We will look at each of these in detail to describe your current system of information management and communication, then look at them again to define what you expect from a new GIS program . The conceptual design itself will serve as a major guiding document for all database development and software application. It is a living document which will be reviewed continually as new data sources arise, as staff skills expand, and as the GIS evolves. This is the step where we define the features and entities we will be working with at a conceptual level. One way this can be done is by conducting user interviews and listing for each user the main types of features or entities that need to be handled.
Features usually refers to things with a spatial component, whereas entities can refer to anything.
For each attribute, we also want to ask if there is only one for each entity or if an entity can have many. We also want to indicate which attributes are absolutely required in order for the entity to exist, and we generally want to indicate at least one attribute for this role. This is where we go through all of the lists and definitions and look for commonalties. Where two entities list a similar attribute we ask what the differences are, how important are they or what the implications would be of making them the same. Where an entity lists as an attribute that appears to be another entity we ask what the differences are and if the attribute can actually be combined with that entity.