Lessons Learned from GIS Application Development in a

Lessons Learned from GIS Application Development in a State Government Context Yueming Wu, Ph. D. West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection 2006 West Virginia GIS Forum & Workshop Morgantown, May 18, 2006

Contents q q q What is GIS application development? Why is GIS application development needed? How is a GIS application developed? Case study Lessons Questions & comments

What is GIS application development? GIS application development or GIS customization development is not to rewrite a proprietary GIS package, but to incorporate users’ ideas to convert it into a usable and stable product.

Why is GIS application development needed? q q q There are no truly "off-the-shelf" GIS applications satisfying all organizations due to the variety of organizational business models. Business intelligent GIS applications are needed to address the issue. Casual users, representing the majority in a government agency, prefer user-friendly and practical GIS applications. Commercial GIS packages focus on basic and common GIS functions across industries. Power users need more complex GIS tools than a commercial GIS package could offer.

How is a GIS application developed? Bell D, Morrey I and Pugh J (1992) Software engineering: a programmingp approach. 2 nd edn. Prenctice-Hall, New York

Case study q q q Establish requirements (use case) Specify (requirements) Design Implement Operate and maintain

Case study: establish requirements (use case) 1. West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) has been developing an Enterprise Information System (EIS), involving a variety of spatial and non-spatial databases. Users in the Mining & Reclamation Program were looking for a convenient way to electronically link GIS data with data in non spatial databases.

Case study: specify (requirements) q q Composite query: Electronically link GIS data with data in non-spatial databases (e. g. , ERIS & EQu. IS) Facts: q Available in-house database applications didn’t offer such a function q Most employees lacked advanced GIS skills to take advantage of GIS packages (e. g. , Arc. GIS)

Case study: specify (requirements) q q Streamline composite query processes Provide easy access to GIS data Provide easy access to non-spatial data Improve spatial operation efficiency

Case study: design -- application model q q q Client-server architecture Client side q SQL statements q API calls Server side q Smart geodatabase q Procedures/triggers/views in databases q Programs to link spatial & non-spatial databases

Case study: design -- application structure q q A toolbar integrated into ESRI Arc. GIS/Arc. Map platform Four groups of functions q Access GIS data q Perform composite queries q Access non spatial data q Utilities

Case study: implement -- coding 1. Programming languages/techniques Microsoft Visual Basic 6. 0, Microsoft Active. X Data Object (ADO), Microsoft OLE DB provider, Microsoft Component Object Module (COM), ESRI Arc. Objects library, Oracle SQL statements, etc. Products COM based dlls (dynamic link libraries), each of which performs a specific task

Case study: implement – application setting q q Toolbar integrated into ESRI Arc. GIS/Arc. Map platform Arc. Map running via a Citrix metaframe terminal services architecture

Case study: DMR Information Navigator

Case study: implement – application setting ERIS/EQu. IS/RIMS Databases. End Users DMR Navigator Arc. Map/Arc. GIS Citrix Server ORACLE Arc. SDE Geodatabases

Case study: implement – application testing q q q Functionality Performance Flexibility

Case study: operate and maintain q q Document Train users Provide customer services Upgrade on user feedback

Lessons q q Administrative lessons Technical lessons

Lessons: administrative lessons q q Interaction with end users q Understanding users q From beginning to end Budget consideration q Tight budget q In-house resources Intra agency collaboration & cooperation q Across the Mining and Reclamation program q Across the agency Inter agency collaboration & operation q Between WVDEP & the Feds (e. g. DOI-OSM) q Between WVDEP & universities (e. g. WVU-NRAC)

Lessons: technical lessons q q Application development q Code as simple & reusable as possible q User involvement as early as possible Application testing q Client side testing q Server side testing Application deployment q Performance q Deployment model Application maintenance q Customer service q Prompt updates

Questions & comments q q Questions Comments