The Application of Domain Analysis and Domain Modeling in GIS

With respect to the current status and problems encountered in the development of GIS, this paper introduces the double life-cycle model, brings forward the domain-specific model of GIS in the domain of the land management after the study of the specific technology such as domain analysis, software architecture.Reducing the complicity of development, enhancing the productivity of the software and supporting the dynamic flexible software architecture are the objects of the model. Domain engineering is a process for developing software assets and models that encapsulates project knowledge for reuse by application engineers.Domain engineering is characterized by the explicit identification of variants and invariants over several applications in a product family and requirements for a set of applications.The process of scooping a domain and developing domain model is called domain analysis. A domain is defined by a set of "common" problems or functions that application in that domain can solve.In a broad context it is a sphere of activity or interest "field".In the context of software engineering it is most often understood as an application area, a field for which software system are developed.Examples include airline reservation systems, payroll systems, communication and control systems, spread sheets, numerical control.Domain can be broad like whole enterprise or narrow like arithmetic operation.Each domain in these domain networks is limited by a boundary that defines its scope.The borders define what objects, operations, and relationships belong to each domain and delimit their operational capability.Domain analysis can be seen as a process where information used in developing software systems is identified, captured, structured, and organized for future reuse.More specifically, domain analysis deals with the development and evolution of an information infrastructure to support reuse.Components of this infrastructure include domain models, development standards, and repositories of reusable components.Domain and boundary definitions are also activities of domain analysis. There are some ordinary domain analysis methods: FODA(feature-oriented domain analysis), the STARS/Prieto-Daiz domain analysis method, ODM(organization domain modeling) and DSSA.All the methods above have their own merits and shortcomings.In the end, we defined a process that integrates the merits of the above methods.After the investigation and development of the NHLAIS(Nanhai land administration information system), TJCCPIS(Tianjin construction conference planning information system), XSUPIS(Xiaosan urban planning information system), we obtain the following domain model of the land management.Firstly, we use the organization context diagram to demonstrate all the organizations associated in the domain.Secondly, we use the activity context diagram to describe the activities created and utilized by the five different organizations in the domain.After that, we use the entity diagram to develop the functional model and the information model of the domain. In the process of development of GIS engineering, valid reuse means create reusable GIS components on purpose.Domain analysis is the most necessary and important process.As an important technology of the system reuse, though it has already been applied in many projects successfully, the domain analysis is still in the status of under-developed.