The Digital Service File (DSA) – The RAG integration and information platform for spatial data

Purpose
The Digital Service File (DSA) is the RAG intranet portal for the long-term application of geodata and other data sources. It combines the functionality of modern mapping services designed for spatial analysis and display with a searching service that includes full-text searches of various data containers held by technical departments. The DSA is available as a web application to all employees of the RAG Group on the basis of existing authorisation criteria.
Methods
The system uses GIS and search technologies that are now routinely employed by RAG (Esri ArcGIS and MOSS – Microsoft Office Sharepoint Server). The web interface is based around the Microsoft Silverlight application framework.
Results
Since the system's successful launch in 2011 the DSA has been continuously augmented with additional key components. Users can now employ DSA 2.0 to access the RAG drawings archive containing more than 100,000 mine drawings and plans as well as the RAG aerial photograph archive, which also has more than 100,000 aerial records.
Practical implications
The incorporation of various general components, such as personalisation (myDSA), high-quality map output, the linking of additional data containers in SAP and ELO and the integration of special, process-supporting "tasks" (e.g. mining subsidence processing), is now leading to the more widespread use of the DSA system.
Originality/ value
The DSA is an indispensable tool which will continue to support and reproduce core processes in the future.