Arches custom resource and map report for environmental management

Arches Asset Management Framework Handles More than Just Cultural Heritage

The Arches platform and Arches HIP (Historic Inventory Package) application are designed with cultural heritage in mind, but what if you want to manage other types of data?

Arches Framework can manage any kind of asset or inventory

Fear not, the application-style construction of Arches makes it possible to create your own implementation to manage just about any type of data while leveraging the core data management capabilities of Arches.

Many current implementations of Arches utilize the existing Arches HIP graphs, substitute in application specific business data, and modify the existing authority files. This is ideal if your job is managing cultural heritage. However, by modifying the resource graphs, forms, and reports one can start to craft an application to manage a much wider variety of data.

A resource graph can represent just about anything and its associated attributes. The current resource graphs can be viewed with Gephi (either by opening the Gephi files or by importing the nodes and edges csv files included in Arches HIP). From there one can start modifying the graphs and exporting new nodes and edges files (ultimately it is these nodes and edges files that are consumed by Arches). Give it a try – replace a resource graph in your local copy of Arches HIP with a graph you’ve created or modified yourself. Start small and keep experimenting until you are satisfied. If there are errors on import Arches will log them in the resource graph error log file.

Once the new graphs and corresponding business data and authority files are in place, Arches allows you to customize both your forms and reports. Both the HTML and the data served to the reports can be modified to suit whatever representation is appropriate. Want to add charts, graphs, or maybe 3D models to your reports? Go for it. Additionally, customizable forms allow you to create data entry and management workflows that are unique to your particular domain.

Arches resource report map displaying multiple resources
Arches resource report map displaying multiple resources

 

Arches resource report table displaying related resources, including a resource edit button.
Arches resource report table displaying related resources, including a resource edit button.

So what other types of data can be managed by Arches?

Here are a few examples to get you thinking for just environmental and agricultural data:

  • geochemical analyses
  • oil spill remediation
  • the EIR process
  • crop histories
  • livestock inventory
  • equipment and infrastructure maintenance

Don’t feel limited by scale either, with the right modifications Arches can manage data from the atomic to the universal. Be creative. Break things. Ask for help on the Arches forums and let us know what you come up with.

arches-resoure-report+map
Arches custom resource report with related resources displayed in both a table view and map view

 

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