IST-Africa Template

IST-Africa 2009 Conference Proceedings Paul Cunningham and Miriam Cunningham (Eds) IIMC International Information Management Corporation, 2009 ISBN: 978-1-905824-11-3

GeoHosting – Publish Your Spatial Data Yourself Karel CHARVAT1, Petr HORAK1, Martin VLK1, Jelle HIELKEMA2, Stepan KAFKA3, Jachym CEPICKU3, Jan JEZEK4, Ota CERBA4 1 WirelessInfo, Cholínská 1048/19, Litovel, 784 01, Czech Republic Tel: +420604617327, Fax: + +420281973501, Email: [email protected] 2 FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, Rome, 00153., Italy Email: [email protected] 3 Help Service Remote Sensing, Vnoučkova 614, 256 0, Benešov u Prah, Czech Republic, Tel: +420 317 724 620, Fax: +420 317 724 651, Email: [email protected] 3 West Bohemia University Plzen Abstract: In recent years, there is much discussion about so called Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) development. This is actively discussed at European level (INSPIRE), at national levels, but also globally in the United Nations context (UN SDI). There are technological solutions, but these are in many cases not available for small data providers or for an organization or enterprise, which don’t have their own servers. There is a possibility to use Google technology, but this doesn’t fulfil the requirements of SDI building, which has both institutional and technical aspects. This paper describes so called GeoHosting technology, based on implementing rules for INSPIRE and UN SDI and OGC standards. Described are three basic models: use free - publish free, outsource your data services, use your own solution Keywords: SDI, OGC, ISO,Web, Geospatial data, Community

1.

Introduction

New tools are being developed by Czech Living Lab WirelessInfo, which allow users to easily publish their data and metadata as part of a Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI). The paper describes the design of a Technological Infrastructure on the basis of ISO and OGC Standards and also the implementation of a prototype and first experiences. The solution is designed in distributed system form, which provides the connection to metadata about spatial data and services. This solution tests the principle of catalogue services at both national and international level, which could be used in the UN SDI context. A catalogue portal is one of the independent components of GeoHosting complex system for raster and vector spatial data sharing. The catalogue portal provides data source searching on the basis of their metadata records through structure queries. The portal also contains edit functionality for new metadata records creating or editing. The metadata catalogue system corresponds to ISO 19115/19119/19139 standards [1], [2], [3], [4] and provides for cascade searching on the other standardized catalogue systems. The difference is, there exist different other initiatives offering publishing of own content like Google technology or OpenStreet Map, that GeoHosting is based fully on INSPIRE European standards and support establishing of network of distributed servers.

2.

Objectives

The main objective of GeoHosting is to offer services supporting the creation of a spatial data sharing system with possibility to publish data for any user having access to Web. The Copyright © 2009 The authors

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system is based on open formats and is open for interaction with other SDI platforms. It could be used in education, but also could be a solution for researchers and small data providers, particularly in developing countries. The system is developed on the OpenSource platforms (MapServer, GeoServer) and contains both common visualisation and data sharing and metadata and catalogue functionalities. This system should allow: • Data and metadata publishing • Usage of existing data sets for data processing • Integration of spatial data from different sources • Data input to user-defined structure • Connection system to other special purpose devices supporting data collection. • Connection to map servers – query system and update systems. Module architecture will allow building different applications from the simplest (for example visualisation) to applications with maximum functions like data model transformations.

3.

Methodology

The basic architecture is based on the Open Services Architecture/ The basic scheme defined in earth@look project is used for definition of GMES architecture and can be modified for purposes of single tasks.

Figure 1: Scheme of Open Service Architecture

The basic architecture is based on Open Services Architecture. This model supports reusability of components and easy building of new applications or their modification. The design goal is to reuse existing tools and define interoperable interfaces for these tools, allowing reuse of these tools for other applications. For the selection of the components it is important to be oriented on Open Source solutions, but only on such systems which support Open Standards (OGC and ISO) [1], [2], [3], [4]. Geohosting solution was implemented as set of geospatial web services components for data sharing and management.. From services mentioned the next services was selected. [5] • Geographic human interaction service examples: o Catalogue viewer. Client service that allows a user to interact with a catalogue to locate, browse, and manage metadata about geographic data or services. o Geographic viewer. Client service that allows a user to view one or more feature collections or coverages. This viewer allows a user to interact with map data. Copyright © 2009 The authors


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•

Geographic model/information management services: o Feature access service - provides access to and management of a feature store. o Map access service - provides access to geographic graphics o Coverage access service – provides access to & management of coverage store. o Catalogue service –provides discovery and management services on a store of metadata about instances.

4.

Technology Description

4.1

Catalogue and Metadata system

Micka is spatial metadata catalogue, which supported standards: • Any XML based standard may be stored in the system. There is special module for standard tree maintenance. • In current version these standards are supported: • Spatial data metadata (ISO 19115) - full standard • Service metadata (ISO 19119) - reasonable core • Feature catalogue (ISO 19110) - reasonable core • Dublin Core Metadata (ISO 15836) • There are some predefined profiles in the system: • ISO 19115 mandatory elements • ISO 19115 core elements • INSPIRE profile • MICKA (INSPIRE elements with added ones for common use.) • ISO/DC (ISO 19115 elements covering the DC core profile) • Full ISO 19115 standard User interface is multilingual. English, Czech, German, French, and partially Polish are currently supported. (New language may be added by filling the corresponding database table.) User may switch language clicking corresponding flag on the top bar of the program. The Micka use GEMET and AgroVoc thesaurus and supported WFS gazetteers. 4.2

Visualisation client

Geohosting visualisation client is based on HSlaeyers, which is extension of Open Layers. HS layers enables putting a dynamic map in any web page simple way. It can display map tiles and markers loaded from any source. MetaCarta developed the initial version of OpenLayers and gave it to the public to further the use of geographic information of all kinds. OpenLayers is completely free, Open Source JavaScript, released under the BSD License .This concept was extended by company Help Service Remote Sensing. From developer point of view, HSLayers/OpenLayers is a pure JavaScript library for displaying map data in most modern web browsers, with no server-side dependencies. OpenLayers implements an object-oriented JavaScript API for building rich web-based geographic applications, similar to the Google Maps and MSN Virtual Earth APIs. OpenLayers is able to display various types of raster and vector data formats. Naturally, it supports OGC WMS specification, as well as common Image formats (in PNG, GIF or JPEG format). There is also support for multiple proprietary formats, like Google Maps, Yahoo maps and others. OpenLayers do use so called tiling of raster data. Numbers of vector (and text) data formats are supported as well. There is possibility for rendering vector features in GML, OGC WFS, GeoRSS, KML formats. Creation of regular shapes (boxes, circles, ...) is supported as well. Points can be displayed as special point features with image icon or like vector point features.Numbers of controls are available to support map interactivity and customization. Among others, zoom bar, overview map, layer switcher, various toolbars and mouse action Copyright © 2009 The authors


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handlers can be used. Thanks to advanced event model, it is no big problem to program custom map control. [6]. 4.3

DataMan

DataMan is application for management of spatial data. It supports management of data in databases or files. It supports export and import of this data and also publishing and updating of related metadata. In database, it is possible to store both, vector and raster data, including their attributes. Also for file oriented storage, it supports both, vector and raster data. From raster formats, it currently supports IFF/GeoTIFF, JPEG,GIF, PNG, BMP, ECW, from vector formats ESRI Shapefile, DGN, DWG, GML. [7]

4.4

MapMan

The Map Project Manager (MapMan) is a software tool for users who want to publish or create new map projects and compositions. It supports publication of spatial composition from locally stored data (fields or database-stored in DataMan), with external WMS, WFS data services. It supports visualization in web browser using such clients like OpenLayers, GoogleMaps, DHTML client, Desktop viewer GoogleEarth, DIS Janitor or publish data as OGC WebMapService (WMS), OGC WebFeatureService (WFS). All published data are also connected with metadata stored in Micka.[7].

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Figure 3: Usage of MapMan Composition

4.5

Teredit

Teredit is a special tool for data collection in the field, data transfer from a mobile device (PDA, notebook) to a server and for generating a project for data collection. The data can be collected and saved onto a server in on-line or off-line mode. Teredit is a global component system where the components are interconnected via a multilevel architecture. Primary data collection provides a “Mobile GIS Editor” – it can be any available data collected software (e.g. ArcPad for PDA) which is up to standard of functionality and communication. The second side is the internal server of the company where the data will be stored. Teredit constitutes a bridge between these two sides. Teredit uses web services for data transfer. Web Map Services (WMS) will be used for transfer of referential layers, Web Features Services (WFS) will provide transfer of vector data for editing. The system is proposed with transaction functionality. [7]// 4.6

Metadata Extractor

Metadata extractor is tool, which supporting extraction of available metadata directly from different files (documents, presentation, etc.), editing this metadata and publishing of metadata and files on URM portal. Other possibility is extract metadata (and then edit) directly from existing URL addresses and store metadata on URM portal. Access to information is then trough direct URL addresses. [8]

5.

Developments

The GeoHosting system was development in collaboration with NaturNet Redime project, c@r project and Earthlook and is currently tested as prototype in Czech Republic and in Latvia. The system is currently fully functional and runs as publicly available solution. Development of new tools is continuously taking place which could help to support SDI development solutions for a larger community in the INSPIRE, UNSDI and other SDI



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development contexts. From next year it will be available with a desktop solution, Janitor, used in secondary education in Czech Republic. An installation is currently prepared, which will support applications worldwide. This application will be the proposed Czech contribution to UN SDI initiative and will offer services worldwide. Other development is focused on publishing of historical maps. GeoHosting is now used as part of Uniform Resource Management (URM) concept [9], which main objective of URM will be easy description, discovery and validation of relevant information sources. URM ensures that any user can easily discover, evaluate and use relevant information.

6.

Results

The testing of the GeoHosting system demonstrates good usability of the proposed solutions. The system could also be advantageous for students and young researchers. It could also help to tested methods of SDI building in countries, where until now the necessary infrastructure doe not exist. Currently were installed first solution for Czech GMES implementation, for Czech Forestry and Urban Planning, for publishing of historical maps in Czech Republic, for Czech UN SDI initiative and two servers for Latvia.

7.

Business Benefits

There are three different business models, where GeoHosting could be used. Basic model is community or free model. Anybody could use the system freely and all data are freely accessible for other users. It supports applications for tourism support, education or research. Second model is licensed model, when users will pay a license fee for the usage of system and data access could be also licensed on the base of user decisions. Last possible model is, when technology will be installed on servers of users.

8.

Conclusions

Involvement in international collaboration and in the international activities should be a priority and the possibility of future development and the implementation of technologies developed in previous projects as well. Spatial data publication activities on an international level play the main role in this case through regional activities, such as INSPIRE in Europe and global initiatives such as the establishment of United Nations Spatial Data Infrastructure (UNSDI) or possible involvement in the GMES project of the European Commission in the future. However the key target objective of the project is accessing geospatial information for a wide audience through the new user-friendly, open and standardsbased technologies.

Acknowledgements The paper is prepared on the base of outputs from projects: EarthLookCZ - the solution was achieved with financial support from state resources provided by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic for support of project of the program “EUPRO” with registration number OK488 and name “EarthLookCZ”. Naturnet Redime - New Education and Decision Support Model for Active Behaviour in Sustainable Development Based on Innovative Web Services and Qualitative Reasoning, Project number 004074 of SIXTH FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME Educational programmes on social, economic, and environmental tools for the implementation of the EU Strategy on Sustainable Development at both EU and international levels c@r - Collaboration and Rural, Integrated Project, funded by the IST programme of the European Commission's 6th Framework, project number 34921 Copyright © 2009 The authors


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References [1] OpenGIS® Catalogue Services Specification, ver. 2.0.2 Corrigendum 2 Release, OGC 2007-02-07 [2] OpenGIS® Catalogue Services Specification 2.0.2 - ISO Metadata Application Profile. OGC 2007-05-02. [3] ISO 19115:2003, Geographic information - Metadata (with ISO 19115:2003/Cor. 1:2006, Geographic information - Metadata - Technical Corrigendum 1) [4] OpenGIS® Cataloguing of ISO Metadata (CIM) Using the ebRIM profile of CS-W, OGC 2007-05-10 [5] [email protected]_1 c@r project report, Litovel 2008 [6] Jachym Cepicky, Pavel Gnip, Stepan Kafka, Irena Koskova and Karel Charvat Geospatial data management and integration of geospatial web services, IAALD AFITA WCCA2008, Tokyo [7] Karel Charvat and Petr Horak EarthLookCZ as Czech way to GMES, IAALD AFITA WCCA2008, Tokyo [8] NATURNET-REDIME, New Education and Decision Support Model for Active Behaviour in Sustainable Development Based on Innovative Web Services and Qualitative Reasoning, D2.1 Report on the elaborated service standards and recommendations for the NaturNet-Redime system [9] Karel CHARAT,Stepan KAFKA, Marek SPLICHAL, Ota CERBA, Jelle HIELKEMA Uniform Resource Management, IST Africa 2008, Windhoek, May 2008



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