What is GIS?

The Power of Mapping

A geographic information system (GIS) lets us visualize, question, analyze, and interpret
data to understand relationships, patterns, and trends.

GIS benefits organizations of all sizes and in almost every industry. There is a growing
interest in and awareness of the economic and strategic value of GIS.

Understand the World around You

GIS software is designed to capture, manage, analyze, and display all forms of
geographically referenced information.

GIS allows us to view, understand, question, interpret, and visualize our world in ways
that reveal relationships, patterns, and trends in the form of maps, globes, reports, and
charts.

GIS software helps you answer questions and solve problems by looking at your data in a
way that is quickly understood and easily shared—on a map!

Neogeography

Neogeography is a controversial term that often describes user-generated location data or

“citizen geographer” platforms. Neogeography may describe projects as varied as the
massive collaborative effort of OpenStreetMap and auto-generated location tags in social
media.

Photozincography
The labor-intensive process of photozincography anticipated GIS in the 19th century.
This process used zinc plates to draft different layers of a map, and a large-process
camera to combine the layers into a single image.

A geographic information system (GIS) is a computer system for capturing, storing,

checking, and displaying data related to positions on Earth’s surface. By relating
seemingly unrelated data, GIS can help individuals and organizations better understand
spatial patterns and relationships.

GIS technology is a crucial part of spatial data infrastructure, which the White House
defines as “the technology, policies, standards, human resources, and related activities
necessary to acquire, process, distribute, use, maintain, and preserve spatial data.”

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GIS can use any information that includes location. The location can be expressed in
many different ways, such as latitude and longitude, address, or ZIP code.

Many different types of information can be compared and contrasted using GIS. The
system can include data about people, such as population, income, or education level. It
can include information about the landscape, such as the location of streams, different
kinds of vegetation, and different kinds of soil. It can include information about the sites
of factories, farms, and schools; or storm drains, roads, and electric power lines.

With GIS technology, people can compare the locations of different things in order to
discover how they relate to each other. For example, using GIS, a single map could
include sites that produce pollution, such as factories, and sites that are sensitive to
pollution, such as wetlands and rivers. Such a map would help people determine where
water supplies are most at risk.

Data Capture

Data Formats
GIS applications include both hardware and software systems. These applications may
include cartographic data, photographic data, digital data, or data in spreadsheets.

Cartographic data are already in map form, and may include such information as the
location of rivers, roads, hills, and valleys. Cartographic data may also include survey
data, mapping information which can be directly entered into a GIS.

Photographic interpretation is a major part of GIS. Photo interpretation involves

analyzing aerial photographs and assessing the features that appear.

Digital data can also be entered into GIS. An example of this kind of information is
computer data collected by satellites that show land use—the location of farms, towns,
and forests.

Remote sensing provides another tool that can be integrated into a GIS. Remote sensing
includes imagery and other data collected from satellites, balloons, and drones.

Finally, GIS can also include data in table or spreadsheet form, such as population
demographics. Demographics can range from age, income, and ethnicity to recent
purchases and Internet browsing preferences.

GIS technology allows all these different types of information, no matter their source or
original format, to be overlaid on top of one another on a single map. GIS uses location
as the key index variable to relate these seemingly unrelated data.

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Putting information into GIS is called data capture. Data that are already in digital form,
such as most tables and images taken by satellites, can simply be uploaded into GIS.
Maps, however, must first be scanned, or converted to digital format.

The two major types of GIS file formats are raster and vector. Raster formats are grids of
cells or pixels. Raster formats are useful for storing GIS data that vary, such as elevation
or satellite imagery. Vector formats are polygons that use points (called nodes) and lines.
Vector formats are useful for storing GIS data with firm borders, such as school districts
or streets.

Spatial Relationships

GIS technology can be used to display spatial relationships and linear networks. Spatial
relationships may display topography, such as agricultural fields and streams. They may
also display land-use patterns, such as the location of parks and housing complexes.

Linear networks, sometimes called geometric networks, are often represented by roads,
rivers, and public utility grids in a GIS. A line on a map may indicate a road or highway.
With GIS layers, however, that road may indicate the boundary of a school district,
public park, or other demographic or land-use area. Using diverse data capture, the linear
network of a river may be mapped on a GIS to indicate the stream flow of different
tributaries.

GIS must make the information from all the various maps and sources align, so they fit
together on the same scale. A scale is the relationship between the distance on a map and
the actual distance on Earth.

Often, GIS must manipulate data because different maps have different projections. A
projection is the method of transferring information from Earth’s curved surface to a flat
piece of paper or computer screen. Different types of projections accomplish this task in
different ways, but all result in some distortion. To transfer a curved, three-dimensional
shape onto a flat surface inevitably requires stretching some parts and squeezing others.

A world map can show either the correct sizes of countries or their correct shapes, but it
can’t do both. GIS takes data from maps that were made using different projections and
combines them so all the information can be displayed using one common projection.

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GIS Maps

Once all of the desired data have been entered into a GIS system, they can be combined
to produce a wide variety of individual maps, depending on which data layers are
included. One of the most common uses of GIS technology involves comparing natural
features with human activity.

For instance, GIS maps can display what manmade features are near certain natural
features, such as which homes and businesses are in areas prone to flooding.

GIS technology also allows to “dig deep” in a specific area with many kinds of
information. Maps of a single city or neighborhood can relate such information as
average income, book sales, or voting patterns. Any GIS data layer can be added or
subtracted to the same map.

GIS maps can be used to show information about numbers and density. For example, GIS
can show how many doctors there are in a neighborhood compared with the area’s
population.

With GIS technology, researchers can also look at change over time. They can use
satellite data to study topics such as the advance and retreat of ice cover in polar regions,
and how that coverage has changed through time. A police precinct might study changes
in crime data to help determine where to assign officers.

One important use of time-based GIS technology involves creating time-lapse

photography that shows processes occurring over large areas and long periods of time.
For example, data showing the movement of fluid in ocean or air currents help scientists
better understand how moisture and heat energy move around the globe.

GIS technology sometimes allows users to access further information about specific areas
on a map. A person can point to a spot on a digital map to find other information stored in
the GIS about that location. For example, a user might click on a school to find how
many students are enrolled, how many students there are per teacher, or what sports
facilities the school has.

GIS systems are often used to produce three-dimensional images. This is useful, for
example, to geologists studying earthquake faults.

GIS technology makes updating maps much easier than updating maps created manually.
Updated data can simply be added to the existing GIS program. A new map can then be
printed or displayed on screen. This skips the traditional process of drawing a map, which
can be time-consuming and expensive.

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GIS Jobs

People working in many different fields use GIS technology. GIS technology can be used
for scientific investigations, resource management, and development planning.

Many retail businesses use GIS to help them determine where to locate a new store.
Marketing companies use GIS to decide to whom to market those stores and restaurants,
and where that marketing should be.

Scientists use GIS to compare population statistics to resources such as drinking water.
Biologists use GIS to track animal migration patterns.

City, state, or federal officials use GIS to help plan their response in the case of a natural
disaster such as an earthquake or hurricane. GIS maps can show these officials what
neighborhoods are most in danger, where to locate emergency shelters, and what routes
people should take to reach safety.

Engineers use GIS technology to support the design, implementation, and management of
communication networks for the phones we use, as well as the infrastructure necessary
for Internet connectivity. Other engineers may use GIS to develop road networks and
transportation infrastructure.

There is no limit to the kind of information that can be analyzed using GIS technology.

How Does GIS Work?

A simple five-step process lets you apply GIS to any business or organizational problem
that requires a geographic decision.

 Ask

What is the problem you are trying to solve or analyze, and where is it located? Framing
the question will help you decide what to analyze and how to present the results to your
audience.

 Acquire

Next you need to find the data needed to complete your project. The type of data and the
geographic scope of your project will help direct your methods of collecting data and
conducting the analysis.

 Examine
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You will only know for certain that your data is appropriate for your study after
thoroughly examining it. This includes how the data is organized, how accurate it is, and
where the data came from.

 Analyze

Geographic analysis is the core strength of GIS. Depending on your project, there are
many different analysis methods to choose from. GIS modeling tools make it relatively
easy to make these changes and create new output.

 Act

The results of your analysis can be shared through reports, maps, tables, and charts and
delivered in printed format or digitally over a network or on the web. You need to decide
on the best means for presenting your analysis, and GIS makes it easy to tailor the results
for different audiences.

1. Cost Savings from Greater Efficiency

GIS is widely used to optimize maintenance schedules and daily fleet movements.
Typical implementations can result in a savings of 10 to 30 percent in operational
expenses through reduction in fuel use and staff time, improved customer service, and
more efficient scheduling.

GIS helped the City of Woodland refine its fleet scheduling, saving fuel and labor.

Today's decreasing budgets and volatile gas prices have forced governments to closely
evaluate their fleet deployment practices. Even small local government fleets can log
enough miles to require routing software to save fuel and vehicle wear and tear. Last
year, the City of Woodland, California, concluded that dispatching crews to shut off
water for nonpayment of services (one of its most fuel-consuming operations) could be
easily improved with an electronic routing system.

Costly Backtracking

With a population of 55,000 and relatively small footprint, Woodland has crews that
know the pavement well. Since a portion of the work orders entail only single visits to
homes (e.g., to turn off water service in a vacated residence), dispatchers don't need to
generate routes for those trips. But when Woodland began to notice a steady increase in
the number of residents failing to pay for water service, which often required multiple

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visits per address, improving staff response to water payment delinquency seemed in
order.
ArcLogistics generates optimized water shutoff routes from simple Excel spreadsheet
data.
Convinced that geospatial technology could create a better system, Daniel Hewitt, GIS
specialist for the City of Woodland, downloaded the unlimited 30-day evaluation version
of ArcLogistics. "It wasn't just a matter of turning off the water, mission accomplished,"
says Hewitt. "Three out of four times, the bill gets paid, and crews must revisit the
residence to turn the water back on—sometimes within the same day. Being a GIS guy, I
knew a geography-focused application would help solve this."

To respond to water bill nonpayment, the City of Woodland's Finance Department creates
driver manifests for its water crews. With so much doubling back, even drivers familiar
with the geography of Woodland had no time to think about their lists spatially and
logistically. "Our system consisted of nothing more than the finance guys handing crews
an Excel file with a randomly organized list of addresses that required shutoff," says
Hewitt. "Even with an understanding of the local geography, they could not always
respond nearest to farthest, which would obviously make the most sense in terms of
vehicle wear and tear and fuel consumption."

Easy Transition

The evaluation copy of ArcLogistics allowed Hewitt to import the Excel lists of
nonpaying residences that the Finance Department generated and create an ordered list of
stops. To communicate with the geodatabase, the software requires that Excel
spreadsheets have columns denoting city and state. "I added those columns to the
spreadsheets so I could feed them into the system," says Hewitt. "From there, the
program generated sequenced, turn-by-turn routes for water crews."
Hewitt took his findings to Manuel Soto, technology services manager in Woodland's
Public Works department, to see if he could get support for the full version of
ArcLogistics. Initially, the department questioned whether precise routing in a small city
with a staff of mostly Woodland natives was even needed. To address that concern,
Hewitt used maps to show that sequencing each stop from nearest to farthest was more
critical than the routing. "The main problem we had was lots of unnecessary
backtracking," says Soto. But the logistics software created a sequenced order of stops
from a simple address list. After clarifying the specific benefit, Soto got approval from
the Public Works department to purchase the full subscription. Soon after, Woodland
applied for and received a grant from Esri's ArcLogistics Government Grant Program and
began officially implementing the solution.
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Because Woodland had been using the evaluation copy so extensively, the time between
installing the full version and making official schedules was short. "We tested it for a
while to present the data to the city, so we were already up and running by the time we
got the grant," says Soto. "Right now, we just plug in the Finance Department's list of
nonpayers and out churns the driver manifests."

The new efficiency in creating ordered driver manifests has reduced the number of crews
needing to travel. Before acquiring its new routing software, Woodland sent out an
average of eight water crew vehicles per day. Today, five vehicles can do the same
amount of work.
GIS helped the City of Woodland refine its fleet scheduling practices and reap dividends
in fuel and labor savings.

Bonus Benefit

Woodland also found a novel use for its GIS as a bargaining tool for outsourcing.
Recently, the city hired a contractor to replace thousands of faulty water meters with
more accurate, tamper-proof meters. "Contractors give us a bid on what they think all
their driving will add up to in replacing these meters," says Hewitt. "We showed them
how sequencing their stops shortens travel, which helps them calculate a more
appropriate cost."
Kristjana

2. Better Decision Making

GIS is the go-to technology for making better decisions about location. Common
examples include real estate site selection, route/corridor selection, evacuation planning,
conservation, natural resource extraction, etc. Making correct decisions about location is
critical to the success of an organization.

This GIS-based disaster decision support system helps Taiwan plan for and respond to
typhoons.

In August 2009, Typhoon Morakot hit Taiwan and resulted in record-breaking

accumulated rainfall within a short period of time (one rain gauge recorded a total rainfall
of 2,965 millimeters in three days). Hundreds of casualties and severe debris flows were
caused by Morakot.

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Time-aware functionality allows users to easily browse different time versions of an
event.
To provide integrated and comprehensive-solutions from all government resources, the
National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction (NCDR) assigned a
disaster intelligence group providing various types of typhoon disaster assistance,
including a Central Emergency Operation Center Decision Support System (CEO-
CDSS). This system integrates other government agencies' typhoon information, such as
disaster news and predictions, emergency response, and rescue organizations.

Before the CEO-CDSS project, NCDR offered a platform to related government and
nongovernment organizations to augment early warning and evacuation operations with
technology and to introduce disaster analysis information systems for disaster prevention.
NCDR also integrated digital disaster data with real-time synchronization from other
agencies. But NCDR needed a better way to display and analyze this data. After
comparing available technologies, NCDR approached RiChi Technology Inc. of New
Taipei City, Taiwan, to develop a GIS solution. In 2010, RiChi developed an application
named "CEOCDSS" to streamline data analysis and optimize its display for NCDR using
ArcGIS API for Flex. CEOCDSS has the following four main features:

User-Friendly Interface

CEOCDSS employs the interface design concept of full map content and user-
friendliness. Disaster response commanders and other CEOCDSS users can navigate the
system easily even without being familiar with GIS. The user interface is divided into
three main sections: map setting, basic toolbar, and advanced toolbar. The map setting
region includes a basemap switch and map scale slider, with which users can select
streets, terrain, and aerial and satellite image maps. The basic toolbar features the four
functionalities that are used most frequently during typhoons. The toolbar can float on the
table of contents (TOC) and includes a map bookmark list, GIS tools, and a map position
tool. The advanced toolbar includes a time slider, dual-view mode, map event editing,
and interface settings.

Time-Aware Functionality

During typhoons, disaster response commanders need to know all the different situations
occurring at each point in time. In nonflood periods, disaster researchers need to analyze
historical data regarding past typhoons. Therefore, CEOCDSS provides a custom time
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slider that allows users to view the data at any time; this data includes any type of
attribute containing time, such as satellite imagery (visible and enhanced), water level,
forecasted typhoon paths, real-time rainfall reports, radar data, and road disasters.

In addition to the time slider, users can access the calendar list, which shows all historical
typhoons and disasters and can be used for switching time periods faster. An auto-update
time slider is also available. It is helpful for finding disaster information from older
periods and monitoring current data in real time. Users can also use the time player to
display each moment of data between periods of time or during one typhoon.

Heterogeneous Data Integration and Management

CEOCDSS embraces heterogeneous data that can be divided into dynamic map services,
points in the database, tiled maps, customized advanced layers, and the nearest real-time
picture from the operational point of view. Formats of and access and methods of
connection to all the data are very different. For example, the base layer is published by
an Esri map service using map documents (MXD); several types of real-time data are
stored in the database; and real-time pictures, like radar images, are stored in folder
directories in image format.

Integration of multiple types of data in one GIS platform leads to restrictions about layer
setting dispersal. System administrators must be aware of the data type and layer
operation before applying settings. To solve these limitations, the NCDR-RiChi
development team strengthened all parts of the system structure by inserting a data
control mechanism between the data entities and system display. All information must be
displayed using this mechanism, which includes layer labels, scale restrictions, default
modules in CEOCDSS, data sources, and sorting in the TOC. All these items are
centralized in the system database and can be set easily at the CEOCDSS management
website.

Comparing Remote-Sensing Images

During typhoons, remote-sensing images can provide reliable information that rescue
organizations can use to make decisions and immediately follow up on disaster response
issues. CEOCDSS provides a satellite image dual-view mode, allowing users to compare
two different images side by side. This functionality can be used for comparing different
datasets for the same area or viewing data in different time periods. When users pan or
zoom in or out on the map in one view, the other view moves simultaneously. With
CEOCDSS, satellite images are published as the web map service and can be filtered and
overlaid by a time slider.

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So far in 2011, CEOCDSS has integrated more than 100 datasets for NCDR with
assistance from RiChi. In fact, CEOCDSS has actually been applied to six of Taiwan's
typhoons, two exercises for disaster response, and two workshops about disaster
intelligence; it also provides great performance in NCDR's decision support system.
Decision makers can easily understand the different time period status of disasters via the
time-aware functionality.

3. Improved Communication

GIS-based maps and visualizations greatly assist in understanding situations and in

storytelling. They are a type of language that improves communication between different
teams, departments, disciplines, professional fields, organizations, and the public.
Michels Corporation improved collaboration and communication with GIS.

From its humble beginnings as a pipeline construction company in Brownsville,

Wisconsin, almost 50 years ago, Michels Corporation has grown to one of the top 100
contractors and one of the top 10 utility contractors in the United States, according to
Engineering News-Record. Michels Corporation continues to be a family-owned business
working in design-build construction for the utility, transportation, communication, and
infrastructure markets. The company takes pride in its innovation and leadership in the
marketplace, always looking for a better way of doing business.

Field staff who work at the Meridian Way Wind Energy Project in Cloud County,
Kansas, use field collection units with maps combining imagery and vector data.

To help maintain its history of innovation, Michels chose to invest in GIS because it
offered the ability to visualize the corporation's assets and to plan for future projects and
development. "GIS technology has helped Michels plan and execute projects for our
customers," states chief executive officer Pat Michels. "We view our use of GIS as an
important step in enabling Michels to be more collaborative with our customers."

Esri had demonstrated itself as the industry standard and was already being used by many
of the companies and agencies Michels works with on a daily basis. Because of that,
ArcGIS software was chosen to better communicate with clients who also use GIS for
utility infrastructure planning, design, and bidding.

The company first started using ArcGIS in 2004 to assist in asset management and to
track permits. Dave Melum, environmental compliance specialist in the Michels
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Materials Division, states that GIS allows him to see and analyze this information by
location, giving the division a better understanding of Michels' real estate holdings,
property leases, and local and state permits. Furthermore, he is able to quantify future
reserves by mapping the aggregate resources, operations permits, and test sites.

The adoption of ArcGIS also allows Michels to manage the deployment, performance,
and maintenance of its organizational assets. This is leading to cost and time savings by
improving equipment and staff productivity, reducing capital outlays, and enabling better
decision making. The corporation can now recognize assets that are underutilized and is
eliminating holdings with limited strategic value based on market conditions and future
development. Prior to using ArcGIS, real estate, permitting, and project information were
handled by different groups within the corporation.

Michels finds that GIS provides the tools it needs to analyze how every facet of its design
relates to its environment. For example, it uses GIS to find out how future growth of a
community will affect the pattern of streets and community services. Michels also uses
GIS to solve construction layout problems and provide a new way of thinking about
predesign analysis.

Server technology is used to organize, inventory, and track corporate holdings around
Winnebago County, Wisconsin.

Doug Heider, outside plant/GIS manager of Mi-Tech, Michels' engineering division, uses
GIS for design and management of information for third-party clients, including
telecommunication companies nationwide. "Adding ArcGIS to our engineering toolbox
allows us to provide many value-added benefits for our current customers," he says, "and
to better communicate with our customers throughout the life of their project from design
to construction status to as-builts. By creating our project data in real-world coordinates
and using our software's data interoperability, we can create a standardized method to
interact with the many entities that are normally involved in large utility construction
projects. It is not uncommon to have to deal with five or more permitting agencies,
including multiple cities and counties, Department of Transportation, Department of
Natural Resources, railroads, and other utility companies."

GIS gives Michels the tools it needs to bring together the multiple dataset types that come
with dealing with all those different entities. At the end of a project, the company can
provide its customers with very accurate and feature-rich products in any format they
wish. This is becoming important, as most government agencies have adopted GIS
technology and many are requiring as-builts be sent to them in a format compatible with
their software.
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Recently, Michels adopted ArcGIS Server software to support an even wider range of
internal operations, as well as provide a platform for job tracking by its clients. To
oversee the deployment of ArcGIS Server, Michels recently hired Phil Paradies as GIS
manager. As part of the implementation, Paradies started an enterprise-wide GIS database
on ArcSDE. He has been transferring geospatial datasets that were acquired during the
previous two years and adding new geospatial data from around Michels' nine-state
operating area.

4. Better Record Keeping

Many organizations have a primary responsibility of maintaining authoritative records

about the status and change of geography. GIS provides a strong framework for
managing these types of records with full transaction support and reporting tools. ROI on
Montana's GIS-based statewide cadastral system is more than $9 million annually.

As the fourth-largest state in the United States, Montana is synonymous with frontier.
Under the state's famous "big sky" are 145,552 square miles of sparsely populated open
land. Running in a diagonal line from northwest to south-central Montana, the
Continental Divide splits and roughly defines the topography of the Big Sky State. West
of the divide stand the northern and central Rocky Mountains, while east of the divide are
mostly prairies and plains. Meanwhile, rivers; lakes; forests; national parks and
monuments; long, lonesome highways; Canada; and four other US states divide, dot, and
border Montana's 56 counties.

Managing all the geographic data associated with a territory as immense as Montana is no
small task. The state recognized this challenge and pioneered a GIS-based statewide
cadastral database. Montana's spatial data infrastructure, as recognized by the Montana
Land Information Council, consists of 14 layers, with the cadastral layer being one of the
most mature. The layer is based on the tax cadastre, a legal repository of land records that
identifies the owner, location, boundaries, description, and property rights associated with
a parcel of land. Montana's cadastral layer is most closely associated with the property
assessment processes, but usage of the data goes far beyond the state Department of
Revenue (DOR).

"More than half of government business processes are associated with parcels," says
Montana Base Map Service Center (BMSC) chief Stewart Kirkpatrick. "Questions like,
Who owns that parcel? or What features are associated with this parcel? are a constant at

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the local and state levels. It made sense that we, the State of Montana, had a standardized
digital cadastre system that everyone could access."

According to the US Office of Management and Budget's Federal Enterprise Architecture

framework, Kirkpatrick is right. The framework states that 74 percent of government data
is location based, and that number is even higher at the state and local levels. Back in
1996, Montana hired Kirkpatrick as the project manager to explore the concept of a
statewide cadastre, build a project plan, and obtain funding to collect and maintain tax
parcel data in a standardized format using ArcGIS technology as the platform.
Recognizing how their organizations could benefit from a statewide cadastre, Burlington
Northern, Montana Dakota Utilities, Montana Power, and the United States Department
of the Interior Bureau of Land Management (BLM) all signed on as major contributors to
the project.

With initial funding in place, the conversion of paper records to digital format
commenced in 1998, and in 2003, when the new digital tax parcel framework was
complete, Montana had the only statewide cadastral database in the nation. Although the
data was available by then, full benefits, such as a return on the state's $3 million cadastre
database investment, were not realized until 2005. That initial investment included the
development of the cadastral database. It also included the five-year task of paying
contractors and state staff to convert, standardize, and integrate mostly paper-based data
from approximately 900,000 parcels into the new ArcGIS software-based cadastral
database.

By 2009, the state estimated the minimum annual value of its digital parcel and cadastral
data at just over $10 million. It figures that the annual return on investment (ROI) is
$9,335,700. ROI figures came from a Montana state study that focused on the value and
costs associated with the cadastral system, including an evaluation of the IT investment in
the cadastral layer; identification of business processes, users, and beneficiaries that
depend on the cadastral layer; identification of the relationship between the cadastral
framework and the other 12 framework layers; and development of a financial analysis
that documents the current and ongoing costs and benefits of the cadastral layer.

An abundance of government agencies lend data to the system. DOR and eight counties
collect the tax parcel data, while other agencies and interests collect ancillary data on
conservation easements; municipal and school district boundaries; special districts like
water, sewer, and mosquito abatement; and other data that conveys rights and interest on
the land. It is BMSC's responsibility to integrate the tax parcels and related data into a
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statewide database monthly and link the tax parcels to DOR's computer-assisted mass
appraisal system, ORION. BMSC also integrates BLM's geographic coordinate database
as the digital representation of the public land survey (PLS) in Montana, since the PLS is
the foundation of landownership in the state.

All cadastral data, including parcels and other spatially coincident feature classes, is
stored in an Esri geodatabase by BMSC, while DOR's tabular data is moved to an Oracle
database linked to the parcels. The data is housed in ArcGIS Server, then distributed as
shapefiles and geodatabases where businesses, organizations, and other interested parties
can go for cadastral data and maps.

Citizens, private organizations, and various state and county agencies use the cadastral
information in a wide variety of ways. BMSC distributes the information to the public
through the Montana Cadastral Mapping Application website, while the Montana State
Library's GIS portal web page is the distribution point for metadata describing the state's
cadastral database.

Esri Partner POWER Engineers Inc., a global engineering firm based in Hailey, Idaho, is
an example of a private organization that appreciates the ease and speed of acquiring data
from Montana's cadastral websites. Over the years, the firm has downloaded copious
amounts of data for various Montana infrastructure projects, such as routing transmission
and telecommunications lines and subsequent management of rights-of-way acquisitions.

POWER Engineers' recent business in Montana includes replacing old 115-kilovolt (kV)
transmission lines with the larger 230 kV lines. The new transmission system may utilize
the same corridor, but in some cases, the upgrade requires that more rights-of-way are
acquired to accommodate the bigger structures. When routing a proposed power
transmission corridor, the cadastral data can be used to minimize easement acquisition
costs.

"We get data straight from the Montana cadastre websites and plug it into our own GIS,"
says POWER Engineers consultant Scott Chapman. "It's as easy as going to the website
and selecting the county we're working in, then downloading the data."

State, county, and local municipalities can access the system, and they can link their own
GIS solutions. The ArcGIS software-based cadastre has proved to be a significant time-
saver for all kinds of small and large government tasks. In addition, BMSC provides
hundreds of hours of assistance annually to local governments maintaining their own
cadastral databases and holds educational workshops and seminars to expand cadastral
knowledge.

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Montana's Butte-Silver Bow is just one of the many local governments to reap the
rewards of the digital cadastre. As the director of Butte-Silver Bow's planning
department, Jon Sesso oversees a residential metals abatement program. Having cadastral
data easily accessible in a GIS is important to the city-county government, especially
when a property is sold. It's a high priority to test for and abate the presence of toxins,
especially on properties where children live, because youth are extremely susceptible to
dangerous chemicals, such as lead, found in or around a home.

When a property is sold, it gets recorded in the county's GIS, which then alerts Sesso's
department. If the property has already been tested, no action is taken. However, when a
property that has not been tested changes ownership, performing a test becomes a high
priority, since the new owners could have children.

Says Sesso. "Having these land records digitized in the cadastral system has been a
tremendous help for us. We have a legal obligation to keep track of where we have tested,
where we've done abatements, and where we haven't."

5. Managing Geographically

GIS is becoming essential to understanding what is happening and what will happen in
geographic space. Once we understand, we can prescribe action. This new approach to
management—managing geographically—is transforming the way organizations operate.
Kuwait University used GIS to design and build a multibillion-dollar expansion.

Kuwait University is embarking on one of the most ambitious campus development

projects in the world. The massive University City is being designed and built from the
ground up and will emerge over the next four years of construction as part of a
multibillion-dollar development initiative.

All the university's information is stored in a geodatabase and is easily accessed using a
Flex viewer.

In addition to teaching GIS, Kuwait University chose to apply the geospatial concepts
discussed in the classroom to support the entire process of designing, building, and
operating the huge new University City at Shadadiyah Campus. In early 2010, Kuwait
University recognized a need for specialized consulting and documentation of
requirements for geodatabase design of the Sabah Al-Salem University City project. For
the plan to be successful, the needs of both planning company Turner Projacs and Kuwait
University were to be incorporated in the details of design and construction of the project.
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Those needs included using GeoDesign processes and techniques to bring value to each
stage of the facility life cycle, from site analytics and design to planning and construction,
as well as operations, security, and sustainability. This ambitious vision posed many
challenges and represented a level of enterprise data development unmatched in the world
Sonja
today.

Modeling and Storing Data for an Entire Campus

To address these complex challenges and establish a common information foundation

throughout the entire life cycle, Kuwait University turned to OpenWare Information
Systems Consulting Company, Esri's distributor in Kuwait. Esri's reputation and proven
performance in the enterprise GIS arena made it a natural place to start framing a system
architecture to support the vision. OpenWare, along with Esri Partner PenBay Solutions
LLC, headquartered in Brunswick, Maine, and Turner Projacs, based in Doha, Qatar,
used GIS expertise to create a strategic road map for understanding the milestones and
level of effort of this facilities information infrastructure project.

One of the major challenges in addressing the scope of these ideas was how to model and
store data for an entire campus—data spanning indoors, outdoors, and underground,
connected and temporal. The process that ensued was a major effort to bring international
experts to the table to design a unique, world-class data model for implementing this
vision in GIS. The result of this effort is one of the more remarkable all-encompassing
data models ever implemented—one which will support the full life cycle of Kuwait
University's vision and beyond.

The goals of the project included establishing a powerful GIS system for the new
university based on a comprehensive geodatabase that integrates as-built design data.
ArcGIS for Server, along with ArcGIS for Windows Mobile and many web applications
created with ArcGIS Viewer for Silverlight, is used to manage the campus assets and
provide a platform for future geospatial needs. Using ArcGIS as the foundation
technology, the project team has created a number of advanced applications.

Master Plan Support

Coordinating a design and construction job of this size and duration requires a small army
of dedicated experts and many years of planning and revisions. The project is engaging
firms from around the world to design specialized structures for the 100-plus proposed
buildings on campus. The master planning process is one of the first places where
GeoDesign plays an integral role, optimizing program elements and unifying the designs
from individual bid packages into a single seamless view. By doing so, planners and

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decision makers can recognize design impacts and understand considerations that would
be missed without a holistic understanding of the sum of the design parts. Esri technology
allows the team to do this in 2D and 3D, both important at different points in the master
planning process.

Construction Management and Planning Support

At the peak of construction, there will be more than 10,000 construction personnel on-site
daily and untold vehicle trips requiring access to building sites for deliveries. The
construction management team is a seasoned group of professionals that has traditionally
worked through planning and daily operations using paper drawings and markup pens.
Through the use of GIS, team members can now retrieve, update, and analyze
construction logistics and scheduling data, temporary staging locations and assignments,
and daily operations across the entire campus through a simple web viewer. Daily
standup meetings utilize this information through the Construction Management viewer
and allow quick sketching and markup, which is printed and taken to the field. This quick
temporal snapshot helps meet the demands of the day, as well as the longer-term planning
activities, to make construction logistics run smoothly.

Because construction implementation rarely occurs without the need for a design change,
the GeoDesign process includes an adaptive management piece that allows design
changes and impact assessment mid-implementation to ensure that program goals are met
and the design change has no unforeseen impact on other design elements.

Equally important is the visualization of construction over time (4D). Construction

managers and decision makers can view and identify spatiotemporal clashes, accessibility
problems, and other logistical issues before they happen.

Status Monitoring and Reporting

As the project progresses, reporting and schedule monitoring are critical aspects of
project controls. Because so many tasks are dependent on other critical milestones, there
needs to be a razor-sharp view of progress for all the ongoing activities. The GIS
Reporting web application takes data from the tabular project report and displays it on the
map, showing where activities are falling behind and which adjacent efforts might be
impacted. This quick visual reporting accompanies all progress reports for a full project
snapshot that can be easily understood by anyone on the project team.

Another way of visualizing progress and key performance indicators is in a 3D GIS view
of the campus. Using ArcGIS and ArcGIS Explorer, project leaders and executives can

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view an up-to-date snapshot of building construction progress in 3D or request high-level
reports.

Space Programming

While the campus buildings are not going to be completely finished and occupied for
years, there is a requirement to begin the massive process of space programming for the
academic occupancy. Because of Kuwait University's GIS vision, it is receiving the floor
plan designs in geodatabase format. This means that even prior to completion of
construction, university staff will be able to do scenario planning with that data, assigning
personnel and assets to define an optimal space program. It also supports validation of
space requirements by size and type, as well as proximity to building services or required
facilities. This is done for each floor, throughout the entire building and out to other
buildings.

The benefits of using GeoDesign processes to support facility life cycle management are
numerous. The use of GIS strengthens and streamlines the design and construction phases
of the campus development process and implements key applications to support
operations management while establishing a GIS infrastructure that can be expanded to
other advanced application areas. This project encourages the development of a campus
GIS unit that works in conjunction with the current team to start building a core technical
capability to eventually take over the operational system and expand to future
applications. Additionally, the same technology and much of the data may be useful for
helping support academic programs, including a living laboratory that students can use to
develop new application ideas.

Showcase

Geography Matters in every organization and every discipline. Let's take a deeper look at
how GIS software helps people make better decisions and make a difference in our
world.

 Business

GIS helps retailers, real estate professionals, insurers, and others to visualize, manage,
and analyze any business asset.

Insurance
Provide better customer support, precise risk analysis, and efficient claims processes.

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Manufacturing
Create a streamlined, green supply chain through the power of location analytics.

Banking
Understand the needs of your customers so you can provide them the products and
services they need.

Supply Chain
Streamline deliveries, cut costs, and improve customer satisfaction.

Retail
Solidify brand and find the best location for your outlet.

Real Estate
Find and keep the best tenants by understanding the state of the market and where it is
headed.

Media and Entertainment

Bring your storytelling to a whole new level.

 Defense & Intelligence

GIS plays an important role in assessing terrorist targets, battlefield planning, and
military facilities management.

Defense
Support any mission using the power of location. With the Esri platform, defense
organizations create maps and information products that integrate intelligence
information and inform robust decision making. Militaries worldwide use GIS to
understand their total force and ensure operation readiness.

 Education

GIS provides educators with tools to help students develop a greater understanding of our
world.

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Efficiently Manage Spatial Data and Maps

Traditional map production is a mainstay of national agencies. You can track and manage
end-to-end data extraction and cartographic production activities using Esri Defense
Mapping's enterprise production management tools and workflows and easily scale the
implementation to meet your organization's changing needs.
Respond Rapidly

Demand for more current information in both data and map products is at an all-time
high. Your organization can better position themselves to support these requirements by
using Defense Mapping tools to quickly migrate data changes, update critical web
services, and publish updated map products.
Reduce Errors and Improve Efficiency

Esri Defense Mapping helps you establish repeatable workflows that ensure
standardization and consistency across your operations. The result is a reduction in errors
and improved efficiency of operations.
Share and Collaborate with Users

Publish authoritative content using preconfigured applications and services, mash up

services with your own data to produce custom maps, perform analysis, and share the
results throughout the organization in a secure and collaborative environment.
Manage a Dispersed Workforce and Support Field Work

Not all business is conducted in the office. Defense Mapping fully supports field editing
and map production requirements with a suite of tools and templates for common defense
industry formats and workflows to support mobile users and contractors. Take your data
with you and produce the same high quality products as your office counterparts.
 Government

GIS helps governments increase efficiency, reduce costs, improve coordination, and
deliver transparency and accountability.

Smart maps and analysis advance government.

Governments collect and manage vast amounts of data—all tied to location. Maps and
spatial analysis quickly make sense of it so it’s easier to use. Making data-driven
decisions that improve quality of life is essential in national, state, and local governments.
ArcGIS software makes it possible.

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  Health & Human Services

GIS helps health organizations leverage limited resources and positively impact
individuals, families, and society.

 Mapping & Charting

GIS allows aeronautical, cartographic, and nautical organizations to implement an

effective and efficient workflow.

 Natural Resources

Natural resource professionals rely on GIS to help make critical decisions as they manage
the earth's resources.

 Public Safety

GIS gives public safety personnel the ability to visualize relationships and reveal trends
critical to response and planning.

 Transportation

Transportation professionals use GIS to help in managing, planning, evaluating, and

maintaining transportation systemem.

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