1. Fourth International Conference on Natural Computation
Design and Application of GIS Software Platform Integrating with DSS Oriented
to E-government
Liang Wang
Professor, Research Centre of Government GIS,
Chinese Academy of Surveying and Mapping
E-mail: wangl@casm.ac.cn
Bin Li
Associate Professor, Research Centre of Government GIS,
Chinese Academy of Surveying and Mapping
E-mail: libin@casm.ac.cn
Abstract 2.Design way of the platform according to the
GIS and DSS integration
Both Geographic Information System (GIS) and
Decision Support System (DSS) are playing an important 2.1.The integration target of software platform
part in government affairs management or Electronic
Government (E-government). But GIS and DSS are According to total construction target of the E-
usually independently working the interactive relation government in China and system management
between them is unsubstantial, so that application of E- requirement, the platform adopts uniform system structure
government to GIS is inconvenient and inefficient. This design, database structure design, module and function
paper puts forward a new idea for designing software design and component development, and takes the
platform based on integrative GIS and DSS according to foundational spatial database as a framework to integrate
target of E-government construction in China, introduces a thematic spatial information, national economy statistics
the function integration target, method and technical way information, government affair information and multi-
in different levels of this platform. This paper has found a media information, and establishes spatial database with
new way of GIS development oriented to E-government, comprehensive information warehouse, and implements
and described successful application in a series of G- GIS, DSS and close integration and vivid function call
government project, such as General National Situation according to the safe electron governmental affairs
Information System, Flood and Drought Prevention platform, and sets up an uniform spatial decision software
Information Service System, West Development platform for the E-government application.
Information Service System and so on. General design of the software platform abides by the
following principles: to meet the overall requirements of
1. Introduction electronic government affairs and digital China
construction, to conform to the national standard and
GIS is one of the construction technology for E- specification and principle of information share and
government, and is also a assistant tool to carry out multi-protocols, to apply the integrated application pattern
management and macro analysis for all levels of C/S and B/S systems, to support information
governments. It has an effect on national economy management structure of multi-subjects and multi-levels
management, disaster prevention and governmental standardization and personality application, to realize the
affairs management [1]. But GIS and Decision Support distributed management and maintenance.
System (DSS) are usually independently working, the
interactive relation between them is unsubstantial, so that 2.2. The uniform database design
application of E-government in GIS is inconvenient and
inefficient. The work point of the database design is to accomplish
Based on this situation, we need to construct software the following work:
platform of the spatial decision support system under the 2.2.1. Confirm design principle. Based on large
network environment, and to tightly integrate decision relational database characteristics, we establishes some
support system (DSS) technique with geographical principle of database design, and at the same time, gives
information system (GIS) technique, so that we can attention to request of GIS and DSS integration, request
supply comprehensive information and decision-making of application function.
service for the governments.
978-0-7695-3304-9/08 $25.00 © 2008 IEEE 483
DOI 10.1109/ICNC.2008.773

2. 2.2.2. Choose database contents. According to handle customer release system resource, so the system
application and characteristics of the spatial system the consumption can be lower.
data contents of the platform are chosen such as the
thematic data, spatial data, attribute data, document and 2.4. The uniform software development
multimedia data ,etc.
2.2.3. Ddesign database. The concept/logic design of the In order to exert respective characteristics of GIS and
database, physical design of the database and setting up DSS in the application, attain the close integration of their
the demonstration test of the database will be carried out function, the platform adopts component to accomplish
in prescriptive method. function integration of GIS and DSS.
The thought of component can make a software
2.3. Uniform data management and scheduling repeatable use, each component has its particular interface
The implement of uniform storage and management and the service which can be provided, and can establish
for spatial data and non-spatial data are differ from pure the valid mechanism of software. The component can
relational data management, also is differ from file define a general call method for software serve, it can
management. The important point is to resolve cross over a link library, application program, system
management efficiency of spatial data within relational software even network, the component can still provide
database and concretely involved technique is described valid path to separate software block, each block provides
as following: respectively service, the developer can use an object-
2.3.1. The establishment of spatial data query oriented method to design and develop program,
mechanism. The key of spatial data organization is index simplified complicated system.
and the good or bad performance of the spatial data index For implement method of the software function,
directly influences the whole performance of spatial because system includes spatial data and relational data(or
database and GIS platform. For the vector spatial data statistic data), for the attribute data of spatial data
index, multi-layer index mechanism and code index adoption relational model are suitable and using SQL
mechanism are established based on entity, map sheet, statement to carry out query is efficient. Because of the
map layer index, spatial data query efficiency is interval complicated relation spatial data has difficult in
improved. For the grid spatial data index, the tree index using the relational model. But Object Oriented method
mechanism such as R tree, R+tree, CELL tree, quad tree, with abstraction, packaging, encapsulation, polymorphism
etc, are used as spatial index, and the structure of tree are is feasible to handle spatial data. Therefore, mixing
stored by array, and code of each spatial object is stored Object Oriented with relational model is suitable for
on the node of the tree. implement integral management of spatial data and
2.3.2. Data compression. Regular GIS manages amount attribute data.
of data, high or low system performance have very great
relation to transmission speed of network. In order to 3. The architecture of the platform
reduce load on network, we consumedly lower the
transmission network quantity using data compression of
Application service structure of the platform adopts
spatial data, so the performance of the system has got
B/S, and the system maintenance adopts C/S structure,
higher. Because vector data has lower degree redundancy
such as figure 1 .
and its compressing potential is not big. For compression
The software platform can be divided into three parts:
of sound, picture, animation, multi-media data, system
application integration tools, application server and client
can make the compression rate bigger attained 50:1 even
module. The tools can deal with spatial data, such as
higher. We can deliver different resolution data layer
input, processes, edit, application theme
method and decrease on-line data quantity for taking
integration/modify in server side. Application server runs
visualization as the application
in server side which receives and analyzes client’s
2.3.3. Making use of large relational database
request, then, gets spatial and non-spatial data from
technique. The query of the great capacity for spatial data
database and send them to client. For complicated spatial
may return to a very big result to gather and attain several
operation, which could not be performed in client side,
100,000 even million records. So we can put the records
such as spatial analysis, the application server will call
to database buffer in server, in the meantime the customer
component in server side to perform the operation. Client
terminal can receive data after getting data in database
side module is consisted of display and user interface.
buffer, and then the customer program will begin, the
Through uniform system structure design, database
receiving data process turns to background. Data
design, modularized function design and component
transmission and data transaction are asynchronous,
development method we can implement close GIS and
customer has no need to wait, in advance the data spreads
DSS integration and vivid function calling, set up uniform
to the customer and they are handled while in need. After
spatial decision software platform.
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3. DSS, the integration of their function are exhibited on
4 The running software and hardware three levels: data layer, maintenance layer and application
environment of the platform service layer. Integration method is shown in figure 2.
Leadership application
Hardware environment: that includes high efficiency
PC server, microcomputer client and wire network whose
speed is above 2M. Secretary application
Software environment: that includes the Windows
operation system in server and client side, data
management by Oracle 9i. Professional application
Customer layer
Display Query Analysis
Safety maintenance
Application service layer
Function management module
GIS and DSS foundation
function layer Spatial query
Relational query
System maintenance tool(C/S) Map & image display
Chart & table display
Spatial analysis
Statistical analysis
Spatial data, statistics data, multi-
media data, metadata, model
database
Figure 2. GIS and DSS function integration
5.1 The integration function design of data
Data exchange maintenance layer
Exchange the center
document Using C/S system structure, the system administrator
based on with professional GIS background can carry out
XML data Government management and support of the spatial database,
network comprehensive information database, operation process
and the user interface.
Departmental 5.1.1. Geography spatial database supports tool. The
network data import module: include importing the various vector
Departmental map data, DEM data, image data, relational attribute data
into system, support the coordinates transformation,
database 1,2
projection change of vector, raster data.
Visualization module: support point, line and polygon
Figure 1. Software platform architecture form cartographic symbol, map symbol design, setting up
a symbol library.
The spatial database creation module: Implement
5 Integrated design and development of the setting up database function of the multi-scale, multi-type
software platform functions spatial database (containing spatial data and its attribute
data, topology data) including library structure definition,
To take GIS as a foundation framework and to use data storage in base, quality inspection and so on.
function calling to implement the close integration with
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4. The meta database maintenance module: Implement for description thematic spatial place, attribute
the metadata creation, edition and management of the information and operating command.
spatial data and attribute data of the system. In order to By providing uniform maintenance tool of the thematic
keep data consistency, we adopt centralized management information the system can complete a thematic tree
pattern of metadata and the data body. creation, register, the increment, delete, copy, modify,
The database management module: Include edit, union, operation for node, and at thematic tree node we can add
clip, backup, recovery, journal management. spatial information (extent, entity), non-spatial
Data automatic exchange module: Complete to add information (table, text, thematic graphics, multimedia)
exterior data from the data switching center, dynamic data and spatial query, spatial analysis and comprehensive
storage in database, creation metadata. information data warehouse analysis ,etc.
5.1.2. The non-spatial database supports tool. The data
import module: support input various relational database, 5.2 The function design and implementation of
image data file, audio-video data file and statistics a the application service layer
thematic map, CAD graphics a file in common use.
The non-spatial data index creation module: to create With adoption of uniform component standard method
the information index of the tree form non-spatial catalog, to integrate GIS and DSS function different hierarchy in
to implement the hierarchical structure organization to the server. The application server takes GIS as a calling
non-spatial data of various types and to support library framework, GIS call the component function provided by
structure definition, data storage, non-spatial data DSS, support function of gentle assemble each other.
positions, quality inspection and so on. 5.2.1. Foundational function design. To complete the
The database management module: Include edit, design of basic function of the system floor and its
backup, recovery, journal management of the non-spatial correlation, reasonable grain dimension of the partitioning
data and meta database management. function, implement the united data access, data query,
Data automatic exchange module: Complete to add data operation.
exterior data from the data switching center, dynamic data Map display class: Show several data, vector map
storage in database, creation metadata of the non-spatial layer data, map library data, event .
data. The vector data query class: Provide map query,
5.1.3. The comprehensive information data warehouse attribute query, metadata query, result conservancy.
supports tool. Relational database basic management The report prints class: Print the data(library, table,
component: It is management tools oriented to memory), record print and the sort print and the report
information object attribute set which can implement make to order.
database table, table structure, index, association and The vector quantity edit class: Edition setup, point,
statistics management, etc. line, polygon and annotation edition, the map connecting
Data interface component: It provides general data side, metadata update.
import and export transaction for comprehensive The spatial analysis class: Overlaying analysis, buffer
information warehouse according to the Schema XML analysis, network analysis, the spatial statistic operation.
interface standard. The terrain analyzes class: According to DEM the
The data description metadata management system implement profile and factor creation output.
component: It implement data object description, The spatial data processing class: Projection change,
automatic association, data exchange and data load projection alteration, linear transformation, polynomial
operation, etc. transformation, cut to slice, concatenation and attribute
5.1.4. The thematic database management tool. User concatenation.
interface consists of series of application thematic term Statistics graphic class: Statistics cartographic model
and these theme are organized and spread by tree form. and statistics, the map decoration, thematic mapping, map
The design, development of the thematic database are keeping.
the key to system construction, it takes database platform The intelligence graph component: To use artificial
as a basic data source, processes the correlative data in the intelligence(AI) technique, applying rule knowledge
database and put result into application server according processing thought, give the data information format
to the theme requirement, end releases to the all levels according to the data list processing tool, national
user through web method. economy statistics information table and statistical charts
The system provides uniform maintenance tool of the automatically are expressed.
thematic information to implement an user interface Combine time sequence model: Include model data
establishment and to make custom operation, on the processing component, the model creation component,
thematic information tree each node can link with a series settle information processing, model application analysis
of spatial data, non-spatial data and correspond an component.
operating command, create theme object entity, is used
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5. The population simulation of the spatial distribution 6. Conclusion
model: Include model data processing component, the
model creation component, settle information processing, This platform has successful application in a series of
the model application analysis component, census taking project of E-government application, and searched after a
and spatial distribution analysis component etc. new way of GIS development oriented to E-government.
5.2.2. Application service function design. Through the For example: General National Situation Information
function component of the assemble foundational function System. Flood and Drought Prevention Information
and custom development the system can provide more Service System, West Development Information Service
integrated information, text, multimedia and assistance System, etc.
the geography spatial information for application system. However, there are also some problems about the
Query function: Vector and raster data blending query, platform design needed to further improve on system
condition query, spatial relation query, Topology query, flexibility, custom function, etc, in the future.
the spatial factor gather, sort and statistics, text data
browsing, table data browsing, the intelligence make
graph, information incident query etc. 7. References
The DSS function server can be run by the operation
of defining command (usage operation coding start [1]J.P. Liu etc. Study and Application of Comprehensive
service) in advance, also query operation with GIS to Data management for Spatial Decision-Making for E-
combine an operation. government, Science of Surveying and Mapping, Beijing
Analyze a function: The spatial topology overlay, China, 2005, pp. 9-11.
buffering analysis, shortest path analysis, the best path
analysis, resource allocation, DEM analysis, evaluation [2]L.Wang, etc, Design and Development of Software
analytical, region national economy decision analytical Platform of Spatial Aided Decision-Making Based on
model. GIS and DSS. Science of Surveying and Mapping, Beijing
Display function: Multi-dimensions map displays, China,2005,pp.18-20.
remote sensing image the multistage show with roaming,
data table, text, statistical charts. [3]Q.P.Zhang, etc. The Government Geographical
The web serve: Provide an united user management, Information System, Science Publisher, Beijing China,
command request and respond to a function. 2003.
5.2.3. User layer function design. Providing the system
information service according to the WEB environment,
the user can establish thematic information tree getting
into an operation interface in advance.
Thematic tree: Show current theme name, we can click
it to carry out a theme selecting.
Operate: Showing the information that includes current
theme and its related operation is the main entry point of
thematic tree.
5.3 Design of data layer integration and
implemention method
The spatial data and non-spatial data adopt large
relational database such as Oracle to storage.
Provide uniform information framework to implement
geographic spatial data, non-spatial data with
comprehensive information warehouse based on the GIS
platform.
Comprehensively adopt relational database to storage
through geography code by making the spatial data linked
with non-spatial data.
Implement the data integration of the exterior dynamic
state through XML file from data switch center.
In memory, GIS and DSS and use XML file as a
medium to realize data exchange.
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