In an era where data quality is paramount, the strategic management of geospatial data is a cornerstone in environmental data management. Accurate, coherent, and high-integrity data isn’t just a technical requirement—it’s the lifeblood of cities and other entities dedicated to protecting our natural world. To have ”Big data” means nothing, it’s all about having the right data.

In the pursuit of these objectives, minimizing manual labor in data entry and management is essential. It frees up valuable time for subject matter experts (environmentalists & co.), allowing them to focus on analysis and decision-making rather than data administration tasks. By streamlining the processes that handle complex environmental datasets, we can unlock new efficiencies and insights, driving forward the mission of nature conservation with precision and agility.

Now, let’s dive into the main value of this article. By implementing the OGC-based WFS-T protocol in your Enterprise GIS environment, you can facilitate secure GIS data editing by external stakeholders and others. The combination of PostgreSQL and GeoServer provides robust security management, while QGIS offers a user-friendly way to collect data for the end-users.

In this blog post, I’ll introduce an Enterprise GIS workflow we developed for the City of Tampere. I’ll focus on the practical steps and key technologies that facilitated smooth integration of the workflow. I’ll try to cover essential technological concepts to provide a clear and helpful guide, potentially aiding you to adopt a similar strategy in your own workflows.

Context: Geospatial Data Management for Nature Protection

When I first began working on this project with the City of Tampere, I was immediately drawn into a complex tapestry of environmental datasets, each characterized by a diverse array of field names and content. Understanding the nuances of these datasets presented its own set of challenges. Bit by bit I developed a deep appreciation for the critical role this data plays in the city’s environmental conservation efforts. It became clear that these aren’t just arbitrary sets of numbers and coordinates; they are the vital underpinnings supporting Tampere’s goals for nature protection.

So, basically our goal was to enable the city a process through which they could gather this data from the nature protection consultants in a secure manner.

In a process like this, it’s crucial to begin by asking ‘Why’ questions—many of them. By attentively listening to the city officials and understanding their business processes, we gained a comprehensive view of the various factors critical for managing this data.

This is where Gispo’s expertise and experience truly shine. Our customers often have headaches around different geospatial data management issues, and we try to help them as much as we can.

The Power Trio: PostgreSQL, GeoServer, QGIS

The City of Tampere extensively utilizes the Power Trio PostgreSQL/PostGIS, GeoServer, and QGIS, forming the core of their geospatial data management system. PostgreSQL, with its PostGIS extension (for spatial functionalities), provided the centralized database management system, ideal for storing and querying complex spatial data whereas GeoServer serves for serving this geospatial data securily over the web with the OGC-based standardized web feature services, enabling the city’s environmental consultants to access and interact with the data remotely. Its compatibility with various data formats and standards, coupled with its robust security features, ensures that data is not only accessible but also protected. Meanwhile, QGIS offers an intuitive interface for data creation, data validation and data visualization (as always!). By customizing and configuring these open source tools, we were able to develop a solution that aligned with Tampere’s operational requirements.

QGIS Forms: Streamlining Data Entry

The key to simplifying data entry in our geospatial workflow is the use of QGIS Forms. This feature in QGIS allows for user-friendly pop-up windows to edit attribute information for geospatial features, such as selecting a building type when creating building features on a map. With QGIS forms we could enable e.g. drop-down lists, and calendar views for the users.

These forms are automatically created based on the specific data types defined in the database-level. The customization of these QGIS Forms is further enhanced through the use of QGIS’s “Drag-and-Drop Designer”. This feature allows for a high degree of flexibility, enabling us to add tabs and other components to the pop-up window that opens up to the user when she/he is creating data.

Securing The Data with PostgreSQL and GeoServer

Given the sensitive nature of the data and the involvement of numerous external data creators, we had to design a workflow that ensures each consultant’s data remains confidential. This required implementing ‘Row Level Security’ in PostgreSQL, along with user management at both the database (PostgreSQL) and application server (GeoServer) levels. Row Level Security allows us to control write-and-read permissions at the row level, enabling us to maintain a single table for all data storage. This approach simplified data management compared to using multiple tables.

Final words and future Steps

We frequently collaborate with customers who need to securely and efficiently integrate geospatial data from various sources into their complex enterprise IT systems. Whether it’s environmental data, municipal infrastructure, or wind turbines, at Gispo, we’re fortunate to work across a diverse range of fields and sectors.

If you are lucky enough to embark on a similar journey, here’s what we suggest:

1. Start by working backwards from your end-user—make sure you fully undestand their needs.
2. Grasp the IT requirements and limitations so that you can design the right IT solution.
3. Go for it! With each iteration, you’ll get closer to meeting all the user needs (at least the important ones).

The open source geospatial technologies have once again proven their value for the City of Tampere.

Thank you for your time. I hope we’ve offered some valuable insights for your upcoming Enterprise GIS projects. If you have any questions or need further guidance, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here to help you navigate the complexities and make your next project a success.

Santtu Pyykkönen

Santtu Pyykkönen is MSA who is interested in GIS (and all its glory), open source software and open communities and urban development. Freetime activities consist of running and reading.