The concept of "store once - use many times" is well established
as the most sustainable model for data integrity.
But how to do this in an environment where there may be more than
one business process using the same geographic information about the item?
The answer is to deploy a single database into which item's
geographies - or the elements which can make up the geogrphy - are placed.
We provide the tools for you to build a corporate geography
database in SQLServer, Oracle or MySql, the tools to import vector data such as
OS MasterMap and maintain it through programmed updates, and the tools to create
user geographies to provide for those instance where conventional mapping
products are not complete for your business purposes.
OS Mastermap - the preferred large scale vector product for
councils and businesses concerned with accurate and legal property mapping -
lacks numerous feature definitions which are necessary for some of the location
requirements. The positions of trees and some street furniture, for example. In
general, the geographical representation of these and other features are easy to
locate and store within the CGD, attributing the data with OS MasterMap-like
information so that they are immediately available to the wider GIS user.
However there are those geographies which do not represent
physical "real world" features but are nevertheless essential to the day-to-day
processeing of information.
Examples of this kind, such as creating the assumed property boundaries
by splitting OSMM FIDs,
are well catered for in the maintenance features of our CGD.
The new features are related to the FIDs, so that, should
the FIDs change, action can be taken to update the user geographies if
nececssary.
When our Clients proclaim their implementation of several GIS
application products and their individuality when it comes to their storage of
geographic data, the answer is to deploy an OGC compatible
web service so that other vendor's products can obtain their geographies
through this portal.