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Business Finder: extending GIS

Geographical Information Systems have evolved from desktop environments to enterprise-wide deployment, and today we are on the cusp of a world where mobile GIS enriches the average consumer's life. By Chirasrota Jena

Geographical Information System (GIS) applications are evolving rapidly. These applications have evolved from desktop environments to enterprise-wide deployment, and are entrenched in mainstream IT applications. The widespread use of Wi-Fi and mobile phones have enabled service providers to offer personalised information to subscribers, most of which happens to be location-specific. Although the ability to quickly relay this information back and forth largely depends on bandwidth, its accuracy and relevance is dependent on GIS applications and base data. The deployment of GIS applications has evolved from traditional desktop environments where GIS applications served single users or a specific group of users, to widely deployed, enterprise-wide usage through integration with mainstream IT applications. GIS applications are also being deployed over the Internet leading to the trend of utilising them on hand-held devices and cell phones.

Says Manideep Saha, Sales Development Manager, Infrastructure Solutions, AutoDesk India, “According to a recent study conducted by Geospatial Today in association with Antrix Corporation and Survey of India in May 2006, the GIS market (domestic and export) is expected to grow from Rs 962 crore ($ 209 million) in 2005 to Rs 2,820 crore ($ 613 million) by 2010 at a CAGR of 14.5 percent. This study also focussed on different sections of the geospatial industry, including geospatial data, services (including remote sensing and survey), software products and export of geospatial application services from India. According to the report, the domestic market estimates for these services in India amounts to about Rs 562 crore ($ 122 million) in fiscal 2005 and is expected to reach Rs 1,824 crore ($ 396 million) by 2010, at a CAGR of 17.57 percent per annum.”

The integration between telecommunications and data communications will contribute to the creation of a global networking infrastructure that is seamlessly available anytime, anywhere, and through a multitude of different devices. Given the assumption that this global network will soon be available, application designers are finding that designing mobile applications mandates a different set of requirements from those established for stationary ones.

It’s all about GIS

GIS applications consist of accurate maps, corresponding databases and the software that processes user requests and renders information in a useful manner. The map and tabular information provided by agencies could include surveyors, map publishers, market research organisations and government agencies. Some companies provide various GIS modules that can be customised or used to develop GIS applications. GIS applications are customised to the extent of providing highly personalised information. The technology is used to assist decision-makers by indicating various alternatives in development and conservation planning, and by modelling the potential outcomes of a series of scenarios. It should be noted that any ask begins and ends with the real world. Data is collected about the real world. Of necessity, the product is an abstraction; it is not possible to handle every last detail. After the data is analysed, information is compiled for decision-makers. Based on this information, actions are taken and plans implemented in the real world.

"In addition to service industries, business finder technology has the potential to be applied to transportation, logistics, utilities, healthcare and manufacturing" - Daniel Dias Director India Research Laboratory IBM

IBM’s Telecom Research and Innovation Centre (TRIC) team at the India Research Laboratory (IRL) has recently developed the business finder technology using sophisticated GIS applications and data analysis with mobile telephone networks to provide information, wherever and whenever, to a consumer who is looking for a specific near-by service. Says Daniel Dias, Director, IBM IRL, “Today’s telecommunications market is incredibly competitive, making value-added services one of the most critical aspects of doing business, and that’s where business finder technology can play a significant role by enabling service providers to offer innovative and consumer-oriented services. TRIC is a core research group at the IBM IRL that has been working on this technology for the past 18 months.”

AutoDesk provides a wide range of GIS applications that cater to each stage of Infrastructure Lifecycle Management. AutoDesk Map3D, Autodesk Civil3D and AutoDesk Mapguide Enterprise are some of the company’s offerings in this area. Saha informs, “AutoDesk MapGuide Enterprise helps customers develop and deploy spatial applications quickly. AutoDesk Map 3D software’s built-in, spatial data file is a powerful feature for individuals and small workgroups who want the power of a geospatial database without the overhead of managing one.”

Patni has been providing GIS services for over a decade. It has worked on a number of application development projects. While most of these have been for its overseas customers, some have been internal projects to enhance productivity and improve quality control. States Prasad Shetye, Vice-president and Head, Engineering Services, Patni, “We have been providing the entire GIS portfolio maintenance support to one of the largest electric utilities in the US. This is an ongoing project that we started in June 2002. We have also delivered projects in the insurance sector. While one project involved the development of a customised mapping interface to view and attribute property information along with hazard data (including modelling hazards such as tornados, earthquakes and floods), the other, a Web-based application, enables various agents across the globe to view and study the investment patterns in areas of interest specified by them.”

Business Finder: powered by GIS

Existing location-based search techniques suffer from the caveat that they do not adequately exploit the mobility of business entities. The telecommunications market is very competitive, making value-added services one of the most critical aspects of the business, and that’s where business finder technology can play a significant role offering more innovative and consumer-oriented services.

As Dias points out, “The technology allows telecommunications service providers to track and update data sources including mobility, presence and reputation of service vendors. Service providers can offer this service, especially in metropolitan cities, where there is a potential for the mobile businesses to earn significantly by subscribing to this service, and the service provider to earn revenue through value-added services. In addition to service industries, the technology also has the potential to be applied to other industries including transportation and logistics, utilities, healthcare and manufacturing.”

Services are being redefined as this new dimension of location-specific information regarding people, places and assets is being thrown into the mix. Business finders can assist telcos. That said, it can also help SOHO and consumers. What it brings to the table is a flexible, Service Oriented Architecture-based, Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem compliant services solution for telecommunications service providers. It also helps service providers evolve from existing networks to a converged network that allows easy inter-operation using industry standards.

Benefits and constraints

GIS technology provides an effective decision-making tool to address the ever-increasing demand for data availability through a visually intuitive decision-making tool. Effective usage of it involves nothing more than leveraging geo-spatial spatial data for boosting productivity. GIS and remote sensing software require high-end computers with top-of-the-line graphics cards. These are, at the moment, comparatively expensive in India. This problem will cease as hardware prices continue to fall. Many organisations which have implemented a GIS have found that one of its main benefits is improved management of their own organisation and resources. Because GIS has the ability to link data sets together by geography, it facilitates inter-departmental information sharing and communication. By creating a shared database, one department can benefit from the work of another; data can be collected once and used over and over.

GIS will cause profound changes in the way we collect, store, analyse and share geographical data. Many changes are predictable, and their impact can be estimated before they come to pass. With the passage of time and the coming up of the latest technologies, GIS’ shackles are being broken. Saha opines, “The biggest constraint is the easy availability of spatial data. In India, most organisations that have adopted GIS are still spending a lot of time and money on building data. The first reason for this is the disparity between various systems from which data has to move from one form to another before the desired output becomes available. The second reason is very tight government control on spatial data acquisition, and the high cost of satellite and aerial data.”

Indian scenario

Awareness levels in India are relatively low. However, there is some good news. Thanks to extensive research and education, many government and semi-government agencies and a few corporates have started realising that this technology gives them a much-needed tool to address the ever-increasing demands for data through a visual and intuitive decision-making tool. The goal is to leverage spatial data; the benefits of successful GIS implementations are tremendous, and in most cases the ROI can be quantified.

Government agencies involved in public administration and emergency control can provide better and faster services. Telecom and utility companies can plan and maintain their network more effectively. Service providers can offer value-added services to customers. Although it remains at a conceptual stage, various government agencies can share information among themselves with greater efficiency. Within the private sector, large fleet owners, travel and tour operators, and mobile service providers stand to gain from GIS.

Shetye believes that India has a huge potential for GIS applications, in the commercial sense as well as in the government. “The number of Wi-Fi and mobile phone users is constantly rising. The availability of the equipment that enables use of value-added services is better than it used to be. Government agencies have made huge investments in setting up GIS departments; GIS applications are widely used in this sector, primarily for effective planning and developing stable decision-support systems.”

The availability of GIS application developers needs to improve. Mobile communication is poised to be a catalyst for change in the 21st century. The classic GIS market will change drastically in the coming years, and emerging technologies will move GIS from the desktop into the users’ hands. Mobile GIS brings GIS out of its specialised niche or isolated island into everyday life.