computer science

Smallworld

Smallworld is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Smallworld rather than just read about it. In short: Smallworld is the brand name of a portfolio of GIS software provided by GE Digital, a division of General Electric. The software was originally created by the Smallworld company founded in Cambridge, England, in 1989 by Dick Newell and others.

Key takeaways

Smallworld belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Smallworld to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Smallworld from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Smallworld is the brand name of a portfolio of GIS software provided by GE Digital, a division of General Electric. The software was originally created by the Smallworld company founded in Cambridge, England, in 1989 by Dick Newell and others. Smallworld grew to become the global market leader for GIS in 2010 focused on utilities and communications and remains strong in this sector today. Smallworld was acquired by GE Energy in September 2000. Smallworld technology supports focused application products for telecommunications and utility industries.

Smallworld GIS Solution Portfolio Smallworld applications are based upon GE's Smallworld Geographic Information System (GIS) and primarily provide industry-focused products for:

Electric Transmission and Distribution Utilities: Smallworld Electric Office, GIS Adapter Telecommunications: Smallworld Physical Network Inventory Gas Distribution and Transmission Utilities: Smallworld Gas Distribution Office, Smallworld Global Transmission Office, MAOP Water and Wastewater Utilities: Smallworld Water Office Smallworld GIS is also used by a number of customers outside of these industries to provide the basis for other applications for rail and road transportation. In addition, GE provides a number of cross-industry and integration tools, including:

GeoSpatial Analysis for geospatial business intelligence with the ability to visualise data from a wide range of spatial and non-spatial data sources such as ESRI Shape files, AutoCAD DWG, Microsoft Excel, etc. Smallworld GeoSpatial Server for service-based integration and web mapping Mobile Enterprise for field enablement of workflows Google Maps integration enables access to Google Maps and Street View directly within the Smallworld applications. Integration of Safe’s FME product allowing import and export between other GIS such as Esri ArcGIS, Hexagon Intergraph, Pitney Bowes MapInfo, etc. Smallworld Business Integrator enables integration with ERP systems such as SAP and IBM Maximo. Smallworld GIS Adapter–provides a tightly integrated mechanism for sharing the as-built network with operational systems.

Technology GE Digital’s Smallworld GIS platform utilises a number of technologies:

The 64bit Java Virtual Machine which allows supports development in both Java and Magik (programming language) (an object-oriented programming language that supports multiple inheritance, polymorphism, multi-threading and is dynamically typed). A database technology called Version Managed Data Store (VMDS) that has been designed and optimized for storing and analyzing complex spatial and topological data and supports alternative versions of the data during long-transactions to manage the progression of assets through their lifecycle (plan, design, build, operate, maintain). A highly-secure and reliable server layer providing web-based access and integration based upon containers and orchestrated by Kubernetes supports streamlining and automating enterprise deployments. The solution can be operated on-premise or deployed into the major public cloud providers such as OCI, Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Smallworld

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Smallworld claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Smallworld before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Smallworld ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Smallworld

In research: Smallworld appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Smallworld in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Smallworld is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics GIS software, GIS software companies, General Electric, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Smallworld outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Smallworld in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Smallworld means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Smallworld out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Smallworld in simple terms?

Why does Smallworld matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Smallworld?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Smallworld.