DIT Spatial Information Strategy 2012

DIT Spatial Information Strategy 2012

Page 1

Masters in Spatial Information

Management

Department of Spatial Information Science

DT113 (2011 – 2013)

Geographic Information Management 2

SSPL 9050

GI Management Organisational Strategy in DIT

Submitted by

Catherine Kavanagh

Andrea Acinelli

James O Byrne

Submission Date: 09th

November 2012

For the attention of: Mr. Paddy Prendergast


Page 2

Contents

1. Introduction ....................................................................................................... 4

1.1 Project Brief ................................................................................................. 4

1.2 Background .................................................................................................. 4

1.3 Proposed Methodology ............................................................................... 4

1.4 Face to Face Interviews ................................................................................ 6

1.6 Project Scope ............................................................................................... 6

1.7 Deliverables ................................................................................................. 7

1.8 Constraints .................................................................................................. 7

2. Overview of Current Spatial Data System ........................................................... 8

2.1 Organisational Overview .............................................................................. 8

2.2 Stakeholders ................................................................................................ 8

2.3 Previous Audits and Reports ........................................................................ 9

2.4 Stakeholder Interviews ................................................................................ 9

2.5 Overview of Interview Results ..................................................................... 9

3 Assessment of organizational needs ...................................................................... 11

3.1 Methodology overview .................................................................................. 11

3.2 Identification of organizational issues ............................................................ 11

3.3 Identification of organizational needs ............................................................ 15

3.4 Prioritize needs .............................................................................................. 16

3.5 Conclusions .................................................................................................... 17

4 SWOT analysis of current system .......................................................................... 18

4.1 Introduction ................................................................................................... 18

4.2 Methodology .................................................................................................. 18

4.3 SWOT chart .................................................................................................... 18

4.4 Filter tests ...................................................................................................... 19

4.5 Filtered SWOT chart ....................................................................................... 20

4.6 SWOT alignment ............................................................................................ 21

5. Business Case Analysis ..................................................................................... 23

5.1 Cost benefit analysis .................................................................................. 23

5.2 Recommendations ..................................................................................... 24

6. Strategy Proposal ............................................................................................. 26

6.1 Key roles and responsibilities ..................................................................... 26

6.2 Data Acquisition ......................................................................................... 28

6.3 Data management ..................................................................................... 28

6.4 Implementation ......................................................................................... 31

6.5 Monitoring ................................................................................................. 33

References ............................................................................................................... 34


Page 3

List of Tables

Table 1 - Report Deliverables ..................................................................................... 5

Table 2 - List of Interviewees ...................................................................................... 6

Table 3- Project Stakeholders ..................................................................................... 8

Table 4 - Issues identified ......................................................................................... 14

Table 5 - Legend for Issues Identified ....................................................................... 15

Table 6 - Identified needs ......................................................................................... 16

Table 7 - Key of Identified Needs .............................................................................. 16

Table 8 - Priority of Requirements ............................................................................ 17

Table 9 - Key of Priority of requirements .................................................................. 17

Table 10 - SWOT factors ........................................................................................... 19

Table 11 - Filtering tests for strengths and weaknesses ............................................ 19

Table 12 - Filtering tests for opportunities and threats ............................................. 20

Table 13 - Filtered SWOT .......................................................................................... 21

Table 14- Cost/Benefit Analysis ................................................................................ 24

Table 15 - Strategy Development Milestones ........................................................... 26

Table 16 - Roles and Responsibilities ........................................................................ 27

List of Figures

Figure 1 - DIT Organisation Overview (areas investigated as part of this report shown in

yellow) ....................................................................................................................... 8

Figure 2 - Project Organisation Chart ....................................................................... 26

Figure 3 - Data management procedure ................................................................... 28

Figure 4 - Sample folder structure ............................................................................ 30


Page 4

1. Introduction

1.1 Project Brief

As part of our module Geographic Information Management 2, we were challenged to

prepare a report proposing a Strategy to establish and manage spatial information

resources within the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT). The proposed strategy is to

cover the entire DIT campus which consists of four colleges / schools, Arts & Tourism,

Business, Engineering & Build Environment and Sciences & Health. In all, over 14,000

students accommodated in over 40 buildings located around the greater Dublin city area.

Ref: DIT Strategic Plan 2011-2014

Supporting information and background research was obtained under the direction of

our module lecturer, Mr Paddy Prendergast, from sources selected within the areas of

Spatial Planning, Architecture, Library and IT Services.

The tasks required were as follows:

1. Identify and critically evaluate the need for spatial information use

within DIT for teaching, research and strategic management.

2. Prepare a SWOT analysis of the current availability and supply of

spatial information within DIT.

3. Specify the main headings and functions required to establish and

manage the geographic information resources deemed necessary.

The strategy proposed, while covering spatial data use within DIT as a whole, is based on

research and information from the four areas outlined above. The areas investigated,

while not covering the entire campus / college are considered to be the main users of

geographic information data and considered to be representative of the general

requirements within the college.

1.2 Background

The use of spatial data for environmental planning and control within Government and

private organisations is becoming ever more popular. The increased awareness at

government and local authority levels has been recognised by many third level institutes

and colleges, Dublin Institute of Technology included. Across the Schools and

Departments of DIT, there are many opportunities to use spatial data for a wide variety

of opportunities at both teaching, research and management levels.

1.3 Proposed Methodology


Page 5

In order to deliver on the project, a comprehensive plan was adopted. From the six

students in the class two groups of three were formed with each group preparing a

spatial data management strategic proposal report. A list of question was compiled from

each of our initial individual suggestions and these, along with a number of more general

discussion points formed the bases of discussion during face to face interviews. A copy of

the questionnaire along with notes of the answers is included in the appendix.

No. Deliverable Tasks

1 Project outline Define goals

Define scope

Define deliverables

Identify constraints

Define Methodology

2 Outline of current system Organisational overview

Identify key stakeholders

Review previous audits and reports

Interview stakeholders

Document interviews

Analysis of results

3 Analysis of current availability

and supply

SWOT

4 Assessment of organisational

needs

Define requirements

Prioritise requirements

Agree requirements with stakeholders

5 Analysis of business case Costs & Benefits

Tangible and intangible

6 Specification of strategy headings

and functions

Document proposed solutions

Table 1 - Report Deliverables


Page 6

1.4 Face to Face Interviews

Representative

Home Department

Mr Paddy Prendergast

College of Build Environment, Dept. of Spatial Planning

Mr Eamonn Donnelly

College of Build Environment, Dept. of Spatial Planning

Mr Gerry O Brien

College of Build Environment, Dept. of Architecture

Mr Bill Murphy

Dublin Institute of Technology, Librarian

Ms Bridget Gleeson

Dublin Institute of Technology, IT Services Table 2 - List of Interviewees

1.5 Project Goals

This Report presents a number of goals;

1. Identify the main spatial data sources with each department / area.

2. Establish the extent of existing data within each department / area.

3. Introduction of a proposed strategy to establish and manage geographical

information resources within the school of spatial planning, the department of

architecture and the library.

4. Outline the benefits afforded by the implementation of a centrally located and

well managed spatial strategy

The spatial strategy will take an organisation wide view of the data and put in place

guidelines for the audit, storage and access of spatial data. It will also allow open access

to GI data for all students.

1.6 Project Scope

The project scope involves formulating a proposal to implement a centrally managed GI

storage and access facility within DIT. The facility openly inform others of the spread of

data that is available across the for teaching, research and strategic management

• Teaching

• Research – how is spatial information used in research and who by?

• Strategic Management – how is/can spatial information be used in strategic

management and who by? Opportunity?


Page 7

1.7 Deliverables

The following are the deliverables of the project;

1. An outline of goals, scope, deliverables and constraints.

2. An outline of the current system for accessing and managing spatial data.

3. An assessment of the organisational needs for spatial information for teaching,

research and strategic management.

4. SWOT analysis of the availability and supply of spatial data.

5. Specification of the main headings and functions required to prepare a strategy to

manage and optimise the geographical information resources.

1.8 Constraints

Every strategy and every proposal will inevitably involve some degree of constraint. To

break the constraints down, they will be examined under two areas, initially in the short-

term and secondly the long-term serviceability and population of the strategy.

Initial

1. Completing an audit of the existing spatial data – each lecturer required to openly

participate.

2. Logging and cataloguing the existing data

3. Removal and storage of existing data from stand-alone computers to centrally

located storage facility.

4. Identification of data sources, OSi, local Authorities, government agencies

5. Identifying a mechanism & location for central data storage and data retrieval by

other parties.

On-going

1. Funding – at both school and college level to maintain licence agreements with

external spatial data suppliers.

2. Internal maintenance and upkeep of centrally located spatial data facility

3. An open willingness of continued and acceptance usage of the lecturers and staff

involved in the use of the strategy.


Page 8

2. Overview of Current Spatial Data System

2.1 Organisational Overview

An overview of a strategic layout for the DIT college structure is shown in figure 2.1. The

areas considered in the investigation into developing this Strategy are outlined in yellow.

These areas are the main users of GIS and spatial data. Many of the other areas listed

could also benefit from a correctly functioning GIS strategy, both as a learning tool and

management instrument.

Figure 1 - DIT Organisation Overview (areas investigated as part of this report shown in yellow)

2.2 Stakeholders

The key stakeholders are listed below in table 2.1, their involvement is essential to

defining current processes, identifying needs, agreeing requirements and agreeing the

strategy proposal.

Name Position Role

Dr. Paddy Prendergast Lecturer, School of Spatial

Planning

Project Sponsor

Mr. Eamonn Donnelly Lecturer, School of Spatial

Planning

Key Contributor

Mr. Gerry O’Brien Lecturer, School of Architecture Key Contributor

Bill Murphy Librarian, Bolton Street Library Data Custodian

Bridget Gleeson IT Manager, Dublin Institute of

Technology

IT Manager

Table 3- Project Stakeholders

Dublin Institute of Technology

College of Arts and Tourism

Art, Design and Printing

Music and Drame

Culinary Arts and Food Technology

Hospitality Mgmt and Tourism

Languages Media

Social Sciences and Law

College of Business

Accounting and Finance

Graduate Business School

Management Marketing

Retail and Services Management

College of Engineering & Built

Environment

ArchitectureCivil & Building

Services Engineering

ConstructionElectrical

Engineering Systems

Electronic and Communications

Engineering

Manufacturing & Design Engineering

Mechanical & Transport

Engineering

Real Estate & Construction Economics

Spatial Planning

College of Sciences and Health

Boilogical SciencesChemical and

Pharaaceutical

ComputingFood Science and

Environmental Health

Mathematics Health


Page 9

2.3 Previous Audits and Reports

• Towards the implementation of spatial data management best practice with the

department of spatial information science, Dublin Institute of Technology – Ciara

Sherwin, BSc Geomatics 2008.

• GI Management (SSPL9050) Module Assignment 2009, Dublin Institute of

Technology, Masters in Spatial information Management (GIM2) class 2008-10.

2.4 Stakeholder Interviews

Interviews were held with each of the stakeholders in order to

• identify current operational procedures and deficiencies for data collection,

access and management

• identify essential requirements and secondary requirements

• clarify their willingness to participate in the strategy and their role in the future

development of the strategy

• identify constraints to the implementation of the strategy

• take on board any suggestions or preferences

The interviews took approximately one hour and took the form of a series of questions

and an informal discussion on some of the issues.

The questions and results of the interviews are outlined in the following section. Each of

the questions has been assigned a priority based on the answers received.

2.5 Overview of Interview Results

A list of the questions and notes of the answers from each interviewee are contained in

the appendices. An outline of the main issues raised during interviews are listed below;

1. There is currently no driver for change - however it is generally agreed that a

comprehensive review and cataloguing of all existing spatial data would be

welcomed – the benefits far out-weigh the effort involved.

2. Best practice would necessitate having in place a general strategy on spatial data

– storage and sourcing.

3. Based on individual research and published work, there is a general awareness of

where to seek specific spatial data from, however there is a Lack of awareness of

spatial data assets within the college and there is duplication of data acquisition

in many cases.


Page 10

4. Data is commonly sources by individuals with licence agreements being inn place

with the OSi.

5. The requirement for up to date and accurate data varies within departments.

6. A DIT funded and centrally driven management strategy would be the obvious

way forward – the library should be the data custodian.

7. A more formal DIT college procedure should be adopted to inform users of spatial

data 9students & staff) about licences and usage agreements on the use of spatial

data.

8. There is a lack of awareness and understanding of the metadata associated with

much of the existing spatial data.

9. Sharing and access to data held by colleagues is often not explored – new data is

simply ordered from sources outside the college.


Page 11

3 Assessment of organizational needs

The following need analysis was carried out to evaluate the primary and secondary

requirements necessary for the successful implementation of the proposed strategy

which aims to establish and manage the GI (Geographic Information) resources in DIT.

3.1 Methodology overview

The needs for spatial information use in DIT were analysed under three main

organizational areas: teaching, research and strategic management.

All the issues raised during the interview process with the stakeholders were identified

and categorized under ten topics representing critical data management aspects. The

relevance of each issue was then assessed by looking at the number of key areas directly

affected and the results shown in Table 1 clearly indicate a group of issues (dark blue)

that have an impact on all three study areas.

It is particularly important that these groups of issues are addressed on the proposed

strategy because of the broader benefits that they can bring to DIT as an organization as

opposed to focusing on a problem that only affects the area of research for example.

After an accurate examination of all the main issues, organizational needs were identified

as shown in Table 2. In addition, each need was ranked based on two parameters: level of

importance (Priority) and how difficult it would be to be implemented (Achievable) due

to various constraints.

Finally, in Table 3 a needs assessment matrix was used to highlight and prioritize the

requirements (primary and secondary) that would form the basis to formulate an

effective and successful strategy for the management of spatial information in DIT.

It is important to note that due to the nature and restriction imposed on the preparation

of this document, and the extensive use of tables/graphics to present the result, it has

not been possible to extensively evaluate all the issues and needs that are required for a

full evaluation.

3.2 Identification of organizational issues

The review of the interview results has highlighted a large number of current

organizational issues in the management of GI resources in DIT. These issues affect, to

various degrees, different business processes and existing IT systems which are vital to

the daily activities of students, lecturers and administration staff.

For the purpose of this report a critical evaluation of the issues identified will be

presented in the following four paragraphs where they were grouped into four broader

topics. See Table 1 below for a tabular representation of each issue and the key study

areas directly affected.


Page 12

3.2.1 Data Management

It has emerged that spatial data is generally managed differently on an individual basis

without a coordinated and collective effort at school or departmental level.

Consequently, duplication of data management activities are inevitable causing a

considerable amount of resources and time to be used inefficiently and at additional

costs.

The absence of a central data management system also highlight the issues associated

with data backups and security in terms of possible data loss due to hardware failures or

to inappropriate access restrictions set on the individual PC.

However, there is a strong awareness of the level of current inefficiencies among the

stakeholders interviewed showing that the problem is well recognized and acknowledged.

3.2.2 Data use and availability

The results of the survey indicated that data sourcing activities are not coordinated and it

also showed a lack of awareness about what type of spatial data is held available at both

departmental and faculty level although each individual lecturer knows to a small extent

what data is available from other colleagues within the same School.

The present situation is widely recognized as being one of the major causes for the

duplication of spatial data. However, there is evidence of a strong desire to complete an

extensive spatial data audit to solve part of the issue.

Two previous isolated attempts in preparing data catalogues were made but partially

failed due to a lack of time and financial support.

With regards to data storage, it has also emerged that a considerable amount of data sets

acquired in the past are now permanently stored on various personal computers and

other data sets obtained for specific projects/studies are being deleted at the end of each

academic year for obvious legal restrictions.

Moreover, a personal computer is available in the library that allows students to access

Ordnance Survey (OSi) data through requests submitted to the library staff.

Generally it can be stated that data is distributed to students either directly by the

lecturer (e.g. USB) or via the existing network infrastructure (personal network drives).

3.2.3 Data Quality

Requirements for data quality vary within departments and significant data quality issues

were raised with great concern with regards to certain characteristic. In fact, the high

level of currency, accuracy and reliability of some data sets is critical in particular to

researchers and architects (who need to represent reality) while the format and

consistent occurrences of data sets are more important for other teaching areas such as

in the School of Spatial Planning.

It has become apparent that failing to meet teaching and research requirements in

particular, can lead to poor quality researches and even threaten the reputation of the

faculty among academics and future students.

The questionnaire also revealed that the quality of metadata associated with spatial data


Page 13

sets is a real concern. It could results in students using data which is not fit for purpose.

3.2.4 Legal

Current practices for establishing and monitoring licence agreements for the acquisition

and use of spatial data sets have emerged as relevant issues. Although, students are

asked to sign off a document to respect terms and condition about the use and re-use of

the copyright sensitive data it is felt that they are not sufficiently well informed about it.

At the present there is no system in place to monitor the use of data stored on student

personal computers or laptops after the completion of projects.

Equally important is the concern expressed by the interviewees over DIT liability for the

misuse of data by students. There could be very serious legal consequences for DIT as an

organization if licence agreements are breached.

Stakeholders

directly

affected by

issues

DIT Areas

directly

affected by

issues

No. Issues Identified P G E B T R SM

1. Availability

1.1 Lack of awareness about what data is held at

departmental level

● ● ● ●

1.2 Lack of awareness about what data is held at

faculty level

● ● ● ●

1.3 No existing/current data audit carried out ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

2. Acquisition

2.1 Data sourcing activities are not coordinated ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

2.2 Duplication of data acquisition ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

3. Storage

3.1 Current data stored by individual lecturers ● ● ● ●

3.2 Storage of old spatial data ● ● ●

4. Accessibility

4.1 Data accessibility to lecturers and students ● ● ● ● ● ●

4.2 Data stored created from research projects ●

4.3 Archived data availability ● ● ●

5. Quality

5.1 Currency of data ● ● ●

5.2 Inconsistent occurrences of data ● ● ● ● ●


Page 14

Stakeholders

directly

affected by

issues

DIT Areas

directly

affected by

issues

5.3 Data doesn't meet needs ● ●

5.4 Data quality ● ● ●

5.5 Data accuracy ● ● ●

5.6 Data reliability ● ● ●

5.7 Lack of metadata information causing

misinterpretation of data

● ● ● ● ● ● ●

6. Privacy & Data Protection

6.1 Data protection/privacy issues dealt by

lecturers on individual basis

● ● ●

7. Data Management

7.1 Data not well managed ● ● ● ● ●

7.2 Duplication of data management ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

7.3 Lack of a central Data Management System ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

7.4 Data security/backups ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

8. Strategy

8.1 No spatial information strategy at faculty level ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

8.2 Personal involvement in SI strategy ● ● ● ● ● ●

9. Licencing

9.1 Lack of awareness from students about licence

agreements for data use

● ● ● ● ● ●

9.2 Current practices for monitoring licence

agreements

● ● ● ● ● ● ●

9.3 Current practices for establishing licence

agreements

● ● ● ● ● ● ●

9.4 Concerns over DIT liability for misuse of data by

students

● ● ● ● ● ● ●

10. Skills

10.1 Absence of a skills register ● ● ● ● ● ●

Table 4 - Issues identified


Page 15

KEY Relevance of application

Narrow

Medium

Broad

P Paddy Prendergast

G Gerry O'Brien

E Eamonn Donnolly

B Bill Murphy

T Teaching

R Research

SM Strategic Management

Table 5 - Legend for Issues Identified

3.3 Identification of organizational needs

The gathering of appropriate and sufficient data and the identification of the issues

relative to the management of GI resources in DIT have been two crucial steps in the

process for addressing the organizational needs.

The current needs assessment aims to determine primary and secondary requirements

that are both ends-focused and able to provide concrete evidence that can be used in the

proposed strategy.

Following the criteria set in the methodology four high priority needs were identified (see

needs No. 1, 5, 9 and 10 in Table 2 below). Implementing policies and procedures to

address these needs is believed to be crucially important for all three DIT being studied. It

will result in improved accessibility to spatial data and make it easier to search.

It was also very important to consider how achievable each identified need would be.

Costs, time and human resource constraints were considered and three highly achievable

needs were identified which consist of the preparation of the strategy document itself,

the outlined business case analysis and the preparation of a policy for the acquisition of

data from 3rd

party suppliers.


Page 16

No.

Needs identified

Pri

ori

ty

Ach

iev

ab

le

1 Cataloguing of all existing spatial data. VH L

2 Increase staff and student awareness about what data is held at

departmental/faculty level

L L

3 Policy on data sourcing to avoid duplication of spatial data and

duplication of effort in managing the data.

H VL

4 Migration data policy to address old data stored on lecturers PCs, L P

5 Create a Data Management System to facilitate/improve sharing of

spatial information.

VH L

6 Increase awareness among students and staff on the

value/importance of well documented metadata information related

to existing spatial data sets.

H L

7 Policy on data quality addressing the adoption of standards. M P

8 Policy on data protection/privacy and ownership of data M L

9 Propose a spatial information strategy at faculty level VH VL

10 Produce Business Case (ROI) to attract sponsor for strategy. VH VL

11 Policy to review/establish and monitor licence agreements with

new/existing suppliers for acquisition of spatial data sets. Policy to

also address possible DIT liability for misuse of data by students.

H P

12 Create a skill register M U

13 Increase students awareness about licence agreements for data use M L

Table 6 - Identified needs

KEY

Priority Achievable

VH = Very High

H = High

M = Medium

B = Low

VL = Very Likely

L = Likely

P = Probable

U = Unlikely

Table 7 - Key of Identified Needs

3.4 Prioritize needs

The business needs evaluated in the previous sections have been prioritized focusing on

the short-term benefits that are tangible and visible for the organization (DIT) as a whole.

Higher priority was given to those needs that are critically important and at the same


Page 17

time are very likely to be implemented. The findings are not based exclusively on a

technology-driven approach but also on the benefits that can be brought to multiple

processes and multiple users.

The outcome of the assessment is summarized in Table 3 below where primary

requirements are show coloured in red and secondary requirements in orange.

For the successful implementation of the strategy all the requirement need to be

approved and if necessary reviewed by the stakeholders in an iterative process.

IS IT ACHIEVABLE?

__________

PRIORITY

LEVEL

UNLIKELY

POSSIBLE

LIKELY

VERY LIKELY

VERY HIGH

1 - 5 9 - 10

HIGH

11 6 3

MEDIUM

12 7 8 - 13

LOW

4 2

Table 8 - Priority of Requirements

KEY

Probability of being implemented

High (Primary requirements)

Medium (Secondary requirements)

Low

1 - 5 Identified needs from Table 2

Table 9 - Key of Priority of requirements

3.5 Conclusions

Clearly, current practices for the use of spatial data in DIT don't suggest a coordinated

and standardized procedure in the acquisition, storage, distribution and accessibility of

spatial data and they give rise to the data management issues previously analysed which

can impact negatively not only on the teaching and research activities but even at

strategic management level.


Page 18

4 SWOT analysis of current system

4.1 Introduction

In this chapter a SWOT analysis of the current practices involving spatial data is carried

out and it represent the fourth deliverable of this report. The results will be reflected in

the proposed strategy and it is therefore critical to the overall process.

4.2 Methodology

SWOT analysis is one of the most used techniques in the proposal of any type of

strategies. It involves the consideration of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and

threats that can have an impact on the strategy either in a positive or negative way.

Internal (within the organization) and external (outside the organization) factors are

taken into consideration, evaluated (filtered) and aligned and presented in a tabular

format.

The evaluation or filtering step is an adapted version of the methodology used by (Smith,

2006)

4.3 SWOT chart

The first step consisted in listing all the factors that could potentially have an impact on

the strategy in the following table. For example “funding availability” was considered as a

weakness because it may be decided in near future to cut spending in DIT.

Another example would be the “growing availability and power of open source software”

which can be seen as an opportunity. In fact it would be a possible cost saving element in

the proposed strategy. For a full list of swots factors see table 4 below.

Inte

rna

l

Strengths

• Local knowledge of available

data from colleagues

• Existing licence agreement with

OSi

• Existing DIT IT policy in place

• Lecturers knowledge about

spatial data management issues

• Existing IT network infrastructure

• Existing individual

contacts/relationships with

various 3rd

party supplier

• students input with new ideas

• Existing relationships with

various professional body

Weaknesses

• Funding availability

• lack of students and lecturers

availability

• Students lack of awareness about

legal implication to use data

• Data held in silos

• No existing policies on data sharing,

acquisition or licencing

• Disruption to work due to move to

new DIT campus

• no support from management staff


Page 19

Ex

tern

al

Opportunities

• Increasing awareness by

government of the importance of

spatial data

• growing availability and power of

open source software

• growing availability of public and

private open data

• IIS, SCSI collective knowledge of

working practices and use of

spatial data.

• Availability of MapGenie web-

service

• Future merging of OSi, LR and VO

• Improvement of technologies

Threats

• More restrictive licence agreement

and copyrights.

• Further worsening of the economy

• Increase costs of data

Table 10 - SWOT factors

4.4 Filter tests

Filtering each factor is a very import part of the swot analysis. Each factor has to pass four

different tests before it can be considered a “real” factor. This process allows eliminating

those internal and external factors that were included in the chart after an initial

brainstorm session. The full list of criteria is illustrated in Table 5 and 6 below. Please note

that some of the parameter has been slightly modified to better represent the current

analysis.

A strength is only a strength if it is

VRIO

A weakness is only a weakness if it is

MUDU

Valuable: It can create value for the

organization or the client

Meaningful: It makes a significant

difference to the organization

Rare: It is not shared with competitors

(N/A)

Uncommon: It is not shared with

competitors (N/A)

Inimitable: It is difficult or costly to

copy or implement

Difficult: It is not easy or inexpensive to fix,

replace, remove or improve

Organizational aligned: the

organization is able to use the strength

Uncompensated: It is not counterbalanced

by some other factor

Table 11 - Filtering tests for strengths and weaknesses


Page 20

A opportunities is only a opportunities

if it is

VRIO

A threats is only a threats if it is

MUDU

Complementary: It does not prevent

taking advantage of another, better,

opportunity

Unmitigated: It is not removed or

significantly reduced by some other

Large: It is big enough to justify the

costs to absorb benefits

Significant: It is a large enough threat to

make a significant impact on the

organization

Accessible: It can be taken advantage

of by the firm

Undefended: It is not removed or

significantly reduced by some action the

organization is already undertaking

Lasting: It last long enough to be taken

advantage of

Lasting: It last long enough to have a

significant impact on the organization

Table 12 - Filtering tests for opportunities and threats

4.5 Filtered SWOT chart

The new SWOT chart as shown in Table 7 has been cut down by the filtering process

applied to the internal and external factors. The strength “students input with new ideas”

factor had to be remove from the SWOT as it is not an Inimitable factor and therefore it

failed to pass the test.

Equally, the weakness ''Disruption to work due to move to new DIT campus” didn't pass

the test because it is counterbalanced by the existence of another factor, the “existing IT

network infrastructure”, which will manage the move with a well-studied project plan

aimed at minimizing any disruption to on-going work.

In contrast, the strength “Existing DIT IT policy in place”, met all the criteria and passed

the filter test. Therefore it can be considered a “real” strength.

Unfortunately, due to the limitations imposed to this report, it was not possible to

present the analysis of all the other internal and external factors in such detail.


Page 21

Inte

rna

l

Strengths

• Local knowledge of available

data from colleagues

• Existing licence agreement with

OSi

• Existing DIT IT policy in place

• Lecturers knowledge about

spatial data management issues

• Existing IT network

infrastructure

• Existing individual

contacts/relationships with

various 3rd

party supplier

• students input with new ideas

• Existing relationships with

various professional body

Weaknesses

• Funding availability

• lack of students and lecturers

availability

• Students lack of awareness about

legal implication to use data

• Data held in silos

• No formal policies on data sharing,

acquisition or licencing

• Disruption to work due to move to

new DIT campus

• No support from management staff

Ex

tern

al

Opportunities

• Increasing awareness by

government of the importance

of spatial data

• Growing availability and power

of open source software

• Growing availability of public

and private open data

• IIS, SCSI collective knowledge of

working practices and use of

spatial data.

• Availability of MapGenie web-

service

• Future merging of OSi, LR and

VO

• Improvement of technologies

Threats

• More restrictive licence agreement

and copyrights wanted by suppliers

of data.

• Further worsening of the economy

• Increase costs of data

• Termination of data supply by

supplier

Table 13 - Filtered SWOT

4.6 SWOT alignment

Alignment involves two important thought processes. The first one is to look for the

relationship between, on the one hand, strengths and opportunity, on the other,

weaknesses and threats. The second step consists in finding the implications of those

factors for the strategy.


Page 22

• S - Existing relationships with various professional body

• O - IIS, SCSI collective knowledge of working practices and use of spatial data.

Action: Strategy could use the existing contacts with various professional bodies

to build better relationships and avail of an up to date and professional view on

academic and technical issues.

• S - Existing licence agreement with OSi

• O - Availability of MapGenie web-service

Action: The strategy should aim to exploit the use of OSi data by using MapGenie

as a corporate wide source for spatial data.

• W - Students lack of awareness about legal implication to use data

• T - More restrictive licence agreement and copyrights wanted by suppliers of data.

Action: strategy should address the adoption of more formal policies on

awareness and licence agreements

• W - Local knowledge of available data from colleagues

• O - Growing availability and power of open source software

Action: Strategy should use the existing local knowledge and the availability of an

open source solution to build the data catalogue for the use across the entire

organization


Page 23

5. Business Case Analysis

The implementation of a spatial data management strategy is required to support the

efficient use of spatial information resources for teaching, research and strategic

management. The strategy must be an organisation wide strategy to benefit all areas of

the business. Information management projects must always be designed so that they

deliver tangible and visible benefits. Delivery of tangible benefits involves identifying

concrete business needs that must be met. (Robertson 2005)

5.1 Cost benefit analysis

The cost benefit analysis will provide a comparative assessment of the anticipated costs

against the benefits involved in developing and implementing the strategy. The analysis

will include the costs for implementation (non-recurring) and the recurring costs and

benefits of the strategy post-implementation. It is also useful to consider the cost of not

developing and implementing a data management strategy.

One of the primary constraints in implementing a data management strategy will be the

cost. In the current economic climate, budgets are reduced and resources are stretched

due to non-replacement of key staff. The development and adoption of a strategy is a

key milestone and demonstrates a willingness to incorporate best practice and do things

better. The strategy aims to limit the implementation costs involved and to identify the

business benefits that can be achieved. Benefits may accrue in a variety of ways,

including cost savings, efficiency gains, and new opportunities to create value through

doing things in new ways and doing new things. These are, successively, more difficult to

quantify, not least because they often emerge over time and can only be realised in the

future (Houghton 2011).

Cost/Benefit Analysis

Costs (Non recurring)

• Existing data holdings audit, quality assessment and metadata creation

• Creation of data repository using existing I.T. infrastructure

• Installation of software for data catalogue

• Initial training and awareness

• Implementation resource (intern)

Costs (Recurring)

• Metadata creation for new datasets

• MapGenie licence

• Training and awareness


Page 24

Cost/Benefit Analysis

Benefits For Teaching & Research

• Clear understanding of spatial data resources

• Clear understanding of data quality

• Better control over the data

• Elimination of duplication in data collection and storage

• More efficient use of data

• Encourages and increases use of data

• Encourages and increases re-use of data

• Reduces costs of collection and use

Benefits for Strategic Management

• Increased confidence that data is being managed efficiently with clearly

defined policies relating to access, use, quality and security

• Improve the availability of GI data to support strategic management

• Partnership and new business process opportunities

• Better decision making

• Improved communication

Table 14- Cost/Benefit Analysis

5.2 Recommendations

In order to achieve the maximum benefits, the following recommendations are made to

ensure the delivery of the strategy.

1. The project sponsor should present the business case to management for approval.

Strong leadership is required to drive the strategy through to adoption and

implementation.

2. Inclusion of the strategy as a strategic objective in the DIT Strategic Plan.

3. Appoint a Project Team - Key stakeholders should participate as members of the

project team.

4. Define Roles & Responsibilities

5. Analyse current systems, identify needs, prioritise

6. Develop and agree the strategy

The strategy should outline policies for the following key areas -


Page 25

• Data acquisition

• Data management

• Data use and exchange

• Security

• Monitoring

• Review

The views of the stakeholders should be incorporated into the strategy. This will

ensure that stakeholders will be supportive and in agreement with the strategy and

its subsequent implementation. Once the strategy is adopted, it should be publicised

throughout the organisation to ensure that it is adopted by the staff in all colleges

and schools in DIT.

7. Implement the strategy


Page 26

6. Strategy Proposal

Data management is a corporate service which helps with the provision of information

services by controlling or co-ordinating the definitions and usage of reliable and relevant

data (Gordon 2007).

The strategy aims to provide the policies and procedures to support the consistent

management and access to spatial data for DIT. There benefits have been outlined as

part of the cost/benefit analysis.

The table below outlines the key milestones required to develop and implement the data

management strategy.

No. Milestone

6.1 Assign the key roles and responsibilities

6.2 Define the data acquisition policies and procedures

6.3 Define the data management policies and procedures

6.4 Define the policies and procedures for data use and exchange

6.5 Define the security procedures

6.6 Implement the strategy

6.7 Monitor the application of the strategy Table 15 - Strategy Development Milestones

6.1 Key roles and responsibilities

The following chart and table outlines the key roles recommended for the project.

Figure 2 - Project Organisation Chart

Project Sponsor

Steering Committee

Data Policy Manager

Rep College of Arts & Tourism

Data Stewards

Rep College of Business

Data Stewards

Rep College of Engineering &

Built Environment

Data Stewards

Rep College of Sciences and

Health

Data Stewards

Data Manager


Page 27

Role Responsibilities

Appoint a project

sponsor

A project sponsor is required to oversee the entire project

and specifically to -

• Ensure that the spatial data management policy is in line

with organisational policies i.e. DIT Strategic Plan 2011-

2014, DIT Development Programme 2012, DIT IT

Strategic Development Plan 2012

• Oversee the development and implementation of the

data management strategy

• Sign off on the strategy and support its implementation

Appoint a data policy

manager

The data policy manager will be responsible for

organisational wide strategy and policy development i.e.

• Develop and implement the data management strategy

• Develop the detailed data management policies,

standards, procedures and guidelines across the

organisation

• Agree the strategy, policies, standards, procedures and

guidelines Report to the project sponsor and the

steering committee on progress and issues

• Ensure that data stewards and data manager are kept

fully informed

Appoint a data

management steering

committee

In order to cater for the number of colleges and schools in

DIT, representatives from each college should sit on the

steering committee. The role of the steering committee is

to agree the strategy and support and communicate its

implementation in their area.

Appoint data

stewards

One or more data stewards should be identified for each

business area i.e. for the College of Engineering & Built

Environment, a data steward should be appointed for

Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Spatial

Planning. The data steward is responsible for using the

procedure defined in the data management section of the

strategy for all data acquisition.

Appoint a data

manager

It is proposed that the data manager should be a designated

staff member from the Library. The data manager should be

provided with training to deal with spatial data and will be

responsible for –

• Making the data available once received from the data

steward

• Ensuring students and lecturers have access to the data

• Dealing with enquiries from students and lecturers Table 16 - Roles and Responsibilities


Page 28

6.2 Data Acquisition

This section outlines the data acquisition policy and procedure for spatial data.

OSI data – Data is regularly sourced from the OSI and it is proposed to define the

business case for the purchase of a MapGenie licence as part of the data acquisition

policy. The purchase of the MapGenie licence will remove the need for many of the

requests to OSI for current data. It will also ensure that all students and lecturers have

access to OSI data.

Other Suppliers - DIT obtain data from a limited number of suppliers. The remaining

suppliers should be listed as part of the policy. The list should include contact details,

terms of supply and any copyright and IPR issues that may be associated with data from

the supplier.

6.3 Data management

The data management policy sets out clear responsibilities and procedures for the

management and use of spatial data. Data acquisition should comply with the following

procedure –

Figure 3 - Data management procedure

Data Steward

Check that data does not exist

Data Steward

Define parameters for acquiition

Data Steward

Forward request to data supplier

Data Steward

Acquire data

Data Steward

Assess Quality

Data Steward

Create Metadata

Data Steward

Foward data to data manager

Data Manager

Apply naming convention

Data Manager

Add data to spatial catalogue

Data Manager

Set access levels and publish data


Page 29

6.3.1 Define parameters for acquisition

The parameters for acquisition should be defined using the spatial data acquisition form.

The parameters to be defined include

• Supplier contact details

• Description of the data required

• Spatial extent of the data

• Format required

• Cost, if any

• Proposed use

• Expected benefit

• Access level for the data

• Data request made

6.3.2 Assess Quality

Quality assessment should be carried out by the data steward in line with the quality

assessment policy.

The purpose of describing the quality of spatial data is to enable data users to select the

spatial data or dataset best suited to their needs. It allows data producers/custodians to

validate how well a dataset meets the criteria set out in the product

description/specification, and assists a data user in determining any specific product’s

ability to satisfy the requirements for their particular application. (Victorian Spatial

Council 2009)

It is proposed that data quality should be assessed in accordance with ISO 19113. Non

quantitative elements such as purpose, usage and lineage should be documented.

Quantitative elements should as completeness, logical consistency, positional accuracy,

temporal accuracy and thematic accuracy should also be assessed.

6.3.3 Create Metadata

Proper identification of the spatial data set is essential to exploit the value of the data

and to facilitate data discovery, retrieval and re-use. The data steward should create the

metadata in accordance with internal standards adopted. While the standard identified

in the requirements analysis is INSPIRE, the metadata policy will outline a minimum

number of mandatory fields that must be entered in order to meet user requirements for

discovery and provide information on suitability and fitness for purpose. Additional

metadata fields may also be required depending on the type of data. The policy will

ensure that metadata creation is not too onerous for the data steward as this may

prohibit metadata creation. Training in metadata creation should be provided for all

data stewards.

6.3.4 Apply naming convention & standard folder structure


Page 30

To be efficient, spatial data mangers need a folder structure and file-naming convention

that are practical and reflect the nature of the business and the nature of the data

(Australian Local Government Association 2007).

The folder structure and file naming convention should reflect the theme and topic of the

data. An example of the proposed folder structure is detailed below.

Figure 4 - Sample folder structure

6.3.5 Access & Security

One of the key aims of the data management policy is the provision of easy access to

spatial data for students and staff. The access level for the data will have been supplied

by the data steward. There are two types of access level recommended –

• Access Level 1 – the data is freely available for use by staff and students, a standard

licencing agreement will apply,

• Access Level 2 – use of the data is restricted due to issues with copyright, IPR or

conditions of use. This data must be requested from the data manager and a

separate licence agreement must be signed by the user.

6.3.6 Availability

In order to exploit the spatial data to its full potential, the data should be made available

on the DIT intranet. Where there are no access restrictions on the data, students and


Page 31

lecturers in all colleges can then search for, view and download the data required.

Datasets with restricted access must be requested from the data manager.

6.3.7 Ownership

Each dataset supplied should clearly identify the owner of the data, copyright, and

Intellectual Property Rights and the copyright. The conditions of use should be clearly

stated and available to the user.

6.3.8 Security, Backups & Disaster Recovery

All spatial data will be stored on the DIT network. This will ensure that the data is secure

and restricted from unauthorised access. It will be backed up on a nightly basis.

Disaster recovery will be in accordance with existing IT procedures.

6.4 Implementation

The implementation plan should use existing personnel, Open Source software and

knowledge resources. In order to implement the data management strategy the

following key tasks need to be completed -

6.4.1 Infrastructure

Metadata Catalogue - Use Geonetworks Open source for the metadata catalogue.

Geonetworks is an approved project of the Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo)

and has been deployed in many organisations. Thus, there are strong and reliable

partners and a diverse and vibrant developer community behind the GeoNetwork project

to ensure the continuity and quality of the development (Nuske 2012). It supports

ISO19139, Dublin Core and Federal Geographic Data Committee. The metadata fields can

be adjusted as needed to meet DIT requirements.

Hardware – use existing DIT hardware to host the metadata catalogue and data

repository.

Personnel – Initial implementation will require a dedicated resource to complete the

data audit, populate the metadata catalogue and data repository, carry out training and

awareness of the strategy. It is recommended that a qualified intern is sourced to carry

out these tasks under the supervision of the Data Policy Manager and the Data Manager.

Once completed, the processing of all new metadata and data should be carried out by

the Data Stewards.


Page 32

6.4.2 Data Audit and Migration

A data audit of existing datasets should be completed. The audit should build on the

work carried out in previous projects. The audit should prioritise the datasets and ensure

that priority datasets are made available initially. Remaining datasets should then be

made available.

6.4.3 Management and Governance

The implementation plan should be agreed with the Project Sponsor, Data Policy

Manager, Data Manager and the members of the steering committee. Full support and

resources should be made available to the intern in order to complete the

implementation as efficiently as possible.

It is recommended that the Data Management Strategy should be rolled out on phased

basis. Initial implementation should be carried out in the College of Engineering and Built

Environment and focus on the schools of Spatial Planning and Architecture. This will be a

key implementation phase and will test the policies and procedures in the strategy.

Phase two of the implementation should include the remaining schools in the college.

The demand for access to spatial information in the remaining colleges should be

assessed and the rollout to the remaining colleges prioritised on this basis.

6.4.4 Training and Awareness

Training is required for the Data Stewards to raise awareness of the policies and

procedures in the Spatial Data Management Strategy. They will also require training in

the metadata standards and Geonetworks metadata catalogue.

All students need to be made aware of the new policies and procedures for accessing

spatial data. Training should include awareness of licencing agreements and conditions

of use.

MapGenie awareness and training will also be required for students and lecturers and

should be carried out to ensure that the organisation benefits as quickly as possible from

the cost of the licence. The solution should be widely promoted using DITs existing

student resource centre.

Use of the MapGenie licence must be monitored and agreement reached with OSI on the

release of MapGenie access keys. The expected terms of the licence agreement with OSI

will include an expiry data of the MapGenie licence that will coincide with the end of the

academic year. New access keys should be provided to students at the start of each

academic year to ensure that unauthorised access is not permitted.

Management should also be included in the training and awareness programme. While

the provision of spatial information resources across the organisation will demonstrate

significant benefits for teaching and research, the use of spatial information for strategic

management needs to be investigated in conjunction with management.


Page 33

6.4.5 Budget

There is limited funding available to implement the strategy. However, the

implementation is focused on using existing resources and infrastructure. The hiring of

an intern to carry out the project implementation is a minimal cost. The major cost is the

purchase of the MapGenie licence which is approximately €10,000 per annum. It is felt

that the initial cost could be justified in the business case and monitoring should be

carried out to support the business case for future years.

6.5 Monitoring

Statistics can be obtained from Geonetworks to monitor the access to the datasets.

Reports should be obtained regularly to assess what datasets are being accessed and

how frequently. Use of MapGenie should also be monitored to support the on-going

business need. Reports on usage should be submitted to the Project Sponsor and

steering committee.


Page 34

References

Australian Local Government Association. 2007. Local Government Spatial Information

Management Toolkit, Version 2.0. Module 3 - Data management Principles.

Gordon, K. 2007. Principles of Data Management. The British Computer Society.

Houghton, J. 2011. Costs and Benefits of Data Provision, Report to the Australian

National Data Service.

Intra-governmental Group on Geographic Information. (2005) The Principles of Good

Data Management.

Nuske, R. T., Jan. (2012) GeoNetwork OpenSource: From Index Cards to Spatial Data

Infrastructures.

Robertson, J. (2005) 10 Principles of Effective Information Management.

Victorian Spatial Council. 2009. Spatial Information Data Quality Guidelines.

Smith, Brian, (2006) Hidden Strengths – The proper use and great strengths of the SWOT

analysis.

Sherwin, Ciara, BSc Geomatics DIT (2008), Towards the implementation of spatial data

management best practice with the department of spatial information science, Dublin

Institute of Technology

MSc, GIM Class Report, (2009), DIT, Proposed Strategy for the Management of Spatial

Information Assets in the School of Spatial Planning in Dublin Institute of Technology

(DIT)

Education

DIT Spatial Information Strategy 2012