METHOD
often do not exist, causing unnecessary delays in the
project.
A four-pronged approach was used to conduct this
research:
Solutions
To enhance data discovery, we recommend the
Visits to and surveys of USACE Districts and
approach some Districts are taking in testing out var-
Divisions
ious commercially available Web mapping software
Funding and monitoring of GD&S management
applications. Automation of data discovery will ini-
pilot tests in several locations
tially require more time and expenditure than main-
Review of various GD&S implementation plans
taining the status quo, but the investment will bring a
and reports
good return in saved time and resources in the future.
Investigation of GD&S management practices
Software being tested includes ESRI's Arc Explorer
in other government agencies and private industry.
and Internet Map Server, Bentley's Geomap, and Inter-
graph's Geomedia products. These products allow
users to browse and access available data graphi-
RESULTS
cally. Systems are optimized when users do not main-
tain separate copies of the same data and when data
What follows is a discussion of GD&S manage-
are stored in a virtually centralized location. (These
ment in USACE, some problems and successes in the
issues are addressed in later sections of this report.)
GD&S arena that were identified during this study,
This type of intranet Web viewing of data assumes
and recommended solutions.
that the local area network (LAN) has sufficient capa-
bilities to handle the size of these data files. Some GIS
USACE geospatial data and systems
data files are several gigabytes in size, and these soft-
management: Administration and
ware products may identify deficiencies in the LAN.
personnel issues
One District is using the technology described
above in conjunction with hiring a geospatial data
Geospatial data management
manager. The geospatial data manager can act as a
During implementation of geographic information
conduit of information related to the acquisition of
systems (GIS), data management was often ignored.
data, the use of data, the metadata related to the data,
This was in part because the amount of data avail-
and as a digital data librarian to ensure prudent mea-
able for use with GIS was relatively small in size and
sures are taken to lengthen the life cycle of the data.
often fit on one UNIX host computer. Technicians
Even after the decision was made to fund this posi-
did not find issue with the data management aspects
tion on a part-time basis in a District, finding a person
of GIS implementation. Today, the amount of data
with the required knowledge and abilities, and a man-
available is counted in gigabytes instead of kilobytes
ager willing to give up some portion of this employ-
and is stored in a myriad of locations. While conduct-
ee's time, was difficult.
ing this project, researchers asked USACE personnel
what they felt were the biggest data management issues
Problem: Time and money
from their perspective. The following describes the
Description
issues raised from the ensuing discussion.
Time and money are constant constraints in the
USACE environment. GIS requires a commitment
Problem: Data discovery
from management of both time and money. GIS imple-
mentation is not a one-time procurement with start-up
Description
The most prevalent problem related to geospatial
costs, but a life-cycle system. People often plan for
data management is the difficulty in finding the data
hardware and software maintenance but ignore the
necessary for a project. Many Districts have one or
data maintenance requirements.
two knowledgeable users who are aware of the major-
ity of the District's holdings. These individuals are
Solutions
always in demand and spend much of their time
One District was particularly proactive as to their
helping others, falling behind on their own regular
GIS goals. They drafted a GIS implementation plan
duties. Because data discovery is not identified as
and had all managers sign off on it and commit to pro-
"real work," it is seen as robbing time from more tra-
viding a percentage of funds for its use in the future.
ditional tasks. If the knowledgeable user is on travel
The amount of funds required was determined by the
duty or leave, backup data discovery mechanisms
project acreage, so the project manager could estimate
2
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