Maintaining and Creating Digital Data - Essay Example

 Maintaining and Creating Digital Data Introduction. For decades, the geographical information has been crucial in establishing key decisions at the regional, local, national or state planning level. This has been applied in the management of disasters, development of infrastructure, management of natural resources, development of business, and the implementation of different action plans among other fields. GIS (Geographical information system) has come out to be a significant technology when handling spatial data. The modifications in the computer software and hardware technology with availability and lower cost hard disks and memory space available to the users at a nominal cost has resulted into high production of information that is spatial. This has made information be compatible and digitally available to other databases. This has tempted the organisation to give out their databases for satisfaction of their extremely specific needs. Such an organisational effort leads to the effort duplication. The main cost of maintaining and creating digital data is high hence vital for the organisation to distribute the technology and data in order to avoid duplicating and enhance the maximum data utilization. In different countries, spatial data is governed by the government sector. In this respect, the federal laws pertaining the sharing of data and cooperation interagency are equally vital. Additionally, the concerned organisation requires to be made available with the funds that are required. The sharing of data could be identified in terms of technological and organisational data. Data sharing by an organisation is the free utility of another entity’s data in automated or manual form. On the other hand, technological sharing of data is the potential to have one data of an agency used by a different type of automated system. The current demand for a data base that is shared has been justified due to the increased hurdles in the establishment of a nationwide system and policy that follows a shared policy database. The scenario may become difficult and complicated in a political and geographical situation that occurred in India. The increasing realization of the rewards of the shared database organizations and authorities in India have been paying increased attention towards this direction. The establishment of the national infrastructure spatial data base for the country is one of the efforts. Qatar is one country that has set nationwide GIS within the country. This is known as the first nation that adopted a nationwide policy of GIS that has been a model for different enterprise in the entire world. In fact, the Qatar nationwide GIS and the lesson from the successful implementation motivated the development of the NSDI in India. Qatar State. Qatar is a country that lies in the continent of the central Asian. The country lies on the Saudi Arabia eastern coast, next to the Arabian Gulf. It is a small country falling in the 26 10 and 24 27 latitude north and the 51 40 and 50 45 longitudes East covering about a space of 11521kn squared. Qatar’s territorial waters extend approximately 51 nautical miles north and 95 nautical miles east of the Arabian gulf. The country has about 533 thousands residents according to the census in 1997. This state is an independent state in Arab. It is a state that accepts the charter of the united nations that support the rights of all nations and peoples towards self-determination. Qatar GIS Nationwide. Qatar is identified to be the first state to implement an integrated and comprehensive GIS. This is identified as the finest GIS in the entire world. Different agencies using GIS are connected to the GISnet that is a FDDI fibre 100 megabits-per-second optic network. Currently there are approximately 19 semi-government and government agencies that use the integrated GIS in their daily living activities. This is a reputable achievement considering that not even the names of the street and addresses that were central block were in place before the implementation of GIS. The foundation stone for the reputable success was established in the year 19 89 through the help of a government official Ahmed Al bin Hamad Thani, known as the GIS champion in the Qatar. In the bottom top approach Qatar followed a GIS nationwide policy and Steering Committee National GIS which contained the highest government from various agencies of the government. In 1990, a cabinet decision created an GIS (Centre for GIS). This is summarized in the diagram shown. Diagram 1: Qatar nationwide GIS-set up administration The GIS National steering committee observes the establishment of the Qatar GIS, making sure that all standards of GIS are in harmony and compatible. The committee reported to the Coordination National Committee of the government that in turn report to the cabinet. This cabinet is governed by the HH the Emir. This Committee has fostered cooperation between the departments of the government and serves as a discussion forum for any policy of GIS. In the country, the network of GIS is coordinated through the GIS centre in Qatar. This centre was responsible in establishing and maintenance of the national procedures and standards for the implementation of the countries’ GIS. Additionally, the centre has a vital role to play in the national agency mapping hence responsible for the maintenance and development of the online base map of the country’s topographic data. Beside these, the committee of steering has a policy and responsibilities that are technical in organising and formulating a GIS strategy implementation. The GIS centre is responsible in administering data, application of plus programming support and training of the GIS satellite g in all the ministries, in the Qatar GIS Qatar department. All the agency that are linked to Qatar GISnet do share more than hundred gigabytes of the non-spatial and spatial data for different applications online. This data is composed of the digitalised map base of topographical vector data. It also consisted of the satellite and raster Ortho images maintained through the CGIS and the GIS agency data especially on addresses, parcels, statistical data, services, utilities and land parcels on a variety of socioeconomic issues. Process of implementing the Qatar GIS. The Qatar GIS development can be identified through four recognizes GIS implementation phases. Phase 1: Data dictionary and user need study. This is the most crucial life cycle GIS implementation phase. It is a vital phase because it gives out information concerning data requirements, priorities, application products, design of database, method implementation, and training educational requirements of the agency. The GIS needs user study deals with conducted interviews with many staff, and evaluating how the GIS could come up with contributions that are valuable. It gives a description of how data that are geographical is currently accessed, and the potential application benefit to users. Different data flow diagrams showing geographic current flow and the non-geographical data in and around the generated agency. Data dictionary. This is made each agency to give a definition of the type of data included in the given database. The data may include, the item name, method of assembling, its accuracy, among others. Such information is vital in the electronic exchange of the data agency with other agencies. Even though, different agency has established their dictionaries data for their consultation, the process made sure that every item data used by the agency is highlighted and that the agency is the only party made responsible of maintaining, collecting, and sharing with other individuals a data item that is specific. This lead to increase in discipline and order in the naming, collection, data management, and data entry procedures. On the other hand, it reduced the redundancy of the data, improved the quality assurance, field experience, communication, inventory maintenance, and programming among other associated activities. Qatar ensured that all specifications and dictionaries of data are given out and distributed by the GIS national steering committee to ensure that the data sharing compatibility is not endangered. In this regard, the increased volumes of resource catalogues information of the national GIS of Qatar data dictionary and database specification were established. This information identified the type of information that is available, its packaging, and how one package of the information is fitted to the other package (Qatar GIS 3). Phase 2: Automation GIS Data The geographical data development is extremely crucial for the success of any implementation of the GIS cycle (spatial and non-spatial). In accordance to the estimations, the capturing of the spatial data and techniques of updating used in making availability of data digitally is made up of 80% of the total required resources for the implementation of the GIS. Qatar develops both non-spatial and spatial data, as important components of the GIS implementation cycle. Data preparation and digitization require a lot of time and high initial investment. A substantial time lag normally exists before the user starts getting the real-time benefits, and this often leads to frustration. Qatar’s GISnet agencies are constantly in the process of building and automating their databases on the standards and guidelines put forward by the CGIS. The frequency of updating GIS system information is, therefore, dynamic since the information is updated when the immediate need to update it presents itself, be it a day, a month, a week, or a year. Most of the agencies have completed over three fourths of their databases. This dynamic updating is, however, not yet in place within some of the agencies. The digitalization of the data needs a high initial time and investment. In many case, there is always a significant lag time before the exact rewards begin to realized by the user. This could result into frustrations. The resulting Al Khor pilot project results have assisted the agencies in this phase. The implementation of the GIS requires that the personnel and the department change from an approach that is traditional and adapt to the current methodology and tools in order to take the best advantage of the available technology. The mapping of the paper are removed from the racks and an office map-less established. Regarding the resource availability and labour, the agencies performed the automation of data making the agency status vary from between the different agencies. Phase 3: Implementation of GIS After the realization of the GIS automation data, the implementation of the GIS national level task commences. A number of agencies of the government in Qatar kept records that were clear concerning the large scale and rapid country’s development. Additionally, an additional expense for coping up with results that were inconsistent was added. There also existed minimum coordination between the agencies of the government that was associated with planning and physical utilities. For the implementation of the policy of nationwide GIS, the country eliminated the duplicate efforts resulting into wastage of resources through avoiding the redundancy data and through the enhancement of the inter-agency coordination. The information was availed at the right decision makers time for management and planning. In addition to this, teamwork was enhanced among the government agencies like those involved in the infrastructure planning, physical, protection of the environment and government’s local authorities for them to operate towards goals that are common. The consistency, regulation standards, and policy uniformity was achieved in the entire Qatar. The preparation of flexible, dynamic, physical, plans were prepared to make it easy to monitor and update the project implementation. GIS Nationwide Qatar Status (Qatar GIS 2). The GIS in Qatar has gone though the four phases of the implementation of the GIS. A study conducted in Qatar on the GIS for the whole country has lead to varius recommendations that may be used to display the present status of GIS. These includes the need for a database digital mapping that would be implemented for the whole country; a fully integrated and comprehensive nationwide GIS was created; a high degree national GIS committee was made for setting out standards and overseeing the Qatar GIS implementation. In 1990, these recommendations lead to the establishment a GIS nationwide steering committee, and the centre for GIS (CGIS) with a goal to implement GIS across the entire country in a systematic and organized fashion. Components of GIS implementation. A key part of the nation-wide GIS implementation is ensuring that all individuals uses a similar spatial reference or map base. The centre being a nationwide agency of mapping, established digital specification mapping and production standards for the production of Qatar topographical digital database. Additionally, a countrywide fully functional topographic digital database was established and made available online all over the clock to all agency users. This database was made up of highly topographical, vector maps, high resolution and accurate Ortho and geo-referenced imagery satellite. GIS supported areas. The GIS Coordinators group convenes a group meeting on a basis that is regular, with a representation from each agency which encourages sharing, coordination and cooperation of the activities of GIS among agencies users besides ensuring the adherence and GIS standards compatibility. GIS maintained precise vertical and horizontal geodetic network and a GPS active base solution. The GIS center assists and supports government agencies in establishing their GIS training and units for their personnel. It establishes the applications that are valuable to the GIS country users. Additionally, it gives out technical information and provide support for the Qatar GIS national steering committee (Qatar GIS 2). GIS Qatar Database. The non-spatial and spatial data are a basic to the implementation of the GIS. The Qatar GISnet agencies are in the process of building and automating their databases according to the guidelines and standards that are designed through CGIS. The used data is availed online for the connection of the agencies through the GISnet Qatar. Most of the agencies have finished at least three fourth of their databases. The updating dynamic, however, fails to exist in other agencies. The requirement of a large resource for the development of data made a number of agencies’ utility is behind the implementation of the GIS. Lack of proper mechanism in the regular and dynamic updating of the existing data has become obsolete day by day. The updating process that is dynamic is the vital GIS part implementation and for technological optimum use. Challenges and forces faced by Qatar GIS Nationwide (Qatar GIS 2). A research conducted in the implementation of the GIS Nationwide, reported that the coordination of GIS was possible in Qatar due to political support of high level, Political will, technical leadership that was outstanding, the relatively small uncomplicated geography, few institutions increased funding, and minimum GIS activities. Qatar GIS enjoys the existence of the remarkable achievements in establishing the shared geographical countrywide policy data. This data relies on the principles of following the norms and standards that are aligned for all agencies. However, it still experiences challenges is a field like data updating, capturing of data, proposed data demand, data concepts trends, technology adaptations, security data, motivated and trained manpower, and advanced tools of GIS (Qatar GIS 2). Providers of the GIS solutions are still searching for newer technologies of organizing data. Each time, with the release of a new data concept, technology users have to bear overhead costs for data transfer. Even in the presence of automatic algorithms for automatically converting data, a problem still exists in light of updating data existent applications, giving training to personnel, giving training to personnel on the emergent concepts, and much more, which calls for the overall restructuring of the system. It is quite difficult to convincingly present a justification for such costs of data conversion to higher sitting authorities that already availed generous funding for the GIS’s initial implementation. The techniques for capturing and updating data in the GIS system are still conventional and are yet to undergo any significant adjustments over the past 25 years off GIS technology. As a result, data input cost still constitutes almost 80% of the total cost for implementing GIS. In addition, this introduces a significant time lag between the inception of GIS implementation, and when the end-user starts getting real-time benefits. Estimates cite that Qatar requires for data input for water and electricity inputs alone. Such enormous resource requirement is unjustified especially with the increased progress that was established in other areas of IT (Qatar GIS 1). If a dynamic and proper mechanism for updating data is not envisaged in the design of the system, there is a tendency for stored data to become obsolete. Failure to update spatial data especially in a country that is developing fast like Qatar could result in electronic garbage. With more private and government agencies coming forward to utilize the problem-solving capacity of GIS, there is a whopping uproar in processed data demands to facilitate public services. New trends continue to emerge on concepts of GIS data. The transfer of applications and data to newer concepts of data, and consequently training current personnel requires an additional overhead budget. Implementation of GIS warrants that personnel and departments evolve from traditional approaches and take up new methodology and tools in order to make the best out of the technology (Qatar GIS 2). Benefits of GIS Nationwide. The relevance of the Qatar GIS national policy can be observed in availing geographical information in, a format that is desires for coordination, and effective planning between government agencies. GIS is known to create awareness among agencies and providing for the education concerning the technology. This policy has, therefore, lead to the availability of the mapping identified core agency. The policy has lead to the physical connection of the agencies in the fibre optic network. It has resulted into the spatial reference online around common clock, national heritage preservation, fast delivery of services, world wide web global outreach, better coordination, and effective planning of the agencies of the government agency and saving of the resource through departments like the establishment of the Qatar digital database. Additionally, real registration estate, area system referencing, Qatar telecommunication, electricity, drainage, and water road database network were also established by the GIS implementation. To date, the public utility tasks that were previously done for more than six weeks can now be completed in one day (Qatar GIS 1). Work cited. "Qatar GIS." Recent Proceedings. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. . Read More