By Shahabuddin Amerudin
The analysis phase of a web and mobile integrated mapping system is a vital part of the system development process, where all requirements are gathered, assessed, and organized to ensure a smooth and effective design and implementation of the system. This phase involves understanding the functional and non-functional requirements, identifying the key features needed by end-users, and setting up technical specifications that the system must adhere to. A variety of tools and methodologies are employed during this phase to collect, analyze, and document user requirements, and to visualize the system’s structure through diagrams and models.
Several tools are essential during the analysis phase to manage requirements and collaborate efficiently. Jira or Trelloare often used as project management tools to document and organize user stories, tasks, and system requirements. These tools enable the development team to track progress, prioritize features, and ensure that all stakeholders are aligned with the project’s goals. For documentation, tools like Microsoft Word or Google Docs are used to create a detailed System Requirement Specification (SRS) document, which outlines the functional and non-functional requirements, system constraints, and user expectations. The SRS acts as a blueprint that guides the subsequent design and development phases. To gather feedback from a broad range of users, tools like SurveyMonkey or Google Formscan be deployed. These tools help collect input from field officers, environmental researchers, and administrators regarding the features they need, such as real-time GPS tracking or layered map visualizations. This feedback is crucial in shaping the final system.
For collaboration and communication, tools like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Slack are essential. These platforms allow real-time interaction between the stakeholders and the development team, ensuring that any ambiguities or issues with the system requirements are clarified immediately. In addition to verbal communication, visual collaboration tools like Lucidchart or Microsoft Visio are used to create diagrams that visually represent the system’s architecture and interactions. These tools help stakeholders and developers conceptualize the system structure, ensuring a common understanding across the team.
The analysis phase also involves the creation of various diagrams and models that help visualize the system’s behavior and data flow. Use Case Diagrams are particularly important as they provide a high-level view of the system by identifying the key interactions between users and the system. For example, in a web and mobile integrated mapping system, different actors, such as field officers, administrators, and environmental researchers, interact with the system to upload geospatial data, view environmental data layers, or generate reports. Tools like Lucidchart or Draw.io can be used to create these diagrams, offering a clear representation of the user’s interactions with system functions.
Another critical diagram is the Data Flow Diagram (DFD), which models how data moves through the system. In a mapping system, a DFD might illustrate how data is collected via mobile devices in the field, transmitted to the backend server, processed in a geospatial database, and then displayed on the web interface. DFDs are essential in understanding how data flows across various system components, ensuring that data from multiple sources—such as sensors or manually uploaded environmental data—is processed smoothly and efficiently. Tools like Draw.io or Lucidchart can be used to create these diagrams.
For database design, Entity-Relationship Diagrams (ERD) are vital. ERDs model the relationships between different data entities in the geospatial database. For instance, entities such as “Location,” “Environmental Data,” and “User” will be represented as entities, and their relationships will define how data is connected. This helps in structuring the geospatial database to manage vast amounts of data efficiently. Tools such as MySQL Workbench or Visual Paradigm can be employed to create these ERDs, ensuring that the data relationships are well understood and that the database will support the system’s needs effectively.
User Journey Maps are also valuable in the analysis phase, as they depict the entire process a user goes through when interacting with the system. For instance, the journey map might illustrate the steps a field officer takes to collect environmental data using a mobile device, upload the data to the system, and visualize it on a web platform. Creating these journey maps using tools like Miro or UXPressia helps in identifying potential pain points and areas where the system can be improved to optimize the user experience.
Finally, Context Diagrams are created to provide an overview of the system’s boundaries and its interactions with external systems. In the context of the mapping system, a context diagram might show how the system interacts with external GPS services, third-party environmental databases, or cloud storage solutions. Tools like Visio or Lucidchartcan be used to create context diagrams, providing a simplified yet comprehensive view of how the system integrates with external components.
When it comes to choosing an appropriate model for this type of system, the Unified Modeling Language (UML) is often used, as it is a standardized modeling language that provides a visual representation of the system’s functionality. UML diagrams, such as Class Diagrams, Use Case Diagrams, and Sequence Diagrams, allow developers to map out the system’s architecture, object relationships, and sequence of interactions, ensuring that all components are well-structured. In terms of development models, both the Waterfall and Agile models can be suitable, depending on the project’s scope. If the requirements are clear and unlikely to change, the Waterfall Model—with its linear approach—works well as it ensures that each phase is completed before moving to the next. However, for projects where requirements might evolve, an Agile Model is preferable due to its iterative approach, allowing for continuous feedback and adjustment.
The Prototyping Model is also highly effective in the analysis phase of system development. By developing early versions or mock-ups of key system features, such as the map interface or data upload functionality, stakeholders can provide feedback on the look and feel of the system. This allows developers to make early adjustments based on user input, reducing the risk of major revisions later in the project.
In conclusion, the analysis phase of the web and mobile integrated mapping system is a complex process that involves several tools, diagrams, and models to ensure that the system is designed according to the user’s needs and technical specifications. Tools like Jira, Lucidchart, and Google Forms help organize and document requirements, while diagrams such as Use Case Diagrams, Data Flow Diagrams, and ERDs provide essential visualizations of the system’s architecture and data flow. The models used during this phase, whether UML, Waterfall, Agile, or Prototyping, are chosen based on the project’s scope and adaptability, ensuring that the system is robust, scalable, and aligned with user expectations.