Mobile GIS: using your enterprise GIS in the field
Andrew Harrington Trimble Navigation New Zealand Limited 11 Birmingham Drive Christchurch, New Zealand Phone: +64 3 9635 637 Fax: +64 3 9635 488 Email: Andrew.Harrington@trimble.co.nz Greg Lauer Trimble Navigation New Zealand Limited 11 Birmingham Drive Christchurch, New Zealand Phone: +64 3 9635 002 Fax: +64 3 9635 488 Email: greg.lauer@trimble.co.nz Abstract The desire to access information anywhere, anytime has never been stronger. Consumers look for the same Internet experience they have come to know, but on a mobile platform. Professional clientele look towards mobile platforms to increase productivity through efficient information handling, resulting in cost reduction, as well as a well-informed mobile workforce. The expansion of the Enterprise GIS into the field is taking place, but there is still confusion about how to piece together the broad spectrum of services and technologies that make up the Mobile GIS solution. This paper considers the essential elements and characteristics that make up a platform for Mobile GIS operations. It highlights the significance of GPS in the context of other hardware and software requirements, including its integration with the underlying operating system, levels of ruggedness and the operation of GPS within the Mobile GIS application software. This paper provides insight and direction to make it easier to piece together the platform for your Mobile GIS solution. Introduction Mobile GIS is a term that’s being used more frequently within the geospatial industry. Geographic information systems (GIS), and their application, have been around for long enough now that they are well understood. The concept of mobility is also something we are all familiar with, but our understanding of mobile GIS - its application, structure and operation – is still very much in its infancy. While our understanding of mobile GIS may be in its infancy, the components that make up an operable mobile GIS are becoming more apparent and available. The industry is gaining a better understanding of how mobile GIS will be used for everyday applications, but the interaction of the components is still developing. This paper investigates the various components within a mobile GIS and considers the way they will interact from an operational perspective. It highlights the environment required to expand the use of enterprise GIS directly in the field. Expanding the enterprise In understanding mobile GIS, it is useful to consider the changes that have occurred within the broad context of GIS. With this understanding, the role mobile GIS have in expanding the accessibility of GIS will become apparent for future activities. The operation of GIS in the formative years was largely restricted to the domain of technically skilled operators. GIS professionals did everything from building database, through to complex spatial analysis and cartographic design. Operations were generally confined to powerful, standalone computers, with the GIS database managed and maintained as a totally separate component within an organisation. GIS professionals generally carried out their tasks on behalf of others within the organisation. Today, the significance of GIS as a centralised information system – rather than simply being a useful cartographic tool – is much better understood and accepted. GIS is becoming a key component of business systems as a whole and is no longer restricted to the confines of geospatial analysts. An administrative role still exists, but rather than restricting operations to a specialised few on behalf of the organisation, the spatial analysis and cartographic operations of GIS are now carried out by the decision makers themselves. Data is no longer restricted to a single machine in an organisation, but is widespread through the organisational network and, of course, across the ever spreading Internet for the wider global community to freely access, with increasing frequency. GIS reaches the same people that the institutional enterprise business system reach, but the management and operation of GIS is still generally restricted to those within an office environment. Field workers are still required to return to their office to utilise or modify data that is managed and maintained within the enterprise. Moving forward, into the not too distant future, mobile GIS can be considered, very simply, as an extension of the existing enterprise GIS. The operations and data that decision makers use today will be made accessible to the entire workforce of an organisation in both the office and field environments. The entire workforce will become knowledge-enabled, to the extent that they will no longer be dependant on others to assign tasks or to carry out spatial queries on their behalf. The field workforce will have access to the same information that everyone else in the office environment has made use of for many years now. The expansion of the enterprise will take many different forms and will be used by a wide and varied audience, as depicted in Figure 1. The Mobile GIS System The technologies that are utilised by mobile GIS applications are generally well defined and consistent with an enterprise view of GIS, as depicted in Figure 2. The GIS engine, which still resides on a powerful, centralised server, carries out the main data management role and provides the underlying application development software for spatial analysis and query-based operations. This GIS engine feeds the data into the organisational network for all who have access to the enterprise. The mobile field application is simply an additional connection into the enterprise. Accessing the exact same data as the rest of the enterprise, as and when needed. This connection is usually a physical connection, either directly into an office-based computer or through the Internet. The Internet is also used by the entire enterprise for the distribution of data throughout the organisation and, ultimately, from business to business. The present situation sees the mobile field device operating its own resident application and working only with a copy of the data that everyone else accesses within the traditional enterprise GIS. As such, mobile GIS do not interact seamlessly within the structure of the network. Moving forward, however, the seamless interaction of the mobile field device as part of the enterprise network itself will eventuate through the utilisation of wireless technology. Ultimately, we could see the field application operate as a web-browser, where its interface and analysis is carried out entirely on the GIS engine. But this scenario is still some way off. The application structure most likely is a small operational application and some resident base data being held on the field device, with the field device only interacting with the enterprise when data is updated or new data is viewed or queried. Even this scenario is some way away, with wireless technology not offering the bandwidth required just yet to make the transfer of data transparent enough for efficient operation. Although wireless technology is useful in the operation of mobile GIS, it is not an absolute requirement. Mobile GIS operate today; it is just that their interaction within the enterprise utilises landline communication technology rather than wireless. Whether wireless technology is used or not, the ability for the field application and device to be aware of its location is a significant factor in the ultimate success and acceptance of mobile GIS – for both spatial awareness and operational efficiency. This is considered in more detail later. It is easy to incorrectly think of mobile GIS in terms of the mobile application component alone. Mobile GIS is a system. It is dependent on the underlying GIS engine – utilising its power in the same way as any of the other components within the broader enterprise. The field devices used within a mobile GIS are restricted, however, in terms of processing power and storage capacity, which means the mobile GIS operates in a different way to the rest of the access points within the traditional enterprise GIS. Field Device Considerations Operation in a field environment is what makes the mobile GIS different to the rest of the enterprise. Whereas the personal computer used within an office context is a fixed asset in a stable environment, the field device (or field computer) is a mobile asset in an unpredictable, or unstable, environment. The capabilities of the field device and knowledge of where the device is located become important considerations for mobile GIS operations. Field Device Capabilities The field device is the mobile worker’s personal computer. It must operate in environmental conditions that are harsher than an office environment. For each individual user these conditions will vary, but there are definite risks involved with equipment failure in any situation where equipment is being moved about. When consider which device is best for the environment it is going be used in, particular emphasis needs to be placed on the ability to view graphics and text on the screen and the impact a breakage to the field device has on the operation at hand – and the budget. When the field device is dropped, it is important that new data is not lost should the device be damaged. Data must be retrievable even when the field device doesn’t operate for its intended use. The costs – both financially and in time – associated with data collection are often not considered, until data is irretrievable. When considering a field device, a device that uses non-volatile data storage is safer than one that simply uses RAM. GIS is graphically intensive – so will be mobile GIS. For this reason, and because the mobile GIS system requires its own resident data storage (at least until wireless technology has sufficient bandwidth to manage the transfer of large data sets efficiently), the field device requires a relatively large memory capacity, a fast processor and well designed application software to manage the large datasets that will be used. Finally, because mobile GIS is part of a system that spans between the office and field, the operating system and application software on the field device must be compatible with that used by the enterprise GIS. Without doubt, Microsoft’s Windows operating system is the de facto standard within an office environment. Microsoft’s Windows CE is also becoming the de facto standard for field devices. A standard operating system provides stability that encourages the development of commercial applications, which encourages growth within the industry. This in turn provides a wider range of selection for the consumer. While few devices offer the complete solution, devices that have integrated components provide an ergonomically and functionally tidier solution – especially when the major hardware components are housed in the same unit. Location Awareness Location offers significant benefit to the efficient operation of mobile GIS. The ability to integrate reliable location definition and use into the field device and the application that operates on the device provides benefit in three main areas:
Location uniquely identifies – or personalises – both the device and the operator of the device. Knowing where the device is can be used to determine the application that should be visible as well as the data that is required for the task at hand. Location will automate many of the operations associated with both analysis of the region in space the operator is concerned with, as well as managing access to data that is needed to make the analysis meaningful. Eventually, in a wireless world, the ability for the device to know and communicate its location reliably will allow for efficient, automated data transfer as and when needed – without adversely affecting bandwidths. Currently, location definition for handheld field devices relies on two main technologies: global positioning systems (GPS) and cell tower based systems. Handheld devices, such as mobile telephones and Pocket PC’s, will increasingly make use of these technologies individually and in combination. Location aware devices will become very prevalent in the not too distant future, especially with the need to provide reliable location for emergency purposes from mobile devices. GPS technology currently offers that best available accuracy at an increasingly cost-effective rate. While cell tower based systems have the ability to operate within buildings. As with most computer-based technologies, the marketplace is experiencing a broad range of equipment choice at increasingly lower prices related to the functionality the technology offers. Business case for enterprise extension The technology exists now – and is improving rapidly – and the industry is experiencing a renewed cooperation amongst the various providers of the main components within the mobile GIS system. But there is still question about the need for mobile GIS from a business sense. Is mobile GIS being thrust upon us simply because the technology is available or is there a sound business case for encouraging the expansion of the enterprise GIS into a mobile environment? Mobile GIS: Expands the enterprise to the entire workforce Knowledge-enables all decision makers all the time Ensures data is current and relevant The expansion of the enterprise allows the entire workforce of an organisation to access data and analytical tools from anywhere at anytime. Decisions are made by those who need to make them when and where they need to. Not all decision makers are confined to an office environment. The ability to connect to the enterprise anywhere at anytime provides the mobile decision makers with the resources that make them just as knowledge-enabled as their colleagues in the office. Knowledge-enabling the entire workforce speeds up the dissemination and distribution of information, allowing the mobile workforce to remain independent and flexible, which results in less down time and faster results. Solutions are reached with more efficiency, but just as reliably. Especially with the increase in wireless technology use, but also with simple Internet connectivity today, data about the real world is much more current and accurate. With wireless technology, the representation of real world data will become instantaneous within systems. Having current, reliable data ensures all people within an organisation – both field and office workers – have access to up-to-date and relevant data. Mobile GIS removes the need for intermediary paper-based recording. It is not unknown within organisations for modifications made on paper maps to never make it into a digital format, which means many changes to the real world are never reflected correctly within the enterprise. With mobile GIS, data is always in a digital format, making it easy and efficient to transfer from the field to the office without introducing interpretive errors. Checks and balances are still required, of course, but many of these can be automated so those carrying out the checks can focus on the real errors without the drudgery of filtering through large quantities of repetitive data. Data that is current and reliable results in less delays and faster solutions that are less prone to error. Conclusions Mobile GIS is a natural expansion of the enterprise. It is part of the system and, in fact, dependent on the system for its success. While wireless technology will increase the usefulness of mobile GIS in the future, it is not an essential component for the successful operation of mobile GIS now. The field device is an integral component of the mobile GIS. It must be robust and based on industry standards. When considering the right device to use, it is important to remember the value of the data as well as the replacement cost of the device. If the device malfunctions, ensure the newly defined data – which is arguably the most valuable component of the system – can be retrieved. Location is central to the operation of mobile GIS. Reliable location definition ensures the efficient management and use of data both on the field application and between the field device and the office-based system. Mobile GIS GIS-enables the workforce with the tools and data they need – when and where they need it. | ||
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