Data Migration

The development of GIS is in a constant flux. New GIS using more recent technologies and findings are being marketed all the time. However, as a rule, geodatasets have a longer lifespan than the GIS software. Their continuability, unlike the software, is practically never ending. It is therefore inevitable to migrate data from an old system into a new system, possibly from the same manufacturer.

Modern systems are usually able to use geodata also in a more intelligent way. This means that a solution has to be found not just for the problem of geo data transfer. There is also the question whether it is possible to turn certain patterns into rules which will allow an enhancement of the data and a considerably higher usefulness of the GIS. It is therefore advisable to put a lot of effort into drawing up rules for data enhancement, since a largescale manual post-processing can easily become much more expensive than the analysis and configuration of translating programmes or even the creation of a program for automatic manipulating of the data to be migrated. The migration with data enhancement can thus have the side effect of improved quality.

During the migration data are not merely enhanced, but, at the same time, errors and inadequacies of the data can be detected in the data source and, if necessary, automatically corrected. Naturally, this aspect also applies to the high-quality data exchange between complex data models apart from system replacements.

Data migration concerns all users of geodatasets. Data migration comprises concepts supplying data in the new system at minimum time and for achieving a very high quality of the migrated data in order to minimize manual postprocessing. We know that it is essential to become productive in minimum time at maximum qualtiy - and we know how to do it! In their most complex form they are more expensive than translators between complex GIS, whereby mainly medium and large public utility companies as well as authorities are concerned.