Method, system, and program for an improved enterprise spatial system

Abstract

Disclosed is a method, system, and program for providing access to spatial data. A request for data is received. Enterprise and third party data are integrated. The integrated data is processed. Spatially referenced results are generated using the processed data. The spatially referenced results are returned in response to the request.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO PROVISIONAL APPLICATION [0001] This application is a non-provisional application that claims the benefit of following applications: [0002] U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 364,807, entitled “A SYSTEM AND METHOD AND COMPUTER PRODUCT FOR COUPLING A DATA PROCESSING CENTER TO A LIVE DATA PROCESSING CENTER TO PROVIDE FOR SPATIALLY VIEWING, ANALYZING, AND SHARING ENTERPRISE DATA AND GEOSPATIAL DATA ACROSS MULTIPLE USERS,” by T. von Kaenel et al., filed on Mar. 16, 2002, and which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 433,597, entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR REAL-TIME EVALUATING AND REPORTING ASSOCIATED WITH INSURANCE POLICY UNDERWRITING AND RISK MANAGEMENT,” by S. Kumar et al., filed on Dec. 16, 2002, and which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. [0003] U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 437,990, entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR REAL-TIME EVALUATING AND REPORTING ASSOCIATED WITH INSURANCE POLICY ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The patent describes a method, system, and program for accessing spatial data. It can integrate data from enterprises and third-party sources, process it, and generate spatially referenced results. The system is secure, scalable, and web-based, allowing for easy viewing, analysis, and sharing of data. Overall, the invention provides a way to access and utilize spatial data from various sources in a consistent and efficient manner."

Problems solved by technology

Currently, there is no convenient way for users to spatially analyze non-spatially referenced data.

With these limited options, it is difficult for users to determine the interaction of various data to a spatial perspective.

These applications are not, however, designed to support business data in spatial form.

It is difficult for users simultaneously to view spatially referenced data and non-spatially referenced data, such as customer information, sales results, and inventory levels.

Since there are so many different possible results that can be generated based on user requests, it is very difficult to anticipate all of the possible results, and preload and pre-reference static data (e.g., images) that represent all of the possible results.

Thus, there are numerous problems in the existing spatial systems solutions.

One problem is dynamically accessing data sets and generating spatial references (i.e., geocoding) for enterprise data sets that are typically not spatially-referenced (e.g., sales results, customer information, inventory levels, plant or asset locations, etc.).

Another problem is simultaneously combining enterprise data with third party data (e.g., geographical data) to allow enterprises to spatially analyze and visualize enterprise data and other data (e.g., traditional spatially referenced data sets in a spatial context).

Since the server computer needs to combine the images into one composite image, and then send the composite image to the client, several problems occur.

Several problems occur with the technique illustrated in FIG. 2.

Yet another problem is that Geographic Information Systems (GIS) require data to be in a very specific format that allows client applications to process and allows users to view the data spatially.

The processing for conversion of the format is typically performed manually, which is time consuming and error prone.

The conventional process for converting data so that the data may be viewed spatially cannot be easily automated because of the manual processing required.

The manual processes also make it very difficult to track the chain of custody for the data.

This is a problem in a server computer that handles data from different customers.

The manual processes also make it difficult to generate data validation procedures that can guarantee the integrity of the data across all the processes.

The resulting transformed data is typically no longer usable by existing applications.

This causes data integrity problems with the original data getting out of synch with the data created for spatial viewing.

Moreover, the resulting data cannot be made visible to the client applications without restarting the client and server processes.

A further problem is that conventional systems provide access control to data with one of two approaches.

Both approaches have several problems.

Moreover, it is very difficult to customize the presentation of data to the user based on access information associated with the user.

This creates a very cumbersome process of user access right management within the application and from the perspective of the personnel setting up access rights to the server computer.

Moreover, the application gets tied into the back end data store technology used, and it is extremely difficult to replace back end data store technology with a new technology as it becomes available.

Also, application code gets extremely complex when multiple data stores with different access requirements are used.

Further problems occur in conventional systems when displaying images from pyramided data.

The one-to-one relationship between data sets and their corresponding data layer representation by the client software creates several problems.

For example, unnecessary information about how data is stored on the back end data store is exposed to the client software.

Therefore, in a typical application, a user can be presented with an overwhelming number of data layers, many of which are duplicate data layers for the same set of data at different zoom scales.

Since the user is allowed to view only one individual data layer at a time in a pyramid based on the user's zoom scale, as the user zooms in or out, the data layer the user is currently viewing may suddenly become unavailable for viewing.

That is, the switchover from one level in the pyramid to the next is not always transparent.

These conventional systems, however, do not store any other form of spatially referenced data, such as vector data.

A further problem involves third party systems.

If an organization wishes to apply custom business logic and validations to the manipulation and viewing of spatially enabled information, many steps are necessary and the process is expensive.

Another problem in conventional Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is the difficulty in editing images.

There are several problems with trying to implement an effective editor in client software.

For example, it is difficult to separate a data layer to be edited from all of the other data layers forming the displayed composite image.

It is difficult to gather needed information about the elements in the data layer to be edited and to transfer this information from the server computer to the client software quickly.

Also, there is typically a slow response during editing because interactions with users are transmitted back to the server computer for processing.

Moreover, the typical user interface is cumbersome.

There is difficulty in matching complicated graphical object boundaries to avoid overlaps or exclusion areas by use of “snap to” functions, which match new vertices to existing vertices.

Furthermore, it is difficult to copy portions of graphical objects from various data layers to assist with building or modifying graphical objects.

Conventional editors also lack the ability to tailor the user interface.

A further problem in a conventional Geographic Information Systems (GIS), involves sharing of customized views of data layers among different users.

In terms of a first type of functionality, some GIS systems provide the ability to save only a limited subset of customizations, such as annotations, in a specific user area on the server system, but they do not provide a means to share these customized views with other users of the server computer.

In terms of a second type of functionality, other GIS systems allow a limited set of customizations to be shared with other users, but they do not provide the ability to limit access to a subset of the users of the server computer.

Additionally, the first type of functionality provides access limited to only the editor / author of the customized view of the data (i.e., the project) and no other user.

These GIS systems do not have the ability to save all customization done by the user as a project, then share this project with other users, to properly discuss and possibly enable the other users to provide their inputs, comments, and modifications to the project on-line.

That is, the first type of functionality lacks on-line collaboration of a project within a GIS system.

Such open access creates the problem that the project will not be confidential and all users of the system will be able to view and further modify the project on-line.

This functionality creates lack of on-line confidentiality, security, and integrity of a project within a GIS system.

Regardless of the many benefits of using geographic information to make business decisions, it is very costly for companies to build spatial information system infrastructure and to maintain the infrastructure properly.

Also, current techniques for acquiring and manipulating spatial data are cumbersome and very time consuming.

Furthermore, as noted above, there are no easy techniques for integrating enterprise data that is not spatially referenced with geographic information data to fully maximize the spatial capabilities of geographic information data.

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