Moving Mobile Forward at MnDOT

TopicsWhy mobile, why now?Considerations and decisionsDoing mobile right means you need to take a look at your overall enterprise architectureWhat was proposed/built

Why mobileReacting to:A large mobile and distributed workforce who wants access to information anytime anywhereMany business areas pushing for mobile applications for field data collectionAsset collection, GSOC, EAB, ADAMultiple technologies and approaches were being pushedConcerns about a maintenance headacheNeed to develop a common architecture for deploying mobile appsDevelopment of a Mobile Framework

Why now?Great new and powerful devicesSmart PhonesTabletsAbility to integrate with others systemsIncreasingly ubiquitous wireless broadband3G/4G networksHot spots and air cards for laptopsNeed for productivity gains

Decisions, decisions, decisionsWhat kind(s) of applications?Mapping & business systemsWhat are your business needs for mobile?Disconnected vs connected editingData check-in/check-out?What kind(s) of devices and how many?Phone apps vs Phone web appsWhat accuracy of GPS?Existing Infrastructure

What kind(s) of applications?On a phone, GIS/mapping may on the peripheryBusiness systems?EmailTimesheets Work ordersMapping?Direction findingField inspectionsAccess to asset informationFeature locating

What kind(s) of devices?

PhonesAre you prepared/able to standardize?iPhone, Android, RIM, WinPhoneTabletsiPadAndroidLaptops & GPS Devices

Phone apps vs Phone web apps

Pure phone, e.g., iPhone appTakes better advantage of phone hardwareCamera, GPS, accelerometer, etc.But, requires standardization on a single phoneOr, building a different app for each phone

Phone apps vs Phone web apps

Phone-based web-appRelies on the phones browser appWeb pages, HTML5, JavaScriptCan be optimized for small screensAdaptive designGood access to GPS; camera not yet supported (but coming)Examples of minified web pageshttp://Maps.google.com http://Touch.Facebook.com

What accuracy of GPS?

Phone & car navigation systems: 3-10 meters - CommercialGPS devices, cards for laptop/tablets: 1 foot - 3 meters Mapping Grade

Connected = direct edits to the serverDisconnected = synching with serverWill you always be connected to the internet?If so, then web-based forms are possibleIf not, need a mechanism to work while disconnected, and then synch with server laterSupport for connection disruption (i.e., mostly connected)Support for fully disconnected editingData check-out/check-inSynchronization upon return to the officeNon-trivial and Esri provides good toolsBut some strings are attachedDisconnected vs connected editing

Mobile apps require a solid server and data management foundationIn short, to effectively take your data into the field you need to have your back-end in orderMobile applications should interface with your enterprise infrastructureEnterprise GISBase mapsBusiness layers and their attributes (e.g., parcels, utilities)Web services (both cached and dynamic)Business systemsFor example, work orders, asset management, CAMA, etc.

Mn/DOT Mobile project5 deliverablesBusiness requirements document10 workshopsMobile data framework v1Including a data model and app dev guideTwo prototype applicationsArcGIS Mobile Framework-based ADA applicationInventory sidewalk features (e.g. ramps) for ADA complianceBuilt by partner firm, CDMProof of concept phone-based web appDevice matrix

Observations from the business requirementsThere are LOTS of requirementsGIS/mapping is not necessarily the driver; great need for business system access and timesheetsMobile application development is different than enterprise application developmentNeed for flexibility and agilityNeed to deploy rapidlyYou may have a field crew (or interns) waiting for the toolNeed to be able to readily make adjustments to the appYou learn how the app needs to change once youre in the field

Mobile framework and data modelOne app framework /one data schema many appsApp to build an apps create an appAdd inputs to apps identify data fields you want to collectApp builds itself in browser based on inputsAdd features to apps- collect dataAll data from all apps goes into one database schemaGeometry data, its just another fieldOGC simple features

Conceptual view of mobile framework (aka The Green Box)

Database

ProviderData

The Green Box

Enterprise

Application Tier

IIS Web Server

ArcGIS Server

Building a phone appTest_app

ADA - Sidewalk InventoryTraditional app that uses Esri ArcGIS v10 mobile framework Allows for disconnected editing, and syncs data back to the database for quick access back in the office.

Using the app

Support of multiple platformsCan run in full browser mode on a PC, or on a phonePick-list widget adjusts for phone browser

Project StatusFinished the ADA appCompleting recovery from government shutdownCompleting the build-out of the proof of concept mobile web-appWorking to perfect and deploy an initial version of the mobile framework

ConclusionThere are huge opportunities to capitalize on mobile GIS technology and applications.

There will be increasing volume of activity

Mobile is different and takes some thought and planning for the best approach for your organizationThis is something we think can be used elsewhere

*Presented by Dan Ross to MnGeos State Government Geospatial Advisory Council on November 8, 2011*********************