GIS Layer Verification Process

About the Program

Category: Information Technology (Best in Category)

Year: 2010

The Geographic Information System (GIS) Layer Verification Process is a computer program developed to automate quality control (QC) checks of updates to existing GIS production layers housed in Miami-Dade County’s GIS Central Data Repository. This data warehouse is comprised of hundreds of departmental GIS layers containing both tabular and spatial information in Feature Class format. The increased use of GIS software by County departments had resulted in greater data utilization as well as increased layer additions and updates. Checking layer updates manually for quality control was a time consuming and meticulous process and no longer feasible with current resources. In addition, errors missed during quality checks had serious ramifications, affecting Web and desktop applications, map projects, and jobs county-wide. However, this GIS Layer Verification Process handles large volumes of updates faster, accurately, and efficiently in an automated and non-visual manner. At scheduled times, computerized process checks departments’ secure locations for updates. Layers found are imported into a pre-production area before going through a series of QC checks in an effort to preserve layer integrity and structure consistency. Data administrators are notified of updates and failures, and departments are notified of failures as well. As a result, great efficiencies have been obtained in the process of GIS updates with increased data quality.