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Enterprise Geospatial Consulting

Integrates geospatial data and services to shares them across your organization

We assist with the planning and assessment of your enterprise – geospatial and related spatial application and data needs,data collection and capture procedures, GIS-related operations and business processes, data access and dissemination procedures, and hardware & software platform evaluation. We conduct user workflow analysis, data and process flow, and design sessions to identify and streamline business needs. One of our consulting strengths lies in identifying ways in which workflows can be optimized or automated to provide immediate productivity gains. We also perform detailed enterprise architecture design to assess the readiness of your infrastructure, identify gaps, and plan for the implementation of a federated system that addresses your GIS and other related third party systems. The artifacts developed during the strategy, planning, and deployment phases are documented and used extensively during implementation and post-implementation support. The above approach is crucial to provide optimum, business needs-driven solutions. We also help identify training requirements for your workforce, and in some cases provide the required training.

Some of our end-to-end enterprise GIS consulting offerings

  • Facilitate meetings, interview, workshops, and electronic surveys
  • Enterprise GIS Strategic and Tactical Planning
  • Enterprise GIS Architecture Design
  • Technical and Design Documents
  • Needs Assessment
  • Requirements Analysis
  • Benchmarking Analysis
  • Gap Analysis
  • Options Analysis
  • Business Process Re-engineering and Improvements
  • Specifications Development
  • Programmatic Recommendations Development
  • Implementation Planning including scope, budget, schedule
  • Survey Mapping
  • Rapid Web Deployment
  • Designing and Integrating Business Intelligence
  • Enterprise Geodatabase Design and Development in SQL Server, Oracle, DB2
  • Enterprise GIS Application Development
  • GIS Portals and Clearinghouse Development
  • GIS-based Management and Operations Dashboard Development
  • Enterprise GIS Integration
  • Software and Deployment Platform Identification
  • Hardware Identification and Sizing
  • Data Development, Migration, and Conversion
  • Cadastral Data and Application Development
  • Migration to Cloud Technology

Geo-spatial architecture design is your strategic blueprint for GIS program success

Integrating GIS with your other business-critical and third party systems is crucial for large organizations to increase efficiency and eliminate or minimize redundancy. Part of this system integration is also focused on breaking down information “silos” and integrating various systems on an M2M level within the enterprise. Our platform and vendor-independent approach allow us to use cutting-edge technologies to develop and deliver industry-standard solutions. Our consultants have extensive expertise in designing enterprise GIS/ IT architectures and integrating stand-alone “silo” solutions to leverage appropriate systems, data, and resources spread across the organization. According to the application specifications and user/ usage requirements, we also provide server and hardware sizing recommendations following the GIS systems architecture guidelines developed by ESRI.

  • Our Enterprise GIS Architecture Design Comprising
  • Consultation to identify your needs and the vision
  • Careful planning and execution of your vision
  • Collaboration and partnership in designing the right solution for you
  • Extensive requirements gathering and design constructs
  • Documented data and process flows
  • Inventory capture and management for architecture implementation
  • Master data management
  • Identification of the best solution to meet your needs
  • Partner to develop a plan that implements the best possible solution
  • Communicate, in clear and simple terms, all requirements and benefit of the solution and its implementation
  • Document and monitor project progress
  • Advising and partnering with you to manage future needs

GIS-Based Operations and Management Dashboards

We have extensive experience in various types of web GIS-based management, operations, and governance dashboards implementations including the integration with enterprise GIS and other third party systems e.g. mobile applications, financial systems,inventory systems, warehouses, work order systems, workforce management, and tracking, and other planning and monitoring systems. These dashboards provide transparency and direct access to data behind the scenes which will be otherwise following manual and labor-intensive processes to dig into. Managers can visually track and monitor all details related to their routine work on a real-time basis without waiting on anyone to produce reports or chasing someone down to get the data to them.These dashboards increase efficiency in decision making and productivity of teams as they provide accurate information on the fingertips to make executive decisions. Our platform and vendor-independent approach allow us to use the best-of-breed technologies to develop solutions grounds up or scale up existing systems to suit the client’s business and operational needs. We have extensive experience and insights to handhold a customer right from the needs assessment to dashboard development to implementation and training.

We have implemented various dashboard solutions

  • Public Works
  • Utilities
  • Transportation
  • Environmental
  • Natural Resources
  • Asset Management
  • Planning and Development
  • Engineering
  • Financial
  • Real Estate
  • Retail
  • Operations Dashboard can do for you
  • Common View
  • Ready to use
  • Flexible
  • Real-time
  • Configurable

Legacy GIS Data and Applications

Our consulting team provides an array of legacy data migration and data conversion services, including data interoperability.The legacy sources could be a combination of paper maps, archived “Mylars”, Topo Maps, CAD drawings, Satellite or aerial imagery,or even handwritten notes and drawings stored in file cabinets. From paper maps to scanned “Mylars” to digital maps – our key strength is to convert large volumes of data to digital format with quick turn-around times. Digital vectorization is a key service area for us to develop digital data from non-digital or raster sources. Legacy data migration path and techniques,depending on the target and source systems and formats (Interoperability) is another major area of focus for our data consulting team.

We also have extensive experience in migrating your legacy GIS applications e.g. ArcIMS applications to the latest technology e.g. ArcGIS Server. We also develop newer applications based on Google or Bing maps. HTML5 and JavaScript, and other latest web and mobile mapping platforms in GIS. Our ability to manage complex data and application migration that require the creation of data and applications from multiple sources of varying scales, vintages and quality provides us an unparalleled competitive advantage.

We provide the following data conversion services

  • Migration: We help you plan, migrate, and deploy data from old legacy systems to new cutting-edge technologies.
  • Interoperability: We provide migration or just data conversion services into your preferred target formats from legacy or existing source formats.
  • Scanning: Any size, including large format scanners, are utilized to provide various kinds of scan outputs – binary, grayscale, or full color on your preferred media.
  • Vectorization: Data conversion services in digital format from any non-digital media e.g. paper copy, scanned copy, etc. We provide the delivery in your preferred format e.g. enterprise geodatabase, file geodatabase, or simple GIS layers.

As an added value to the conversion services, we also provide the following services to suit customer-specific needs:

  • Migration techniques and assistance from legacy systems
  • Digital data production from hard copy or raster
  • Metadata development
  • Scanned maps production from hard copy
  • Data interoperability formats (includes CAD, GIS, and various other formats)
  • Rubber-sheeting
  • QA/QC for newly created or migrated data
  • Automated QA/QC and delivery checking routines for accuracy and completeness

Cadastral GIS Mapping and Surveying

Our consulting team portrays extensive experience in civil engineering and surveying, which have enabled us to deliver high quality and accurate cadastral map production based on COGO and ESRI’s Survey Analyst (fabrics as layers) model. We tie GPS information (e.g. RTK) with the cadastral fabric and use appropriate software for least square calculations for fabric adjustments. The changes in the cadastral layer can be maintained over time, and the dependent or related layers can be automatically adjusted as the cadastral layer changes from re-surveying are incorporated.

We also provide survey mapping, drawing, and engineering calculations services based on Autodesk’s surveying software and Civil 3D.

We do not conduct surveys on the ground or any other “ground-truth”-ing activities yet. But we have some partners who do that. We post-process the survey data and deliver data analytics and results according to your project needs and specifications.

We have extensive experience of undertaking large scale cadastral mapping projects which include

  • Scanning of hard copy maps
  • Digitization of the maps using proper layer structure
  • Geo-referencing the individual maps
  • Merging the individual cadastral maps to a single map pertaining to a specific area

Hardware and System Sizing

It is imperative that the hardware infrastructure needs to be designed correctly for efficient and productive GIS system access and usage. Our consultants are very proficient in sizing your hardware appropriately for your GIS enterprise based on the types of GIS applications and data, user peak load, and usage patterns. We mostly follow ESRI’s guidelines and processes to size individual GIS enterprise system hardware. We also bring in our real life past experience from other clientele to customize the system sizing unique for your purpose.

Our GIS Hardware system sizing approach will address the following at the minimum:

  • Load capacity to serve all internal and external users
  • Scalability to include increased user load in the future
  • Load balancing within the system infrastructure
  • High availability of the application, data and web services, etc.
  • Server firm architecture design
  • Fault Tolerance to avoid interruption of services
  • LAN, WAN, Mobile – remote vs. onsite user load
  • Available Network Bandwidth

IMAGE CLASSIFICATION

Our consultants provide in-depth experience in image analysis and classification of remotely sensed imagery depending on your need of details, accuracy, and regimen of classification schemes. We offer value in understanding the raw data coded and captured in the images, and leverage spatial and spectral content of the imagery to produce intended end results. Our engineers use sophisticated image classification and analysis techniques to produce classification results with defined accuracy parameters. Based on pixel return data, we process remotely sensed images and develop thematic maps. The themes can be banded according to your project specifications based on the utility and purpose of such thematic maps. We provide very strictly QA/QC services on all of the projects to ensure the quality and timeliness of the deliverables and artifacts.

We specialize in the following areas

Geo-reference: Satellite imagery or even imagery captured from flights contain coordinate geometry issues in terms of x, y, z. Even if post-processed, the “raw” images may still contain many geometric errors. These images without correct georeferencing or georegistration are of little to no value to GIS based systems where coordinate geometry and trigonometric calculations need to be performed. GIS also needs the images to be georeferenced to do simple calculations e.g. areas, distance), and also to represent correctly their location on the face of the earth. Our engineers process the raw images to remove these geometric errors and register those to a real-world coordinate system.

Image Mosaic: A mosaic is an ensemble of multiple images with substantial overlaps to create a continuous representation of a predefined area on the surface of the earth. This representation is done mostly on a flat surface to represent the earth as the curvature may not be taken into account (depends on the project). Georeferenced images are used to construct the mosaic per your specifications of overlap and ground coverage. Our engineers stitch together hundreds of individual images to produce a single digital image of a large area according to your project needs.

Image Enhancement: Image enhancement techniques are complex routines used by our engineers to enhance features, objects, or areas of interest according to your project needs. The images are digitally processed to enhance them visually for introspection and interpretation. Different enhancement regimens can be prescribed depending on the goal of your project as follows:

  • Certain features and objects can be subdued purposely so that required features stand out visually.
  • Certain features and objects can be just enhanced using routines and techniques within the software to enhance them.
  • Do both of the above for further enhanced effect depending on the project needs?

Digital Orthophotos offer a completely accurate foundation for a Geographic Information System (GIS)

Orthophoto production is the process of transforming the central projection of the terrain as recorded in aerial photos into a digital geo-referenced image with the same geometric attributes as a map. This transformation from a central projection into an orthogonal projection requires a Digital Terrain Model (DTM) with sufficient density and accuracy. Digital orthophotos are required for a variety of mapping, GIS, and environmental monitoring tasks. The transition to soft-copy photogrammetry has resulted in photogrammetric operations becoming an integral part of GIS applications and geodatabases. In particular, digital orthophotos are now recognized as valuable “base map” coverages that can be used to identify ground control, update existing coverages for land use/cover and transportation routes and assess changes in the landscape caused by construction or environmental phenomena.

We perform image analysis and orthophoto corrections using various image analysis and image processing software e.g. ERDAS Imagine, ER Mapper, etc. We employ cutting-edge photogrammetric tools for image analysis and presentation including analytical instruments and workstations to post process collected data and deliver mapping products customized to your output formats. We have versatile knowledge in various photogrammetric systems – from old DATUM to recent LEICA setups. We will provide you with analysis reports and documentation as per the project specifications. We are not flying our planes yet to capture images. Mostly, we depend on photos and satellite images provided to us by our clients for their analysis needs. Our highly qualified engineers manage and deliver these projects to multiple organizations across the world.

Topographic and Planimetric Mapping

For topographic mapping, the required vertical accuracy of the final mapping usually dictates the altitude at which the photography is taken or the flight is flown. Typically we have observed – the lower the altitude of the photography, the higher the vertical accuracy of the elevation data.In contrast to the above – for planimetric mapping, the size of the features on the ground that have to be compiled usually dictates the altitude at which the photography is taken or the flight is flown. Typically we have observed – in urban areas, features such as manholes and water meter covers are not identifiable on photography flown above 1,800 ft.

Both topographic and planimetric vector mapping is compiled at scales ranging from 1:10 to 1:1,000 with contour intervals from 0.5 ft to 20 ft; it depends on your project requirements and can be customized. Our engineers have extensive expertise in topographical and planimetric mapping; from aerial photography or satellite imagery to physical features e.g. buildings, roads, and utilities. Consultants have expertise in varying levels of complexity. We utilize both analytical instruments and workstations to compile topographic and planimetric mapping. All update mapping projects including volumetric surveys are compiled using our soft-copy workstations, where the previous map data can be displayed over the new aerial photography. This improves the identification of the areas that have changed over time. We provide digital map data in a variety of formats e.g. AutoCAD, Microstation, Terramodel, or ARC/INFO – configured to any layer or level structure requested by our clientele.

Features that typically identify and collect, depending on the complexity of the project are as follows

  • Vegetation including landscape shrubbery and trees
  • Roadways and driveways – paved and unpaved, including curb and gutter
  • Parking surfaces
  • Paint markings
  • Structures
  • Major hydro-graphical features including manholes, catch basins, valves etc.
  • Major utilities such as power poles, light post, guy wire etc.
  • Treelines and landmark single trees

Lidar Analysis and Modelling

We provide high-quality consulting services based on LIDAR data, and process your LIDAR datasets (single returns and multi-point returns) to perform any return based analysis. LIDAR data have been used by our engineers in various industry domains e.g. utilities, transportation, planning, land development, terrain analysis, engineering, and natural resource management to provide a variety of services and outputs e.g. for 3D modeling, DTM generation, contour mapping, breaking definitions, feature abstractions, and regression analysis. Our engineers develop algorithms and applications for regression analysis, modeling, and testing on your LIDAR datasets that have practical use in the domains mentioned above.We do not provide any LIDAR data collection services but some of our partners do. If you have any need for LIDAR data collection that will be highly accurate but economic, feel free to contact us.

Terrain Modelling

Our extensive experience in civil engineering, surveying, and topographic mapping has enabled us to develop and deliver high quality and accurate terrain models based on Coordinate Geometry (COGO) and LIDAR data-sets. We can process LIDAR returns and verify with ground survey data and topographic models to build highly dependable digital terrains that are used in a variety of applications in various domains e.g. architecture, civil engineering, natural resource management, hydrology, water engineering, national defense. Our engineers and consultants are exceptionally skilled in civil engineering, and LIDAR data processing and interpretations to deliver highly complex projects according to your specifications.

Features and Benefits

  • Time-Saving
  • Precision
  • To Scale
  • Accuracy
  • Affordability
  • Enthusiasm
  • Details
  • Portability