Communicating Antarctic Science Using Open Source Software Peter Pulsifer & D.R.F. Taylor Geomatics and Cartographic Research Centre Carleton University Open Source GIS Conference June 9, 2004

Presentation Overview The Cybercartographic Atlas of Antarctica Project Atlas Content Partnerships System Architecture Conclusion

The Cybercartographic Atlas of Antarctica Project

Project History First proposed by Dr. Daniel Vergani of Argentina Formally adopted by SCAR in Sienna, 2001 Three workshops held to date –Puerto Madryn, December 2001 –Ottawa, May 2002 –Ottawa, October 2003

Cybercartography Multisensory Multimedia Interactive Information/analytical package Produced by interdisciplinary teams Forms new partnerships Applied to a wide variety of subjects Taylor, 2003

Goals of the Atlas Atlas Goals: –Create an innovative new product and methodology to compliment discovering, utilizing, presenting and distributing existing information and data about Antarctica to a wide variety of users, including scientists, decision makers and the general public –Facilitate increased cooperation and information exchange between Antarctic stakeholders under the terms of the Antarctic treaty –Through international cooperation, to develop and link National Atlases of Antarctica

Atlas Users General public –Learn from theme specific synthesis of data on Antarctica Policy makers –Integrate and analyse geographic information to support policy decisions (Cordnonnery, 1999) Scientists –Integrate and analyse geographic information using scientific visualization to support information discovery and knowledge generation

Atlas Content

Atlas Volumes and Themes Volume 1: Antarctica in a Global Context –The Antarctic Ice Sheet: Implications of Global Climate Change Volume 2: The Continent of Antarctica –McMurdo Dry Valleys Volume 3: Antarctic Science –Geoscience: Subglacial Antarctic Lake Exploration Volume 4: Human Activity in Antarctica –Tourism in Antarctica

Maps Digital Raster Graphics On-Line Services

Satellite Images LandSat IceSat RadarSat

Aerial Photography Hope Bay, Antarctic Peninsula. Compliments: U.S. Geological Survey

DEMs / Shaded Relief Maps Source Mount Erebus, Ross Sea

Text

Images cont.

Process Animations Folding of the Earth’s Crust Movement of the Earth’s Tectonic Plates Over Geologic Time Scale

Time Series Animation

Video

Partnerships

Providers Users RAMP IHO Global Map SAER ADD CGA ADDS:AMD +NADCs User / Providers ADGRAV ADMAP AGEANT ANTEC ANTOSTRAT BEDMAP GIANT AGONET GLOCHANT READER SALE EASIZ EVOLANTA RiSCC Seals Bird Biology Evolutionary Biology

Data Infrastructure Hub Node Data, Metadata, Semantics

System Architecture

CAAP Conceptual Framework Data Infrastructure Mediator Scientists General Public Interface Policy Makers

Application (atlas) Portrayal (map renderer) Processing (modeling software) Data (feature service) Service (example) Registry (metadata catalog) User General Service Architecture Interface Mediator Infrastructure

KGIS Atlas of Ant. Research ADD Gateway Antarctica Multimedia Text Atlas Hub [ ] Policy Support Theme specific synthesis Scientific Visualization SCAR Partners SCAR/External Partners The Atlas

Example of Partner OGC Data Services for The Atlas Partner OGC Web Services Antarctic Maps Antarctic Map Layer Styles Response{GML/ IML } Request {http} Antarctic Features Antarctic Feature Catalog Antarctic Imagery/DEM Comp. Gaz. Antarctica

Request/Response INTERFACE Maps (SVG) | 3D/4D Rendering (GeoVRML) | Geo-Imagery (OCX) | Multi-Media (IE, Flash Player etc.) | [Multisensory] | Search Interface Standards Encoded Requests/Data/Metadata (XML / GML / ISO19115 XML) Representation of the Real World Real World Observations INFRASTRUCTURE Metadata Service Imagery.IPQ.SID Text Data ImagesSoundsVideo.html.xml.jpg.png.mp3.wav.mpg.mov OlfactoryHaptic ?? Geographic Database - PostGIS - ArcSDE Geo-files.sdts.shp Sensor -sensorML Catalog Service Web Data Services Request/Response Standards Encoded Requests / Data/Metadata (XML / GML / ISO19115 XML) MEDIATOR Geographic Mediator – Modeling/Data Processing Variety of Software: ArcGIS, PCI, eCognition, Idrisi, Semantic Translator, Information Mapper Internet Map Server Image Server Web Server Cartographic Mediator – Integration/Representation (Scripting and Transformation i.e. PHP, XSLT) Media Server Multisensory Media Server Cartographic Mediator - Abstraction (Server Side Scripting and Transformation i.e. PHP, XSLT) (Pulsifer, 2004)

Real World Observations INFRASTRUCTURE Metadata Service Imagery.IPQ.SID Text Data ImagesSoundsVideo.html.xml.jpg.png.mp3.wav.mpg.mov OlfactoryHaptic ?? Geographic Database - PostGIS - ArcSDE Geo-files.sdts.shp Sensor -sensorML Catalog Service Web Data Services Request/Response (Pulsifer, 2004)

Infrastructure Data and Registry Services: –Open source object relational database (PostGIS) central to infrastructure –WMS, WFS, WCS (Mapserver) –Catalog service (deegree) –Sensor Collection Service using SensorML (GML) –Gazetteer (deegree) –Standardized feature model under development –Semantics - future will see open standards formal ontology used by mediator level

Request/Response Real World Observations INFRASTRUCTURE Metadata Service Imagery.IPQ.SID Text Data ImagesSoundsVideo.html.xml.jpg.png.mp3.wav.mpg.mov OlfactoryHaptic ?? Geographic Database - PostGIS - ArcSDE Geo-files.sdts.shp Sensor -sensorML Catalog Service Web Data Services Request/Response Standards Encoded Requests / Data/Metadata (XML / GML / ISO19115 XML) MEDIATOR Geographic Mediator – Modeling/Data Processing Variety of Software: Modeling, Semantic Translation, Information Mapping Internet Map Server Image Server Web Server Cartographic Mediator – Integration/Representation (Scripting and Transformation i.e. PHP, XSLT) Media Server Multisensory Media Server Cartographic Mediator - Abstraction (Server Side Scripting and Transformation i.e. PHP, XSLT) (Pulsifer, 2004)

Geographic Mediation Processing Services: –Coordinate transformation (Proj4) –‘Geofusion’ (development project, OGC) –Semantic Translation (RDF, DAML+OIL) –Image classification (GRASS) –Advanced modelling (GRASS, PostGIS)

Cartographic Mediation Portrayal services: –Map (Mapserver) –Coverage (Mapserver) –Terrain (deegree) –Multi-media / multi-modal (Apache, others)

Request/Response INTERFACE Maps (SVG) | 3D/4D Rendering (GeoVRML) | Geo-Imagery (OCX) | Multi-Media (IE, Flash Player etc.) | [Multisensory] | Search Interface Standards Encoded Requests/Data/Metadata (XML / GML / ISO19115 XML) Representation of the Real World Real World Observations INFRASTRUCTURE Metadata Service Imagery.IPQ.SID Text Data ImagesSoundsVideo.html.xml.jpg.png.mp3.wav.mpg.mov OlfactoryHaptic ?? Geographic Database - PostGIS - ArcSDE Geo-files.sdts.shp Sensor -sensorML Catalog Service Web Data Services Request/Response Standards Encoded Requests / Data/Metadata (XML / GML / ISO19115 XML) MEDIATOR Geographic Mediator – Modeling/Data Processing Variety of Software: ArcGIS, PCI, eCognition, Idrisi, Semantic Translator, Information Mapper Internet Map Server Image Server Web Server Cartographic Mediator – Integration/Representation (Scripting and Transformation i.e. PHP, XSLT) Media Server Multisensory Media Server Cartographic Mediator - Abstraction (Server Side Scripting and Transformation i.e. PHP, XSLT) (Pulsifer, 2004)

Interface Rendering Applications: –HTML, JavaScript (Apache, Mapserver) –SVG (Mapserver experimental) –Flash (Mapserver + Flash experimental) –3D/4D rendering (TBD i.e. NVIZ 3D)

Architecture Summary Developed to support multimedia cartography based on a Spatial Data Infrastructure model Modular design intended to provide flexibility, scalability Based on open standards (i.e. OGC) Uses (but not limited to) open source software

Conclusion Cybercartographic Atlas of Antartica aims to communicate Antarctic science using multi-media cartography System based on distributed knowledge and data Open source technologies have facilitated the development of a flexible system that can be shared among stakeholders

Acknowledgement The Author acknowledges the support of the Initiatives on the New Economy program of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada