Session Abstract

Best Practices for Developing Geographic Information Models

This workshop will start with background on database design methodology, then present case studies based on an address data model and a parcel data model. These are not prescriptive case studies, but working examples showing how a local government modified ArcGIS data model templates to suit their needs. This approach can be readily applied to many other fields of interest. The workshop includes hands-on exercises for students to carry out in groups of 2-3. Students will fill in forms included in the workbook that engage them in developing the conceptual data model (what are the map layers, where does the data come from, etc), the logical model (what are the key feature classes, object classes, and relationships needed to support these map layers), and the physical model (what are the key fields & other attributes of the tables and relationships).

Speaker Biographies

Douglas Adams

Douglas Adams is a Business Analyst in the Office of Information Technology for Baltimore County, Maryland, where he is responsible for the county's enterprise GIS operation and maintenance. His unit is responsible for maintenance of six enterprise databases: planimetric/topographic, orthophotography, street centerline, cadastral, facilities, and census blocks. He received his BS and MA in Geography and Environmental Planning at Towson University. Mr. Adams has over 20 years of cartographic and geographic information systems experience. Mr. Adams is an adjunct faculty at Towson University and the University of Maryland Baltimore County, where he teaches Interpretation of Aerial Photography, and GIS Database and System Design, respectively.

David Arctur

Dr. David K. Arctur has been a programmer and interoperability engineer for Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) since Feb 2000. He is currently working on geospatial information exchange standards and helps represent ESRI in the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), where he co-chairs three of the working groups. He has recently completed a book with Michael Zeiler, Designing Geodatabases: Case Studies in GIS Data Modeling (ESRI Press, 2004). Dr. Arctur received his BS and MS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, and his Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Florida. He has over 18 years of programming experience, including more than 6 years in object-oriented programming, 10 years in database application design and development, and has been involved in GIS software development for over 10 years. He has developed and conducted numerous seminars in object-oriented GIS technology for industry conferences since 1996.