Utilizing and Visualizing Geolocation Data for Powerful Analysis

Transcription

1 Utilizing and Visualizing Geolocation Data for Powerful Analysis by Walton Smith Timothy Ferro

2 Table of Contents Introduction... 1 Delivering Geolocation Data and Trend Analysis... 1 Booz Allen s SharePoint Solution Service Offerings... 2 Solutions for Commercial Clients... 3 Solutions for Clients in the Intelligence Community... 3 SharePoint 2010 Features... 3

3 Utilizing and Visualizing Geolocation Data for Powerful Analysis Introduction Integration with geolocation data and services is an area that is underutilized in Microsoft SharePoint With the prevalence of SharePoint within both the federal and commercial space, there is a massive amount of information that is not fully utilized by the organizations storing and using it. SharePoint 2010 s Business Connectivity Services (BCS) is an easy way to incorporate external data into SharePoint, as well as its dashboarding capabilities (via out-of-the-box [OOTB] web parts, JavaScript, and custom code), making it a powerful platform for both utilizing and visualizing geolocation data. Utilizing visualizations provides for decision-quality information that s not only valuable and easy to understand; it is in real time as well. This creates a powerful analysis platform for all types of data via dashboarding and integration with external mapping and geolocation web services. These web services can provide any number of capabilities to the organization, including latitude and longitude lookup, military grid reference system (MGRS) conversion, scanning of entire documents and document collections for geolocation data, and visualization of all this data for real-time trending and analysis. In addition to real-time analysis, the data can be manipulated to show trends over different time periods. Utilizing an existing SharePoint instance as a platform allows you to combine and enhance your organization s data with external sources for maximum impact. Delivering Geolocation Data and Trend Analysis Booz Allen Hamilton, a leading strategy and technology consulting firm, has extensive experience working with federal agencies to address geolocation data and trend analysis needs. Through our experience working side by side with small, medium, and large organizations, we know how to assess problems and craft customized solutions. To aid in the trend analysis of massive amounts of data stored in SharePoint, Booz Allen developed a tool that simplifies the first crucial step in data analysis: visualization. SharePoint 2010 s integration of external databases via BCS and ease of integrating custom code that can reach out to external web services makes it the perfect platform for all kinds of data analysis. From trends and geolocation data, to data mining and simple or complex dashboarding, SharePoint 2010 is easily adaptable for any analysis need. In addition, not all of the dashboarding, trending, and analysis must revolve around geolocation data. All the same data can be visualized and utilized via many other native SharePoint 2010 features including charts, graphs, event receivers, custom list views, and integrated application pages. Bringing all this data together, especially within SharePoint, enables organizations to leverage both existing databases and SharePoint data while providing a consistent user experience. One way Booz Allen helps our clients maximize their SharePoint utilization of all these technologies is through our experience with SharePoint 2010 web parts that utilize external mapping and other geolocation data web services. The Google Maps integrated SharePoint web part is a composite tool that integrates seamlessly with both SharePoint and multiple external data sources. As a web part, it is completely integrated into SharePoint, which provides a seamless experience for the user. Yet it is robust enough to pull in data from SharePoint, interact with external web services, and provides a much-needed map display for geolocation data visualization and trend analysis. 1

4 The Google Map web part for SharePoint 2010 (Exhibit 1) is a powerful tool that is adaptable to any client. In its simplest form, it is a detailed mapping tool that shows SharePoint list coordinate data geographically. It is also a complex analysis tool that is capable of scanning thousands of documents to show trending with weighted results for accuracy of location information. Booz Allen s SharePoint Solution Service Offerings Booz Allen offers native configuration and custom SharePoint implementations. SharePoint offers an extensible information management platform that can be configured to meet most clients needs or extended using Microsoft s.net framework for more customized solutions. The following list highlights our SharePoint capabilities and competencies: Full system development life cycle (SDLC) for people, processes, and technology Detailed discovery, including taxonomy definitions and infrastructure analysis System Architecture design, configuration, implementation and deployment User interface design and custom branding Custom solution and feature development using. NET, including web parts Custom workflow development using Microsoft Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) and other third-party software Integration with existing applications and Line of Business systems Deployment and configuration of third-party SharePoint tools and solutions Policy and Governance Analysis and Definition End-user, Information Worker, and Administrator SharePoint training Business intelligence dashboard integration using PerformancePoint services and SQL Server Reporting Services Mobile device integration Exhibit 1 Google Map Web Part Source: Google 2

5 Solutions for Commercial Clients For commercial clients, mapping services can be provided by either Google Maps or Bing Maps. Both are capable of displaying intricate, street-level data and provide the developer application programming interface (API) to return latitude and longitude from queries. Your company s data can be combined with publicly available data to create numerous insightful dashboards, including heat maps, points of interest, traffic, rent, and other metrics. Solutions for Clients in the Intelligence Community For clients in the Department of Defense (DoD) and intelligence community, the experience is even richer because of existing, DoD-only web services. Through Intelink s MetaCarta web services (MWS), the previous experience is enhanced with the addition of a number of options. First, when latitude and longitude data isn t provided, MWS can return numerous potential locations with a weighted percentage for accuracy. Along with that data, it also returns different latitude and longitude combinations for each city or country. Country center, capital, and population are also returned for each result. The second major feature of MWS is the ability to scan text for location names. This is a coveted and important service that can be used to scan document text and return all the locations mentioned in the document. Along with city and country data for each location, it also returns the latitude and longitude, weighted for accuracy, and population data. This can be leveraged to create a powerful trending tool that can show all the locations of one document or message at a time or it can read in hundreds of documents or messages and show all the locations mentioned for trending analysis and mined for intel data. Your organization s data can be combined with other available data to create numerous insightful dashboards including heat maps, analyst data, intel sources, and other metrics. SharePoint 2010 Features SharePoint 2010 is a business collaboration platform for the enterprise and the Internet. It can be deployed as a complete collaboration solution for both business intranets and as the external website for businesses of any size. SharePoint 2010 is fully customizable to enhance the user experience. At its core, SharePoint 2010 is an ASP.Net portal site sitting on top of IIS. It delivers an abundance of OOTB features from lists, to external data connections, to authentication mechanisms, to developer API, to item-level permissions. Currently, SharePoint is being used by about 125 million users worldwide, with huge adoption rates in both the commercial and federal sectors. Through the user interface, users can add either OOTB web parts or custom-developed web parts. Both the simple OOTB content editor web part and the customdeveloped web part allow developers to access all types of data from almost anywhere. Custom-developed web parts and external web services are a part of the Composites features. They include custom code involving the SharePoint API as well as connections to external data sources and web services, making SharePoint the top choice for dashboards, trending, analysis, and collaboration. Exhibit 2 SharePoint 2010 Features Source: Microsoft Composites Insights Sites Microsoft Sharepoint Search Communities Content 3

6 Contact Information Walton Smith Principal Timothy Ferro Associate

7 About Booz Allen Booz Allen Hamilton has been at the forefront of strategy and technology consulting for nearly a century. Today, Booz Allen is a leading provider of management and technology consulting services to the US government in defense, intelligence, and civil markets, and to major corporations, institutions, and not-for-profit organizations. In the commercial sector, the firm focuses on leveraging its existing expertise for clients in the financial services, healthcare, and energy markets, and to international clients in the Middle East. Booz Allen offers clients deep functional knowledge spanning strategy and organization, engineering and operations, technology, and analytics which it combines with specialized expertise in clients mission and domain areas to help solve their toughest problems. The firm s management consulting heritage is the basis for its unique collaborative culture and operating model, enabling Booz Allen to anticipate needs and opportunities, rapidly deploy talent and resources, and deliver enduring results. By combining a consultant s problem-solving orientation with deep technical knowledge and strong execution, Booz Allen helps clients achieve success in their most critical missions as evidenced by the firm s many client relationships that span decades. Booz Allen helps shape thinking and prepare for future developments in areas of national importance, including cybersecurity, homeland security, healthcare, and information technology. Booz Allen is headquartered in McLean, Virginia, employs approximately 25,000 people, and had revenue of $5.86 billion for the 12 months ended March 31, For over a decade, Booz Allen s high standing as a business and an employer has been recognized by dozens of organizations and publications, including Fortune, Working Mother, G.I. Jobs, and DiversityInc. More information is available at (NYSE: BAH) To learn more about the firm and to download digital versions of this article and other Booz Allen Hamilton publications, visit 5

8 Principal Offices Huntsville, Alabama Sierra Vista, Arizona Los Angeles, California San Diego, California San Francisco, California Colorado Springs, Colorado Denver, Colorado District of Columbia Orlando, Florida Pensacola, Florida Sarasota, Florida Tampa, Florida Atlanta, Georgia Honolulu, Hawaii O Fallon, Illinois Indianapolis, Indiana Leavenworth, Kansas Aberdeen, Maryland Annapolis Junction, Maryland Hanover, Maryland Lexington Park, Maryland Linthicum, Maryland Rockville, Maryland Troy, Michigan Kansas City, Missouri Omaha, Nebraska Red Bank, New Jersey New York, New York Rome, New York Dayton, Ohio Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Charleston, South Carolina Houston, Texas San Antonio, Texas Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Alexandria, Virginia Arlington, Virginia Chantilly, Virginia Charlottesville, Virginia Falls Church, Virginia Herndon, Virginia McLean, Virginia Norfolk, Virginia Stafford, Virginia Seattle, Washington The most complete, recent list of offices and their addresses and telephone numbers can be found on Booz Allen Hamilton Inc