1. Jack Be Nimble
Be Flexible When Delivering
Spatial Services and Data:
St Albert Case Study
MISA Prairies 2013

2. 22 MISA Prairies 2013
Flexibile GIS Service Provision:
A St. Albert Case Study
• Seeing a spectrum of solutions
• What guides us?
• Putting ideas into practice
• Challenges & Opportunities

3. 33 MISA Prairies 2013
Then vs Now
• THEN: Prix Fixe
• Desktop software
• GIS portal
• Static maps
• NOW: Buffet!
• Desktop software
• Cloud solutions
• COTS server software
• Widgets
• Multi-view/multi-platform
• Map/data services
• Mobile platforms
• Custom maps/analysis

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The GIS Solution Spectrum
Software Applications Information Data

5. 55 MISA Prairies 2013
Know Your Clients
Software Applications Information Data
Greater Flexibility Requires
Greater End-User Skills
More Tailored Solutions Require
Greater Background Efforts

6. 66 MISA Prairies 2013
What Problem Are You Solving?
Software Applications Information Data
Undefined or
Poorly Defined;
Generic
Clearly Defined;
Narrower Scope

7. 77 MISA Prairies 2013
GIS in St Albert

8. 88 MISA Prairies 2013
Our GIS Service Philosophy
• Know your clients and their business
• Don’t reinvent the wheel
• Borrow from other industries
• Catch up from the front
• Be early adopters
• Be Leaders in the Region
• There’s nothing wrong with cherry-picking
• The cloud is good. Say “yes” to the cloud.

9. 99 MISA Prairies 2013
Our Guiding Principles
• Corporately aligned
• Integrated
• Engaged
• Open
• Accessible
• Business Driven
• Secure
• Managed Risk
• Maximizing Potential
• Empowering
• Efficient
• Shared
• Creative
• Proactive
• Forward Thinking
• Prioritized
• Value-Added
• Service-Oriented

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Think Like an End User
• They aren’t GIS people
• Design to their level of understanding
• Make it intuitive; don’t tell them it’s an app
• Sprinkle spatial information, widgets and
apps throughout a website
• Don’t do a one-size-fits-all portal

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Software and Applications
• Desktop GIS Software
• Desktop Plug-Ins
• Desktop/Network COTS Applications
• Cloud Applications
• COTS Server Software
• ESRI Web Application Templates
• Embeddable Widgets

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Information
• Maps
• Compiled Reports
• Charts
• Tables/spreadsheets

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Data
• Raw Data
– Open Data Catalogues
– Multi-format delivery
• Web Map Services
• Feature Data Services
• Data provision to third party resellers and
repackagers

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Putting Actions to the Words

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Using COTS Server Software
• Essentials, Optimizer
• One site, multiple platforms
• One site, many viewers
• One parent site, multiple children

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Going With the Cloud
• Pictometry Online
• ArcGIS Online for Organizations
Let someone else worry about software
upgrades and server maintenance

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Multi-Solution Web Mapping
• Fully functional portal
• ESRI application templates
• Embeddable widgets
– ArcGIS.com
– Google Maps
• Maps & Apps portal
• Using cached map services

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ESRI Application Templates

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ESRI Map Widgets: ArcGIS.com
• Let ESRI generate your code for you
• Multiple basemaps
• Upload your own information

20. 2020 MISA Prairies 2013
Google Maps?
• We don’t use it any more
• Free doesn’t mean FREE
• The platform is a constantly moving target
• It requires large amounts of development
hours to develop something sophisticated
• Their basemap gets stale, has errors
• It’s not as flexible as it may seem
• It’s easier to make something nicer

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Reaching Everyone
• Initially desktop computers - Silverlight
• Now using iPads – HTML5, cloud apps
• iPhones – HTML5, cloud apps
• Field data collection desired
– Custom or specialized apps
– HTML5 viewers

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Give Me Data
• Open Data catalogue – coming soon
• Third party data vendors
• ESRI Community Maps program
• Web map services
• Feature data services

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Give Me Tools
• Desktop GIS software still has a place
– Flexible in its use
– Runs custom models
– Specialize plug-ins
– Custom mapping
– High end analysis

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Challenges
• Constantly changing technology landscape
• Complex knowledge requirements
• Fiscal and staffing constraints
• Keeping up with the latest and greatest
• Being on the bleeding edge
• Misconceptions about the cloud
• Politics
• Patriot Act

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Early Adoption Opportunities
• Being first can have its benefits
– PR wins
– Extra help
– The opportunity to influence development
direction
– Getting to stay on the platform longer

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Sometimes delivering value means
reaching for the easy solution so
that time can be better spent on
other tasks
Cloud Solutions

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Complex Isn’t Necessarily Better
• A static map instead of an interactive map
• A widget instead of a portal
• Processes instead of software integration
• Make sure you have an adequate ROI for
your efforts!

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Check It Out
• Maps & Apps Catalogue
• http://maps.stalbert.ca/
• Land-Scape Public GIS Portal
• http://gis.st-albert.net/SilverlightViewer_1_4/viewer.html?
• Art in Public Places Tour
• http://maps.stalbert.ca/apps/cultural/publicart/
• Recreation Facilities Profile
• http://maps.stalbert.ca/apps/recreation/facilities/

29. 2929 MISA Prairies 2013
Tammy Kobliuk
GIS Coordinator
Corporate GIS, I.T. Services
tkobliuk@st-albert.net
780-459-1730