Foundations of Geospatial System Development Todd S. Bacastow

1. Foundations of Geospatial System Development Todd S. Bacastow Professor of Practice for Geospatial Intelligence John A. Dutton e-Education Institute The Pennsylvania State University October 8, 2008

2. Geospatial Systems

3. A system is a group of interrelated components that function together to achieve a desired result. An information system (IS) is an arrangement of people, data, processes, and information technology that interact to collect, process, store, and provide as output the information needed to support an organization. Geospatial technology (GT) is a term that describes the computer technology (hardware and software) with communications technology (data networks) that store, process, analyze, and display geospatial information. A Framework for Systems Analysis and Design

4. A stakeholder is any person who has an interest in an existing or proposed information system. Stakeholders can be technical or nontechnical workers. They may also include both internal and external workers. Information workers are those workers whose jobs involve the creation, collection, processing, distribution, and use of information. Knowledge workers are a subset of information workers whose responsibilities are based on a specialized body of knowledge. Players in the Systems Game

5. Stakeholders' Perspectives

6. System designer – a technical specialist who translates system users’ business requirements and constraints into technical solution. The designer designs the computer databases, inputs, outputs, screens, networks, and software that will meet the system users’ requirements. System builders – a technical specialist who constructs information systems and components based on the design specifications generated by the system designers. System Designers and System Builders

7. Systems Analysts • Systems analyst – a specialist who studies the problems and needs of an organization to determine how people, data, processes, and information technology can best accomplish improvements for the business. • A programmer/analyst • A business analyst

8. Working knowledge of information technology Computer programming experience and expertise General business knowledge General problem-solving skills Good interpersonal communication skills Good interpersonal relations skills Flexibility and adaptability Character and ethics Skills Needed by the Systems Analyst

9. The Systems Analyst as a Leader

10. Virtually all organizations require a core set of enterprise applications GIS, financial mgmt, human resources, sales, etc. Frequently purchased Frequently need to have custom elements added Systems Integration - the process of building a unified information system out of diverse components of purchases software, custom-built software, hardware, and networking. Enterprise Applications

11. System development process – a set of activities, methods, best practices, deliverables, and automated tools that stakeholders use to develop and maintain information systems and software. A general problem-solving approach Identify the problem. Analyze and understand the problem. Identify solution requirements or expectations. Identify alternative solutions and choose the “best” course of action. Design the chosen solution. Implement the chosen solution. Evaluate the results. If the problem is not solved, return to step 1 or 2 as appropriate. System Development Process

12. A Simple System Development Process

13. Systems Development Process Overview

14. System initiation – the initial planning for a project to define initial business scope, goals, schedule, and budget. System analysis – the study of a business problem domain to recommend improvements and specify the business requirements and priorities for the solution. System design – the specification or construction of a technical, computer-based solution for the business requirements identified in a system analysis. System implementation – the construction, installation, testing, and delivery of a system into production. System Development Process Overview

16. architecture- a unifying framework into which various stakeholders with different perspectives can organize and view the fundamental building blocks of information systems. Systems Architecture

17. Information System Building Blocks

18. KNOWLEDGE Building Blocks

19. System owners’ view Interested not in raw data but in information that adds new business knowledge and helps managers make decisions. Business entities and business rules. System users’ view View data as something recorded on forms, stored in file cabinets, recorded in books and spreadsheets, or stored on computer. Focus on business issues as they pertain to data. Data requirement – a representation of users’ data in terms of entities, attributes, relationships, and rules independent of data technology. Views of KNOWLEDGE

20. System designers’ view Data structures, database schemas, fields, indexes, and constraints of particular database management system (DBMS). System builders’ view SQL DBMS or other data technologies Views of KNOWLEDGE (cont.)

21. PROCESS Building Blocks

22. System owners’ view Concerned with high-level processes called business functions. Business function – a group of related processes that support the business. Functions can be decomposed into other subfunctions and eventually into processes that do specific tasks. A cross-functionalinformation system – a system that supports relevant business processes from several business functions without regard to traditional organizational boundaries such as divisions, departments, centers, and offices. Views of PROCESS

23. System users’ view Concerned with work that must be performed to provide the appropriate responses to business events. Business processes – activities that respond to business events. Process requirements – a user’s expectation of the processing requirements for a business process and its information systems. Policy – a set of rules that govern a business process. Procedure – a step-by-step set of instructions and logic for accomplishing a business process. Work flow – the flow of transactions through business processes to ensure appropriate checks and approvals are implemented. Views of PROCESS (cont.)

24. System designers’ view Concerned with which processes to automate and how to automate them Constrained by limitations of application development technologies being used Software specifications – the technical design of business processes to be automated or supported by computer programs to be written by system builders. Views of PROCESS (cont.)

25. System builders’ view Concerned with programming logic that implements automated processes Application program – a language-based, machine-readable representation of what a software process is supposed to do, or how a software process is supposed to accomplish its task. Prototyping – a technique for quickly building a functioning, but incomplete model of the information system using rapid application development tools. Views of PROCESS (cont.)

26. COMMUNICATION Building Blocks

27. System owners’ view Who (which business units, employees, customers, and partners) must interact with the system? Where are these business units, employees, customers, and partners located? What other information systems will the system have to interface with? System users’ view Concerned with the information system’s inputs and outputs. Views of COMMUNICATION

28. System designers’ view Concerned with the technical design of both the user and the system-to-system communication interfaces. Interface specifications – technical designs that document how system users are to interact with a system and how a system interacts with other systems. User dialogue – a specification of how the user moves from window to window or page to page, interacting with the application programs to perform useful work. Views of COMMUNICATION (cont.)

29. System builders’ view Concerned with the construction, installation, testing and implementation of user and system-to-system interface solutions. Middleware – utility software that allows application software and systems software that utilize differing technologies to interoperate. Views of COMMUNICATION (cont.)

31. Process of System Development • System development process – a set of activities, methods, best practices, deliverables, and automated tools that stakeholders use to develop and continuously improve information systems and software. • Many variations • Using a consistent process for system development: • Create efficiencies that allow management to shift resources between projects • Produces consistent documentation that reduces lifetime costs to maintain the systems • Promotes quality

32. Capability Maturity Model (CMM) – a standardized framework for assessing the maturity level of an organization’s information system development and management processes and products. It consists of five levels of maturity: Level 1—Initial: System development projects follow no prescribed process. Level 2—Repeatable: Project management processes and practices established to track project costs, schedules, and functionality. Level 3—Defined: Standard system development process (methodology) is purchased or developed. All projects use a version of this process. Level 4—Managed: Measurable goals for quality and productivity are established. Level 5—Optimizing: The standardized system development process is continuously monitored and improved based on measures and data analysis established in Level 4. CMM Process Management Model

33. Capability Maturity Model (CMM)

34. System life cycle – the factoring of the lifetime of an information system into two stages, (1) systems development and (2) systems operation and maintenance. System development methodology – a formalized approach to the systems development process; a standardized development process that defines (as in CMM Level 3) a set of activities, methods, best practices, deliverables, and automated tools that system developers and project managers are to use to develop and continuously improve information systems and software. Life Cycle versus Methodology

35. A System Life Cycle

36. Architected Rapid Application Development (Architected RAD) Dynamic Systems Development Methodology (DSDM) Joint Application Development (JAD) Information Engineering (IE) Rapid Application Development (RAD) Rational Unified Process (RUP) Structured Analysis and Design eXtreme Programming (XP) Representative System Development Methodologies

37. Get the system users involved. Use a problem-solving approach. Establish phases and activities. Document through development. Establish standards. Manage the process and projects Justify systems as capital investments. Don’t be afraid to cancel or revise scope. Divide and conquer. Design systems for growth and change. Principles of System Development

38. Classical Problem-solving approach Study and understand the problem, its context, and its impact. Define the requirements that must be meet by any solution. Identify candidate solutions that fulfill the requirements, and select the “best” solution. Design and/or implement the chosen solution. Observe and evaluate the solution’s impact, and refine the solution accordingly. Use a Problem-Solving Approach

39. Process management– an ongoing activity that documents, manages, oversees the use of, and improves an organization’s chosen methodology (the “process”) for system development. Process management is concerned with phases, activities, deliverables, and quality standards should be consistently applied to all projects. Project management is the process of scoping, planning, staffing, organizing, directing, and controlling a project to develop an information system at a minimum cost, within a specified time frame, and with acceptable quality. Manage the Process and Projects

40. Cost-effectiveness – The result obtained by striking a balance between the lifetime costs of developing, maintaining, and operating an information system and the benefits derived from that system. Cost-effectiveness is measured by a cost-benefit analysis. Strategic information systems plan – a formal strategic plan (3-5 years) for building and improving an information technology infrastructure and the information system applications that use that infrastructure. Strategic enterprise plan – a formal strategic plan (3-5 years) for an entire business that defines its mission, vision, goals, strategies, benchmarks, and measures of progress and achievement. Usually, the strategic enterprise plan is complemented by strategic business unit plans that define how each business unit will contribute to the enterprise plan. The information systems plan is one of those unit-level plans. Justify Information Systems as Capital Investments

41. Creeping commitment – a strategy in which feasibility and risks are continuously reevaluated throughout a project. Project budgets and deadlines are adjusted accordingly. Risk management – the process of identifying, evaluating, and controlling what might go wrong in a project before it becomes a threat to the successful completion of the project or implementation of the information system. Risk management is drive by risk analysis or assessment. Don’t Be Afraid to Cancel or Revise the Scope

42. Problem – an undesirable situation that prevents the organization from fully achieving its purpose, goals, and/or objectives. Opportunity – a chance to improve the organization even in the absence of an identified problem. Directive - a new requirement that is imposed by management, government, or some external influence. Where Do Systems Development Projects Come From?

43. Planned Projects An information systems strategyplan has examined the business as a whole to identify those system development projects that will return the greatest strategic (long-term) value to the business A business process redesign has thoroughly analyzed a series of business processes to eliminate redundancy and bureaucracy and to improve efficiency and value added. Not it is time to redesign the supporting information system for those redesigned business processes. Where Do Systems Development Projects Come From?

44. Unplanned projects Triggered by a specific problem, opportunity, or directive that occurs in the course of doing business. Steering committee – an administrative body of system owners and information technology executives that prioritizes and approves candidate system development projects. Backlog – a repository of project proposals that cannot be funded or staffed because they are a lower priority than those that have been approved for system development. Where Do Systems Development Projects Come From?

45. P the need to improve performance I the need to improve information (and data) E the need to improve economics, control costs, or increase profits C the need to improve control or security E the need to improve efficiency of people and processes S the need to improve service to customers, suppliers, partners, employees, etc. The PIECES Problem-Solving Framework

46. Project Phases • FAST - (Framework for the Application of Systems Thinking ) a “hypothetical” methodology used throughout Whitten • Each methodology will use different project phases.

47. Building Blocks View of System Development

48. Problem statement – a statement and categorization of problems, opportunities, and directives; may also include constraints and an initial vision for the solution. Synonyms include preliminary study and feasibility assessment. Constraint – any factor, limitation, or restraint that may limit a solution or the problem-solving process. Scope creep – a common phenomenon wherein the requirements and expectations of a project increase, often without regard to the impact on budget and schedule. Statement of work – a contract with management and the user community to develop or enhance an information system; defines vision, scope, constraints, high-level user requirements, schedule, and budget. Synonyms include project charter, project plan, and service-level agreement. Scope Definition Phase

49. What capabilities should the new system provide for its users? What data must be captured and stored? What performance level is expected? What are the priorities of the various requirements? Requirements Analysis Phase

50. Logical design – the translation of business user requirements into a system model that depicts only the business requirements and not any possible technical design or implementation of those requirements. Common synonyms include conceptual design and essential design. System model – a picture of a system that represents reality or a desired reality. System models facilitate improved communication between system users, system analysts, system designers, and system builders. Analysis paralysis – a term coined to describe a common project condition in which excessive system modeling dramatically slows progress toward implementation of the intended system solution. Logical Design Phase