Database Management Systems reading

The assigned Access Science article on Database Management Systems was, as usual, dry but informative. This was helpful to me because I really didn't understand why were were reading about databases when this course is about Intelligent Buildings. However, after reading the article I understand that databases are a key to storing all the information we have gathered and need to know about a building in one place. I see how this relates to Revit models, as we have learned that these models are excellent for storing information gained about existing structures and those that have yet to be realized.

This became even more apparent when I read a GIS brochure called GIS Solutions for Civil Engineers. Although this was a brochure trying to sell GIS to me or some company that I hypothetically work for, it was informative in showing what GIS databases can be used for. GIS (Geographical Information Systems) allows users to easily communicate information about sites and infrastructure in order to create a sustainable design. Thanks to the reading assignments in this course, I understood why it is advantageous that this software is interoperable. It is obvious, in reading about this software, that huge, huge files must be created in order to operate such a powerful software and store all the information that is is able to generate and is needed in communicating with others working on the same or similar projects.

This lead me to read an article entitled Why 2013 will be the year of cloud databases. The cloud had only been able to handle primitive means of storing data up until about 2012, but now that is is starting to implement more sophisticated database management systems it will become more and more useful for data storage and retrieval. This will be great for firms or companies that are using such software as GIS so that they will not be heavily weighed down by all the information that is store by the software or by the software itself. This will help decrease the expenses associated with large, sophisticated programs like GIS and will help make the work go faster. When information was needed out of site based database systems, it could sometimes take hours for that information to be returned out of the database and, sometimes this information wasn't even accurate. With the up and coming cloud based database, this information can come back in minutes and is more likely to be accurate. While this cloud bases database isn't perfected yet, it is expected that it should come along sometime in the next couple years.