6. GI System Software

Learning Objectives Understand the architecture of GI software systems Outline the process of GI system customization Describe the main types of commercial software Describe the main types of commercial GI software products currently available

Outline Introduction The evolution of GI system software Architecture of GI system software Building GI software systems GI software vendors Types of GI systems Conclusion

Introduction Specific view of GI systems systems with a range of generic capabilities to collect, store, manage, query, analyze, and present geographic information Discussion restricted to GI system products well-defined collections of software and accompanying documentation Software can be Downloaded or purchased; Shareware; Liteware; Freeware; Public-domain software; open-source software

The Evolution of GI Systems From command line to GUI Key developments (late 1980s) GUIs and customization capabilities The recent emergence of the Web services paradigm Web service: key technology building block of Cloud GI systems. Cloud GI web services are new GI technology wave

Cloud GI Web Services: Requesting a Google Map

Architecture of GI System Software Project GI system single, fixed term, one-off project; data collected specifically for the project and little thought given to reuse; absence of organizational vision; sharing data and experience is a low priority Department GI system several projects in the same department are amalgamated; creation of common standards; development of a focused GI system team; procurement of new GI system capabilities Enterprise GI system standards are accepted across multiple departments; resources are centrally funded and managed

Architecture of GI System Software Classical three-tier architecture of a GI software system.

Architecture of GI System Software Software data models and customization A data model defines how the real world is represented in a GI system A software data model defines how the different tools are grouped together, how they can be used, and how they interact with data Customization is the process of modifying GI systems Industry-standard programming languages IDEs, APIs

Architecture of GI System Software GI system on the desktop, and on the Web and in the Cloud Key concepts: thick and thin servers Network GI systems use the cross-platform Web browser to host the viewer interface

Comparison of Desktop and Network GI Systems

Computer hardware in typical data center.

Building GI Software Systems Start with a formal design for a software system and then build each part or component separately before assembling the whole system. Core GI software systems are usually written in a modern programming language e.g. Visual C++, C#, or Java Key choice: reuse third-party components or libraries, or to build one more or less from scratch

GI Software Vendors Four leading GI software vendors Autodesk Bentley Esri Intergraph

Screenshot of Esri ArcGIS for Desktop.

Screenshot of Intergraph GeoMedia—desktop GI system.

Types of GI Systems Desktop systems Web mapping Server GI systems Virtual globes Developer GI systems Mobile GI systems Other types

Desktop Systems Owe their origin to the personal computer and Microsoft Windows operating system Are the mainstream workhorses of today Free GI viewers able to display and query popular file formats Help to establish market share and can create de facto standards Focus on use rather than data creation Professional GI systems are full-featured desktop GI systems with a superset of capabilities

Screenshot of Quantum GIS desktop system Source: www.qgismalaysia.blogspot.com Screenshot of Quantum GIS desktop system

Web Mapping Next decade will be dominated by Web and server GI products Web mapping: integrated Web-accessible software, a 2-D database comprising one or more base maps, and an associated collection of services Web access is provided via easily accessible, open interfaces running in Web browsers and returning image tiles (fragments of the total map) Website functions can easily be accessed programmatically via well- defined application programming interfaces (APIs)

Situational awareness viewer for an oil spill disaster that mashes up several social media feeds on top of a Web-service base map. Data courtesy US Fish & Wildlife Service, National Park Service, LA Dept of Wildlife & Fisheries, NOAA, Ushahidi, YouTube, and Twitter.

Server GI Systems A server GI system runs on a computer server that can handle concurrent processing requests from a range of networked clients Initially, server GI systems were nothing more than ports of desktop GI products Second-generation systems were subsequently built using a multiuser services-based architecture that allows them to run unattended and to handle many concurrent requests from remote networked users Server systems are the heart of many Cloud GI implementations

Server System: MapGuide Open Source

Virtual Globes Virtual globes allow users to visualize geographic information on top of 3-D global base maps e.g. Google Earth, Microsoft Virtual Earth Have stimulated neogeography and volunteered geographic information (VGI) Neogeography is the “new” geography that among other things includes the overlay or mashing up two or more sources of geographic information

Source: Google, map data copyright Google, AND, TeleAtlas Google Earth

Developer GI Systems Toolkits of GI system functions (components) that a reasonably knowledgeable programmer can use to build a specific-purpose GI application Source: IBM ILOG

Mobile GI Systems A utility work order application that runs on a smartphone device. Esri ArcPad running on a rugged hand-held field PC device

Other types of GI Software e.g. raster-based and CAD-based GI systems Idrisi, by Clark Labs

Conclusions Software is a critical part of any working GIS Many architectures Desktop GI systems are the workhorses Cloud GI systems based on web services are growing in importance Many vendors Open source approaches are growing in importance Customisation/software development is a critical skill much in demand