Introduction to Geospatial Data Architecture and
GIS Data Management
Geographic
information systems are a growing category of data assets. GIS is a collection
of computer hardware, software, and geographic data for capturing, managing,
analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information.
Data include traditional maps (albeit digitalized) and components of maps
(“layers”) as well a variety of image types. All these can be integrated for
creating unique displays and presentation as well as some very powerful analysis
of issues which are geographically-dependent.
GIS
databases pose unique challenges in data management because of their complexity
and unique structural requirements. While a number of standard data models have
been created for specific topics (such as census, water features,
transportation, and utilities) not all the data available conforms to these
models. And the very nature of geography on an imperfect and not quite
spherical globe introduce new challenges to achieving accuracy in positional
data.
GIS
analysis offers great potential in evaluating non-geographic behavior
characteristics of customers and corporate assets from a geographic
perspective. This is much more than the traditional questions of optimum
placement of retail establishments. It includes epidemiology and environmental
studies. But integrating the data presents a major challenge.
This talk
was presented at the Metadata Conference in Boston (March 2007), DAMA chapters
in Sacramento, Rochester, Detroit, and San Francisco, the Los Angeles Oracle UG,
and the Orange County MS/Access UG.
Michael Scofield
is Manager of Data Asset Development at ESRI in Redlands, California. He also
holds an adjunct faculty position at Loma Linda University in the Department of
Health Information Management. He was a 2007 nominee for the DAMA (Data Mgmt.
Assn.) Award for Professional Achievement.
Mr. Scofield is a
popular speaker in topics of data management, data quality, data warehouse
design, as well as satellite imagery interpretation and emergency
communications. His career has included education and private industry in areas
of data quality, decision-support systems, data warehousing, and data
management. His articles appear in DM Review, the B-Eye Newsletter,
InformationWeek magazine, the IBI Systems Journal, and other
professional journals. He has spoken to over 120 professional audiences for
organizations such as Data Management Assn chapters (16), European Metadata
Conferences (4), information quality conferences (3), The Data Warehousing
Institute (6), Oracle User Groups (9), Institute of Internal Auditors, Assn. of
Government Accountants, Quality Assurance Association chapters, Assn. for
Computing Machinery and other professional and civic audiences. He has humor
published in the L.A. Times and other journals.
