Cypher Consulting - Experience Detail

Matthew Nicoll, Cypher Consulting

Experience Detail

Cypher Consulting	Proprietor, Senior Systems Analyst	February 1987 to the present

Contracts

British Columbia Ministry of Transportation
Requirements Analysis of Traffic Classification Data

1987
contracted by the Information Systems Branch to do a Requirements Analysis for a system to handle traffic classification data telemetered from remote traffic sensing stations. The project involved studying the existing Traffic Volume System, studying the vehicle speed and length classification capabilities of the new traffic counters, interviewing personnel of the Planning and Traffic Branch, calculating data volumes and storage costs, and recommending a data processing solution which would maintain the integrity of the existing system, meet the short term requirements for classified data, minimize data storage costs, and allow for enhancements when long term user requirements become definable.

British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Highways
Requirements Analysis for the Highway Photolog Data

1987
contracted by the Information Systems Branch to do a Requirements Analysis for a system to store and provide access to the engineering data logged on tape in the Photolog Truck in conjunction with the photographic highway record. Topics studied included data logging procedures and their impact upon data processing, capabilities of computer controlled video disc players, and IBM mainframe data storage and job control.

British Columbia Ministry of Transportation
Various contracts 1987 to present:
- Highway Accident System
- Landmark Kilometre Inventory
- Collision Information System

studied how an existing COBOL system was being used by the Highway Safety Branch to update their master accident data files, and designed a replacement system to meet current requirements and procedures.
implemented the new design: wrote PL/I programs, JCL, and Wylbur Exec programs to allow the users to dynamically create batch jobs to meet data processing requirements.
implemented as series of accident data analysis programs to search network segments for queried accident types, to find "most-hazardous" sections and or locations, and calculate accident statistics.
converted the user interface of the system from Wylbur to ISPF REXX programs, ISPF panels, and file tailoring JCL skeletons.
wrote and maintained complete system and user documentation, first in Wang-WP, converted to WordPerfect, then to MS-Word.
maintained, supported and enhanced the system from implementation in 1989 through to its retirement in 2009.
wrote DOS-based utilities using batch files and Pascal to aid in downloading and handling mainframe data and reports.
wrote (1999) a Visual Basic application to run on Windows NT to download and process mainframe data and reports. Using OLE automation, the application loads the results directly into MS-Word and Excel. Added code (2000) to create a collision diagram in an MS-Word document, from downloaded data.
did a Y2K conversion (1998): expanding to 4-digit years in data files, PL/I, REXX and ISPF.
1998-present: supervise employees in the processing of accident data for updating the Highway Accident System.
1999-present: supervise an employee in the maintenance of the B.C. Landmark Kilometre Inventory and Highway Classification database. Involves liaising with RCMP and Ministry of Transportation staff around the province. The data is maintained in MS-Access, with functions for text file exports for the mainframe, Excel exports for users, and XML exports for the Collision Information System. Reports in PDF format are published and made available on the Ministry web site.
2005: under contract to Vivid Solutions Inc., assisted in the user interface design, and in creation of design and requirements documents for the Collision Information System, a J2EE / Oracle web-based replacement for the Highway Accident System. Performed initial Quality Assurance testing.
2006-2009: performed the bulk of the User Acceptance Testing on the Collision Information system on behalf of the Ministry. Developed test plans. Assisted with annual user acceptance testing sessions with Ministry personnel. Documented all bug and improvement issues. Prepared collision and related data for transfer from the mainframe to the new system.
2006-present: using RoboHelp for Word, adapted technical screen specs and Highway Accident System documentation to create a WebHelp on-line Help system for the Collision Information System, complete with 130+ topics, index, contents, browse sequences and cross-links.
2010-present: from time to time, work on Collision Information System enhancement requirement and design documents, such as:
- Traffic Volume storage and loading improvements
- Collision GPS location incorporation.
Developed, in Fortran, a utility, utilities for transforming Landmark Kilometre Inventory (LKI) location codes between LKI versions. Created a DLL version for for invoking from MS-Access and Excel VBA, and from VB6.
2010-present: developed, maintain and enhance a Visual Basic program (called CISutil) for specialized handling of CIS, LKI and Traffic Volume data. Functions include:
- reformatting CIS output
- conversions between LKI versions,
- conversions between LKI locations and geographical coordinates,
- generating Section Definition Files,
- producing KML files.

Under numerous Contracts with the Government of Canada,
Department of Fisheries and Oceans, for computer programming services at the
Institute of Ocean Sciences and the Pacific Biological Station:

Wrote a graphical oceanographic data editing program, using the DISSPLA graphics package, for use with DEC VT240/241 and Tektronix 4100 series terminals. Under subsequent contracts, converted the program to use GKS graphics and re-implemented in both DOS and VMS. In 1998, converted to Windows and enhanced the graphical user interface, using Oxford Scientific Software GKS, and Digital Visual Fortran. (sample)
Wrote a time series plot program for producing multi-subplot plots of time series from one or more files, using DISSPLA.
Wrote a complex demodulation program for analysing current data, producing current ellipse and related information.
Wrote a spectral analysis program to do auto-spectra, cross- spectra, rotary spectra and rotary cross-spectra on user- specified data channels and files. A command language allows the user to specify files, data series and complex pairs, and specify various control parameters, in either an interactive or batch mode. An FFT routine from the IMSL math library is used. In 1997, ported the program to Fortran Power Station and Windows 95. Created a DLL version of the program, and wrote a Visual Basic front end to drive it.
Designed and implemented in Oracle the Data Archive Database, a 23-table database for keeping track of archived oceanographic datasets.
Designed, documented and implemented a readable, expandable, and flexible dataset 'header', for describing the source, history, location and other pertinent information for oceanographic datasets. Wrote a library of Fortran routines for reading, writing and manipulating header information from user programs. Implemented the system in VMS, DOS, OSF1, HP-UX, SunOS and Windows 95. Researched creating a Fortran DLL callable from Visual Basic, then created a DLL version of the system, for use from Visual Basic.
Designed and implemented in MS-Access a Project Summary Database, for electronic timesheet entry, submission, approval and archival, in the Windows environment. Reports and cross-tabs by person, project, and task can be requested with clicks of the mouse. The project involved defining custom forms, reports with graphics, extensive use of MS- Access-Basic modules, event procedures, separate table and application object database files.
Converted (1997) to Visual Basic a DOS-based system called the "IOS Shell". This system uses over 130 forms, variable files, template files, and a batch-file generation system to allow users to use approximately 90 scientific data-processing Fortran programs. The conversion involved writing a program to automatically convert forms from the custom DOS format to Visual Basic format, and the subsequent enhancement of the forms in the Visual Basic development environment. Also wrote a VB Windows Setup program for the system, and an Update program for automatic update of networked installations. Continue to maintain this system, now implemented in Windows 10.
Created a full Windows context-sensitive help system for the Visual Basic IOS Shell system. Used the SolutionSoft HelpBreeze system and MS-Word to create the help library and printed documentation from a single set of source files.
(October 1998 - February 1999) Joined the Y2K team of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Pacific Region, Science Division. Performed y2k assessments and wrote assessment reports on approximately 100 computer applications and several Unix workstations. Applications included many Fortran systems of varying complexity, databases, Pascal programs, and off-the-shelf applications.
Converted a number of Fortran77/Plot88/DOS programs to Fortran90/Winteracter/Windows, and wrote a Windows/Fortran90/Winteracter program for displaying, printing and manipulating multi-plot Winteracter graphics files. (sample)
2000: Wrote an interactive Windows/Fortran90/Winteracter program to geographically display the locations of oceanographic data files, with coastline and bathymetry options. The user can select files for inclusion in file lists, zoom/unzoom, access data from a selected file, and launch other programs to plot and/or edit the data in a selected file.
2003/2004: Enhanced to display Temperature, Salinity and Oxygen range profile geographical areas, and to display individual data range profiles on request. (sample)
2002: Did a requirements analysis and design for the Marine Environmental Data Service (MEDS) and the Institute of Ocean Sciences, for software for converting oceanographic data files from the institutional formats to and from an XML format. Subsequently developed prototype software using Compaq Visual Fortran (90), and the Microsoft XML-parser MSXML4.DLL, thus gaining experience with the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Document Object Model (DOM) for XML.
2011: Wrote a Fortran90 program to convert IOS Header files to XML, then an XSLT2 program to convert to ISO 19115 / 19139 Geographic MetaData XML, suitable for loading into the DFO Geonetwork database and website. Used Kernow for testing and xml validation, and the Saxon xslt processor from a Windows command procedure for production processing.
Studied the Marine Community (MCP) and North American (NAP) Profiles of the ISO 19115 standard, and documented their differences.
2012: Re-wrote the Visual Basic Setup program for the IOS Shell so that the Setup program and the IOS Shell executables are installed as "Registration-Free Activation of COM Components" (Reg-Free COM) applications. The Make My Manifest (MMM) utility was used to generate the manifest file and collect the VB dependencies. This method allows the IOS Shell to be installed and executed in a user's file space in Windows 7, without Administrator privileges being required. Tested that over-the-network installations work on both Windows XP and Windows 7.

Government of Canada, Department of Fisheries and Oceans,
Pacific Regional Headquarters (2001 to 2009)

re-wrote a multi-user Visual Basic / ADO / MS-Access fish catch data entry system (PacHarv) to greatly improve reliability, maintainability, functionality and performance.
analysed a multi-step, multi-table MS-Access to Oracle data import system, then redesigned and rewrote for direct-to-Oracle data entry.
investigated a number of data problems in the Oracle PacHarv system, and implemented repairs, using SQL.
maintained and enhanced various VB / Oracle catch data processing programs.

British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Highways
Seasonal Strength Loss and Prediction System (1991)

did the design for a database to contain various types of pavement testing data. Implemented on a PC using Dbase IV - involving use of the Applications Generator, Forms design and writing in excess of 80 modules of Dbase IV code.
wrote an AutoLisp system to plot in AutoCad data extracted from the database.
wrote a plot function: extracted data to an ASCII file, then plotted with a Pascal program.
distributed to the Highway regional offices, and provided support.

Fortran 90 Contracts
Private clients. (2001 - 2009)

implemented a landfill leachate and gas generation model, involving landfill physical dimensions, refuse characteristics, climatic data, vegetative cover, evaporation and leachate recirculation.
enhanced and upgraded a forest generation model. (Forska).
upgraded a pumping and valve modelling system, using Winteracter to create a Windows GUI application with on-screen and printed graphical output.
re-keyed from printed FORTRAN 66 source a 3000-line economic series turnpoint analysis program. Compiled, debugged and integrated with a VBA project.

Economic Cycle Research Institute
Chart Set Production System

2007 - 2011
Using Excel 2003 VBA and Forms, MSXML6.DLL, designed and implemented a system for defining and producing sets of charts.
Using the forms, the user defines a set of charts containing plots containing series, configures axes, turnpoint shading and other graphic elements.
Chart set definitions are named and saved in XML files.
Series and turnpoint data comes from MS-Access databases.
Chart sets were initially produced as HPGL files, which were then automatically imported into Excel or Word documents.
Replaced the VBA/HPGL chart production code with a Fortran/Winteracter program which produces enhanced charts in EMF format. Chart specifications are passed from VBA to Fortran using an XML file.
Redesigned the underlying MS-Access database.
Designed and implemented a central corporate Linux/MySQL database, with an MS-Access admin application, facilities for up and downloading data to and from local MS-Access databases using Excel-VBA / MyODBC, and a scheduled Linux process for replicating updates up to a web-linked MySQL database.

Interact Research & Development Corp.	Programmer Analyst, Senior Systems Analyst	Feb. 1981 to Jan. 1987

Assignments at the Institute of Ocean Sciences

Ocean Ecology Division
Ship-of-Opportunity data processing and data base software.

designed, coded and implemented a system to translate, decode edit and calibrate continuous sample data. Position data and other cruise information is obtained via an interactive program to enable the continuous data to be reduced and positioned. Graphical display programs produce plots of the data in the raw and calibrated stages, and lastly on a chart which includes coastline and cruise course.
wrote a data base system for user controlled input of discrete sample data. Specialized interactive sample editing routines and flexible selective data retrieval features were included.

Canadian Hydrographic Service
Sounding Overplot Removal System

designed and implemented a highly modular three stage system for reducing large files of dense hydrographic sounding data. Output files contain the maximum number of soundings such that when plotted at a specified scale, there are no overplots.
varying digit sizes, subscripts for shallow soundings and other user-specified parameters had to be considered.
final plotting is done on a KONGSBERG photographic plotter.

Offshore Oceanography Division
Shelf-wave Model

developed, under the direction of the contracting scientist, a shelf-wave model for the continental shelf off the West Coast of Vancouver Island. The core of the model is composed of the finite difference versions of the momentum and continuity equations of the wave.
included work with digitized topography; careful management of the numerous initial, intermediate and output files; graphical representation of energy trends and complex fields by contour and surface plots; and harmonic analysis of series of model states.

Coastal Zone Oceanography Division
Alice Arm CTD data processing.

wrote a series of programs in FORTRAN on the UNIVAC to statistically analyse, edit, filter, calibrate, calculate derived quantities, plot, catalogue and archive large volumes of CTD (depth, temperature, salinity, transmissivity) data.
the data was gathered in Alice Arm, as a result of the AMAX Mines tailings plume monitoring programme.

Offshore Oceanography Division
North Pacific standing eddy heat flux calculation.

wrote software for a UNIVAC and a Floating Point Systems Array Processor to perform extensive calculations on temperature and salinity data compiled on a half degree grid over the North Pacific at 24 consecutive two-month periods.
management of many large files, and graphical display of the results was required.

Canadian Hydrographic Service
Data Processing System.

designed, coded, tested and implemented a FORTRAN system on a PDP 11 to decode asynchronous ASCII raw hydrographic data from a ship towing up to four floats. Sounding data comes from each float and the ship, and positioning signals come to the ship from the floats and from several shore stations.
a three tier buffering system was required to allow each position to go through a five point quadratic filter before being used for interpolation to eventually attach a position to each sounding.
supervised a junior programmer who performed various subtasks.
analysed the Hydrographic Service's Data Processing system - of which the Stern-tow program was just a part - and filed a report including recommendations for increased efficiency in the software and procedures.
rewrote the Stern-tow program to be efficient for single-sounder input, and added various enhancements and improvements based upon the previous summer's field experience.

Ocean Information Division
Ocean Data Information System

supervised three programmers, and managed a project which included:
- writing and modifying programs to access a System 2000 Data Base on a UNIVAC computer,
- transferring a custom data base, and a menu driven data selection and map generation program from the UNIVAC to a MicroVax,
- designing and implementing large additions to the data bases and data display program,
- use of the ISSCO DISSPLA graphics package, and the DEC FMS Forms Management System
- VMS system management on a MicroVax.

Engineering Division
S.A.I.L. Data Processing System

designed and implemented the data processing half of the SAIL (Serial Ascii Interface Loop) Data Aquisition/Processing System. The system was designed so that no software modifications are required to accommodate new data acquisition instruments, or for calibration formula modifications.
The project included:
- supervision of 2 programmers
- a generalized, self defining data file design
- calibration programs dynamically generated and executed using calibration formulae read with the data
- a data plotting program, written using the GKS graphics standard
- using FORTRAN 77 under VMS on a VAX785

Duties within Interact Research and Development Corporation

In 1984 I joined an Interact team put together to integrate hardware and software into a marketable hydrographic computer called ISAH (Integrated System for Automated Hydrography). As Senior Systems Analyst I did the design work and supervised one other programmer in the implementation of the Data Processing side of the project.
The work was done on a Motorola 68000 based super-micro, with a UNIX operating system, and FORTRAN 77.
In 1985 I became manager of Interact's business at the Institute of Ocean Sciences. My duties included initial project discussions with IOS clients, scheduling of up to 8 programmers, direct supervision of some contracts, monitoring the quality of work done, and generally ensuring that good business and personal relations were maintained.

University of Victoria, Administrative Systems	Programmer Analyst	Oct 1980 to Feb 1981

Wrote and modified various MARK IV and PL/1 student file update and reporting programs.
Rewrote a large MARK IV program to create a file, to Statistics Canada specifications, from the University student master files.
Analysed a poorly written, maintained and documented Name-and- Address system to produce recommendations for improvement. I effected some fixes, both computerized and clerical, to improve short term operations.

British Columbia Systems Corporation	Junior Analyst	Feb 1978 to May 1980

Assumed maintenance, enhancement, metric conversion and documentation responsibilities for a B.C. Forest Service billing system, written in Fortran. The system involves conversion of timber weight data to volume information using monthly adjusted sample ratios. The monthly bill for each logging company is arrived at by calculating the year-to-date values using the latest ratios and rates, then subtracting the previous year-to-date values.
The system is in Fortran with PL/1 subroutines to handle VSAM file access. Large sequential and VSAM files are used. File security and system backup and re-run features required frequent consideration. Diagnosis and rectification of production problems in the system involved contact with Forest Service personnel from the clerical to management levels.
Worked with a team from a private firm contracted to write the Ledger Write-Off System - a sub-system of the Forest Service's main billing system. My main task was designing, coding and implementing a 4000 line COBOL edit program with extensive use of VSAM files.
Wrote a PL/1 edit program for the Forest Service's Field Management system.
Attended a MARK IV course, then modified and wrote several MARK IV reporting programs.

B.C. Water Investigations Branch	Engineering Aide	May - Aug, 1975 and 1976

Developed a PL/1 program on an IBM mainframe to calculate river discharge and cross section details from linear and metered data obtained in the field. I had sole responsibility for all phases of the computerization, including input form design, extrication of detailed information from survey personnel, software design and development, identification of water velocity meters and their calibration formulae, testing, clerical training, and writing a coding handbook for surveyors.
Later wrote a simplified version of the program for a TEXAS INSTRUMENTS SR52 to allow rapid on-location calculation of river flow.
Other duties included data preparation for a hydrological flood levels package, and enhancements to PL/1 file handling and reporting programs.

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