Many businesses, whether a government department or a private company, are faced with the complex task of managing disparate data from a range of sources and making this information available to others in a meaningful way.
Not only is this a technical challenge, it also requires policies and standards for sharing and accessing information and an agreed definition of best practice management.
The framework of policies combined together with technology is often referred to as a Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI). This infrastructure is about using a minimum set of standard practices, protocols and specifications to facilitate access to geographically-related information.
In doing so, SDI provides a way to discover, visualise and evaluate relevant information.
Your company needs SDI if...
- You are keeping and maintaining versions of someone else’s data and you may not know if it’s correct or outdated.
- You cannot find the information you need or you waste valuable time downloading and converting datatsets.
- You can not add real-time data from other sources to your spatial information systems.
- You keep faxing hard copies and burning CDs to publish your data to those who need it urgently.
The benefits of using NGIS
NGIS has been providing advice to government agencies and large organisations that are implementing enterprise-wide spatial data infrastructures for many years. Successful implementation of an enterprise spatial solution requires stakeholder buy-in and an understanding of risks. Our experienced staff understand the issues and pitfalls and can work with you to maximise the outcomes and minimise the risks. As an independent technical consultancy, our advisors can provide unbiased advice, not limited to any specific software products.
NGIS staff can help you through the entire process, including:
- Business analysis, strategic planning and feasibility studies
- Application development
- Development of guidelines for policies and protocols
- Project management and coordination
- Enterprise architectural design and database modelling
- Training and capacity-building
- Data integration and management
Success Stories
Common Spatial Information Initiative
NGIS, with the NSW Board of Surveying and Spatial Information developed strategies to share spatial information across state and local government agencies, the private sector and academic institutions to one integrated Spatial Knowledge Infrastructure. This whole-of-state initiative will improve the bottom line of the NSW economy and the connectivity with national and international initiatives and frameworks.
NGIS has been providing advice to government agencies and large organisations that are implementing enterprise-wide spatial data infrastructures for many years. Successful implementation of an enterprise spatial solution requires stakeholder buy-in and an understanding of risks.
Our experienced staff understand the issues and pitfalls and can work with you to maximise the outcomes and minimise the risks. As an independent technical consultancy, our advisors can provide unbiased advice, not limited to any specific software products.
Australian Water Resources Information Infrastructure
In close coordination with CSIRO Land and Water, the National Water Commission (NWC) and the Bureau of Meteorology, NGIS provided the architectural blueprint and a detailed investment and implementation plan for a national Australian Water Resources Information Syste (AWRIS).
AWRIS will consist of a set of interoperable tools that will access data to deliver future water resource assessments and will be established as an ongoing water data information infrastructure asset.
Aceh SDI, Indonesia
Following the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, NGIS staff assisted the United Nations and the governments of Aceh, Indonesia, to make spatial information accessible for all agencies involved in decision support and planning for recovery projects. The project won the People and Communities category and the J K Barrie Award at the 2007 APSEA Awards. Chief Executive Officer Paul Harris also won the 2007 Spatial Professional of the Year award for the leadership he provided as part of this project.
Emergency Management & Response
NGIS has been involved in a number of projects that make spatial information and tools accessible to people and organisations responding to emergencies, including storms, bushfires and counter-terrorism initiatives. NGIS undertook a Spatial Information Architecture Review for the Queensland Department of Emergency Services, providing technology recommendations, quality assurance standards, application design and training to assist the department in meeting its business objectives.
Enterprise SDI for BHP Billiton
NGIS created a web-based software application, ioMaps, to provide BHP Iron Ore staff with a single view of the company’s infrastructure and operations, by using spatial data from a range of different sources. ioMaps delivers significant time and cost savings for BHP Iron Ore and alleviates the multimillion dollar risks associated with inappropriate infrastructure placement, inaccurate property boundaries or operational activities being carried out in the wrong place. The project was successful in the Industry and Entrepreneurship Category at the 2007 APSEA Awards.