Internet GIS solution for Bermuda’s Environmental Health Department
Security Considerations
Utilizing a browser and logging into the Bermuda Environmental Health Data System,
the user’s name and password dictate what level of access is given. An Environmental
Health Officer views information specific to them such as assigned complaints, requests
for service, specific reports, and all related GIS data. Managers have rights to review
requests for service, scheduled inspections, produce a range of reports, and perform
spatial queries. Staff members in other Bermuda Government Departments have the
ability to accept a request for service from the public and direct it to the schedule of the
appropriate inspector in Environmental Health. Savings made through higher customer
care efficiency and increased time in the field for the inspectorate alone can quickly pay
for the cost of the system.
System Architecture
The BEHDS architecture was designed using an industry-standard three-tiered approach.
The data storage level has been implemented in Oracle 8i as a hybrid between a data warehouse (for historic information) and a transactional system (for daily scheduling
activities). This is the backbone of the application. The second level, also called the
application tier, controls the accessibility, the processing, and the distribution of the data.
One element in this level is Environmental Systems Research Institute’s (ESRI) ArcIMS
map server that prepares real-time maps based on the currently processed data. The
presentation tier lets the user view the data and maps. It also captures user input directly
in the client browser. This tier was built using HTML pages as well as Java and Java
Server Pages (JSP) to provide an easy-to-use and familiar interface for the end user.
The use of Java is important since plans call for the integration of personal digital
assistants (PDA) and/or cell phones into the system.
Summary
The BEHDS architecture allows for many users to be widely distributed while ensuring
that system maintenance is held to a minimum. Maintenance is of extreme importance
when a network administrator for the government of Bermuda is, on average, responsible
for twice as many networked PC’s as the average US government network administrator.
Since the system is completely web based, hosting and database management are much
easier to achieve than with traditional desktop based systems. The Bermuda
Environmental Health Data System helps to ensure the health and safety of the citizens
and tourists of Bermuda, while centralizing the administration, integrating with other
existing systems in Bermuda, and limiting its costs.
