User Conference 2007 - Special Achievement in GIS

Increasing the number of agencies connected to the nation-wide GIS network to reach 40 agencies while maintaining the compatibility among all stake holders through a coordinated process. This task included assisting agencies in implementing spatial solutions while maintaining the national standards that made Qatar's Nation-wide GIS so unique.

The challenge was that several agencies were still using older technologies in terms of data storage, applications development and ESRI software. CGIS implemented a digital mapping project that updated topographic data and developed tools to quality check and upload newly acquired vector data into ESRI's Geodatabase. This was done while assisting other agencies migrating to the latest ESRI standards. A typical process involved the transition of the existing coverage data model to the latest object oriented ESRI Geodatabase model and redeveloping the existing applications in AML/Avenue/MapObjects to VBA/ArcObjects and Microsoft COM+ based rapid application development environment for example. It also involved designing, creating and migrating existing data into the new optimal ArcSDE Geodatabase model in Oracle RDBMS. This is an ongoing process as new agencies are joining and CGIS is assisting those in adopting the new model.

The Center of GIS Urban Planning and Development Authority, State of Qatar