Geospatial Profile in Enterprise Architecture: Enhancing Business Efficiency and Data Re-Use

1. Introduction to the Geospatial Profile of the Federal Enterprise Architecture Doug Nebert FGDC Secretariat June 2006

2. Enterprise Architecture • Defines a framework in which one describes the current and future work activities and justifies the investments (personnel, data, applications) of an “enterprise” • A precursor to electronic government (e-gov) and business process re-engineering

3. Goals of EA • to provide a structured approach to business process assessment and re-engineering • to support classification of business processes, data concepts, standards, services (components and interfaces) • to provide a reference framework to store models that explain the services and data behind them • to improve efficiencies within an organization • to identify potential for services and data re-use for multiple purposes

4. What How Where Who When Why Contextual Transitional Process Business Architecture Business Architecture Conceptual Data Architecture Data Architecture Logical Models Applications Architecture Applications Architecture Physical Technology Architecture Technology Architecture As Built Standards Functioning What How Where Who When Why US Approach to a Federal Enterprise Architecture (FEA) Current Future Drivers Strategic Direction Adapted from “Federal Enterprise Architecture Framework”

5. FEA Reference Models • Business Reference Model (BRM) –define mission-critical lines of business, business processes, and functions • Performance Reference Model (PRM) developed to define measures of business performance • Technical Reference Model (TRM) –identifies and describes the technology (components, interfaces) used to achieve the BRM • Service Reference Model (SRM) defines the types and instances of services required to support processes • Data Reference Model (DRM) – defines the data/information concepts, structures, definitions, and values or enumerations required by the BRM in the context of the TRM

6. Requirements for Geospatial Profile in Enterprise Architecture • Geographic information is used in a majority of business settings in and outside of government • Geographic information and services are not addressed consistently within and between organizations • Interoperability among providers and consumers of geographic data and services requires a common understanding of semantics and functional capabilities • Development of common multi-jurisdictional approaches to the use of geographic information and services requires inclusion in Enterprise Architecture

7. Geospatial Overlay Shared lines of business Integrated Data and Information “To Be State” DOI USDA Using the FEA-DRM Recreation DOE Natural Resource HHS Health Emission Consumer Safety Public Health Monitoring Consumer Health & Safety Recreational Resource Management & Tourism Pollution Prevention & Control Energy Research

8. Solution: Creation of guidance for geospatial capabilities in the FEA • Develop a Geospatial Profile document for the FEA to support its cross-cutting nature, along the lines of the Profiles being developed for Records Management and Security and Privacy • Deploy the concept outside the bounds of FEA to include local and state government

9. FEA Geospatial Profile • Companion to Federal Enterprise Architecture (FEA) Reference Models to recognize and promote the pervasive nature of geospatial capabilities in lines of business across government • Audience: Agency chief architects and CIO staff in federal, state, or local government • Objective: to develop consistent methodology to call-out geospatial elements of all aspects of government business • Format: 60 page document with many resource annexes

10. Agencies Economic Development Community and Social Services Financial Management Human Resources Natural Resources Homeland Security Health Education Geospatial Profiles Security & Privacy Records Management Lines of Business

11. The Geospatial Profile of the FEA: • highlights the role of geospatial capabilities within the recognized FEA lines of business • is intended for use by federal business planners and business architects involved in budget planning and submission • is general guidance on how geospatial capabilities can be recognized and inserted into an agency’s enterprise architecture (EA)

12. Objectives • to promote consideration of location as a component of agency business activities and processes • to support description and sharing of geospatial resources across organizations • to build geospatial considerations into all aspects of agency enterprise architecture development. • to reinforce existing guidelines, standards, and policies established by OMB, FGDC, and ISO for development, management, and use of geospatial resources • to measure performance in the use and management of geospatial resources.

13. Executive Summary Introduction to the Geospatial Profile Objectives Audience Document Structure Introduction to Geospatial Concepts Cross-cutting nature of geospatial Overview of Geospatial Capabilities The NSDI Business Reference Model Data Reference Model Service Components Reference Model Technology Reference Model Performance Reference Model and Maturity Model Appendix A: References Appendix B: Glossary Appendix C: FEA Overview Appendix D: Use Case and Scenarios Appendix E: Geospatial Activity Examples for BRM Appendix F: Geospatial Business Language Appendix G: Geospatial Service Components Appendix H: Geospatial Standards List Appendix I: Acronym List Geospatial Profile Outline

14. Profile Approach • Provide background on geospatial concepts and applicability • Insert an awareness of a geospatial context into each of the FEA Reference Models • Expand existing taxonomies and approaches to recognize the activities and products of the geospatial community

15. FEA Business Reference Model Consider geospatial specialization as a sub-function

16. Approach to evaluating geospatial aspects of business activities: • Approach to evaluating geospatial aspects of business activities: • Analyze business activity descriptions to determine possible roles for location based information in the execution of the business activity. • Determine the function of geospatial data, technology, and services in carrying out those activities. • Develop or refine a business statement that describes the role of geospatial data and technologies in support of the business activity. • Questions template to identify geospatial capabilities with subject experts

17. Recommended geospatial business functions • Development of geospatial policies, standards, and guidance • Implement geospatial services with common and documented interfaces • Dissemination of geospatial data to external users

18. Geospatial Business Language The Geospatial Business Language is comprised of five basic types of terms: • Application: A computer program with a user interface or computer program component that employs geospatial data and technology; a geospatial business process or sub-process that is implemented as a software program or program component. • Data: A geospatial information class, type or property. • Function: A geoprocessing capability; a geoprocessing user tool; a geospatial service component. • Process: A general series of business activities that employs geospatial data and technology. • Technology: An application of science that generates, displays, manages or otherwise processes geospatial data. (Excluding general-purpose Information Technology.)

19. Data Reference Model • Promotes data sharing and discovery through three capabilities exposed for agency data resources: • Data context (taxonomies) • Data sharing (exchange schema and format) • Data description (metadata) • Full reconciliation with the FEA DRM version 2.X is not included in this Profile

20. Data context (taxonomies) • Spatial contexts exist to reference location using addresses, coordinates, grid reference systems, and place names • ISO 19115 includes a Topic Category system for thematic content classification

21. Data sharing (exchange) • Use of Framework Data Content standards for exchange (ANSI/INCITS) • Use of standard formats and services for exchange (OGC GML, WFS) • Use of geospatial data formats for exchange

22. Data description (metadata) • Reference to FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (CSDGM) in active use • Recommends future use of ISO 19115 and its XML encoding (ISO TS 19139) for the format and transfer of geospatial metadata

23. Service Component Reference Model • Defined as a “baseline for categorizing and aligning federal business applications into common, reusable Service Components, … categorized into appropriate service domains and service types.” • Appendix includes a table of SRM extensions that highlight candidate geospatial service components within existing domains/types

24. FEA Service domains and types

25. Geospatial aspects of TRM • In the context of the TRM organization, geospatial standards and specifications are identified to improve interoperability in enterprise solutions • ISO, W3C, OGC, OASIS, FGDC and other standards are referenced

26. Appendices • References • Glossary and acronyms • Use case and scenarios • Geospatial activity examples • Geospatial Business Language • Geospatial Service Components • Geospatial Standards List

27. Initiative Status, April 2007 • Drafted a Charter for a Geospatial WG under the FGDC and CIO AIC, refined work plan • Identified a wild-land fire scenario as the context to be followed by examples in the Profile document • Convened writing teams for the Introduction section, and to provide geospatial guidance for each of the relevant FEA Reference Models • Posted Version 1.0 Draft of Geospatial Profile 10January2006 • Developing Profile Version 2.0 for release, Spring 2007

28. Initiative co-leads • Wendy Blake-Coleman, EPA • Douglas Nebert and Ivan DeLoatch, FGDC For more information contact: Doug Nebert (ddnebert@fgdc.gov)