The document discusses how San Jose Water Company and Canyon Lake Water Service Company bridged a gap between their unequal geographic information systems (GIS) by using free and open source software. Specifically, they used Google Earth initially but then transitioned to using QGIS, PostGIS, and FME Server. This allows CLWSC employees access to SJWC's enterprise GIS data through a customized interface without needing expensive commercial off-the-shelf software. The solution provides value to users while being low cost and automated through FME Server.
2. The Gap
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many customers
many needs
many resources more land
same needs
fewer resources
3. The Bridge
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San Jose Water Company
! 140-mi2 service area
! 2774 miles of water main
! 230,000 connections
! 350 employees
Canyon Lake Water Service Company
! 240-mi2 service area
! 532 miles of water main
! 10,000 connections
! 40 employees
7. Building the Bridge
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! Oracle to KML
! KMLStyler
! LabelPointReplacer
! custom attribute display
! Advantages
! Free viewer
! Street View available
! Automated with
FME Server
8. Bridge to Nowhere
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! Disadvantages
! Flat file " unmet need
! Excluded layers to control file size
! Secure file transfers failed often " stale data
! Unfamiliar interface " discouraging experience
! Users accustomed to traditional GIS interface
! Limited interest in learning new ways of doing same things
! Google Earth bulky and unreliable " few users
! Time for a new direction
9. QGIS + PostGIS + FME Server
The future is all about free & open source!
(Plus, nobody needs money in the 24th century.)
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Bridge of the Future
10. Making it so
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Oracle (enterprise data)
Customized interface
with a single plugin
FME
Server
PostGIS (CA copy)
PostGIS (TX copy)
11. Engage!
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! Add other sources
! Join customer
database
! Add fields
! Hyperlinks
(site specific)
! Symbol rotations
! Beautify line
geometry
! Generalizer
! Appealing look
! Faster loading
Adds value
without clutter in
the enterprise
database!
Still automated
with FME
Server!
12. Bridging the Gap
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! Users get access to…
! Engineering as-builts
! Tax assessor data
! Quick customer info
! Added value for users
without ever leaving the map
All at virtually no cost!
13. We’ll Cross That Bridge When it Comes
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! The future is full of possibilities…
! Interface can evolve with users’ needs
! Data from other sources can be added
! Other business needs can be met
! e.g., data entry directly by CLWSC staff to track leak
reports, customer complaints, and more
! Growing staff ≠ growing expense
! Future unknowns are no sweat with FME
14. Water Under the Bridge
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! In summary…
! Google Earth was the right solution for a while,
now it’s QGIS/PostGIS
! FOSS is unpredictable
! Business needs may will change
! FME is the key that unlocks whatever the future
may hold
! FME Server is the caretaker that lets us pay
attention to other things!
15. Thank You!
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! Questions? Ask me at krischelle.love@sjwater.com!
! For more information:
! Quantum GIS: qgis.org
! PostGIS: postgis.net
! For a deep dive into customizing QGIS using Python:
! API to modify existing QGIS interface: qgis.org/api
! Qt Designer to develop new interface:
qt-project.org/doc/qt-4.8/designer-manual.html
! PyQt to talk Python to Qt (and avoid coding in C++):
wiki.python.org/moin/PyQt
! QGIS Plugin Builder to get new interface into QGIS:
hub.qgis.org/projects/plugin-builder