Victoria, BC 09/25/2007 FOSS4G 2007 Transformation With Free & Open Source Geospatial Software Business Process Re-engineering United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Presenter: Dhiren S. Khona

1Filename/RPS Number 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

2Filename/RPS Number Agenda  USACE requirements  USACE strategy  Challenges  Where do things work well?  What problems did we solve and at what cost?  Summary

3Filename/RPS Number USACE Geospatial Requirements

4Filename/RPS Number 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 STRATEGY Cost

5Filename/RPS Number 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 STRATEGY

6Filename/RPS Number 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 STRATEGY

7Filename/RPS Number 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 STRATEGY

8Filename/RPS Number Visualization of Geospatial Analysis  Visualization is supported through various software and delivery methods: –Web-browser with MapServer, ESRI, Google Earth, MapInfo, Autodesk-MapGuide etc. STRATEGY

9Filename/RPS Number 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 STRATEGY Centrally Managed supporting Open Standards Data is stored in native database data-type ORACLE DBMS Map Server WMS WFS Google Earth Google Maps ESRI Bentley Support many products Registered with ARCSDE

10Filename/RPS Number 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 STRATEGY

11Filename/RPS Number 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

12Filename/RPS Number 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

13Filename/RPS Number 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)

14Filename/RPS Number 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

15Filename/RPS Number 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

16Filename/RPS Number 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

17Filename/RPS Number 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

18Filename/RPS Number Q&A  Contact Presenter: –Dhiren S.