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The Chief Surveyor-General presents: Wiki Style Documentation. A striving for panoptic documentation. What is documentation?. Define why we do things Define how we do things Define when we do things Define where we do things Define what we need to do to do things Documents answer questions.
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The Chief Surveyor-General presents:Wiki Style Documentation A striving for panoptic documentation
What is documentation? • Define why we do things • Define how we do things • Define when we do things • Define where we do things • Define what we need to do to do things • Documents answer questions
What is documentation at an SG’s Office? • SG is an animal of law • All documentation needs to thread back to law • It is a public document
Documentation at the SG • Act, Regulations, Ordinances • Manuals of procedure • Circulars • “Random Notes” • As well as random notes • Personal notes
Alternative forms of documentation • Spoken word • Individual notes • Formal notes • Digital documents (eg Word document) • Digital manuals (eg software help systems) • Web pages • Wiki
What is knowledge management? • the explicit and systematic management of vital knowledge - and its associated processes of creation, organization, diffusion, use and exploitation - in pursuit of business objectives • "If only HP knew what it knows it would make three times more profit tomorrow" - Lew Platt, ex CEO Hewlett Packard
Why is knowledge management important • Increased content • Shorter development times • Facilitates innovation • Manage intellectual capital (eg retirees) • Increased networking • Holistic view of organisation • Help solve wicked problems • Specific, but not exclusive, to Rural Development: • High staff turn over • High cost of training
What is a wiki • Wiki means “fast” in Hawaiian • Developed by an American, Ward Cunningham during 1994-1995 • Everybody knows Wikipedia or WikiLeaks? • Website based • Anybody can create and edit • Any number of interlinked web pages • Via a web browser
Dokuwiki • Used for pilot study • Freeware • Written in PHP • Seemed simple enough to get setup • Aimed at documentation
The envisioned SG Wiki • In the beginning…
Documentation team • Ratifies what has been amended • In consultation if necessary (as per previous example) • Informal discussions, ad hoc meetings to feed info to them • Eg PLS tea time discussions • A team per SG office • Instead of a team, maybe a librarian
Staff to start using Wiki • For example the diagram examination section
The envisioned SG Wiki • Start sharing… • Advertise to interested parties • The land surveyor • The conveyancer • The academics • Allow them to create and edit too
And those damn circulars? • Introducing RSS feeds
A “New” Datastructure • How may this apply to GIS • GIS procedure • GIS operators notes • List of useful SQL statements • Etc • Something different • What about data presentation
List of pro’s (cons not yet considered) • Free-ish • Neat • Accessible • Easily added to other applications • Free • General skill level • Collaboration