Transcript FOSS4G2007_USACE_DhirenKhona

Transformation With Free & Open Source Geospatial Software
Business Process Re-engineering
United States Army Corps of Engineers
(USACE)
Presenter: Dhiren S. Khona
[email protected]
Victoria, BC
09/25/2007
FOSS4G 2007
Presenter’s Background
 Bachelor’s in Science Degree from the Agricultural and Biological Engineering – University of Florida
– Specialization in GIS/RS
– ARCINFO, AML, Avenue, java programming
 Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning and Busi
– Focus on Geospatial Statistical Analysis
– GIS and Remote Sensing
 Previous Experience at Wal-Mart Headquarters – Programmer/Analyst - Informix-SQL/spatial datablade with
MapInfo for enterprise geospatial workflows for decision support systems and learning the business process
and building criteria and analysis in SQL to support the workflow
 Previous Experience at Lockheed Martin – ESRI software development 6000 hours development in
ArcObjects
– The redeeming fact was that I supported/advocated ESRI software for desktop based GIS
 Current Position at Booz Allen Hamilton – Supporting USACE – primarily an advocate for enterprise
solutions – spatially enabling the workflow and building open standards based data-model drive spatial
databases
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Agenda
 USACE requirements
 USACE strategy
 Challenges
 Where do things work well?
 What problems did we solve and at what cost?
 Summary
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USACE Geospatial Requirements
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STRATEGY
Scalability
 Scaling hardware/software to extend geospatial analysis and visualization is inexpensive and simple with free
and open source geospatial software
 Scaling commercial GIS software includes cost of licensing + increase in hardware/software + annual
maintenance fees
Cost of Ownership
Cost
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STRATEGY
Transparent Data Access Across The Enterprise
 Data is stored in native database data type (and not as proprietary binary object)
 Available for consumption by every business line of the enterprise
– Ex: Engineering, Navigation, Hydrology, Real Estate
 Selecting a DBMS that supports open standards (like: OGC)
– At USACE, Oracle is the supported enterprise DBMS
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STRATEGY
Spatially Enabling the Enterprise Data-warehouse
 Non spatial data is available to be consumed with spatial data for visualization
– Create a policy driven data-model to support the business logic
– Include spatial tables in the data-model to relate non-spatial data to a location (point, line or
polygon)
– For example: Information, collected by Hydrology business unit, about a river is available for
use by the Engineering & Construction business unit for building a levee
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STRATEGY
Keep the Business Logic in the DBMS
 Policy driven business rules and logic are created and maintained in SQL within the DBMS
– The analytical power of a GIS is created and realized in the DBMS
 Advanced toolsets that come with commercial applications can be substituted by customized
SQL analysis within the database
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STRATEGY
Visualization of Geospatial Analysis
 Visualization is supported through various software and delivery methods:
– Web-browser with MapServer, ESRI, Google Earth, MapInfo, Autodesk-MapGuide etc.
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STRATEGY
System Architecture
 One Database Server + One Web Server – KISS (this is possible due to our chosen products)
 Minimizing points of failure
 Benefits of a simple proven architecture:
– Gives our subject matter experts more time to engage clients in meaningful policy defining
discussions
– And allows our DBA’s to spend more time fine tuning the data schema & SQL queries
Support many products
ORACLE DBMS
Centrally Managed
supporting Open
Standards
Data is stored in native
database data-type
Map
Server
WMS
WFS
Google Earth
Google Maps
ESRI
Bentley
Registered with ARCSDE
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STRATEGY
Balanced Use of Commercial and Open Source Geospatial
 The standard tools that come with Commercial applications are not fully utilized
 Provide commercial products to a subset of people that conduct advanced analysis
 Find the right balance between Open Source and Commercial geospatial software to maximize
the return on investment
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Challenges for Adopting Open Source Geospatial Software
 Swimming upstream against the flow of mainstream commercial GIS applications
– General acceptance and support to use commercial geospatial application (following the
herd mentality)
 Lack of institutional knowledge to create and implement a strategy for seamless data access
across the enterprise
 Universities and colleges have access to free ESRI software in America
– Training employees
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WHERE DO THINGS WORK WELL
 We build systems based on the following:
– We understand the requirements
– We Create business rules to support the requirements
– We put policy in place to support the requirements
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WHAT PROBLEMS DID WE SOLVE AT WHAT COST?
 CorpsMap Project Notebook (CPN)
 Comprehensive Evaluation of Project Datums (CEPD)
 National Levee Database – Web Reporting Tool (NLD-WRT)
 Wetland Regulation and Permitting Program (ORM)
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CorpsMap Project Notebook
 We have transformed a 10 year old defunct Digital Project Notebook based on MS-Access
database to manage information about the location and relevant attributes about a Project
 We created and delivered a centrally managed web-based GUI supported by policy with the
ability to capture/manage project location and related project information
 We were able to spend time on engage the USACE to define a project and fine tune the
business rules to classify projects
 How we did it – technical solution:
– Customizing Oracle Application Express and MapServer
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Comprehensive Evaluation of Vertical Datums
 We have created a centralized web-based GUI to allow people to provide information related
to the vertical datum of a project and facilitate upward reporting to the USACE-HQ and the
Congress
 How we did it:
– Customizing Oracle Application Express and MapServer
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National Levee Database Web Reporting Tool
 We have created an application to display the information contained in the National Levee
Database for upward reporting to the USACE-HQ and the Congress
 The web based GUI displays a map of the ‘state’ of levees and other relevant thematic
rendering of data contained in the National Levee Database
 How we did it:
– Customizing Oracle Application Express and MapServer
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Summary
 We are able to provide a cost effective rapid solutions to re-engineer business process with
seamless geospatial integration
 Simple architecture allows to be more:
– Agile
– Nimble
– Alert
– Responsive
 Open source geospatial software provides an unprecedented opportunity to maximize return
on investment to deliver open-standards based cutting edge geospatial integrated holistic
systems that endure
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Q&A
 Contact Presenter:
– Dhiren S. Khona @ [email protected]
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