UDIS

Overview

UDIS can either be run as a single user server or as a client server solution, It supports Windows 2000 and XP and Linux (SUSE Linux 9). The application co-operates with many current-market databases, among them, Oracle, Informix and Microsoft Access, and the database abstraction level available in UDIS also considers differences of SQL dialects.

Design

An UDIS database consists of data stocks and object types. A data stock can be copied and simply imported or exported, and thus be transferred between different UDIS installations. If data changes within a data stock are carried out, the other data stocks available within an UDIS database remain untouched. The object-type structures not only the software but also the application specific part of an UDIS application. Thus the Object-type query exists in all UDIS databases. Application specific object-types like Òground water master dataÓ and, for example, pesticide values are found in the UDIS-ground water database. For data evaluation in UDIS, query tools are available based on the configured specific data model. Query results can be exported directly to Microsoft Excel or be stored as a CSV file. To import data in CSV format there is a configurable module available. With the use of style-sheets, files in other XML formats can be converted into UDIS-XML format.

Free configuration and central catalogue

The definition of an object-type is stored as a configuration in the database. This configuration also includes the definition of the related fields, subclasses and links to other object types. Should the standard dialogue not suffice, the functionality of every object-type can be extended with special functions by configuring individual forms. Because UDIS is made up of many individually configured application parts, extensions and adaptations are very quickly feasible. Furthermore, it is possible for all data stocks to have access to a central knowledge base of, for example, substance lists, and any changes in the central knowledge base are immediately available in all data stocks.

Other features

UDIS has a report tool that can be controlled with scripts. This tool already includes in its basic configuration, an extensive collection of assistants for data evaluation with graphical representation.

UDIS-databases have a SOAP based interface for data query and data import so that it can be accessed from other Internet-based applications. This XML-based interface enables access to all structural elements of a specific UDIS application.

Depending on the specific model configured, it is possible with the help of UDIS-XML-Pattern-Generators to compile a data model interface. With the help of this XML interface it is possible for UDIS to import and export object-based data.

UDIS applications

Following are just some of UDIS applications that have been developed for the Federal Environment Agency of Germany:

• Municipal sewage UDIS (capture and evaluation of data of municipal sewage treatment plants by guideline 91 / 271 / European Economic Community)
• UDIS 76 / 464 / European Economic Community (capture and evaluation of data concerning the introduction of dangerous substances into the bodies of water of the community)
• DIS-EPER (program system of the capture, the transfer and the evaluation of the data for the European Pollutant Emissions Register)
• UDIS ground water (capture and evaluation of ground water condition data)
• UDIS-SeeDaBa (sea database of the Federal Environment Agency)