EAGLE-An Environmental Information and Decision Support System

Lars Chr. Larsen, Danish Hydraulic Institute and Arne Hurup Nielsen, Water Quality Institute

During a major bridge construction project between the countries Denmark and Sweden, a large number of environmental restrictions and corresponding consents have been imposed on the project by the authorities. To enforce the adherence to these rules by the contractor and in order to spot other unpredicted environmental consequences, a number of environmental monitoring programs have been defined for the area. The output from these monitoring programmes is a very diverse set of information ranging from very distinct measurements, such as water level measurements, to a number of qualitative information like the possibilities for herring to migrate through the area. Along with the documentation requirements, a series of feedback actions are defined. This means that on the first sight of exceedance on the operational criteria, a series of actions are triggered. Firstly, with the purpose of further documenting and investigating the incident and later, if the exceedance persists, an actual feedback on the construction works in the form of changed requirements, rescheduling of works, etc. In order to maintain the overview and thus being able to act on short notice, all results from the monitoring programs are entered into an ArcView-based information system. A central database based upon Microsoft SQL server holds all information and twenty individual users are connected through an ISDN-based WAN. The users are both the central players, such as the building contractors, environmental authorities as well as "the public" in the form of interest organizations and local authorities with direct or indirect interest in the project. The purpose of the paper is to demonstrate the use of ArcView 2.1 as an integrator of numerous different types of information from an environmental monitoring programme (i.e., measurements, model results, images, etc.). Furthermore, emphasis is put on integration with other types of software in order to improve the user interface.


Evolving from an Engineering to an Information Systems Approach to GIS and Spatial Analysis

Peter C. G. Veenstra, BLACK and VEATCH

Engineering consulting firms are venturing into using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to remain competitive and improve the services offered to their clients. The GIS professional working in an engineering consulting firm must recognize the institutional challenges present in an environment that has evolved through 3000+ years of tradition and technique. The main challenges facing Information Systems Specialists in such a environment are the production of commercially viable products under limited time constraints and the education of both non-GIS technical staff and management, regarding the time and effort required to produce these products. More importantly, the GIS professional must recognize when to apply this technology to provide alternative and flexible solutions to problems often solved using traditional methods. This paper details the organizational and operational challenges and some practical and theoretical solutions to successfully implementing the use of ArcInfo GIS software in an engineering consulting environment.


TheRole of GIS in Business Process Reengineering

David J. Maguire, Esri (UK)

In recent years many organisations have seen the need for change in an attempt to develop their business in an increasingly competitive world. For some organisations a key element of their strategy has been to employ business process re-engineeering (BPR) to revitalise the business. In its widest sense BPR involves rethinking and reworking a business by organising around processes rather than traditional tasks. Teams of people undertake work activities defined by holistic processes (e.g. following a sale from initial contact, through product deliver and then support), instead of specialising in small tasks (e.g order entry or product shipping). The teams are responsible for all aspects of the work they do, including checking and customer satisfaction. For some organisations this has resulted in significant benefits in both the quality and quantity of work undertaken. GIS has been used as an important component of BPR in organisations. GIS can change fundamentally the way businesses undertake their work, often leading to significant savings. This paper will examine the role of GIS in BPR. A series of case studies will be used to illustrate what can be achieved by organisations with vision, drive and, surprisingly, relatively limited resource investment.


GIS Within Electronic Meetings: The Effective Use of Spatial Data in a Joint Intellectual Effort

Sharon K. Gallo, IBM Government Systems

GIS technology is emerging as one of the most effective information management tools in government, along with electronic meeting software. By combining their powers we can facilitate the understanding and effective use of spatial data and promote coordination, cooperation, and partnerships. The intent of this paper is to describe how Collaborative GIS has been utilized in meetings where input can be anonymous, simultaneous, and automatically documented. Connected as a team on a Local Area Network (LAN), people rapidly share information through electronic dialogues and ArcView Version 2 GIS software. Minimal technical skills are required, as the meeting facilitator/technographer guides the participants through the tasks necessary to achieve the goals of the meeting. GIS within electronic meetings allows for data query, analysis, decision-making, and documentation all in one meeting in one room. This integration can help land managers, the public, and industry to understand each other's concerns by airing political, economic, emotional, and environmental concerns in a controlled moderated setting.




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