The New GIS LandscapeWith GIS Web services, now even small companies can benefit from analytically rich geospatial information
by Michael L. Gonzales Continued from Page 1 Keep in mind that this technology is not a future vision, nor a pilot effort. GIS Web services are actively being deployed by major corporations around the world. For instance, the Associated Press (AP) uses a Web services model from ESRI that allows any AP reporter to create maps of any area around the globe. Another example of a GIS Web service in action is Swiss Reinsurance Co. (Swiss Re), a company that shares the risks that direct insurance providers can't carry alone. Swiss Re must constantly improve its methods for assessing and managing risks from natural disasters. To that end, it has developed a Web service, Catastrophe Network (CatNet), which disseminates information on 500,000 locations worldwide, to direct insurers and other organizations regarding risk rates, so users can evaluate risks more intelligently. Since 2000, Swiss Re clients have had around-the-clock access to comprehensive information on worldwide natural hazards, country-specific insurance information, and loss event data. Cost of ImplementationWhat about the vast majority of small- to medium-sized companies, where investing a few million dollars in a GIS effort isn't an option? It's precisely those companies that can most benefit from a Web-based service model for GIS. As Joe's New Web Service example suggests, a company with limited resources or skill pool can still blend GIS technology into its service offering. Until recently, companies or organizations that needed GIS have been required to tackle the technology challenge head-on. And even though dealing with spatial data is becoming more transparent, only those companies that have a critical need for GIS (and the budget) have ventured into this area. Other companies often assign a low priority to spatial analysis. With the existence of GIS Web services, however, companies no longer have to address the technical side of GIS to exploit its value. Instead, these companies can offer their user communities the extensive analytic value of GIS without the potential heartache. This quantum step forward means that even the smallest company can render maps and calculate logistical routing and other spatial analysis without ever having to physically store and maintain the spatial database. Now, Joe's New Web Service can provide the same extensive analysis provided by Dun & Bradstreet or Acxiom, or even calculate the routing for its trucks every morning just like Sears — and Joe's can do it at a fraction of the cost. GIS Web services prices are based on usage. In other words, many of the services currently available allow you to pay by the transaction, or you can contract for a predetermined transaction block and pay a discounted rate. The point is that you only have to pay for what you use; there's no heavy upfront investment necessary in technology or people resources to exploit the best of GIS. But this fact still begs the question: Just because GIS technology is readily available and cost effective, does that mean implementing it is a good idea for your company? The answer is: Only if it wants to remain competitive. EvaluationWeb services are significant because they're implemented as a new layer that integrates existing systems as opposed to a whole new architecture. And while the basic computer components of a Web services system are still clients and servers, it's important to recognize that the network can be any open or secure network. Web services remove the requirement for permanent network connections using a stateless environment in which nodes interconnect only when necessary — a very promising architecture for practical implementation of distributed geographical information systems. As the GIS Web services architecture evolves, we'll see new and interesting partnerships emerge in both the government and the private sector. We'll witness new kinds of cooperative and collaborative communities that share and leverage their respective geographical information. Moreover, we'll see widespread support for more integrated applications such as location-based services. Michael L. Gonzales [mlg@starfocus.com] is the president of The Focus Group Ltd., a consulting firm specializing in data warehousing. He has written several books, speaks frequently at industry user conferences, and conducts data warehouse courses internationally. RESOURCESFor more detailed discussion of GIS Web services, see the ESRI white paper "Understanding ArcWeb Services: A Developer's Overview to SOAP Implementation," October 2002. Marty Himmelstein's "Finders, Keepers" (Feb. 1, 2002) explains how support for geospatial information is now required of mainstream relational DBMSs. Read it online at www.intelligententerprise.com/020201/503feat2_1.jhtml. GIS resource list (maintained by University of Edinburgh): www.geo.ed.ac.uk/home/giswww.html IBM Web services: www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/webservices Microsoft Web services: msdn.microsoft.com/webservices OASIS UDDI: www.uddi.org Sun Microsystems Web services best practices: dcb.sun.com/practices/webservices
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