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Why GIS & Why Internet GIS?: - Accessibility - Timeliness - Linkages of Databases

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Arham Sheikh
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27 views

Why GIS & Why Internet GIS?: - Accessibility - Timeliness - Linkages of Databases

Uploaded by

Arham Sheikh
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Why GIS & Why Internet GIS?

• The Internet bandwagon


• Internet mapping (e.g., MapQuest)
• Location-based services
• Real-time navigation (e.g., traffic)
• Real-time service dispatch
• Business Intelligence
• Spatial data dissemination
– Accessibility
– Timeliness
– Linkages of databases

Maclachlan, J. C, Jerrett, M., Abernathy, T. et al. 2007. Mapping health on the Internet:
A new tool for environmental justice and public health research. Health & Place 13: 72–
86.

Survey result based on 30 existing web-GIS sites.

1
PSU Glaciers Database (Mapserver)
http://glaciers.research.pdx.edu/

The USGS National Map Viewer (USGS)


http://nationalmap.gov/viewers.html

2
MetroMap
http://www.metro-region.org/index.cfm/go/by.web/id=1055

Example Internet GIS Websites

•Metro RLIS (ArcIMS)


http://www.metro-
region.org/index.cfm/go/by.web/id=1055
• PSU Glaciers Database (Mapserver)
http://glaciers.research.pdx.edu/
• The USGS National Map Viewer (USGS)
http://nationalmap.gov/viewers.html

3
Internet Applications
Client – Server Architecture

Considerations:
• Web performance (Network connection speed)
• Data complexity (image - WMS vs. map features
- WFS)
• Extent of user/data interaction

Major Components:
• Client viewer
• Data/map server

Ways of Accessing Data


• Direct disk access – OS file access
– Shapefiles on the C: drive

• Network file system – OS file access


– Shapefiles on the I: drive

• Database engine – SQL


– Personal geodatabase on C: or I: drive
– SDE geodatabase on C: or I: drive

• (Network) database server – RPC SOAP or image


– DEM on http://maps.geog.pdx.edu/arcgis/services

• Network web applications – HTTP SOAP or image


– Google map

4
ArcGIS Server Architecture

ArcGIS Server Functionality

5
ArcGIS Server Web Services
Resources on the server that are available over the internet
• Data
– Feature (for Web editing)
– Geometry (for geometric calculations such as calculating areas and lengths)
– Globe (for 3D and globe rendering)
– Image (for serving raster data and providing control over imagery delivery)
– Keyhole Markup Language (KML)
– Map (for cached and optimized map services)
• Functionality
– Geocode (for finding and displaying addresses/locations on a map)
– Geoprocessing (for modeling and analysis of spatial data)
– Mobile (for running services on field devices)
– Network Analyst (for routing, closest facility location, or service area analysis)
– Search (for enterprise search of GIS assets)
• Internet services
– Web Coverage Service (WCS)
– Web Feature Service (WFS) and Transactional Web Feature Service (WFS-T)
– Web Map Service (WMS)

Web Mapping Applications


Packages web services that are developed for
client-side applications, such as:
– Web browsers
– ArcGIS.com Viewer
– ArcGIS Explorer Online
– ArcGIS Viewer for Flex™
– ArcGIS Mobile Applications (with ArcGIS Server
Advanced Enterprise)
– ArcGIS Server Web Mapping Application
– ArcGIS for iOS® (for iPhone and iPad)
– ArcGIS Mapping for SharePoint®

6
An Example of a Server Object

ArcGIS & ArcGIS Server


• ArcCatalog
– GIS Server connection and administration

• ArcGIS Toolbars for server administration


– Image Service Definition Editor
• .ISDef and .ISCDef (compiled)
• .ISCDef is used by the server to provide image services
– Map Service Publishing
• .msd (map service definition file)
• Both .msd and .mxd can be used by the server

• All data defined in the definition files must be


accessible by the server.

7
ESRI vs. Open Source Internet GIS
• Client Applications
– ArcGIS Desktop, internet browsers or applets.
• Server Applications
– ArcGIS Server / PostGIS
• DBMS
– ArcSDE + RDBMS / MySQL, PostgreSQL, …
• Data format
– Raster: Geodatabase / GDAL - Geospatial Data Abstraction
Library
– Vector: Geodatabase / OGL - OpenGIS Simple Features
Reference Implementation
– ArcGIS SDE supports PostgreSQL
• Development environments
– ArcGIS Desktop (Author, Designer), Java, Javascript, SilverLight,
Flex, php, ColdFusion, .NET,…

Take-home Messages
• Database design is an art. You need to consider:
– System efficiency
– Query/analysis efficiency
– Management efficiency
– Interoperability considerations

• You could base your DB design on:


– existing DB functionality of GIS software, or
– customized DB tools for specific applications.

• Everything is in a steady state before the next driver acts…, that is,
don’t expect the existing DBMS/GIS features will be the same down
the road.

• The goals and theories of representing reality in a digital world are


more or less constant.

8
Guidelines for GIS Projects
• Creating 1st-hand data is expensive (use existing data when
possible)
• Conform project data (projected coordinate systems, attribute data
type, file structure, file naming convention)
• Check the output of each geoprocessing step
• Keep a backup copy of your data
• Check hardware’s capacity (disk space, R/W access privilege,
network bandwidth,…)
• Know the software limitations/features (no space for in your file path
and file name, 2GB size limit for personal GDB, info goes with
coverage, layer files vs feature classes, file lock, …)
• Know that software can never be bug-free (so what?)
• Be resourceful in solving problems (online help, user forum, your
peers…)
• Know when to ask for help
• Learn new things on your own
• …

What’s next?

• Large GIS databases (e.g., National Information


Infrastructure, Alexandria Digital Spatial Library)
• Goal- vs. Application-Oriented System Design
• Data-Oriented System Design
– Data capture and post production
– Data storage
– Data searching and reporting
– Data retrieval and distribution
– Data maintenance

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