Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/84685
Web GIS Windows Forms application and, by the time of release, other more-innovative technologies had been released. Windows Forms provided the means to create a simple form that could be easily filled out to create a row in the database. The application's backend required users to have a local installation of the GIS software and direct connection to the database. Desktop solutions are much more difficult to main- tain than Web applications. As user counts grow, more data get populated. With more information, GIS data become more vital to other groups. Although this sce- nario generally is favorable, the challenge is making the data available to the whole organization. The general response is to take user-entered data and then create many paper maps for many different purposes. This results in an inefficient use of GIS man- hours; the ultimate triumph is empowering the user base to apply information as they see fit. In addition to difficulties around sharing data, the major tipping point in favor of a Web application over a forms application is managing the installs and releases for upgrades and new feature deployments. As the number of users grow, more installs need to be managed. Because demands for large staff increases generally aren't granted, a central location of the appli- cation deployment can be a necessity. Converting from a Windows Forms application to a simple ASP.NET page that had the same functionality isn't a large leap. After Esri released its Web APIs, there was an obvious advantage to incorporating the available functionality into data applications. Because most data have some form of spatial component to them, this gave users a new way to visualize and access information. Types of Technology To fulfill most users' requirements, a robust technology stack is needed. Relaying status and giving the enter- prise the ability to view the "latest and greatest" data is important. The application also has to be easy to work with from multiple angles—from user to developer stand- points. Reporting on data-capture progress is another essential item to consider when selecting components. The technology stack that provided the best fit for Tri-State's needs was a combination of ArcGIS Server, Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) services, Microsoft Silverlight and Telerik reporting. Silverlight was chosen because it was an easy jump from ASP.NET, and it allowed the building of interactive and rich forms that are easy for users to fill out. It also includes the mapping component from Esri's Silverlight API. To keep the application simple for business users, it's important to abstract away all the interworking of the relational database management system. WCF Web services are a great way to "hand off" a bunch of data to a server, and then allow that process to format and store the data. Server-side processing allows a lot of the required quality assurance/quality control and relationship building to be completely invisible and reusable. Because Silverlight runs all services asynchronously, the rest of the application is available to users, allowing them to continue working while the server-side code is running. While making a data-capture application, it's impera- tive to have the application's lead business users look at the interface in stages. Bi-weekly demos allow developers to get back on track more quickly if a task is being made too difficult. The worst-case scenario is wasted time developing an application that isn't used. This means the data- capture effort failed, and the labor hours are unrecov- erable. The benefit of good communication mixed with a Web GIS application is that the requests are known, and the technology makes it easy to update the user interface. Web-based applications make it easier to adapt to changing user requirements. Reporting on the data-capture progress is an impor- Managing data and access to related documents can greatly reduce the amount of time end users spend looking for content. 16 GEO W ORLD / SEPTEMBER 2O12 tant requirement. Business users are only interested in the data—the technology generally is only "cool" to the person creating the solution—so providing an accurate inventory of the system throughout the cap- ture process is highly desirable. To accomplish reporting in the Tri-State solution, for example, reporting controls from Telerik were purchased. Using its reporting controls for Silverlight, reports can be embedded directly into the application,