Author_Institution :
Geotechnical & Hydraulic Eng. Services-GIS, Bechtel Corp., Inc., Frederick, MD, USA
Abstract :
This paper discusses the challenges faced by large engineering firms in organizing and analyzing vast amounts of diverse geospatial data to support complex engineering projects worldwide. For Bechtel, the implementation of an enterprise GIS has greatly facilitated spatial data sharing and utilization, but has required much forethought and planning in the architectural design, standards and tools required to deploy and maintain such information in a global work environment. With the GIS technical discipline and spatial data being a relatively new centralized resource within the company, and given the great variety of CAD, GIS and other data sources and formats that are involved in supporting Bechtel projects in its five global business units (GBUs), the issues of data interoperability, data model standardization, reliability, security, and scalability continue to be central to the implementation and deployment strategies being adopted for the company. Data originating from government agencies, GIS vendors, clients, subcontractors, and different disciplines within the company come in a variety of data formats, ranging from hand drawings, text files, emails, spreadsheets, database files, AutoCAD and MicroStation CAD drawings, Maplnfo files, ESRI shapefiles or geodatabases. Standardized GIS desktop procedures have been developed and are then used to diligently catalog, verify, geo-reference, and load these datasets into a central Oracle spatial database conforming to the spatial data standards for facilities, infrastructure, and environment (SDSFIE) data model. GIS layer and feature-level metadata is then prepared and loaded into the system to document the pedigree, data source, purpose, publication or revision date, access and use restrictions, and project of each dataset. A Web service-oriented, component-based, multi-tier application development framework was developed to provide a foundation for enterprise-level GIS application development.
Keywords :
CAD; Web services; authorisation; cryptography; data models; engineering information systems; geographic information systems; message authentication; meta data; office environment; visual databases; AutoCAD; Bechtel project experience; ESRI shapefile; GBU; GIS client; GIS subcontractor; GIS vendor; Maplnfo file; MicroStation CAD drawing; SDSFIE data model; Web service-oriented component-based multitier application development framework; access control; architectural design planning; central Oracle spatial database; company centralized resource; data format; data interoperability; data model standardization; data reliability; data scalability; data security; data source; database file; dataset cataloging; email; encryption scheme; enterprise geospatial data deployment strategy; enterprise-level GIS application development; feature-level metadata; geodatabase; global business unit; global complex engineering firm environment; global work environment; government agency; hand drawing; message authentication; spatial data sharing; spatial data standards-for-facilities-infrastructure-and-environment; spreadsheet; standardized GIS desktop procedure; text file; Companies; Data engineering; Data models; Design automation; Enterprise resource planning; Geographic Information Systems; Maintenance engineering; Organizing; Spatial databases; Standardization; Engineering; Enterprise GIS; GIS; Interoperability; Metadata; Oracle Spatial; SDSFIE; Spatial Data Standards;
