DOI - Executive Workshop on Enterprise
Geospatial Systems - Network Notes
The recap on the network optimization from the GIS meeting went just fine. One of the other groups had also come up with the idea of working on geospatial use cases to feed into requirements for the ESN. I think that most folks have come to the realization that they will need to change some application development practices in GIS to work within the new network. I grabbed the notes from the wall yesterday; here is a summary.
Final Conclusions
The final objective for the group was to analyze the GIS architecture in Interior from the standpoint of performance optimization. There are many challenges in this process including the wide diversity in technology implementations and the customer base of systems like the National Map. To address these issues, an overall strategy for the implementation of GIS must be established to include a finite set of development scenarios for GIS solutions that optimizes application performance through the most efficient interrelationship between the network and the GIS design. The EGIM agreed to take on the responsibility of producing a set of use cases to include the National Map and a cross-cutting representation of other GIS initiatives and coordinate the strategy development with MCI and ESRI.
This GIS implementation strategy will be used to support the architecture efforts of the Support Services and Analytical domains through the configuration and change management process. While the ultimate architecture decisions will be made for the enterprise by this limited group, a "request for comments (RFC)" process will be initiated to relate this architecture and the finite set of development scenarios to the GIS community at large.
Other Key Points
- Current network connectivity and the design of the Interior GIS do not meet the needs of the entire internal customer community, particularly the remote field stations due to "last mile" issues.
- The current direction of GIS within Interior is massive in scale; in terms of technology complexity, data storage and access requirements, data management requirements and customer base. The National Map program has identified thousands of partners and millions of affiliates who maintain or access data across the entire Internet.
- A number of binding interconnect agreements exist for the National Map that have impact on the network design for that system.
- A more thorough inventory of Interior's interconnection agreements is needed to address requirements for the ESN.
- The following architecture components or considerations were identified for the ESN in relation to GIS:
- Budget, financial, project management
- Security
- Network
- Application
- Desktop, server, storage
- Database
- Customer and technical support
- Training
- Best practices development
- Overlay architecture
- Use cases need to include: National Map, other large intra- and inter-bureau efforts, local development efforts
- The National Map has identified a three-tier challenge:
- Core archive of data needed for fault tolerance and availability: government, education, commercial, NGO, and state/tribe
- Services are provided to communities (high bandwidth needs)
- Public interfaces with communities
- National Map will require multicast technologies, QOS and caching
- The interrelationship between network and security concerns will be an issue as always in the development of GIS within Interior. These issues should be handled in the relationship established through the change management process.
