GIS Data Management
Why is GIS Data Management
Important?
Outline and Introduction
Peter Veenstra
M.Sc. GIS – University of Edinburgh, UK
13 years GIS Consulting and Software Development
experience
Introduction
What is GIS Data Management?
Why is GIS Data Management important?
The Benefits of GIS Data Management
Conclusions
Introduction
Pipeline systems present unique data
management challenges
Long thin corridors of data spanning jurisdictional boundaries
Massive volumes of data
Increased regulatory requirements (Sarbanes-Oxley)
Disparate data sources
Geographic Information Systems
GIS provides solutions to data integration, visualization, data
management, systems integration
What is GIS Data
Management?
“Pipeline GIS data management represents a set of
technologies, organization and processes that revolve
around creating and managing geographic-style
mapping data for the purposes of supporting the
business objectives of a pipeline operating company.”
Technology hardware & software systems
Organization people and business
Processes requirements and work flow
Organization
Objectives and organization structure of the
business
People, departments, hierarchy
Business requirements – financial, regulatory, operational
Used to define the requirements of the GIS
What should the system be and what data should it hold?
Who should it serve?
Why should it be built?
How should it integrate with the existing business?
When should it happen?
Processes
Daily processes?
How is the data collected and maintained?
Why is the data required?
Who is collecting and maintaining the data?
When is the data required?
Where is the data stored? (Data Models, Databases)
Tangible business benefits?
What applications are required by the business?
What applications must utilize the data?
What results is the data going to provide?
Technology
Secure and transactional multi-user editing
Integrated geographic features
Archiving, auditing, and retrieval
Real-time access to the latest information
Data structure and data models
Enabling technologies
Multi-User Editing
Data creation and maintenance costs money
GIS data management system support …
Data that is secured yet accessible to many different kinds of
users
Security involves …
Distinct transactions
Defined user permissions and roles
Features/Rows are managed as ‘objects’
Single data store for both geometry and attributes
Integrated Features
GIS data management systems support …
Features are managed as a single object
Geometry and attributes describe the feature
Located in a single table structure not in disparate tables
or systems
Creation, retrieval, update and deletion of feature occurs
in single operation
Features are presented in different views
Map view
Attribute view
Behavioral view
Archiving
GIS data management systems support …
Data storage for …
Retrieval for regulatory audits
Retrieval for annual regulatory reporting
Retrieval for integrity management planning
Data management system preserves …
History of the pipeline both location and state
Events and activities that influence a feature
Changes in the state, structure and operational status
Access and Integration
GIS Data management system supports …
Access to the data using a variety of industry standard tools
A variety of users with a variety of skill levels
Ad hoc and pre-defined queries
Provides easy access to the latest data
Provides an architecture …
That incorporates industry standard technologies
For integration with other systems
That is open and flexible that can be easily expanded
That is not proprietary or closed
Data Structure-Models
GIS data management systems support …
Absolute positioning of spatial features
Relative position of spatial features (Linear Referencing)
Storage and location of features using both positioning
methods
Utilization of industry standard pipeline data models
Documentation of the structure, content and behavior of
these data models
Enabling Technologies
GIS data management systems support …
And integrate with enabling technologies such as …
GPS,
Hand-held field collection devices,
Wireless devices,
Database replication,
Remote data access,
Integrity management systems,
Cathodic protection systems,
Document management systems,
Engineering design systems,
Right-of-way management systems,
Client information management systems,
Network flow analysis systems,
Real-time monitoring systems (SCADA)
Other systems by provide technology hooks used for integration
Why is GIS Data
Management Important?
Exponential increases in the amount of data
collected and required by a pipeline operation
Rising maintenance and integration costs
Increased regulatory requirements
Increased user demands for information
“If a picture is worth a thousand words, a map is worth a million”
The Benefits of GIS
Data Management
Easy access to data by any kind of user
Re-combination of data to provide more or
better data
Integration of seemingly disparate data into a
unified data model/structure
Create automated processes for spatial
analysis and improve business processes
Integration of disparate systems with the GIS
to provide … (start at the top of this slide)
Conclusions
GIS data management system can form an
integral part of the enterprise
Implementing such systems requires careful
planning that involves understanding the
Technological, Organizational and Procedural
requirements of the system
Provides meaningful access to GIS data for
all users in the enterprise
Increases productivity and capability
