Internet Map Servers ( Web GIS ) Longley et al., 7.5 (1/e) or 11 (2/e)

Paper Map Publishing User Request Data Gathering Data Formatting Data Processing Map Formatting Map Production User Response Graphics courtesy of Aaron Racicot, Ecotrust

Web Map Publishing Web User Request Web Map Formatting Services Static Data Storage Map Production Web User Response Graphics courtesy of Aaron Racicot, Ecotrust

From Desktop to Server ArcIMS (Internet Map Server) “web mapping” “web GIS” ArcWeb - customized web GIS services ESRI Image Server ArcSDE - database storage (IBM, Oracle, Informix, Microsoft SQL Server) ArcGIS Server - “distributed GIS” ESRI Tracking Server Running “GIS” remotely over the Internet client-server architecture “thin client” just a Web browser (Netscape or IE Explorer) and a machine to run it on (desktop, laptop, PDA, cellphone) “thick server” software and the data

“Internet Map Server” no data or software are transmitted only answers to queries (based on geocoding)

maps.google.com

nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine

Map Server yes, but Web GIS also www.coastalatlas.net answers to queries in map form, coupled with data to download simple analysis

ArcIMS Architecture (ESRI 2002b) The ArcIMS Architecture is composed of three main parts: the Web Server (third-party component), the ArcIMS server and the applications used to build and manage your web site (Author, Administrator, Designer, and Manager.) When an ArcIMS client sends a request to a server, the ArcIMS server processes and responds to the request. Results, typically maps or geographic data, are packaged and delivered to the client. (ESRI 2002b)

ArcIMS Components Client-side components Server-side components ArcIMS HTML Viewer ArcIMS Java Viewer Metadata Explorer Server-side components ArcIMS Spatial Server ArcIMS Application Server ArcIMS Connectors Web Server ArcIMS includes two out-of-the box client component options: HTML and Java client viewers. HTML Viewers are lightweight clients that receive image maps from the spatial server. Java Viewers serve information to a client browser in a specially optimized compressed format. There is also an ArcIMS Metadata Explorer extension. ArcIMS serverside components are always running in the background on your server machine, waiting until it is needed. The spatial server is the workhorse that bundles the maps and data into the appropriate format before sending the data to the client. The application server is the coordinator, who keeps track of incoming requests and hands them off to the appropriate spatial server assigned to create the map. The connectors allow communication between the browser and ArcIMS. The web server is the software that enables a web site to run. Slide courtesy of Kuuipo Walsh, OSU INR

Virtual Research Vessel scallywag. science. oregonstate Virtual Research Vessel scallywag.science.oregonstate.edu/website/epr_html/viewer.htm

COMCI scallywag.science.oregonstate.edu/website/comci/viewer.htm Virtual Oregon (Metadata Explorer) digitalcollections.library.oregonstate.edu/virtualoregon/ COMCI, Catalog of Oregon Marine and Coastal Information, is based on ArcIMS 4 Virtual Oregon is based on the ArcIMS Metadata Explorer

Distributed Servers/Clients What if the parts of a map come from different servers? GlobeXplorer -www.globexplorer.com map from MapQuest image from archive ArcMap in ArcGIS 9.x Data from Geography Network Mapping & analysis from YOU in ArcGIS

New Geospatial Worlds Customized apps in Desktop World AML in the old Arc/Info Avenue in ArcView 3.x MDL in Intergraph Couple all these with data Purchase db, write customized code to geocode, get coordinate, put symbol on map Web World is different Embed call to web service Send address in XML (Extensible Markup Language) or SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) Web service itself returns location

Applications Unlimited Bridges apps on desktop, server, web, etc. (ArcWeb) .NET - a Microsoft programming environment Closely coupled to MS server family MS “back-office” OS: Windows Env: Common Language Runtime (CLR) Dbs/Web: ADO.NET, ASP.NET Languages: Visual Basic, C++, C#, More info at http://www.geoplace.com/gw/2004/0402/0402cvr.asp

J2EE J2EE - Sun’s Java 2 Platform Enterprise Edition More interoperable, works w/ many different databases, toolkits OS: Windows, Solaris, Linux, OS X, others Env: Java Virtual Machine (JVM) Dbs/Web: SWING, Enterprise Java Beans, Java Server Pages, JDBC Languages: Java, C++, C# More info at http://www.geoplace.com/gw/2004/0402/0402cvr.asp

So What About Open Source? Four basic freedoms (The Free Software Foundation): The freedom to run the program, for any purpose. The freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to your needs. Access to the source code is a precondition for this. The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor. The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements to the public, so that the whole community benefits. Access to the source code is a precondition. Slide courtesy of Aaron Racicot, Ecotrust

Open Source GIS - Server Tools mapserver.gis.umn.edu postgis.refractions.net/ R-Statistics GRASS GIS www.r-project.org grass.itc.it GDAL/OGR (raster translator) gdal.maptools.org www.geotools.org Slide courtesy of Aaron Racicot, Ecotrust

Open Source GIS – Server Tools Pro’s: Software is free, total cost is NOT free Wider variety of platforms supported (UNIX, Linux, Windows, Mac OS) Easier installation Often very fast and efficient for the job Many formats supported Con’s: Less out-of-the-box functionality (e.g., metadata publishing) Lots of customized programming needed Linking server tools together is often hard Ability to integrate into proprietary systems is limited (i.e. can not link PostGIS database to ArcMap) The biggest advantage of MapServer, for example, is the cost (free distribution of the s/w). MapServer has the advantage of being open-source and therefore the map and query output is fully customizable. Also the cost of to integrate with a database may be lower (ArcSDE is expensive). Well supported by and active community including the original programmers. Typically it is faster to serve maps (2 secs vs 5-7 seconds). And the installation is easy especially if you are familiar with compiling programs on UNIX However, because it is not intended to be a full-featured GIS, it is less robust and has less out of the box functionality. And if you want to add GIS functionality, you need to customize through programming. For ArcIMS, the biggest drawback for most is the large cost, which includes the license for the software and buying the hardware to go on it. The software is less customizable because the source code is unavailable. And I would say you have poorer support directly from ESRI, but good online support from the user community. And installing ArcIMS is stillchallenging, despite recent improvements. ArcIMS is nice because it supports more data structures, so you need to figure out what type of data you need to server. It is more robust because it offers more pre-packaged GIS functionality. Because you have access to more data structures and functionality, you can often generate better map images. One of the most significant features is the ability to publish and browsing metadata over the Internet. Basic site creation is simple and there is a large user base to draw from for support.

Web GIS with Decision Support Web User Request Web Services Data Gathering Data Formatting Data Processing Static Data Storage Map Formatting Map Production Web User Response Graphics courtesy of Aaron Racicot, Ecotrust

Web GIS with Decision Support Web User Request Web Services Data Gathering Data Formatting Data Processing Static Data Storage Map Formatting Map Production Web User Response The Problem Is The Arrows! Graphics courtesy of Aaron Racicot, Ecotrust

Making GIS analysis accessible and affordable for Salmon Nation Ecotrust Approach QGIS/GRASS GIS Web-Based Mapserver Fully Integrated Open-Source GIS UMN Mapserver – Making data accessible via the web. Geo-spatial server viewed through a web browser. Taking our vision to a growing audience. QGIS/GRASS GIS – Fully functional server GIS doing the heavy lifting. Runs on the server located at Ecotrust. Adding the analytical glue to make smart decisions based upon sound GIS analysis. And where Ecotrust sees things going: Real-Time Decision Support Tools Integration of open-source software across organizations “Google” type interfaces AJAX driven Streaming media Seamless datasets Large datasets mean more thought in pre-processing Pressure on large private companies to become more responsive to end user needs Integration of OSGIS with proprietary software Start of services based business… Making GIS analysis accessible and affordable for Salmon Nation R-Statistics Slide courtesy of Aaron Racicot, Ecotrust

Ecotrust Example - OCEAN www.ecotrust.org/knowledgesystems/ocean.html R-Statistics Chameleon (client user interface) Mapserver GDAL to pre-process data PostGIS to store vector data layers Slide courtesy of Aaron Racicot, Ecotrust

Ecotrust Example - OCEAN www.ecotrust.org/knowledgesystems/ocean.html QGIS/GRASS - Desktop Slide courtesy of Aaron Racicot, Ecotrust

Gateway to the Literature Kolodziej, K., OGC's WMS Cookbook: Recipes for web mapping, Geospatial Solutions, 13 (10), 42-44, 2003. Lehto, L., and L.T. Sarjakoski, Real-time generalization of XML-encoded spatial data for the Web and mobile devices, Int. J. Geog. Inf. Sci., 19 (8-9), 957-973, 2005. Liang, S.H.L., A. Croitoru, and C.V. Tao, A distributed geospatial infrastructure for Sensor Web, Comp. Geosci, 31 (2), 221-231, 2005. Lowe, J.W., Bone rooms, bird bodies, and biodiversity informatics, Geospatial Solutions, 14 (4), 40-45, 2004. Scholz, A. Mertens, M., and Steinback, C., The OCEAN Framework-Modeling the linkages between marine ecology, fishing economy, and coastal communities, in Wright, D.J. and Scholz, A.J., Place Matters: Geospatial Tools for Marine Science, Conservation, and Management in the Pacific Northwest, Corvallis, OSU Press, 70-90, 2005. And www.ecotrust.org/placematters Yang, B., A multi-resolution model of vector map data for rapid transmission over the Internet, Comp. Geosci, 31, 569-578, 2005. Yang, C., D.W. Wong, R. Yang, M. Kafatos, and Q. Li, Performance-improving techniques in web-based GIS, Int. J. Geog. Inf. Sci., 19 (3), 319-342, 2005. Zhang, L., C. Yang, D. Liu, Y. Ren, and X. Rui, A web-mapping system for real-time visualization of the global terrain, Comp. Geosci, 31, 343-352, 2005. Zhao, H., and B. Shneiderman, Colour-coded pixel-based highly interactive Web mapping for georeferenced data exploration, Int. J. Geog. Inf. Sci., 19 (4), 413-428, 2005.