Evaluation of SPL Approaches for WebGIS Development: SIGTel, a Case Study

WebGIS development is currently based on the reuse of existing components. There has been an increase in both the number of new components available and the functions demanded by customers. There are also a larger number of firms working on the WebGIS domain so that competition is harder than ever. To deal with this new market situation, SIGTel Geomatica has to improve its development process and increase the number and quality of products available in its portfolio. SPL have emerged as a suitable alternative to meet these goals. This paper presents a systematic review (SR) of existing approaches in the SPL domain based on the requirements of SIGTel in particular and the WebGIS domain in general. We evaluate the existing SIGTel process and establish the critical concerns for applying an SPL approach in a small company and describe the lessons learned from our own experience, so that those in a similar situation can benefit from our work. In addition, as SPL approaches and tools are evaluated and the SR method is used to collect documentation, other researchers may also find the results useful.