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Enterprise Architecture 2009

Technology Policy Level 1

Internal GIS-based Systems

June 2010

Reference:
Version: / 1.1
Editor / Mike Williams
Status: / Issued
Date: / 2 June 2010

CONTENTS

1 Introduction 4

1.1 System Context 4

1.2 Background 4

2 Standards 5

2.1 Policy 5

2.2 Rationale 5

2.3 Current Position 5

2.4 Strategy 6

2.5 Products/standards 9

2.6 Compliant/Non-Compliant Implementations 9

2.7 Significant Programmes and Projects Related to this Policy 9

2.8 Policy Steward and Review Status 9

2.9 Useful Links 9


Document Control

Document Title / L1 Technology Policy – Internal GIS-based Systems
Author / Mike Williams
Owner / Ivan Wells
Distribution / General – SHARE and PartnerNET
Document Status / Issued

Revision History

Version / Date / Description / Author
0.1 / 9th April 2008 / First draft / Mike Edwards
0.2 / 17th November 2008 / Second draft / Mike Williams
0.3 / 22nd January 2009 / Comments received from TCT review. Realigned with Geospatial Interfaces policy. / Mike Williams
0.4 / 27th January 2009 / Document control added. / Mike Williams
0.5 / 17th February 2009 / Re-scoped for internal GIS. / Mike Williams
0.6 / 12th June 2009 / Re-levelled to latest policy framework. / Mike Williams
1.0 / 19th September 2009 / Baselined and issued. / Mike Williams
1.1 / 2nd June 2010 / Updated based on further work on the GIS Strategy and Reference Architecture. / Mike Williams

Forecast Changes

Version / Date / Description

Reviewer List

Name / Role
Mike Edwards / Reviewer
Val Graham / Technology Convergence Team – consolidated reviews
Various / External revew

Approvals

Name / Title / Date / Version
Ivan Wells / Strategy and Architecture

Document References

Document Title / Document Links
Reference Architecture – Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI)

1  Introduction

1.1  System Context

This policy covers standards for Internal GIS-based Systems and forms part of the Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) and Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) implementation as shown in Figure 1 below.

Figure 1 - Context of this policy against the EA Reference Model

1.2  Background

Historically, the HA has implemented individual solutions in silos through numerous initiatives and projects. This practice has resulted in a multiplicity of systems which overlap in terms of their functionality, including Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

2  Standards

2.1  Policy

The Agency shall standardise on an enterprise-wide common service for Geographic Information Systems (GIS) based on open standards as defined by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) in the OpenGIS® Web Services Framework.

This Enterprise GIS capability shall be delivered as Common Services spanning both Operational and Business Support Services (OSS/BSS).

2.2  Rationale

Geographic Information Systems play an important role within the HA. As the architecture moves towards a service-oriented approach, there is an opportunity to develop GIS as a set of common services and this is a key enabler to integrated solutions such as the Unified Operator Interface (UOI).

Integrating GIS with other key business and operational systems will extend the value of those systems by increasing accuracy, efficiency, and productivity.

2.3  Current Position

Geographic Information Systems (GIS), as they currently exist within the HA, exempify just how fragmented systems have become over the years. The duplication of hardware and associated software licenses, coupled with the considerable information management overheads, is no longer sustainable in the current economic climate. The added complexity that results from all of this is a tax on the business in cash terms, and on the environment in terms of carbon emissions. This one example, illustrated in Figure 2 below, highlights just why there is a need for rationalisation and consolidation.

Figure 2 - GIS Silo's in the HA As-Is Architecture

2.4  Strategy

The HA shall introduce an Enterprise-wide GIS Common Service based on a Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI), which is a sub-set of the Agency’s Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), and is derived from the INSPIRE Blueprint as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3 – INSPIRE Technical Architecture

Applications may include any Geographic Information System (GIS) and/or Location-Based System (LBS).

“A geoportal is a type of web portal used to find and access geographic information (geospatial information) and associated geographic services (display, editing, analysis, etc.) via the Internet. Geoportals are important for effective use of geographic information systems (GIS) and a key element of Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI)” [Wikipedia]. Portals are covered generally, as a separate Reference Architecture.

The term “Network Services” here refers to value-added (core) network services rather than the kind of network services procured through the National Road Telecommunications Service (NRTS), which are based on the Internet Protocol (IP). The Service Bus is covered as a separate Reference Architecture for the Enterprise Service Bus (ESB). The Service Layer and the associated Infrastructure Services form part of the generic SOA Service Fabric, however, some are specific to SDI and are based on OGC Web Services (OWS) described in this document. GeoRM (previously GeoDRM) refers to Geospatial [Digital] Rights Management – this is a subset of a wider Information Rights Management (IRM) capability that is described in the Reference Architecture for Content Management.

Data Sources include a Registry/Repository (termed ‘Registers’ in the diagram), Metadata and Spatial Data Sets. The overall collection of data sets (Schema) is divided into Thematic Data Sets as defined by Thematic Working Groups (TWG’s) in the form of data specifications. The most relevant to the HA is the INSPIRE Data Specification on Transport Networks (TWG-TN).

2.5  Products/standards

Function / Avoid / Current Year / 2011/2012 / Emerging
Architecture / Proprietary / Discrete systems / INSPIRE SDI Blueprint
GIS / Various / OpenGIS Web Services –
WMS, WFS, GML, etc.
Spatial Database / Various (Oracle, SQL Server) / Oracle 11g (or equivalent)
Database Model / GDF, INSPIRE
Procurement / Separate contracts / Product licenses – consolidated contracts / Service-Based Contracts

2.6  Compliant/Non-Compliant Implementations

Any GIS-based system that is not delivered as a common service and/or does not support OpenGIS® standards is non-compliant.

2.7  Significant Programmes and Projects Related to this Policy

·  Infrastructure Enablement – GIS Consolidation (HAGIS Upgrade)

·  Technology Convergence,

·  Mosaic

·  Integrated Network Management (INM)

·  IAM

·  TI2011+

2.8  Policy Steward and Review Status

Policy Owner
(Area of Business) / Policy Steward Role / Policy Steward Name / Policy last reviewed Date / Policy Next Review Date / Notes
June 2010 / June 2011

2.9  Useful Links

See also: Technology Policy L2 – Geospatial Interfaces

http://inspire.jrc.ec.europa.eu/index.cfm

http://www.opengeospatial.org

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spatial_ETL

http://online.ogcbuyingsolutions.gov.uk/catalogue

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08/06/2010 HA Technology Policy Page 3 of 7

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