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Enterprise geographic information systems from IBM and ESRI
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The issues
Spatial technology makes it simple
Geographic information systems (GIS) are increasingly being used across government agencies to solve complex issues in areas from public safety to emergency preparedness and homeland security to sustainable development. Enterprise geographic information systems from IBM and ESRI provide technology and services to integrate a front-end Web interface with backend databases and enterprise server technology. This can enable better management of location information so your agency can unify operations with optimal efficiency.

The benchmark
IBM and ESRI: technology leaders

ESRI has been involved in the application of geographic information since it was founded in 1969 as a private consulting firm specializing in land use analysis projects. In the 1980s, ESRI evolved to devote its resources to developing and applying GIS software and has since become the largest research and development organization dedicated to GIS. ESRI and GIS have grown from solving relatively simple tasks with simple building blocks—points, lines and polygons—to solving complex tasks with enhanced data models.

By combining ESRI software tools with IBM’s enterprise IT technology and services, jurisdictions can create a GIS solution that integrates with existing systems and business processes. GIS solutions built with IBM and ESRI technology and services are:

  • Time-tested to provide security-rich features.
  • In compliance with open standards for spatial technology management.
  • Certified on IBM System x™ and IBM System p™ server families.
  • Integrated to provide Web-based solutions for government agencies.

The components
Technology that helps you see the big picture

The enterprise geographic information systems from IBM and ESRI bring together IBM's wide array of hardware, software and professional services and GIS technology from ESRI to create an end-to-end solution for your jurisdiction. Your solution may include:

  • IBM hardware:
    • IBM System p and IBM System x server families offer distributed memory and multi-node servers designed for demanding technical and commercial workloads.
    • IBM System Storage™ can help you store, safeguard, retrieve and share your data.
  • IBM software:
    • IBM DB2® and IBM Informix® Data Server technologies are Web-ready relational database management systems.
    • IBM WebSphere® Application Server provides a universal Internet software platform that can support e-business with the ability to adapt at Internet speed as your goals, strategies and target markets change.
    • IBM WebSphere Portal Server manages and distributes information via corporate intranets as well as the Internet.
    • IBM Tivoli® Maximo® Spatial helps organization manage assets using geographic information.
  • ESRI technology components:
    • ArcGIS Server adds advanced geoprocessing and data conversion capabilities.
    • ArcGIS Desktop provides data visualization, query, analysis and integration capabilities, along with the ability to create and edit geographic data.
    • ArcSDE facilitates managing spatial data in a database management system.
    • ArcIMS provides the foundation for disseminating high-end GIS and mapping services through the Internet.

IBM's technology infrastructure, combined with tools from ESRI to simplify operations, can enable:

  • One single transaction to the relational database management systems.
  • Functions for distributed data.
  • Queries by users and non-users.
  • Access from external applications.
  • Integration with existing IT environment.
  • Optional extensions that dramatically extend the software’s functional capabilities.
  • Plug-in extensions that can be loaded and unloaded as needed for specialized geographic analysis.

The implementation
Dispersing crucial information efficiently

Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development provides detailed climate, weather and soil moisture data to their agricultural industry constituents. The agency needed to deliver the information in an easily accessible online format to better serve its constituency, while decreasing ad hoc data requests to significantly reduce staff workload.

To solve this challenge the agency launched the AgroClimatic Information Service (ACIS), which provides Web-based near real-time and historical data that allows agricultural producers to make decisions in response to weather-related and soil moisture condition events.

IBM WebSphere Application Server and ESRI ArcIMS are the workhorses for the Web site. They process all the client requests and render the data provided by DB2 Data Warehouse Edition. ESRI software ArcSDE is the spatial engine that sits on top of the database, and together they store all of the spatial and climate data, approximately 800GB, with some data sets exceeding 256 million rows of data.

The cost of ownership
Innovation to lower your cost of ownership

Innovative enterprise geographic information systems from IBM and ESRI provide proven technology and services to help lower your cost of ownership. This solution can help:

  • Lower training costs by offering an easy-to-use interface.
  • Reduce resource usage and costs by unifying servers that house databases.
  • Decrease costs for additional software.
  • Cut technology investments by leveraging your existing infrastructure.


Next steps
 
Questions about this solution? Contact an IBM government specialist.



Business partner
ESRI