1. Cross-Platform Mobile Development for Spatial Biological Databases
Csaba Szugyiczki, Viktoria Kurjak,
Gergely Kovasznai, Miklos Ban
ICAI 2017
Januar 31, 2017
Eger, Hungary

2. OpenBioMaps http://openbiomaps.org Biological databases Queries
Open data
Free
Exportable data
Databases of unique structure.
Example: Database with unique and complicated structure about parasites and their hosts.
Unique databases
Customizable interfaces
Importable data

3. Used by Whom and for What?
Environment protection:
National park (Duna-Ipoly NP, Bükk NP)
Social associations (Milvus Group, Romania)
Research:
Universities (University of Debrecen, Eotvos Lorand University, Eszterhazy Karoly University)
Research centres (Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Germany)
Data collection
Data management
Data sharing

4. OpenBioMaps Server background
Linux host servers
Apache webserver
Standard relational database backend
PostgreSQL
Standard OGC compatible GIS (Geographic Information System) tools
PostGIS
Mapserver
ogr2ogr, gpsbabel
PostGIS: A GIS extension of postgreSQL.
MapServer: A standard open source platform for publishing spatial data and interactive mapping applications to the web.
OGR2OGR, GPSBABEL: Popular GIS tools. ogr2ogr is part of the GDAL (Geospatial Data Abstraction Library of OSGEO ( Open Source Geospatial Foundation))
We use these well-known, popular and standard GIS tools for importing, converting, transforming, organizing and visualizing GIS data.

5. OpenBioMaps DB Network
Private Users
Node 5.
Duna-Ipoly NP
Budapest
Node 4.
MILVUS
Marosvasarhely
Node 1,2. DE
Debrecen
Node 3.
ELTE
Budapest
Node 7.
Bukk NP
Budapest
Node 6.
BikF
Frankfurt
Private Users
data connection
archive connection
Public Users

6. OpenBioMaps DB Structure
Operational
Database
GIS
Database
Projects' metadata tables
Translations
Statistics
Logs
User informations
OAuth2
Forms
Projects' tables
History tables
Temporary tables
Shared data
GIS connection
WEB & API interface

7. What is the Problem to Solve?
When collecting data on site, how to upload it into OBM?
(Lame) Solutions:
Users write their notes on paper which then need to be entered on computer. Why to do the work twice?
Users use their computers on site. Do I need to carry my notebook everywhere?
Users use different available mobile applications for collecting different types of data. Do I need to switch between apps?
IoT, EKU, consortium.
Alternative apps for data collection. Not unified.
Solution: Dedicated OBM mobile application

8. Android App Data are bound to geographics coordinates.
Recording the position by
Using the phones’s GPS.
Entering manually.
Choosing on the online map.
Recorded position can be visually checked on map.
Developed in Android Studio.

9. Android App Components of notes: Text note Position + date and time
Sound recording
Photos

10. Android App
Saved notes can be exported as .zip files to phone’s memory. Data can be archived or processed later by other applications.
Saved notes are automatically uploaded to the server when being online.
Uploading to the server: Retrofit
Background synchronization when being online: SyncAdapter
Retrofit: Less code is necessary for the app to access the internet.
SyncAdapter: Encapsulates those codes that are necessary for exchanging data between the client and the server.

11. Further Requests from Users
„What if my phone’s operating system is not Android?” „Could you please make the form elements fully customizable?” „Is it possible to automatically fill the form elements that are frequently used?” „Let’s develop a cross-platform mobile application!”

12. Cross-Platform Application
Browser and platform independent
Using HTML5, CSS or SASS, JavaScript or TypeScript
Instead of platform-specific APIs
Has to be developed only once
Instead of developing a separate native app for each platform
Unified outlook and functions on all the platforms
Disadvantage: Slower than native apps
Angular2 + Apache Cordova + Ionic2
Angular2: To load dynamic forms ( + SPA = Single Page Application --- more dynamic apps).
Cordova+Ionic : To develop to mobil devices by using web technologies.
Cordova: To access native functionalities (e.g., GPS, camera, internet).
Ionic: Provides CLI (Command Line Interface) -> We can use simple command-line commands for e.g. creating a project.

13. How to the OBM cross-platform app?
The user constructs the form he/she needs on PC, w.r.t. the database.
The user uploads the form to the server.
The OBM app downloads the form from the server (JSON).
The user fills the form on site which is saved to the phone’s database (SQLite). No internet connection is required!
Later, when being online, the app uploads the filled form to the server (JSON).

14. How does this work?

15. How to Create a Form? Form name Table name Access (public, private)
Form type
Here you can give the name of the form, which table it relates with, what its accessibility is, what the form’s type is.

16. How to Create a Form? Include? Column Required Description Type Length
Default value

17. Form Elements (JSON)
[ { key: 'date', label: 'Date', value: 'auto-fill', type: 'date', required: true, order: 1 }, key: 'position', label: 'Position', type: 'gps', order: 2 key: 'note', label: 'Note', type: 'text', required: false, order: 3 } ]

18. Data (JSON) SQLite Database { date: "2017-01-31T19:55:14",
position: {lat: " ", lon: „ "},
note: „Deer" }
SQLite
Database

19. Conclusion Platform independent Customizable forms
Multilingual user interface
Data assigned to geographics positions
Form functionality (to save and/or automatically fill the content of certain fields)
Future work:
Tracklog functionality
Data assigned to polygons (instead of points)
User management
Using offline maps

20. Thank you for your attention!