Ensuring AM/FM/GIS Data Accessibility For Everyone

Ensuring AM/FM/GIS Data Accessibility For Everyone

David A. Sweet
Director of Project Implementation ids 930 North Meridian Street Indianapolis, IN 46204

Abstract
Typically, mapping information has taken the form of paper plots and drawings for the vast majority of an organization’s map users. Due to the high cost of workstations, software and training, only a few job fictions could justifi digital access to an organization’s AM/FM/GIS data.

Now is the opportune time to provide wider digital map access to all of those who need it. PCs now offer the power to run map viewing applications and at a reasonable cost. More people are “computer literate” than ever and software vendors have responded to the viewing market’s needs with a number of solutions. Accurately assessing users’ needs and applying the appropriate technologies to satisfy them makes an organization’s or AM/FM/GIS implementation even more successful. This paper focuses on the process of evaluating users’ needs with emphasis on map viewing solutions and the emerging Digital Map Publishing technology.

Introduction
Today, utilities and municipalities are maintaining vast amounts of AM/FM/GIS data. Studies show that over half of all electric and gas utilities have converted or are currently converting mapping data to digital format. Municipalities are not far behind. Most of the organizations with established AMIFM/GIS are evaluating various ways to maximize the return on their digital mapping investment. Empowering users by providing digital access to the mapping data is one way of accomplishing this.

Software and system vendors have recently recognized the “user paradigm shift” (Intergraph Corporation, 1996) a shifl in the model of the conventional users, occurred as organizations’ systems progressed fr~m design to conversion to filly operational. The demand for desktop GIS and digital map viewing increases as the number of systems go on-line. One study put the shift in perspective: “For every 10 doers there are 100 users and 1000 viewers of the mapping data. (htergraph Corporation,1996)

Another key factor affecting the demand for map viewers is the PC becoming an established element of the office environment. Typically, the standard office and laptop PC being used today for word processing and other general office applications can be used to view map data and communicate with Interrtet servers. Perhaps more importantly, an increasing number of people are experienced with the graphical user interfaces used by PC applications and browsers. Organizations are now faced with making decisions as to how to most effectively provide map access to everyone who needs it. This can be a difficult decision because the map users have a wide range of needs, there are a number of new products, and new technologies have been introduced.

Collecting the Facts
The best decisions are typically made by informed parties. Before an organization can make a decision concerning the distribution of its spatially related data, it is necessary to answer the following questions:

who are the organization’s map users?
What are the users’ needs?
What efficiencies can be gained by providing digital map access instead of paper access?
Which technologies can provide appropriate solutions for the organization?

Let’s discuss how to collect information to help answer these questions.

1. Who are the Organization’s Map Users?
Utility companies have defined a need for map access within the company and outside the organization to users such as contractors. Many Municipalities are extending data access to the public as well. With deregulation and competition, utility companies obviously do not want their competition to have access to proprietary information. As a result, public access to utility map data is frequently restricted.

Determining the users who will benefit from digital map access begins with assessing the needs of the people already accessing the AM/FM/GIS map data. The access may be electronic or in paper or film form. It is the needs of these map users which usually justifies providing increased digital map access. However there may bean untapped segment of users who currently don’t appreciate the benefit of map data.

Many map users have already been identified and are receiving data in the form of plots, map books or microfilm. These users might be found near the print room waiting for up-to-date paper plots. They could be camped outside the assessors or the permit office or wherever map books are centrally located. These users are easy to identi~.

It is interesting to note that after mass distribution is implemented, many organizations are discovering additional benefits of a widely accessible and low-cost viewing solution. Map users who were not identified initially are benefiting significantly from accessibility. This can be attributed to the fact that the concept of digital map distribution is a relatively new one. As such, all the benefits have not been fully measured, documented or recognized.

For example, some utility companies have found that publishing their digital map data has helped their emergency management processes. When a decision maker receives an early morning call regarding a main break, being able to access the map data from home can allow the process of making key decisions to begin much sooner. An independent viewing system is critical when server-based GIS is down. The emergency management fi.mctions were not included in the original justification for implementing the publishing solution. For municipalities possessing planimetric or orthophotographic base data, the list of map users is almost endless, from land developers and bankers to asphalt pavers and commercial landscapers.

2. What are the Map Users’ Needs?
After the users have been identified, the next step is determining their needs. A great place to start is evaluating the paper map products. How often are map products updated? How are map products distributed? What problems do paper cause? Paper and microfilm have been the main source of information for decades. Through an iterative process of creation and user feedback, an organization’s plot products have evolved into a product which provides the information that map users need to perform their job responsibilities. As such, paper map products area great source of information for anyone trying to determine users’ needs.

Because the collective needs of the users are typically diverse, categorizing their needs will help determine which type of applications will best satisfy their needs. Answering the following questions for each type of user will help with the process:

Is an individual going to use the data to perform analysis or design? Or to simply reference existing locations and data values?
What level of computer and GIS skills does the user possess?
Is the user mobile? Remote? or Local?
Is the user an employee, contractor, or a member of the general public?
How often does the user access the maps?
What are the implications of using map data if it is up to one month old? Three months? Six months?

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.