Infrastructure Management Series: ArcGIS Server and Mobile GIS

Gathering accurate location-based information in the field concerning infrastructure is an integral part of your success. Traditionally, field data collection and editing have been time-consuming and error prone. Field-workers used paper maps, which they edited using sketches and notes on the maps and forms. These field edits were deciphered back in the office and manually entered into the geographic information system (GIS) database. As a result, data was often not as up to date or accurate as it could have been.

Now, with mobile GIS based on ArcGIS Server, you can take your GIS—as well as non-spatial applications tied to your GIS data—from the office into the field. You can immediately integrate new spatial data into your workflow and serve that information to members of your team, enriching your work, streamlining business processes, and enhancing data accuracy and integrity. You will also increase field productivity and keep personnel informed of changes as they happen.

Taking GIS into the field on smartphones, pocket PCs, tablet PCs, and laptops gives you the ability to capture, store, update, and manipulate geographic data anywhere at any time. Leveraging this technology ensures business information is current so the enterprise-wide GIS stays up to date in near real time.

Adding near real-time information to your database and applications speeds up analysis, display, and decision making because it is more accurate.

Go Wireless—Take Your Office to the Field

With mobile GIS, the same resources are available to you no matter where you are. In addition, the data you can review and edit is not limited to geographic information. Server GIS ties spatial data to many types of applications such as work order management tracking systems and financial reports.

With mobile GIS, you can connect to your main GIS server and all the data it stores with a simple wireless Internet connection. Should you find yourself without a wireless connection, you can still work with an application through cached data on your mobile device.

Adding mobile capabilities to your server GIS provides your organization with better asset inventories that include current location and attribute information. Managing the maintenance of those assets is more efficient since you will have near real-time asset location, condition, and scheduled maintenance data. During your inspection processes, you will be able to better maintain digital records and locations of field assets for legal code compliance. When problems arise, you will have improved incident reporting, with field staff citing the location and circumstances of incidents and events for further action. In addition, performing measurements, buffers, and geoprocessing on-site will provide you with the best GIS analysis to support the decisions you make in the field.

Government Engineering, May-June 2007

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