Integrating People and Tools

Enterprise GIS Success Stories

Nicole Peace – Senior GIS Analyst / Team Lead, Kleinfelder Denver, CO

Ian McGovern – GIS Technical Practice Leader, Kleinfelder Sacramento, CA

Integrating People and Tools

Introduction

Who is Kleinfelder and what do we do?

Technology

Growth and Legacy Infrastructure

Challenges & Solutions

People

Team Integration & Communication

Kleinfelder

Kleinfelder is a nationwide firm with the collective expertise of nearly 2000

employee available to serve our clients most demanding challenges. We have

more than 70 offices globally that lead to an understanding of the local

environments to always bring the right solution to our clients.

GIS Supports engineering and

environmental projects

Nationwide that range in

Size & Complexity

Growth

Growth via acquisitions (Domestic)

8 Firms since 1999

Various services

Varied GIS and IT support

GIS

GIS challenges during growth

Software

Data Management

Legacy Infrastructure

Enterprise GIS Goals

Enabling – access, analysis, decisions

GIS Professional – facilitating the use, growth

Challenges: Software

Lack of central software management

User installed Desktop Software

Single Seat Licensing

Limited availability of tools

Costs

Issues with 3rd party tools

Extend ArcView (Basic)

Challenges: Data Management

Lack of consistent best practices

Varied level of Risk

Local Hard Drive / USB

Server

Each office server path / folder structure different

Enterprise (SDE) Limited

Desktop software limited

Concerns of speed and robustness

Challenges: Legacy

Infrastructure Novell

E-Directory

Oracle Database

Single seat licensing

Lack of central management

Anti-Virus conflicts

Hub Spoke Network

Single Data Center

Challenges: SEA Acquisition

East Coast Firm with GIS infrastructure

Data Center

Microsoft Centric

Supported GIS / IT

Different User Domain (AD Identity Management)

User Base

Legacy KLF and Legacy SEA different

Legacy GIS Infrastructure

East Datacenter

File Storage Streaming Media

West Datacenter

Admin Workstation

ArcGIS Server

10

SDE 9.3.1 / GIS

Database SQL Server

ArcSDE 9.3 Server

Oracle

Asset Management

ArcGIS Server 9.3.1

Clients

IT Solutions

Novell

E-Directory

Oracle Database

Single seat licensing

Lack of central

management

Anti-Virus conflicts

Hub Spoke Network

Single Data Center

Microsoft

AD, ADFS

SQL Server

Enterprise Licensing

SCOM, SCCM

Managed Virus

Improved network

topology

Dual Coast Data

Centers

Legacy Updated

GIS Technology Considerations

Drive path consistency

Mapped (G:\) vs UNC (\\Server\Share)

DBAs and IT support need to understand

GIS Needs

Workflows

Overnight processes

GIS Solutions

Rely upon ESRI ArcGIS Desktop / Server

to manage RDBMS differences

Simplify for users

Data can be stored and managed

anywhere

GIS Solutions

Architecture Considerations

Costs

Support

Resiliency and Robustness

Dual Data Centers

Single Data Center

Ongoing Solutions

Leverage Cloud Resources

Map Services

Long / Short life, editing

Migrating Databases

Develop a strong migration communication plan

Desktop / Personal SDE

ProjectWise for file based resources

Legacy Kleinfelder GIS

Originally a Graphics Tool

Non centrally managed

Personnel & Workload

Inconsistent qualifications

GIS Professional

GIS User

Reliance on under qualified individual

Legacy B&A GIS Team

GIS Delivery Team Model

Structured, Dedicated, Professional Staff

Resourcing Projections

Local Network Drive for all projects

Use & Access Controls

Legacy B&A GIS Team

Integration Additional Technology & Tools Available

Enterprise ESRI Licensing

Community Support

GISCO

Internal Peers

Solutions: People

GIS like any other discipline

Range of skills and specialties

How to get teams to adopt new tech

Learning Curves, Training

How new tech does not replace QA QC

processes

Make best use of integrated QA/QC, visual

reviews, and detail checking protocols

Example Review Procedure

GIS Support Request

Received from GIS

Delivery Lead

GIS Support

Task

Delegated to

Appropriate

Staff Level

Task Completed

in SDE and/or

MXD, Sent to GIS

First Line

Reviewer

GIS First Line

Reviewer checks

task was

completed using

Detail Tracking

Form; exports

updated PDF with

Current Date &

Initials in file

name

GIS Delivery Lead

Reviews New

PDF and adds

responses to

comments &

Initials as sign off

on task; Notifies

Team of task

completion

Solutions: People

Proactively engage Management

Approach planning for future and ongoing

efforts

Assessing GIS project needs and effective

resource delegation

Task assignments to appropriate team

members who understand the technology

People: Communication

Bringing on new services to projects that

did not have it before

Breaking through the way “its always been”

Addressing technology Challenges

Reduces issues on budgets

and schedules

Leverages strengths,

skills and training

Improved GIS Execution

Best data management practices, use of

Practice Technology tools & Enterprise

GIS solutions

Clear communication & collaboration to

understand, identify and achieve internal &

external project deliverables

Leveraging the appropriate GIS tools &

technology

THANK YOU

Questions?