1. Introduction to Open Source GIS, GeoTec 2005
2/13/05
Introduction to uDig
An Open Source Platform for GIS
Jeff Lounsbury, Business Developer Refractions Research, Victoria BC
Jeff Lounsbury (250)
uDig
Refractions has been in business for over 8 years, and we have grown steadily to about 2 dozen employees now.

2. Introduction to Open Source GIS, GeoTec 2005
2/13/05
Refractions Research
Victoria, BC
GIS Consulting
Open Source Software
PostGIS Spatial Database
Validating Web Feature Server - 03/04 Project
And
Refractions Research is Located in Victoria, BC.
We specialize is GIS consulting, which is Geographic Information Systems.
Open Source is: freely availible, people can look and change source code of their installation customizin ro changin what they wish.
Refractions focuses on open source solutions that work with our client’s needs and are customizable. We often use open-source software and do a infrastructure set-up for the client, then go beyond that to solve their unique needs with custom or customized software.
Refractions also creates general software products as part of our R&D, when time and resources allow. PostGIS was our first major software product. PostGIS is a spatial database built using the open source DB PostgreSql as a base. It allows you to store spatial data, use DB like queries and joins and allows concurrent multi-user interaction with a single data-set.
Validating Web Feature Server is the R&D product we produced through last year’s GeoConnections program and it used on top of PostGIS to allow users to edit data from the spatial database and commit their changes safely without breaking any business or validity rules.
Finally, this year we have produced uDig, a desktop GIS client that can view WMS, WFS and local GIS files on your desktop. It also contains the ability to search for data published and catalogued through OGC specifications on the internet. What it stands for, we’ll get to that soon enough… :-)

3. Geospatial Architecture
Introduction to Open Source GIS, GeoTec 2005
2/13/05
Geospatial Architecture
Spatial Database
Concurrency
Transactions
Seamlessness
Internet Publishing
Feature Access
Map Access
Data Manipulation
Direct Access
Editing
Cartography
uDig is designed to fulfill a role in a geospatial architecture.
GeoSpatial Architecture is what GIS is evolving into.
GIS is no longer a specialist working on desktop with a single piece of software. In place of a the single unitary piece of software, you have components, each fulfilling a role.
A spatial database - which handles all aspects of data storage.
An internet publishing component - which exposes portions of the spatial database to external users with a standard web services API.
A data manipulation component - which looks much like a traditional GIS, but adds the ability to work directly with the spatial database or web services APIs. That is, combines the versatility access to local data with the value add of access to remote data.

4. Introduction to Open Source GIS, GeoTec 2005
2/13/05
ESRI Architecture
Web Pages
ArcMap
ArcIMS
ImageServer
FeatureServer
ArcSDE
ERSI is an American software company who makes a number of GIS -related software products.
One can build a geospatial architecture out of many different components on the market. In general, the components have to interoperate, so vendors who make all the components have a bit of an advantage. All the components of an ESRI architecture interact, though do not necessarily use open standards.
ArcMap is a desktop GIS system

5. Open Source Architecture
Introduction to Open Source GIS, GeoTec 2005
2/13/05
Open Source Architecture
Web Pages ?
GeoServer / VWFS
Mapserver
uDig
PostGIS
One can build the same functional architecture using open source components. In this case, the interactions are more standardized, and always via publicly available APIs. Note that the internet feature server interaction can potentially be two-way in the open source architecture.

6. Missing Link for OpenGIS
Introduction to Open Source GIS, GeoTec 2005
2/13/05
Missing Link for OpenGIS
“Integrated Client”
Ability to directly view WMS
Ability to directly edit WFS
Ability to search catalogues
Ability to integrate standard GIS data
Hide complexity of network access
uDig is a “missing link” application for two “open” movements: the “OpenGIS” movement (now called the open geospatial movement); and the “open source” movement. For the OpenGIS movement (or, more generically, open standards) uDig is the first widely available “integrated client” for the desktop. An “integrated client” needs to do everything that a GIS normally does in terms of file based access and styling, but also add integrated access to remote OpenGIS services. Most OpenGIS “web services” are exposed using only web interfaces, even though their architecture allows them to be viewed in any software application. Integrating access into a desktop application allows much more fine grained interaction with the services, and more importantly, direct and easy integration with local data (files and databases).

7. Missing Link for Open Source
Introduction to Open Source GIS, GeoTec 2005
2/13/05
Missing Link for Open Source
“Standard GIS Functionality”
Ability to directly edit GIS data
Ability to connect to PostGIS, Mapserver, GeoServer
Ability to create paper cartography
Ability to integrate with proprietary infrastructures
uDig is also a “missing link” application for open source.
Open source has had PostGIS, a good open source spatial database, MapServer, a good internet web map server, and GeoServer, a good web feature server for a couple years now. But the inability to work with data interactively has meant that it is hard to put together a complete infrastructure that is usable for both data maintenance and data publishing. uDig completes the open source spatial data infrastructure.

8. Introduction to Open Source GIS, GeoTec 2005
2/13/05 u
Gimmee a “u” !
“User Friendly”
Sensible Defaults
Use Preferences for Complexity
Automatic Integration
Coordinate Reference Systems
Formats, Services
Drag and Drop Everywhere
Hide Differences between data sources
What is uDig? Well, it is a poorly formed acronym, for one thing.

9. Introduction to Open Source GIS, GeoTec 2005
2/13/05 D
Gimmee a “D” !
“Desktop”
Not a Web Application
Desktop Look and Feel
Windows, Linux
Desktop Integration
Cut and Paste, External Drag and Drop
Desktop Installation
One Click Installers
Being on the desktop means having control of a wide range of events and actions that are just not available to web application developers. Drag and drop, to and from the operating system and between applications, for example, is only available to a desktop application. Standardized look and feel is another bonus: web applications re-invent user interface primitives with every iteration. Desktop applications inherit them from the operating system. Threading of response, so that the application can work on slow tasks while still allowing the user to interact with the application, makes the product more polished and usable.

10. Introduction to Open Source GIS, GeoTec 2005
2/13/05 i
Gimmee an “i” !
“Internet”
Consume Remote Data and Services
View OGC Web Map Server
View/Edit OGC Web Feature Server
View ESRI ArcIMS Server * Coming Soon
Multi-catalogue Search
Treat Local and Internet Layers Equally
Most legacy GIS systems have designs that predate the availability of spatial web services. uDig is designed to work with internet services from the start. The design goal is to be able to interact with remote services in exactly the same way one interacts with local data or databases. The same styling, editing, reprojection, printing, and ordering functionality should be available with internet data as is available with local data.
Some functionality, like editing of WFS, will be fairly unique to uDig at release time. uDig has an advanced GML parser (necessary to work with WFS) that is in advance of even many proprietary products.
Direct integration of search functionality with the user interface means that finding and using internet services is much more intuitive with uDig than with any other current desktop (or even internet) interfaces.

11. Introduction to Open Source GIS, GeoTec 2005
2/13/05 g
Gimmee a “g” !
“GIS”
Platform Extensibility
Platform “De-stensibility”
Hooks for Analytical Plugins
Data Editing
Standard GIS Data Sources
Paper Cartography
GIS is the baseline. Certain GIS functionality is required to meet lowest common denominator operating needs, like interactive feature editing, printing, and the ability to use standard GIS formats and databases. Without basic GIS functionality, uDig would be relatively useless as an integration environment: it would be a showpiece, but not a useful application.
In addition to providing the basics, we have also designed the software so that it can be reused and extended by application developers. uDig is designed as an application platform for software development. Much of the advanced architecture of uDig is inherited from the Eclipse Rich Client Platform, that we have used as the framework for our development. As a result, extension and customization is very much “industry standard”. Using the Eclipse Platform also means we can use any Eclipse plug-in for our own purposes: we will use the Eclipse log viewer as a user interface component to expose uDig events to the user, for example.

12. Introduction to Open Source GIS, GeoTec 2005
2/13/05
Whaddaya Got ?!?
uDig
There are lots of desktop GIS systems out in the world today, some are expensive, some are cheap, there are even some that are open source (like GRASS). But none of the current systems has really been designed to be an “internet GIS”, because when they were designed “internet GIS server” was a meaningless term.
uDig provides a rich client experience for interacting with internet services. OpenGIS WMS servers can provides reams of satellite and aerial imagery, but it can be clunky to navigate the data with only a web interface. OpenGIS WFS servers can provide internet based read/write access to data, but editing GIS data in a web interface is painful at best, impossible at worst. Even servers that provide commercial, de facto standards -- like the ArcIMS ArcXML protocol – should be directly viewable in an “internet GIS”.
Other systems have added on internet GIS functionality, we have built it in from the start.
Having a desktop system means that analytical extensions are much easier to built, and that rich client interaction is possible. It also allows programmers to hook up common actions to drag-and-drop interfaces, so that adding layers from a search panel is as easy as dragging the layer into the active map.
DEMO…

13. Introduction to Open Source GIS, GeoTec 2005
2/13/05
Why Open Source?
“You Give this Stuff Away?”
Indirect Business Model
Refractions gains Expertise &Wide User Base
Revenue is generated through:
Support & Training
Customization
Consultations
Increased Business Contacts and Relationships
We are mainly a Consulting Company, we use open source projects to feed the pipeline of custom software products and modifications. The more products that we are the world experts in the more consulting work we get from it.
Open source projects get us lots of exposure to the GIS world, and lots of expertise we otherwise would not have gained. General business contacts, gets us out there
We use the products as marketing tools as well as application solutions for our clients.
POSTGIS, it worked quite well!

14. Introduction to Open Source GIS, GeoTec 2005
2/13/05
How does this Happen?
Canadian GeoConnections Program
Seed Funding for R&D
OpenGIS Standards
Open Source = Open Accessibility
Build on the Work of Others
Eclipse RCP (IBM)
Java Environment (Sun)
GeoTools
uDig came to from the fortuitous combination of our corporate desire to fill a hole in the open source software world, and the policy desire of the Canadian GeoConnections program to make geospatial data more accessible to the people of Canada. GeoConnections has been seeding R&D and data collection for the past 5 years, providing more free data to Canadians, and the tools to make use of that data. uDig was approved as a partially funded project because it helped fill an accessibility gap: what about people who want to use data services but don’t have the money to buy proprietary software?
uDig also came about from the technical joining of various open source projects into one complete application. By building on the work of others, rather than re-inventing wheels, we have been able to make tremendous progress in just one year of development.

15. Introduction to Open Source GIS, GeoTec 2005
2/13/05
What is Next?
Customers and Community Decide! But…
More Services
OGC OWS-3 GeoDSS Client? ?
Obviously, we are very enthusiastic about uDig and have lots of items on our wishlist. Primarily, the customer and user communities for uDig will decide what functionality is the highest priority. If our proposal to the OGC’s OWS-3 Initiative is accepted we will spend most of the next six months buffing up support for various OGC standards. Otherwise, we may spend time on other contracts, which involve customizations, so the UI and framework will see more work. Other thing on our own internal wishlist, which includes more support for ESRI services, more Catalogue support as standards are refined, and some analysis modules.

16. Introduction to Open Source GIS, GeoTec 2005
2/13/05
Thank You
Questions?

17. Introduction to Open Source GIS, GeoTec 2005
2/13/05