Is Open Source right for your GIS data? It could save you a lot!

The economic climate is harsh and pressure to reduce expenditure and capital outlay means that difficult decisions must be made. At the same time organisations need to maintain quality and remain competitive.

 It’s therefore no surprise that difficult questions are being asked about IT costs.

Glasgow streets in QGIS.
CC Image courtesy of marcoflight on Flickr, Map data (c) OpenStreetMap contributors, CC-BY-SA.

Commercial GIS software offers both advantages and disadvantages: 

• restrictive licensing
• bundled options (with add-ons for 3D Analyst etc)
• active vendor support/passive customer.

Open Source, by contrast, offers: 

• open licensing
• unbundled packages
• active customer/passive vendor support – which creates the need for system support provided either ‘in house’ or via a third party.

Open Source GIS is probably the most disruptive change within the GIS software sector in 25 years.

For companies contemplating whether Open Source GIS would deliver benefits, there are several key factors to consider:

• cost
• flexibility
• lack of vendor lock-in
• open data formats
• opportunity for customisation
• implementation time
• interaction with the development community.

To date, the GIS market has been dominated by large companies such as ESRI, CADCORP and MapInfo. Smaller consultancies have been hampered by the high price of GIS products and have therefore scaled down their GIS investment or limited their GIS implementation strategies. This has led to lack of competition and inefficiency.

Switching to Open Source GIS and web services offers considerable cost savings to large companies. These include reduced license fees, increased product flexibility and low cost intranet implementation. What Open Source GIS offers smaller consultancies is a low or zero cost entry point to GIS implementation.

This means that they will be able to compete with the larger companies, while their greater flexibility will allow them to develop and deliver specialist bespoke services to clients.

So what’s the current state of Open Source GIS and how does it fit with GIS usage?

Are you loving the benefits of Open Source?
CC Image courtesy of marcoflight on Flickr, Map data (c) OpenStreetMap contributors, CC-BY-SA.

For many years people used Open Source GIS in the form of packages such as Grass. These packages were often highly specialised and the interfaces were far from ‘user friendly’. The market has moved on considerably.

At FIND Maps we use QGIS as well as ArcGIS, CadCorp and MapInfo. Many independent studies have ranked the core functionality of QGIS above other commercial packages and it’s our clear favourite. The package is totally license free and consistent with ArcGIS in terms of its ability to both manipulate and perform spatial data analysis, and interface with geodatabases. QGIS is simple to understand and it comes with a range of plugins that expand its efficacy.

We've recently implemented the Globe plugin which gives 3D capability. This allows detailed analysis of custom DEM data. In addition, QGIS can interface with Open Source 3D modelling packages such as Blender to perform complex visualisations and scenario testing, or with Marxan’s QGIS version of its habitat modelling tool.

Any organisation considering a move to the Open Source GIS environment will want to know the level of support being offered. FIND Mapping has extensive expertise in QGIS and other Open Source technologies and offers a subscription support service.

FIND also offers training to ensure that clients gain maximum benefit from their investment. The ‘First Look’ afternoon seminar provides an overview of the software and costs just £45 per head. If a deeper insight is required or we identify a need for more specific and detailed training, we can offer a one day seminar at a cost of £100 per head. The seminars are held just a few minutes from Waterloo Station in central London. Effective training is often a relatively small investment that has the potential to deliver huge savings.

Please contact support@findmaps.co.uk if you are interested in any of the above training.

Overview of CIRIA C681 stages for dealing with UXO risk with BombRisk

Unexploded ordnance (UXO) risk management is a key part of the planning process for any construction, development or infrastructure project in the UK. CIRIA C681 UXO guidelines set out four stages for managing this risk.

The below chart gives a brief overview of theses stages and questions that need to be answered in order to progress through the UXO Risk management process.

Flow chart overview for dealing with CIRIA C681 UXO Risk Management
(click image for larger version)

FIND and BACTEC’s BombRisk assessment is specially designed for dealing with the first stage of this process and allows even a non-expert to make a decision about moving on to the next stage if necessary. Uniquely, the BombRisk report is able to give an answer instantly. Additionally, if a more detailed assessment is subsequently taken up with BACTEC the price of the BombRisk report (£175) is fully deducted.

Go to BombRisk.com to order assessments and view samples.

Crossrail developers unearth plague pit full of skeletons

Recent development on London's Crossrail project at Charterhouse Square has unexpectedly unearthed bodies from the Black Death that date back to the Middle Ages.

While a significant plague burial ground was previously known to be somewhere outside the City of London its exact location remained unknown until now. So far thirteen bodies have been found in the 5.5m-wide shaft.

Crossrail Charterhouse development Black Death burial find (Image: Crossrail)

"We've found archaeology from pretty much all periods - from the very ancient prehistoric right up to a 20th-Century industrial site, but this site is probably the most important medieval site we've got," said Jay Carver, project archaeologist for Crossrail.

Archaeologists working for Crossrail and the Museum of London are continuing the excavation to unearth yet more remains on the site. This discovery adds to an already impressive range of remains found during the Crossrail development. These include:

• skeletons near Liverpool Street
• a Bronze-Age transport route
• the largest piece of amber ever found in the UK

FIND works in partnership with Crossrail's archaeology and heritage consultant Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) to produce HeritageRisk reports for vital early heritage site assessment. These  provide site assessment of likely built heritage and archaeological issues for development sites. They are suitable for development feasibility studies, negotiations, due diligence, budget forecasts, acquisition decisions and project planning.

Find out more : HeritageRisk.co.uk
View the Crossrail Charterhouse site on sketchmap.co.uk

FIND 2012 highlights and the year ahead in spatial data services

FIND's director, Simon Lewis, gives a run down of 2012 and offers a taster of things to come for 2013.

January is traditionally a time for taking stock and making plans, looking back and forwards, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to recap on what we did in 2012 and mention a few things coming that are going to make 2013 an exciting year for spatial data services.

2012 was very busy, we developed and launched a number of innovative sites and services designed to help you solve your business problems with spatial data:

• sketchmap.co.uk – a free site offering maps and data overlays where you can simply make and share maps 
• new pricing for Ordnance Survey mapping - featuring free MasterMap viewing plus cheaper prints and exports! 
• HeritageRisk.co.uk – now you can order HEA and heritage site assessments online 
• BombRisk.com – order instant online UXO risk assessments 
• MarineFind.co.uk – new portal showcasing our comprehensive marine data and services 

2013 will see the launch of more exciting new products to help you access data as, when and how you want it:

• data as online services – no need for local storage, just subscribe to our unique marine data feeds and away you go 
• more instant site report services - we're working on some great products that will really save you time and money 
• and don't forget our online data portal www.findmaps.co.uk – providing instant access to an unrivalled collection of UK spatial data

If you need mapping tools within your organisation do get in touch, as you can see we have great technology and the ability to build unique online mapping applications!

Wishing you a healthy, happy and prosperous year,

Simon 

Simon Lewis
FIND Managing Director

Seasons Greetings 2012 from FIND Maps

We thought we would take the opportunity to celebrate the festive season by producing a sketchmap.

Created in Sketchmap, see link here

The above example uses a unique map background created with the 'Customise Map' feature. Usually the Google Map comes in its classic map legend, making the different map features like roads and parks easily recognisable. By changing some of the colours, the map background can be made to look more Christmas themed. In this case using a combination of greens. Red text was also added using the extensive range of annotation tools.

To try your own hand at annotating a map just go to sketchmap.co.uk and click on the drawing tools to get started.

Managing heritage and archaeology risks for developers

HeritageRisk.co.uk  is an innovative online service designed specifically for archaeology and heritage risk assessment at the pre-planning stage.

Knowing the risk built heritage and archaeological issues pose for a site can
allow developers to identify and mitigate for them at the pre-planning stage

Discussing their new collaborative project, Simon Lewis (Managing Director of FIND) and Chris Thomas (Director of Planning Services at Museum of London Archaeology or MOLA):

Chris     There are a number of excellent testimonials on the FIND website, not just from developers, but from a whole range of organisations.

Simon   Absolutely Chris…I very much see relationships as being central to FIND’s success.  We’re a small company specialising in data and technology.  We work closely with data providers such as Ordnance Survey, English Heritage and so on…then add value to the data we deliver.  One of the ways we can do that is to work in partnership with organisations like MOLA to deliver ‘Data +’. 

Chris     So you’re providing data and its people like us who’re providing the interpretation of that data.

Simon   Exactly…and we’re expanding in several other areas by collaborating with partners who can add that level of expertise.  For example, we’re currently working with a company that specialises in unexploded ordnance in order to deliver online UXO risk reports.

Chris     So what made you think that heritage risk was a good area to get into?

Simon   FIND already delivers a lot of heritage data.  In fact our free site [sketchmap.co.uk] gives people access to data on listed buildings, scheduled monuments, battlefields and so on.  Casual users are often interested in this sort of information, but to a developer it’s absolutely essential.  It’s going to come out at some point in the planning process, so best to know in advance.

Chris     It’s interesting that you mention listed buildings, because we spend much more of our time now looking at above ground heritage.  And the structures we’re looking at aren’t necessarily designated as the greatest buildings.  It’s more a case of people’s perceptions.  And as the general public has greater input into planning decisions, overall perception of the built environment is increasingly likely to become a risk for developers.  And you can’t manage risks if you don’t understand them.

Simon   Exactly…I was always told that a good project is one where there are no surprises.

Chris     At MOLA we try to make sure that developers are informed and prepared.  Having all the information you need in advance is far better than a scenario in which workers on site are standing idle and costs are mounting if a heritage or archaeological issues have suddenly arisen.

Simon   And providing this service online speeds up the process of getting crucial information about a site, understanding any issues and planning for them.

 

Chris     And do you think the online ordering system is straightforward?

Simon   Undoubtedly…everyone is now so familiar with ordering goods and services online that the days of doing this kind of work offline are fading fast.  Ordering is very straightforward.  Users just type in a postcode, view the area, mark up the site and then request a quick report, a detailed report or a full Historic Environment Assessment.

Chris     What impresses you most about MOLA assessments?

Simon   Not only do the reports look great, they’re easy to read and packed with information.  Before embarking on projects like this we seek out the best partners. And when it comes to archaeological assessment, building assessment and heritage in general, there’s no better name than MOLA.

www.HeritageRisk.co.uk

Marine web mapping services: A new era in marine data delivery

As you know, users of terrestrial GIS need no longer source, order and store spatial data. Instead, they access services online and ‘on demand’. Unfortunately, users of marine data have not been so well served. 

Applying advances in GIS to the marine environment have been hampered by the fact that data was frequently hard to source, often encoded and difficult to access for non-navigational purposes. It was also collected and maintained in different formats by departments which failed to communicate with one another and were bound by issues relating to national security and navigational safety.

Examples of marine geodata (from left) bathymetry; seabed DEM; Marine Themes;
seamless Feature Layers overlaying Marine Themes DEM; raster chart.

In recent years, however, initiatives driven by national and pan-national bodies have highlighted the need for marine date to be made more widely available and many leading hydrographic offices have responded positively…paving the way for the development of new WMS, WCS and WFS marine data feeds.

 The disparate nature of traditional marine data collection and its division into different categories (oceanic, coastal approach, ports and harbours) means that integrating this data into a uniform spatial layer presents considerable challenges. Compiling a scaled WMS feed of UKHO raster charts, for example, requires the compilation and de-confliction of hundreds of individual files. The exact display order must be carefully determined to develop a useable and cohesive map background. Similar de-confliction is also needed with vector data derived from an electronic version of the raster chart. Only once these issues are fully resolved is it possible to deliver consistent marine mapping data in a meaningful format.

In order to create ‘on demand’ services it’s also necessary to address bandwidth issues, optimise data for efficient delivery, ensure that the server infrastructure is efficiently and robustly configured, and to offer secure access.

Previously, many applications have compromised by offering a ‘halfway house’ between immediate data access, security and user operability. A true ‘on demand’ service offers immediacy, flexibility, efficiency and cost savings.

 Happily, working in association with OceanWise (which has secured access to a variety of marine data sources for non-navigational uses) FIND  can now offer:

• Marine raster charts service (WMS) 
• Marine web map (TMS) 
• Marine themes feature services (WFS) 

As more data becomes available we look forward to developing new services to support the growing number of businesses operating within the marine sector. To find out more about FIND’s marine data and services go to our dedicated site MarineFIND.co.uk

 The above blog was adapted from a longer article published in Nov/Dec 2012 Geoconnexion UK, by Jon Coleman, Marine & Environmental Business Manager at FIND and John Pepper, Marketing Director of OceanWise Ltd. 

Read the full article on the MarineFIND website