PropBase “Warehouse” architecture
Martin L. Nayembil, Anne E. Richardson, Graham J.H. Smith, Simon Burden · NERC Open Research Archive (Natural Environment Research Council) · 2014
PropBase is a “data warehouse” system that extracts, transforms and loads data into a simplified data model from across BGS’s heterogeneous property data sources into a single view so that the data is compatible and accessible from a single interface. The system consists of: data tables that form the core of a simplified data structure; coding routines that are run at regular intervals for the extraction, transformation and load of data into the simplified data structures, a second tier partitioned denormalized data access layer that serves as the data access point by applications. The system also includes a suite of java coded search utilities that facilitate easy data discovery and download to allow for the complex synthesis of many data types simultaneously. ; There is also a web service to allow for machine‐to‐machine interaction, enabling other software systems to directly interrogate the datasets to visualise and manipulate them. This system will have a significant impact by allowing multiple datasets to be rapidly integrated for scientific understanding whilst ensuring that data is properly managed and available for future use.