will government & enterprise turn to Google for their GIS needs

http://www.google.com/enterprise/government/
yes and no

yes
1. why need to invent the technology
2. Google streaming is unmatched - Google infrastructure
3. continue improvement - urban images are regularly update and getting better
4. simple user interface - non technical proof
5. comparatively low rental rate
6. etc

no
1. security concern
2. not enough local coverages
3. data obsolete
4. less control (perceive no control)
5. no on site support
6. scalability issue - limited

Traditionally businesses and gov opted enterprise GIS application than an online model (web GIS).
ASP model is only limited within and inter related organizations.
One of the reasons is data security
Organization is open for web GIS model that provide by comthey trust.
Why they trust depend on
- local presence, connection, eligibility
- superior product and services
- branding
- track record
- etc

By the nature of typical Asian government and Google setups, Google will still have to wait
While, Web GIS ASP model can be acceptable, why - ref, ePerolehan, bina.com, etc. Sharing platform with trusted organization is acceptable among Gov agencies.

Critical Success Factors of Implementing Web GIS

to think
http://www.appliedgis.com/docs/adk_user_group.ppt#268,1,Strategies for Planning and Implementing GIS Technology

Implementing Web GIS - GODCHA approach

Web GIS is a delicate area between GIS and web development.
GODCHA will be having both GIS expert and web development programmers.
- is a service setup than a GIS technology company.
- is addressing GIS to non technical, end user customers.

GODCHA platform is stressing on "simplicity, structure and collaboration"
- is promoting wiki style data collection and collaboration approach. - refer Geowiki project and Wikimapia - wiki is a collaborative website that is contributed and edited by everybody. Wiki means fast in Hawaiian language, is a quick way for information collaboration. Wiki promotes virtual common platform (online community) and eventually motivate each of the member with common interest in contributing toward inputting and editing data which normally expensive to do in a commercial ways. Among local successful online community portal is Malsingmap, with more than 200 active members nationwide, MalsingMap motivate each member to contribute toward updating Malaysia and Singapore street and routing maps. Malsingmap is now considered as one of the complete online street routable references. The same effort will take years and million ringgit for typical mapping company to complete. (malsingmap is a forum not wiki architecture portal)

GIS as a complete package, - 3 main areas platform, which is i) engine, a gis software, web development tools and database. ii) a based contents, fixed spartial data, images (mapping, satellite images, demographic and economy zoning data) iii) client data hosting services (option). In future GODCHA will provide clients API to interface with the platform.
GODCHA research team will continue to update relevance data layers as a based layer.
In a way subscriber will not have to own based data but only responsible to their personal dynamic spatial data.

Architecture

Following is an overview OpenGIS Consortium (OGIS) Web Mapping Testbed system flow within the testbed:-





More information regarding OpenGIS implementation is at GISdevelopment.net.

WebGIS Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) is as follow:-



Overview of GODCHA sys architecture:-




GODCHA is evaluating GIS engine, between enterprise and open source.

GODCHA showcase (beta) overall system flow:-




Work Around Google Maps
Google maps create big impact in public awareness or understanding about geo information and GIS. It is not just awesome satellite images but most importantly demand for GIS has been drastically increased in recent years. Google or Google Map will still create less in pact in term of business engagement in Asian region, this is due to the fact that the concentration is still very much in North America, Europe and Australia. These is because Google still lacking data in many part of the world and the opportunities are still very much concentrated at or near their origin. Nevertheless, Google deliver the most innovative online mapping and GIS form application on the web, and by monitoring it development will help GODCHA works around what Google is missing and help in offering best solution to GODCHA focus groups.


Three (3) areas that Google is missing are:
i) Data structure
ii) Local contents & support - this is important as enterprise and Goverment a like perceive GIS data are sacret to their organization.
iii) Formal structure collaboration tools

One who browse on Google map will admit far better experience in interface and speed. Google massive infrastructure (server cluster etc) give them great advantage to the rest of online GIS services. (high note on hosting-bandwidth and database design)

There are 3 main modules under GODCHA showcase development:

i) User registration - from registration, profiling (personalization) and verification
ii) GODCHA GIS engine (functionality and layers control) - GODCHA is benchmarking google map in process flow and UI. Among important features are fully web browser access with image in tile,
iii) Collaboration tools

Pioneer Team Needed

Geo Sense is developing a web GIS showcase portal

Office is based in Cyberjaya

intern, fulltime and partime are welcome
We are urgently looking for following expertise (should start by August 2007)

1. Software programmer
2. Highly self motivated
3. Basic skill:- (either one group skill)

Group (A)
- Javascript programming (having successfully coding min. 2 online working application)
- php, MySQL
- Knowledge of Google Map API is an advantage.

Group (B)
- .Net
- ASP
- Visual Studio

Send resume to ismaili70@gmail.com or ym me at "flixmill"
important points
skill set
past project description and (url link if any)
expected salary
date available to start

snapshot of expected GODCHA project.

Welcome to GIS on Demand Community Holistic Application (GODCHA)

GODCHA is a GIS project under Geo Sense Sdn. Bhd. GODCHA vision is to offer geograhical based data and business analysis tools via web GIS to public.

GIS history can be tracked since mid 19th Century, when Dr John Snow solved the cholera outbreak source by utilizing multiple theme maps to a contaminated wells.

Since than, several factors the caused the change cartographic history.
1. computer technology - improvements in hardware, esp. graphics
2. development of theories of spatial processes in economic and social geography, anthropology, regional science.
3. increasing social awareness, education levels and mobility, awareness of environmental problems.
http://www.geog.ubc.ca/courses/klink/gis.notes/ncgia/u23.html#SEC23.1

This blog will address issues such as
1. The CSF of implementing Web GIS
2. GIS as Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) - GIS on Demand business model
3. Location intelligence business - local support to win local
4. User Interface Design (UID) and Data representation in web GIS - why Google win

Before we come to issues that concerning GODCHA, let revisit on how GIS come about and general existing implementing issues.

Following is overview of GIS elements:

http://www.edc.uri.edu/nrs/classes/NRS409/Lectures/3GISdefined/5%20Points%20of%20GIS.jpg

GIS Software has evolved from humble simple computer display that enable inputting point, line and polygon to database to today much complex, business intelligence capability. Now GIS software are available in commercial and open source packages. Following link give list of current available GIS software http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_GIS_software.

Handling Complexity

GIS has always been a technical analysis tools in the hand of technician. Most organizations that deployed GIS have special unit or dedicated staff that handling GIS technicality. eg. town council will have planning unit personnel, GIS personnel in utility companies or Government setup, etc. A visit to Johor Bahru Tengah Local Council (MPJBT) eg. found that a standalone MapInfo is managed by a technician who is part of engineering team and even the IT dept. has little knowledge about it existance. Often time, GIS data is highly sensitive and confidential to organization, thus GIS unit is perceived as secret unit and is rarely connected to the rest of the organization network. Making GIS an isolated and standalone unit. Key management rely on GIS to make better decision but most of the time only for ad hoc analysis reporting, such as in crisis or disaster. Decision makers do not have direct access to the system and are not technical enough to handle the GIS complexity. Fallacy of having GIS as just a glorifying unit in organization will not help organization, GIS has to be shared and integrate to organization mainstream application. Making GIS accessible while addressing data sensitivity will help.

Nevertheless GIS has greatly improved decision making process of many organization worldwide. eg, GIS is being linked to the executive information system (EIS), realizing the strategic value of location data to organization.

In most organization, GIS unit is treated as secondary functional supporting element and push back to lower priority level in budget or investment. In worse situation GIS unit is neglected and some big organization making double investment in GIS because they did not realized that other units already invested in the same system. The true potential of GIS is not fully realized because it was not reaching everybody and making impact to the organization.

GODCHA is addressing the issue of "does GIS suppose to be that complex and technical".

Not until Internet advancement of 21st century, GIS comes into center stage in form of online virtual earth representation such as Google earth, virtual earth, NASA WorldWind and they touch everybody. Net and media companies like Google, Microsoft, yahoo provide API and SDK for public to develop services that can be linked with their mapping platform. In less than 2 years, more than 50k geo mashup web services are available on the net like http://googlemapsmania.blogspot.com/, and the list continue growing . Location awareness is coming into the mainstream. Prominent enterprise GIS software companies like ESRI and MapInfo are also quickly jump into the web by offering GIS as web services. MapInfo with location intelligence and ESRI with ArcWeb Service.

Companies like ESRI, MapInfo, Manifold etc overtime spend billion on developing great GIS functionalities. Selling GIS software and services to thousand of enterprises worldwide. Google earth offers in a way everybody can GIS. Now geo information sharing has becoming part of web life style. Geo or location information effect everybody and with Internet, gathering and collaborating geo information has becoming much more easier than before, in the footstep of Wikimapia.

GIS just a platform, Data is still the King.

Having a three lanes toll highway without traffic is the like of investing in sosphicated GIS infra with not enough data to crunch (analogy that we use in multi million eGovernment infra without enough application to drive). Most of GIS companies like ESRI and MapInfo are providing superior GIS software and expertise and overtime drive enough application. MapInfo Location Intelligence Seminar in Marina Mandarin Raffles Hotel, Singapore 12 June 2007, showcase interesting the important of location information to businesses and Government. There are a bundle of applications that are deployed on MapInfo platform for enterprise, from analysing customer information, geo marketing to health sensitive information. Most of the applications are driven by based data availability. Politically, geo information is very much liberalized in United States than in Asian countries. In Malaysia case eg. geo data, such as cadastral map, demographic data etc are overtime gathered by different organizations within Government, land surveying firms and utility companies but are restricted to public due to legal constrain etc. Nevertheless most of demograhic information eg. town or economic zoning area etc. are public domain and need effort to present in GIS format. Thus location intelligence needs local representation to massage local data. Collecting data can be prohibitively expensive and most of the time legally constrained to many organization. Often time similar concerned data are repetitively invested by many organizations and to some worse senario by different unit in the same organization. Most of this organization are end user and should never be burden with owning data.

How to make data available is part of GIS services and often time are not part of the package. This is where companies like Geo Sense, R7 and MapChart come with much realistic business solutions such as gis on demand, geo marketing, georoom etc.

Geo Sense is a hotmail to GIS, Geo Sense is inspired by R7 and MapChart.