From the GIS-project to everyday life
Keywords for the early project
The goals for the project was written as follows in 1991:
"The system shall support and aid OWSA in reaching its strategic and business goals."
"The system shall provide all employees with"
- cost-efficient computer aid
- Correct and updated information
- Simplification of operations
- Reduction in data entry/registration work.
The system should be able to handle at least the following amount of data :
- 1512 km Waterpipes, 666 km Sanitary sewers, 816 km Combined sewers, 572 km Storm drains
- 45 000 Manholes, 105 pump stations,
- 580 sheets Technical maps (Basemaps,(1:500,1:1000), Economic maps (1:5000), Overview maps),
- 60 000 Technical installation drawings,
- 1 mill Installation documents,
- 30 000 Drawings (OWSA installations)
The VIS system goals
The system was to be based on the key thought "Data is the fuel in the information system", i.e. the
solution should be based on one integrated data model.
The idea was to have an integrated system where all our data was stored in commercial databases, with
easy communication to other databases maintained by different public agencies. Both databases,
software and hardware should be " industry standard", and should comply with all necessary standards.
The system should help support our business.
Some of the functions that were part of the initial project are shown in figure 3 below. In addition to
these functions the bidders were told that the functions of some of the key systems already in use where
part of the user requirements. One interesting requirement was a system to support scanning and later
use of approx. 1 million documents about the 70000 properties in the city.
The VIS project
The VIS project was started by appointing the projects steering committee, and project leader.
Project organization
The steering committee for the project was identical to the agency's executive committee. Then there
was a project owner, the director of the customer service division, and a project leader. (See figure 2.)
Figure 2 The VIS project organization
The VIS project was started with conducting a limited data-/informationflow analysis and an overall
data model was made. The early project phase also included user requirement survey for the complete
enterprise information system.
The VIS project sent out its invitation to tender in early 1992. The contract was signed in May 1992,
with a GIS system supplier, to develop the VIS system based on standard software.
The project was based on heavy user involvement. The purpose of involving many users was to create
an ownership to the solutions by their future users. There were numerous workgroups in addition to the
more formal groups listed above. In 1995 there were about 50 different people involved in different
subprojects. Considering that the planned total number of users for "VIS -first stage" was approx. 150,
one out of 3 users were involved in the project.
