Modernizing Enterprise GIS Infrastructure for One of the Nation’s Largest Commuter Rail Systems
Client: Metra — Chicago, Illinois
Industry: Transportation & Public Infrastructure
Technology: Esri ArcGIS Enterprise | Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Services: Cloud Architecture | GIS Implementation | Security | Managed Services
Project Overview
GCS is pleased to announce the successful production launch of a new cloud-hosted ArcGIS Enterprise environment for Metra, the commuter rail agency serving Chicago and northeastern Illinois.
Operating 11 commuter rail lines across a six-county region, Metra manages an extensive transportation network that depends on reliable geographic information to support infrastructure planning, asset management, and operational decision-making.
GCS partnered with Metra to design, deploy, and manage a modern enterprise GIS platform hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS). The new environment establishes a scalable foundation for enterprise geospatial data management, collaboration, and future integration with Metra’s IBM Maximo asset management system.
The Challenge
Metra’s GIS program historically relied on ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Pro for mapping, data management, and analysis across multiple departments.
As the organization expanded its enterprise asset management initiatives, it needed a more comprehensive GIS infrastructure capable of supporting centralized data management, secure administrative access, enterprise geodatabases, and integration with other business systems.
The solution also needed to provide reliable cloud hosting, strong security controls, and ongoing technical support without requiring Metra to manage the underlying server infrastructure.
The GCS Solution
GCS designed and implemented an ArcGIS Enterprise environment on AWS, providing the infrastructure and services necessary to support Metra’s evolving GIS program.
Key components of the solution include:
- Enterprise GIS Architecture: Deployment of ArcGIS Enterprise components, including Portal for ArcGIS, ArcGIS Server, ArcGIS Data Store, and ArcGIS Notebook Server.
- AWS Cloud Hosting: Cloud infrastructure designed to support enterprise GIS workloads and future growth.
- Production and Staging Environments: Separate environments supporting controlled testing, validation, and production operations.
- Enterprise Geodatabase Infrastructure: A foundation for centralized management of authoritative geospatial information.
- Identity and Access Management: Integration with enterprise identity services to support secure administrative access.
- Security and Monitoring: Cloud security controls, vulnerability monitoring, and operational visibility informed by Esri security guidance.
- Managed GIS Services: Ongoing infrastructure administration, system monitoring, maintenance, troubleshooting, and technical support.
The solution enables Metra’s GIS team to focus on managing geospatial information and delivering business value while GCS manages the underlying cloud infrastructure.
A Foundation for Enterprise Asset Management
An important objective of the project is preparing Metra’s GIS environment for future integration with IBM Maximo Application Suite.
By establishing a modern ArcGIS Enterprise platform, Metra gains the technical foundation needed to connect geographic information with enterprise asset management workflows.
Future integration opportunities include spatial visualization of transportation assets, maintenance activities, work orders, and other operational information.
This approach supports Metra’s long-term vision of making geographic information more accessible and useful throughout the organization.
Project Milestone: Production Go-Live
The successful production launch marks a significant milestone in Metra’s enterprise GIS modernization initiative.
The deployed platform provides a foundation for:
- Expanded enterprise GIS capabilities and cross-departmental collaboration.
- Centralized geospatial data management.
- Secure cloud-based GIS access and administration.
- Future integration with enterprise asset management applications.
- Ongoing platform maintenance and infrastructure support.
With the production environment live, GCS continues its partnership with Metra through managed hosting, technical support, and ongoing platform administration.
Helping Organizations Modernize Enterprise GIS
The Metra project demonstrates GCS’s ability to deliver and manage complex enterprise GIS infrastructure for transportation agencies and other organizations with demanding operational requirements.
From architecture and implementation to security and ongoing operations, GCS helps organizations deploy ArcGIS Enterprise in cloud environments designed for reliability, scalability, and long-term maintainability.
Ready to modernize your GIS infrastructure?
GCS provides ArcGIS Enterprise implementation, AWS cloud hosting, enterprise geodatabase solutions, and fully managed GIS services.
Contact GCS to discuss your organization’s enterprise GIS needs.
You must be logged in to post a comment.