Driving from the Dashboard

March 25, 2008 By: Mary Jo Wagner

The Geospatial Information & Technology Association's annual conference may have been all about "infrastructure" this year, but around the exhibit floor the show was all about the "dashboards" — the interface tools that instantly aggregate disparate information sources into one single, desktop map view. A dashboard can extract information from a computer's local operating system, from applications, and from remote sites on the Web, and present it as though it all came from the same source. Similar to how users can instantly fly to and learn about any location on the globe through Google Earth, dashboard tools let professionals at all levels — from the field worker to the executive — visually fly through their heterogeneous business information and immediately see any production aspect of their operations through one homogenous view.

Now, you may be thinking that integrating disparate data sources for business analysis is nothing new. That's true. Data integration is not a new concept in the geospatial industry; that has been the primary selling point and strength of GIS since its inception. What is new is the real-time aggregation and distribution of those integrated sources (as well as external third-party sources) through one interface tool. The difference is that now, users no longer have to access different integrated systems, such as geospatial, financial, and operations, to view and analyze data. One dashboard tool, with one click, brings all of those systems together in one seamless map view.

Software company thincSoft, based in Lisle, Illinois, is providing this integrated visualization to its energy and retail clients through its thincVIew product, a software tool that combines geospatial data with business intelligence data in a single portal view. Using the simple Google Earth browser interface, oil and gas clients can aggregate core data such as facility data, network data, infrastructure data, field data, performance data (SCADA), and Web services, and combine it all into one map view.

Since each map view comes complete with attribute windows of all data sources, managers and executives can perform any kind of analysis at any given time for any given facility or asset. For example, users can view production or other data by region, by asset, or by segment to quickly identify which facilities are performing at an acceptable level and which are not. They can also check the status of any facility's inventory — parts on hold, parts confirmed and installed, or parts cancelled — to better manage inventory control.

"In studying a facility's operations, with one click on a map view, an executive could see, for example, that several parts have been on hold for four years," explained Jim Kowalski, thincSoft COO. "That is a substantial amount of money they are paying for storing that stagnant inventory. And it's a detail that might have gone unnoticed with traditional business analysis. This tool visualizes that business intelligence and enables business executives to leverage their existing data and infrastructure to make better decisions."

Retailer ABC Stores is also using thincVIew for location-based business intelligence across its store network. Integrated into ABC's existing Oracle infrastructure, the thincVIew dashboard enables users to analyze its entire business network in great detail. They can, for example, identify buying patterns by geography, by customer segment, and even by time of day, as well as track and manage product performance in the stores. According to Kowalski, they'll use this analysis ability for site selection, for greater product visibility, and as a communication tool to improve vendor performance.

A strong communication tool is one of the main benefits of a dashboard application that a Safe Software customer has developed for a substantial transmission project for Connecticut Light & Power. Programmers at program manager Burns & McDonnell used Safe Software's FME technology to help create a Google Earth-dashboard tool that streams together project management software with CAD design file information and overlays all of the data on a 3D model of the 70-mile transmission line under construction.

Created in only three months by three developers, the Google Earth Enterprise tool allows project managers, field inspectors, construction superintendents, and community relations representatives to tap real-time data related to the construction status, planned field work, or public relations issues. For example, with a few clicks, users can check the height or specs of a specific transmission structure, or check the status of an underground vault or real estate negotiation. Having that virtual project-management environment in real time enables personnel to respond to public queries more quickly and accurately, and keeps all the project teams up-to-date, said Don Murray, co-founder of Safe Software.

An energy source of a different kind is the focus of a very innovative dashboard application developed by CH2M Hill, a consulting company based in Englewood, Colorado. Using Google Maps or Microsoft Virtual Earth, its Solar Automated Feature Extraction (SAFE) combines aerial imagery and 3D modeling technology to estimate the solar energy potential for commercial and residential structures in a particular city or county, models how the panels would be installed (taking into account roof structures such as air conditioning units and shadows), and identifies the potential environmental benefits and monetary savings you can expect to enjoy from installing solar energy panels on the property.

This functionality is already operational for San Francisco, California. Any resident or business owner in the city can access a Web portal and input their address, and the system will return a map, pinpointing the specific building of interest, its present carbon footprint, and the potential savings in installing solar panels. For example, if I still lived at my old address on Green Street, I could have saved up to $834 per year in electricity costs by going solar. Buildings that have already installed solar energy devices are also indicated on the map, and clicking on any of those will provide the name of the company or residence and indicate how much money solar is saving.

The San Francisco Solar Map, designed by CH2M Hill, teaches residents about the costs and benefits of installing rooftop solar panels.

According to Dianna Herbst, CH2M Hill's marketing director, the company is presently in talks with three east coast municipalities in the U.S. about applying a similar, but more sophisticated dashboard approach to help cities meet their energy needs and demands reliably and cost-effectively.

"This is a very exciting opportunity for us and for the geospatial industry as a whole," said Herbst. "With this kind of application and the level of interest we have in its viability, we are really seeing GIS functionality and value moving from the traditional 'basement' to the boardroom."

As a new MacBook Pro user, I have been enjoying my own dashboard functionality: one key instantly brings up tools such as a calculator, the local weather, a calendar, a Google search window, a people/business search directory, a dictionary, iTunes, and an airline flight tracker. And I had often wondered when this instant gateway to a multitude of information sources would reach the desktops of geospatial users. Funneling the sights and sounds of some of the latest trends at the Geospatial Infrastructure Solutions Conference, I expect we will see many more geospatial providers and users driving their own dashboards to improved business intelligence.

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