This article first appeared at The American Surveyor Magazine, Aug, 2012
Before dispelling this myth, we need to have a discussion of what makes up a robust GIS system. There are three parts: a database, a mapping engine, and finally a linkage. Each of these three parts is vital to making a GIS a viable solution for the needs of a land surveying business. And while the database and the mapping engine each have advantages to implementation, there is no magic until the linkage is brought to bear.
The Database System
First, a database is a collection of tables that all relate to each other by a defined relationship. Each table in a database is set up with rules on how each data entry (or record) is defined. An analogy of a database table is a spreadsheet, where each column is a data type, and each row is a record of data. Thinking of a database as a collection of related spreadsheets will also help with the design of the database. A database is composed of tables, a table is composed of records, and a record is composed of fields.
For example, let’s say we have a database called "Bob’s Surveying Company," and within this database is a table called "Jobs," within this table is a record for Job Number "12-0002", and a field within this record is the "Client’s Billing Address." All other pertinent information for this Job Number would be located in this same record: What type of work is being performed, how much money will be billed, payment status, where is the project located, etc.
Having a database such as the one described can provide advantages all on its own, as the database can be asked questions about the data within it: this is called creating reports. Questions like the following can all be answered by the database quickly and accurately: How much sales tax did I collect in January of 2012? Does George Construction owe me any money? Which of my current projects need drafting? In fact, because the first task for my GIS system was job tracking, the database system was the first thing I implemented in developing my GIS system.
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Stephen Blaskey is a branch manager with Coastal Surveying of Texas, Inc., a mid-sized land surveying company in Galveston County, Texas. Both an RPLS and a Licensed State Land Surveyor in Texas, he also holds a degree in Geographic Information Science.A 185Kb PDF of this article as it appeared in the magazine—complete with images—is available by clicking HERE