To allow for best practice implementation of GeoMaster deployed within our cloud environment, this document outlines the common setup for most users with regard to ArcGIS file based geodatabases setup for users.
Most of our users will have the following structure to the required GeoMaster GIS layers. This forms the basis of all GeoMaster implementations.
However as users build up their GIS projects they all add optional layers which are not required explicitly by GeoMaster such as contours, aerial photos, ESRI base layers, transport and road networks, streams etc. There are also additional automatically generated layers created from the patch layer by GeoMaster for Forest, Compartments and Stand boundaries.
So where is your data stored? In a Geo-Database.
A geodatabase is the common data storage and management framework for ArcGIS. It combines “geo” (spatial data) with “database” (data repository) to create a central data repository for spatial data storage and management. GeoMaster supports a range of Geo-Database formats (file, personal and ArcSDE), but for our typical deployment for small to medium deployments is the use personal geodatabases (Stored in Microsoft Access format, with limit in size of 2GB).
It is important to realise that GeoMaster does not limit the number of Geodatabases you might split your GIS datasets into, or what you can store in the Geodatabases together (e.g you could store just the patch layer in one Geodatabase and have other layers in another, or have them altogether in a single Geodatabase). Most of the considerations for doing so will be based around security of the GIS data, type and number of edit users vs number of read only users.
Typical deployment for our small to medium clients.
During deployment we will work through GIS data storage and the best options based on the size of your datasets and number of users (editors and readers, and requested security levels).