Cloud-Native Transformation of an Enterprise Geographic Information SystemPlatform: An Information Technology Management Framework for Scalable,DevOps-Driven Modernization Framework in Utility Operations
Keywords:
GIS, Cloud-Native Architecture, Information Technology Management, Microservices, DevOps, AWS, Containerization, Database Management, Network Security, CI/CD, Information Systems Planning, Enterprise Cloud Migration.Abstract
Critical legacy geographic information system (GIS) platforms in the electric and gas utility sector are built on monolithic architectures that cannot satisfy the scale, performance, and information management requirements of modern grid operating environments. Conventional GIS systems impose inflexible release cycles, limited horizontal scalability, and brittle point-to-point integrations, preventing real-time geospatial data delivery to control room and field operators. This article presents the design, development, and deployment of a cloud-native enterprise GIS platform as a strategic information technology management initiative at a large North American electric and gas utility. Framed as an information systems planning and policy decision, the proposed platform is built on Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud infrastructure using a microservices architecture comprising React JS frontend components, Java REST APIs, Docker containers, and Jenkins continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines. The four-layer architecture — presentation, application services, integration, and data tiers — supports independent scaling, database modernization, and network security enforcement across each layer. Observed outcomes across deployment efficiency, concurrent user scalability, production incident frequency, and operational decision-making speed demonstrate substantive improvements over the legacy baseline. The article contributes a repeatable IT management framework for regulated utility environments and, more broadly, for mission-critical enterprise information systems requiring high availability, continuous delivery capability, and compliance-aware database governance.
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