Part 10

GIS Software & Hardware

Selection

Geographic Information System & Science 3 edition 1

Longley, Goodchild, Macguire & Rhind
 Computer Software
A software is required to run a computer.
 The computer software enables the user to
instruct a computer system to perform specific
functions that provide business value.
 Software consists of computer programs
(coded instruction) that control the functions of
computer hardware.
 There are 2 major types of software
 Systems software
 Application software
Introduction to Information Systems : 2

Rainer, Turban & Porter, 2007

 System software
 Systems software manages the hardware
resources of the computer system and functions
between the hardware and the application
software. Systems software includes the system
control programs (operating systems) and system
support programs.
 Operating systems schedule & process applications
(job), manage & protect memory, manage the
input & output functions, manage data & files and
provide clustering support, security, fault
tolerance, GUI and windowing. 3
 Application software
 Application software enables users to perform
specific tasks and information-processing
activities. Application software may be
proprietary or off-the-shelf.
 Proprietary software can be developed in-
house to address the specific needs of an
organisation. Existing software programme can
be purchased off the shelf from vendors that
sell programmes to many organizations &
individuals 4
 Software
 Based on the distribution models software can be
classified as;
 COTS – commercial-off-the-shelf software
 Shareware - often intended for sale after a trial
period
 Liteware - shareware with some capabilities disabled
 Freeware - free software but with copyright
restrictions
 Public domain software - free with no restrictions
 Open source software - the source code is provided
and users agree not to limit the distribution of
improvements 5
 GIS software
 GIS software is the geo-processing engines
of GIS
 The GIS software system comprises an
integrated suite of software components,
including end user applications, geographic
tools and data access components.

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 Key parts of a GIS software
system
 GISsoftware system comprises of 3 key
parts;
 The user interface – via a GUI, an integrated
collection of menus, tool bars and other
controls
 The tools – define the capabilities or
functions available
 The data management system

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 Software data models and
customization
A data model defines how the real world is
represented in a GIS.
 A software data model defines how the
different tools are grouped together, how they
can be used, and how they interact with data.
 Customization is the process of modifying GIS
software.

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 Building GIS software systems
 Start with a formal design for a software system
and then build each part of component separately
before assembling the whole system.
 Core GIS software systems are usually written in a
modern programming language like Visual C++,
C# or Java.
 A key choice that faces all software developers is
whether to design a software system by buying in
components, or to build it more or less from
scratch.
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 Types of GIS software systems
 GIS packages could be categorized as
 Desktop GIS software
 Web mapping
 Server GIS
 Virtual Globes
 Developer GIS
 Hand-held GIS
 Other
Geographic Information Systems & Science:
10
Longley, Goodchild, Maguire & Rhind 2011
 Desktop GIS software
 Owes its origins to the personal computer and
Microsoft Windows operating system.
 The mainstream workhorses of GIS today.
 Free GIS viewers are able to display and query
popular file formats.
 These help to establish market share and can
create de facto standards.
 Focus is on use rather than data creation.
 ProfessionalGIS are full-featured desktop GIS
with a superset of capabilities. 11
Desktop GIS - Screenshot of Intergraph GeoMedia

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 Professional Desktop GIS
Screenshot of ESRI ArcGIS ArcInfo

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 Web Mapping
 There are signs that the next decade will in turn be
dominated by Web and server GIS products
 Web mapping is taken to mean integrated Web-
accessible software, a 2-D database comprising one or
more base maps, and an associated collection of
services.
 Web access is provided via easily accessible, open
interfaces running in web browsers and returning image
tiles (fragments of the total map)
 Website functions can easily be accessed
programmatically via well-defined application
programming interfaces (APIs) 14
Web Mapping - A geographic mash-up of videos,
pictures, and Wikipedia links on Google Maps

15
 Web Mapping
OpenStreetMap database for Durham, UK

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 Server GIS
 Server GIS runs on a computer server that can
handle concurrent processing requests from a
range of networked clients.
 Initially focused on display and query applications,
but now offers mapping, routing, data publishing,
and suitability mapping.
 Second-generation systems were subsequently
built using a multiuser services based architecture
that allows them to run unattended and to handle
many concurrent requests from remote networked
users 17
 Server GIS
Screenshot of Autodesk MapGuide

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 Virtual Globes
 Virtual globes allow users to visualize
geographic information on top of 3-D global
base maps
 Virtual Globes include: Google Earth,
Microsoft Virtual Earth

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Google Earth

20
Microsoft Virtual Earth

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 Hand-held GIS
 GISfor mobile and personal use on hand-
held systems.
 development of low-cost, lightweight location
positioning technologies and wireless
networking has further stimulated this market
 Recently,‘smart phones’ can deal with
comparatively large amounts of data and
sophisticated applications.

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 Other types of GIS software
 Raster-based GIS –focus primarily on raster
(image) data & raster analysis
 CAD (Computer-Aided Design)-based GIS
 Middleware offer centralized management of
data, the ability to process data on a server
and control over database editing and update
 Standard DBMS have extensions to store and
process geographic information efficiently

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 Vendor & Software selection
6 steps in selecting a software vendor & an
application package
1. Identify potential vendors
2. Determine the evaluation criteria
3. Evaluate vendors & packages
4. Choose the vendor and package
5. Negotiate a contract

Introduction to Information Systems,

Rainer, Turban & Porter 2007 24
 Identify potential Vendors
 Potential
vendors can be identified through
various sources:
 Software catalogs
 Lists provided by hardware vendors
 Technical & trade journal
 Consultants experienced in the application area
 Peers in other companies
 Web searches

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Determine the Evaluation Criteria
 Evaluation
criteria developed by the
customer should entail;
 Characteristic of the vendor
 Functional requirements of the system
 Technical requirements that the software must
satisfy
 Amount & quality of documentation provided
 Vendor support of the package
 These
criteria should be set out in a
Request for proposal (RFP) 26
 Evaluate Vendors & Packages
 The goal of this evaluation is to determine the
gaps between the company’s needs & the
capabilities of the vendors & their application
packages.
 The company gives the vendors & their
application packages an overall score by
1. Assigning an important weight to each of the
criteria
2. Ranking the vendors on each of the weighted
criteria (say 1 to 10) and then,
3. Multiplying the ranks by the associated weights 27
 Choose the Vendor & Package
 Shortlisted vendors are called upon for
negotiations & decide how the packages can
be modified to remove any discrepancies
with customer’s IT needs.
 Additional development effort might be
required from the vendor to tailor the
system to the customer’s needs

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 Choose the Vendor & Package
 General criteria for selecting a software application
package include;
 Cost & financial terms
 Upgrade policy & cost
 Vendor’s reputation & availability for help
 vendor‘s success stories (visit web site, contact clients)
 System flexibility – Can it handle the business processes without major modification?
 Ease of internet interfaces – It is web-enabled so it can easily access the Internet,
intranet on its own, or by working with Web browsers or other network software?
 Availability & quality of documentation – Is the software well documented?
 Necessary hardware & networking resources- Does existing hardware have the
features required to best use the software
 Required training (check if provided by vendor)
 Security- Does it provide control procedures for errors, malfunctions & improper
use?
 Learning (speed of) for developers & users
 Graphical presentation
 Data handling 29
 System-required hardware
 Negotiate a Contract
 Contracts are legal documents. The contract with the
software vendor specifies both the price of the software
& the type and amount of support that the vendors
agree to provide.
 It is essential that the contract directly refer to the RFP
documents
 The contract should describe in detail the acceptance
tests that the software package must pass.

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 Software selection
 Software
 Software is evaluated on functionality and performance. In
the Needs Assessment, the need to identify the
functionality was discussed. Here is where you will begin to
use this information.
I. Functionality
II. Standards
III. Performance
IV. Expandability
V. Licensing

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 Software selection
 Functionality
► What is important here is the ability of the software to do
the things you need it to do in a straight forward manner.
As an example, if the intended users are relatively new to
using computers, the software has to have an easy to use
graphical user interface (GUI). If the organization needs to
develop specific applications, the software should have a
programming language that allows the software to be
modified or customized. In the Needs Assessment task, the
final report contains tables and references to the
functionality you will need. Use this in developing the
overall functionality required for the system.
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 Software selection
 Standards
► Standards are a way of making sure that there is a
common denominator that all systems can use. This can be
in the form of data formats that can import and export
data into the system, guidelines used for developing
software, supporting industry developed standards that
allow different applications to share data. Standards are
generally developed by a neutral trade organization or in
some cases are defined by the market. There is a group
that has formed for the GIS industry called Open GIS. This
organization is developing standards for developers to use
as they engineer software. Open GIS is made up of
representatives from the software developer companies. 33
 Software selection
 Performance
► The performance of the software is dependent on 2 factors,
 1) how it is engineered &
 2) the speed of the hardware it is running on.
► GIS software is complex and will use a large amount of the
system resources (memory, disk, etc.). The more complex the
software, the more resources it will need. Performance will be
impacted if you have a minimally configured computer. Look for
the developer’s software specifications to see what configuration
is needed to run the software. This will give you the minimum
requirements. Follow this up by getting the recommended
specifications from the developer or a user group. These
recommendations will give you a more accurate idea of the type
of configuration you will need. 34
 Software selection
 Expandability
► The software needs you have today will change over time.
More than likely your system will need to expand. Is the
software being evaluated able to provide networking
capabilities? Will it share data with other applications? Will
it grow as the organization's GIS grows? Evaluate software
based on the ability to grow with you. This may mean that
there are complimentary products that can be used in
conjunction with the package you are evaluating today or
the developer has clearly defined plans for added
functionality. Talk with other users to see if the developer
has a good track record for providing these enhancements.
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 Software selection
 Licensing
► GIS software is not purchased, it is licensed (i.e. ArcGIS). There
is normally a one-time license fee with an ongoing maintenance
fee that provides you with the most current versions of the
software as they are released. In large system this will be
spelled out in a licensing agreement with a corresponding
maintenance agreement. For desktop software a shrink wrap
license is used with subsequent releases being offered to
existing users through a discounted upgrade. The maintenance
fees and upgrade costs generally run between 15% to 30% of
the initial license fee. The terms in most software packages spell
out how the software can and cannot be used. Have the terms
of the license reviewed by an attorney before signing up. This
can save hassles later as you are developing and using your 36
system.
 Hardware selection
 Hardware
► When discussing hardware, there are terms/concepts that you
need to understand. The following is a discussion of these.
However, GIS software selection drives the hardware
requirements. Therefore before launching a full scale evaluation
of hardware, make your selection for the GIS software you will
be using. Hardware can be broken down into the following basic
components:
I. Operating System
II. Processor
III. Disk
IV. Memory
V. Communications 37
 Hardware selection
 Operating Systems
► An operating system is the software that runs the computer
hardware. It is this program that tells the computer what to do
and how to do it. You may already be familiar with some of the
operating systems that are on the market such as Microsoft’s
Windows product or various brands of the other operating
system. It is important to have an Operating System plan within
your organization. The plan should take into account the
departments that will be using the computer system, the type of
network being used (or being planned), what operating systems
are currently being used, how large the database is and what
kind of technical support skills you have access to (in-house or
contractor). The GIS will need to fit into your operating system
plan. This will be important as you add other departments onto 38
the system.
 Hardware selection
 Processor
► The processor or CPU (central processor unit) is the part of
the computer that actually does the calculations or
“processes” the instructions being sent to it. The most
common term that describe the processor’s capabilities is the
clock speed. The clock speed simply describes how many
cycles per second the processor works. The higher the clock
speed the faster the processor.
► Another description of the processor’s capability is how many
bits it can access at one time. Many of the new processors
are 32-bit processors. This means that the CPU can access or
“grab” 32 bits of information during each cycle. There are
some machines on the market that manufacture a 64-bit 39
machine.
 Hardware selection
 Storage
► The storage or hard drive is the device used to
store the operating and application software. It is
also used to store data and images. In working
with a GIS you will quickly find out that GIS uses a
large amount of disk space. It is not uncommon to
have multiple gigabytes of hard drive on a single
end-user machine and on a central data server.

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 Hardware selection
 Memory
► Memory or random access memory (RAM) is used
as a temporary storage space by the operating
system and by the application software which is
running on the computer. Most applications run
better as the amount of memory increases. This is
true up to a point. At some point, the performance
increases will begin to taper off as additional
memory is added. Most software developers can
give you configuration data that indicates where
this point is. 41
 Hardware selection
 Networking
► The trend in most systems today is to link up users
throughout the organization on a network. This is an
area in the computer industry that is advancing very
rapidly. It is recommended that you retain a
competent consultant who works with networks to
give you detailed and current information. In simple
terms, a network is a connection between computers
that allows information to be passed around from
computer to computer. In a typical organization, this
is a local area network (LAN).
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