GIS Information to the community
Companies using our Community GIS, GeneralMaps, can have all the company
information available for all areas at the same time. They can even enable other companies
to have access to certain information that might be of common needs. For example, a
telecommunication or utility company can create a temporary layer on top of the cadastral
city map, to let a construction company draw and maintain the information reflecting the
status of an ongoing construction project.
The main distinctive feature of GeneralMaps’ technology: is its interactive mapping
features and real time updates. The interactive capability enables users to create new map
related information and literally draw map elements directly in a client application, without
the need of a long training process. Also, the real time update concept (pointed out as
broadcast later on) allows users to access a vivid reflection of happening events on each
and every map being observed through the Intranet/Internet. This GeneralMaps
incorporates information (new geographic elements and new associated attributes) from the
Client Application screen directly into the Server’s database and at the same, using a
broadcast concept, delivers the changes to every other user of the same map area. These
features enable users to work with their geographic information directly on-line, modifying,
creating and updating their information without the need of any other additional software or
batch processes. Also, users can choose to publish their information to the Community, so
this information becomes available to be accessed by other interested and authorized users,
hence aggregating and compiling data into a very rich repository of geographic
information.
For example, the Municipality could publish the street and parcel information of a city and
a Utility or Telecommunications company could access this information and work on top of
it with their private layers of networks and constructions. Another example could be the
traffic report published by the police department in real-time, so companies doing logistics
and critical routing (treasure delivery trucks, medical drugs, confidential or urgent
documentation) could be actually modifying their delivery routes upon the information
viewed on the Community GIS Intranet/Internet screen. Other services that can take
advantage of this standard geographic database are Daily Power Outages, Emergency
Communications, Prospective Business Licenses, Public Health Attention, Building
Permits, Consortiums Work Management, Traffic Status, Public Transport Routes,
Cemetery Management, City Zoning, Planning New Neighborhoods, Municipal Inventory,
etc.
Solution: centralize the information in a Community GIS local server, to be accessed from
all users.
- Centralize geographic information
- Centralize maintenance into a common database
- Accessible through a friendly client application
Technical Features
This GIS implementation is based on an interactive communication between the user
requests and the server response. During this client-server communication, the system
allows the user to perform all kind of requests to create the desired map picture. The
information stored on the server side is organized in a relational database with a topological
hierarchy that will enable the viewer to represent the appropriate map picture. The viewer
operates within a Client Application and will allow him/her to change the cosmetics
(colors, widths, fill modes, sizes, etc.) of each one of the map elements. The user can define
new map elements (streets, areas, points representing locations, etc.) and then save the new
map picture as defined on the server side, for later usage.
The following points illustrate in detail the basic characteristics that combined all together
compose a very innovative technology.
- Relational Database. All the information is stored in a standard relational database.
This feature allows any Municipality to perfectly integrate its own information with
GeneralMaps’ information. And even more, synchronize this data with the public data
stored in the Community web Site.
- Drawing tools. GeneralMaps allows users to draw new map elements in a Client
Application through the Intranet/Internet. This is a key feature for any organization
wanting to manage and update their map information in a distribute manner. Also, the
user will have a set of “smart tools” that will be fundamental to draw elements with the
appropriate accuracy and precision. Examples of smart tools are: ENDPOINT,
RELATIVE POINT, NEAREST POINT, X,Y COORDINATE INPUT, OFFSET, etc.
- Save Map. Each one of the users can save the map they are working on with their
preferred colors and thematic layers. The geographic information will be the same, the
difference is the way each one looks at these map layers.
- Client-Sever Application. The system functions with a Map Server in the Server
computer and many clients accessing the information in the server. This allows that
every change to the geography is saved in the Map Server so that any user can see the
change, everyone is working in the same central geography managed by the Map Server
and saved in the Map Database.
- Broadcast. When many users are working on the same geographic area. They could be drawing elements on a colleague map the BROADCAST feature has the ability to update each one of the open maps whenever a modification is performed in any one of the open maps
