants service the map users.
- When a request is made for a map containing a specific intersection, a tile index is
referenced to identifi the maps that contain the intersection.
- Unfortunately, for the individual with the request, the area of interest falls on a tile
border. Two maps are required.
- Copies are made.
- The user is later observed “taping” the plots together.
This scenario might be a slight exaggeration, but the message is clear. Both parties are spending
a lot of time and resources to produce an end product that is not ideal. This situation, or similar
ones, can occur many times a day. Implementing digital access would greatly reduce the effort
required of both parties and provide a more useful product.
In this case, potential advantages of digital map access for the user are the ability to:
- Find locations quickly through text or database searches.
- Choose the exact features desired for display.
- View and print seamlessly at any scale.
- Use the WindowsTM Clipboard to copy the map data into other applications for
presentation or documentation purposes.
All of these features can be found in map viewer products. Obviously, there are many other
advantages to implementing digital map access. The point is that it doesn’t take a feature-laden
application to solve many of an organization’s map access problems. Most feature-laden
packages were designed for the “doers” and “users” and adopted for the “viewers.”
Software products that were designed specifically for “viewers” may provide a better
solution for the vast majority of an organization’s users.
4. Which technologies can provide the appropriate solutions for the organization?
If the map users have been identified and their needs determined, then the last major question to
be answered is “How best can map access for everyone be implemented’?”
Previously, it was suggested that map users’ needs and skills should be assessed to help
determine which type of software application will best satisfy their needs. Current commercial
mapping software can be divided into three categories:
- High End AM/FM/GIS - A robust set of maintenance and analysis tools. These
systems require a well-equipped hardware platform and well-trained users.
- Desktop GIS - PC-based software is directed at users who need to analyze data.
Macro languages are usually part of this type of product which is aimed at the
sophisticated user.
- Viewer - Lower-priced software that reduces the need for paper plots or microfiche
and provides basic functionality.
The media used to disseminate the mapping information can also be categorized. Each has its
strengths and weaknesses.
- Microfilm - The advantages are that it is compact and low cost. The disadvantages
include manual searching.
- Paper/Mylar - The advantages are that it is low tech and easy to implement. A 24” by
36” plot presents a larger and higher resolution image than any monitor can display.
Some disadvantages are that map books are bulky, difficult and slow to search
through and can be expensive.
- CD/PCMIA/Local Drive - Local storage devices are good for users who utilize static
data for a large area of coverage. These devices can contain all of the vector
information for many GIS.
- Local Area Network (LAN) - Large amounts of data can be stored on a server as
accessed by many users, thereby saving the total disk space required. For example,
large amounts of orthophotography could be accessed by everyone on the network.
This typically provides slower access than a local drive.
- Telecommunication - This has incredible potential. It is eflicient for small packets of
information directly from the corporate database. Some users may not have access to
phone lines. Cellular technology is not ready for mapping applications.
The best map access solution is one where users can efficiently access data directly from the
corporate AM/FM/GIS system. An efilcient LAN can provide this type of access and there are
Desktop GISS and Map Viewers that will utilize the data in the Systems native format.
Most desktop GISS and some map viewers provide macro languages that allow for user
customization and applications. The organization must provide the human resources who use the
product’s tools to create the custom applications. If the map user’s function requires more than
simply referencing the map data, then these powerful desktop packages will provide the tools to
implement the necessary applications.
Some service organizations will “publish” AM/FM/GIS data. These organizations create an
integrated product consisting of a snapshot of the AM/FM/GIS data and a map viewer. This
process is called “Digital Map Publishing.” Often publishers will use CDs to distribute the
product.
The publisher’s main objective is to provide the end user with a finished product. As such, the
organization does not have to allocate or train human resources to implement a viewing solution.
If the map users’ primary need is to reference the data, then a Digital Map Publishing solution
may be the best fit for them.
One of the following reasons may justifi an investigation into the feasibility of using digital map
publishing:
- Map users can not feasibly be connected to the organization’s LAN.
- Map users accessing large amounts of data, such as orthophotography, may overload
the LAN.
- Map users do not require direct access to the database.
- Map users cannot justify the expense or the need for a Desktop GIS.
- The publisher’s viewer provides a simpler or friendlier interface than the one offered
by the current AM/FM/GIS.
In order to evaluate where a snapshot viewing implementation will be effective, it is important to
understand the amount of change within the organization’s data sets. An AM/FM/GIS is a living
database that continually changes. But which types of data change rapidly and which types are
static? What is the length of time it takes for physical changes in the field to be represented in
the AM/FM/GIS database?
The planimetric base or orthophotography may be updated periodically. Parcel lines in
established residential areas may not change often, but the associated owner information can.
The location of a valve or switch on a map is static, but its operating status may change
frequently.
Answering the questions above and corroborating those answers with feedback from existing
paper map users and field crews will help determine the value of a snapshot viewing
implementation.
Conclusion
Implementing a system that provides digital access to every one who needs it is feasible today
and will have immediate effects on organizations. The key to a successful implementation is
understanding the map users’ needs and current technologies and then devising a plan to satisfj
those requirements. It is important to recognize that one application can not satis~ the wide
range of users’ needs. Answering the questions presented in this paper should help an
organization devise an effective solution.
References
Author Unidentified - Intergraph Corp., 1996, Communicating Geographically, pg. 8.
