Tips for Unit 52

Tip A1

The initial step in equipping a GIS lab is to conduct a needs assessment. In this assessment you will determine hardware/software/staff requirements and develop a plan based on project requirements and within the constraints of your budget. A careful assessment of available resources is critical to acquiring the functionality necessary in the lab. Your budget may not allow for top of the line software packages, large bed plotters, and highly skilled personnel. It is sometimes more cost effective to have parts of the work done out of house, for example, occasional color printing of large plots, rather than purchase and maintain an expensive large bed color printer.

Tip A2

Once it is established, the GIS lab requires careful maintenance. Downtime is expensive, and loss of data can be catastrophic. Maintenance agreements with software/hardware vendors are critical in assuring quick resolution of problems such as failed equipment. A lab manager who is skilled in system administration is crucial to keeping the lab running smoothly. A backup system must be implemented to prevent loss of data. Backup processes can be automated and backups should be stored in a secure location away from the GIS lab. Security issues, such as user management on multi user platforms and security "holes" on networked systems require constant monitoring and resolution.

Tip A3

Having a clear and complete understanding of the desired deliverables is critical in project planning. Misunderstandings of the exact specifications can result in redoing work and increased cost of the project at your companies expense. The client may not be familiar with GIS technology and the types of output you can deliver. Thus, educating the client is often a part of the process of determining specifications. The GIS person who will be doing the actual project work should be included in discussions of specifications so that he/she has a better understanding of the work to be done. You must have a good understanding of the capabilities of your available software/hardware to determine whether you can produce what the client wants. It is advisable to put the specifications in writing and have the client review and approve them before beginning work. More on defining deliverables

Tip A4

Budgeting time and manpower requires knowledge of the levels of expertise required by the project and available from your staff members as well as the scope of the project and the time frame for completing it. Matching tasks with the persons most skilled to perform them will speed up the project, however, the person with the highest level of expertise may cost more. It is important to balance cost and time and provide a quality product for a competitive price. The budgeting becomes easier over time as you become more familiar with the productivity and abilities of your staff members. Tracking actual times and comparing them with estimated times will refine the process.

Tip A5

A request for proposals (RFP) may be available from the prospective client which gives information on the work to be done. Information on and listings of U.S. government RFPs can be found in the Commerce Business Daily publication, and at the present time can be accessed free of charge at the website http://www.govcon.com

The website also includes instructions on responding to RFPs. A successful proposal in response to the RFP will address all requirements of the RFP, list only the information requested to be submitted, and follow the guidelines for format and content completely. In the absence of an RFP, you will need to get information from the client as to what the job consists of. Failure to follow guidelines can result in your bid not being considered. Information from time and manpower budgets is used in preparing a bid on a job. It is critical that the bid covers the cost of completing the job using available resources at the lowest reasonable cost. Underbidding a job can result in much difficulty in completing the work within a too limited budget.

Tip A6

If the deliverables are hard copy plots the following should be determined:

information to be included on the plot

size

scale

color or black & white

level of accuracy required

Showing the client examples of plots can assist in making the decisions. Preparing an example plot and getting the clients approval before continuing the project is also advisable.

If the deliverables are digital data bases you will need to address the following:

software compatabilities
information to be included in the database
format
structure
method of transfer (tape, diskettes, CD-ROM ?)

Tip A7

Quality control procedures help insure a good product, and should be followed throughout the entire project process. A critical component of the QC process is ongoing documentation during the planning and project production process. Doing this is a tedious, but necessary process. Steps to complete the project are determined in the planning stages. Documentation during production will determine whether any variance from the initial plan was made.

After completion of the project:

documentation should be reviewed for errors and variance from the initial plan
visually check the database for errors and omissions ( GIS databases can be huge, and only spot checking may be feasible) print out check plots and compare with input data
display data layers on the monitor and visually check for accuracy
calculate area and compare to what it should be
compare your findings to another source, for example, if you have mapped cropl and, calculate the acreage of cropland in your database and compare it to acres of cropland in an agricultural atlas.

Tip A8

Time and manpower budget information can be utilized to schedule a project. Hours allocated for each staff person working on the project have already been determined, along with the tasks and sequence in which they should be performed. Considerations are scheduling the tasks so that they will be completed within the required time frame and that other project work, if any, is also being done on schedule. To insure that work is on schedule, frequent progress reports and interaction with workers are important here. You will need to address any problems and resolve them quickly to insure the project does not fall behind schedule. To facilitate the process:

communicate to each worker exactly what their job assignment is and the time frame allocated

insist that any problems be immediately reported to the project manager

request weekly progress reports including information on whether the work is proceeding on schedule

address problems that are delaying the schedule immediately

Tip A9

Once the project is completed, and has gone through the QC process, it is ready to be packaged for delivery. Digital deliverables should be put onto a media that is compatible with the customers system, for example, diskettes, tape or CD-ROM. Verify media requirements with the customer and label the media with contents and instructions on how to access the data. Check that the data can be accessed from the media. Make a backup copy for your records and keep it in a safe place.

Documentation validates and qualifies your work and must be included as part of the project deliverables. Documentation should include:

contents of the deliverable and description (projection, scale, etc.)
description of source data
description of processes used on the source data (reprojection, rubbersheeting, etc.)
description of analysis done, if any
list of any errors found in the source data
date of project
who did the project (company, names)
instructions for accessing/using the data

After delivery, follow up with the customer to confirm that the deliverable was satisfactory.

Tip A10

GIS software packages are available with a wide range of functions from very powerful, such as ARC/INFO, to more user friendly but less powerful desk top mapping packages. They range in cost from free (GRASS) to very expensive (ARC/INFO). It is important to select a package that has all the functions you need to perform. Software vendors can educate you on the functionality of their products. The platform and operating system you choose needs to be compatible with the software packages you plan to use as well as with the user environment. Options range from stand alone PC's to multi user network based workstations/servers. You will also need to assess disk space requirements, input/output device needs, and security requirements including backup devices. Communication with vendors will assist you in selecting functional and compatible software and hardware.

Tip M1

For example, a database of geocoded addresses for all residents of the city in ArcView 3.0 for use with Arc View with Network Analyst extension.

Tip M2

Plot out road network on mylar and overlay with other source of street map data.

Tip M3

Documentation (including source of data, who created the database and date of creation, methods used to create the database, along with instructions on usin the database) and data on what media?

Example Implementation

For the E991 project, I would select PC based ArcView 3.0 software with network analyst extension. This software provides the capability of choosing the best route and printing the directions and a hard copy map in a very short time The project would need staff experienced with Arc View and Network analyst to create the database. I would check the database visually for errors and use check plots to verify with other hard copy maps.