Spatial Information Systems - A Research Strategy

This Collaborative Paper aims at providing a methodological framework for an international study on information systems for integrated regional development. This study focuses the attention in particular on concepts and approaches relevant for strategy in developing coherent regional information systems oriented on the planning needs of regional development. The project is carried out by the Regional Development Group of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in cooperation with the Department of Economics, Free University, Amsterdam

Spatial information systems in managing public transport information

Traffic congestion is one of the major problems plaguing urban cities all over the world today. With traffic congestion, goods and services experience delays in accessing markets and employees are late for work. This results in reduced production. At the same time, idling vehicles waste fuel and cause air pollution. This situation is the same in South Africa, where millions of rand are lost each year on congestion costs (CERF 1999). Studies carried out in Cape Town, South Africa, project that if no immediate action is taken to reduce traffic congestion, by the year 2020, the car population will increase by 64%, thereby reducing highway traffic speeds to 29 kilometres per hour (South Africa. National Department of Transport 1999). Worldwide, policies to reduce congestion levels include, among other things, the promotion of public transport (Climate Change 2001; Cullinane and Cullinane 2003). As public transport has a better cost and space effectiveness for transportation of volumes of people, having more people use public transport will lead to a reduction in the number of vehicles on the road. This will, in turn, reduce traffic congestion and its effects (De Saint Laurent 1998)

Multi-scale data storage schemes for spatial information systems

This thesis documents a research project that has led to the design and prototype implementation of several data storage schemes suited to the efficient multi-scale representation of integrated spatial data. Spatial information systems will benefit from having data models which allow for data to be viewed and analysed at various levels of detail, while the integration of data from different sources will lead to a more accurate representation of reality. The work has addressed two specific problems. The first concerns the design of an integrated multi-scale data model suited for use within Geographical Information Systems. This has led to the development of two data models, each of which allow for the integration of terrain data and topographic data at multiple levels of detail. The models are based on a combination of adapted versions of three previous data structures, namely, the constrained Delaunay pyramid, the line generalisation tree and the fixed grid. The second specific problem addressed in this thesis has been the development of an integrated multi-scale 3-D geological data model, for use within a Geoscientific Information System. This has resulted in a data storage scheme which enables the integration of terrain data, geological outcrop data and borehole data at various levels of detail. The thesis also presents details of prototype database implementations of each of the new data storage schemes. These implementations have served to demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of an integrated multi-scale approach. The research has also brought to light some areas that will need further research before fully functional systems are produced. The final chapter contains, in addition to conclusions made as a result of the research to date, a summary of some of these areas that require future work

Spatial information systems for sustaining the profitability of retailer business during the global meltdown economy

Profitability is the central issues of world wide business firms, especially during the un-predictable situation under the global meltdown economy. Retailer is the most influenced by the crisis because it highly depends on the customers buying activity. In perspective of customers, the value that rewarded from purchasing activity is the most important consideration to continually transaction with the retailer. However, in perspective of retailers, they want to maximize the profit by utilizing their marketing efforts on selling the product to customers. As long as customer continues do the transaction, retailer believed that they can achieve their target. Critically, the contrast view of customer-retailer on the value will raise the issues on profitability and has identified as unsolved issues in the marketplace. Thus, this paper is highlighting the capability of Spatial Information Systems for sustaining the profitability of retailers. By utilizing this technology, it’s helps retailers in sustaining the retailer’s performance, via managing the customer value continuously and practically. Moreover, Spatial Information Systems provide tools and platform to analyzing the customer value in the marketplace, as the real geographical marketplace. Practical aspect of Spatial Information Systems applications are discussed with specific focus on retailer’s business. Moreover, the used of spatial information systems is practically important to the manager to make them understand on what are the real chances on customer value in the geographical marketplace. At the end, suggestion was made on how to choose the suitable Spatial Information Systems to retailers with considerations on the current financial matters

Investigating methodologies for evaluating the effectiveness of Integrated Spatial Information System (ISIS) implementation in the valuation department of the City of Cape Town

Includes bibliographical references.The increasing need to develop fully integrated spatial information systems that help improve planning and decision making have led the countries to create partnerships as to facilitate the improved sharing of spatial data and to realise the full potential of spatial data infrastructure. In this process researchers and practitioners use appropriate methods, tools and frameworks to examine, analyse and evaluate the new implemented systems after its implementation. The attempt to find suitable methodologies for evaluating the effectiveness of the system has led to extensive research to develop, identify and test suitable methods and frameworks and to apply these to case studies. This research investigates the methodologies for evaluating the effectiveness of Integrated Spatial Information Systems (ISIS) implemented in the Valuation Department of the City of Cape Town. The spatial information systems of Valuation Department and the effectiveness of ISIS implementation in this Department are investigated

Understanding spatial data usability

In recent geographical information science literature, a number of researchers have made passing reference to an apparently new characteristic of spatial data known as 'usability'. While this attribute is well-known to professionals engaged in software engineering and computer interface design and testing, extension of the concept to embrace information would seem to be a new development. Furthermore, while notions such as the use and value of spatial information, and the diffusion of spatial information systems, have been the subject of research since the late-1980s, the current references to usability clearly represent something which extends well beyond that initial research. Accordingly, the purposes of this paper are: (1) to understand what is meant by spatial data usability; (2) to identify the elements that might comprise usability; and (3) to consider what the related research questions might be

Railway infrastructure management using spatial information systems

Master's Thesis is an upgrade or update the information system for the management of\ud Slovenian Railways' infrastructure in order to ensure an organized collection and management\ud of data available on railway infrastructure in a way that it allows the modern information\ud technology and the Internet.\ud In addition to a description of the theoretical foundations of geographic information systems,\ud analyze the shortcomings of the existing task GIS Slovenian Railways and the proposed\ud upgrade, which is subject to the new possibilities of modern information technologies and the\ud latest requirements of EC directives in the field of data collection infrastructure. The upgraded\ud software package is implemented on the section of the main Pragersko - Središče - the state\ud border. In doing so, takes into account the requirements of the EC at the register of\ud infrastructure and the network statement resulting from the directives of the first railway\ud package and the Directive 2008/57/EC on the interoperability of the rail system.\ud Upgraded geographic information system implemented to track Pragersko-Središče, allows\ud authorized users to use and access to the full range of information infrastructure on either PCs\ud or mobile devices