Providing Government Collaboration and Public Distribution with Spatial Data Infrastructures

Transcription

1 Providing Government Collaboration and Public Distribution with Spatial Data Infrastructures A White Paper Security, Government & Infrastructure, a division of Intergraph

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3 Table of Contents 1. Introduction SDI Background Philosophy and Architecture Intergraph SDI Software GeoMedia WebMap GeoMedia SDI Pro GeoMedia SDI Portal (futures) Customer Success Stories SITGA Galicia Spain State of Baden-Wuerttemberg Additional References Building a Better SDI Solution Providing Government Collaboration and Public Distribution with Spatial Data Infrastructures Page i

4 1. Introduction Governments at the local, regional, and national levels require current, accurate geographic information to make better decisions in multiple areas. Geospatial data can help government organizations better manage: Border security, primarily at the national government level Emergency management, involving prevention planning, civil protection, monitoring, and analysis of natural disasters and large public events Infrastructure management for water and wastewater systems, transportation systems, city services (garbage, snow, parks), field equipment, and some utility systems Land information management, including cadastre, forestry, agriculture, natural resources, urban planning, environmental protection, and economic development Mapping and cartographic production, primarily at the regional and national government level Public services (e-government), including businesses and citizens purchasing government information, accessing government information, and requesting services These areas are just a few examples of how decision makers can benefit from geographic information, coupled with the associated spatial data infrastructure (SDI) that supports information discovery, access, and use of this information in the decision-making process. The examples also clearly indicate the importance of collaboration between organizations, particularly for the interoperability of spatial data and publication of spatial information. This white paper will highlight Intergraph s SDI philosophy and architecture, review the benefits of it for end-users, and provide examples of successfully applied SDI solutions. Providing Government Collaboration and Public Distribution with Spatial Data Infrastructures Page 1

5 2. SDI Background According to one of the German SDI initiative Web sites (gdi.initative.sachen), the components of an SDI include: Geospatial data resources as the repository for all spatial-related data Networks as the physical and logical infrastructure component Geographic information system (GIS) services for communicating the different elements Standards ensuring interoperability Figure 1 shows the relationship between the different components. From a software technology point of view, services are the heart of the infrastructure. Figure 1: The components of a spatial data infrastructure. Intergraph s SDI product portfolio facilitates different kinds of services, enabling our customers to participate within an SDI as a node. These services embrace the following areas: Human interaction (portal services) Client services for the management of user interfaces, graphics, multimedia, and presentation of compound documents Model/information (data and catalog services) Services for the management of the development, manipulation, and storage of metadata, conceptual schemas, and datasets Workflow/task Services supporting specific tasks or work-related activities conducted by humans. These services support the use of resources and product development involving a sequence of activities or steps that may be conducted by different persons. Processing Services that perform large-scale computations involving substantial amounts of data System management Services for the management of system components, applications, networks, user accounts, and user access privileges Communication Services for encoding and transfer of data across communications networks Providing Government Collaboration and Public Distribution with Spatial Data Infrastructures Page 2

6 Geospatial data, however, is an expensive resource and many organizations do not have access to the appropriate resources needed to fully leverage this data, particularly in the developing world. Many national, regional, and international programs and projects are working to improve access to available geospatial data, promote its re-use, and ensure that additional investment in geospatial information collection and management results in an ever-growing, readily available pool of data. These initiatives include an emphasis on harmonizing standards for spatial data capture and exchange, the coordination of data collection and maintenance activities, and the use of common data sets by different agencies. For Europe, the European Commission recognized that the availability of relevant and standardized geospatial information is a vital prerequisite for efficient political action. The commission established the Infrastructure for Spatial Information in Europe (INSPIRE) initiative ( to coordinate activities and improve utilization of geographic information in Europe. This initiative provides a legal standard, which took effect in 2007, and regulates the structure of the European spatial data infrastructure (ESDI) with existing data from European Union members. The commission started these measures in 2001 in the European environment area of responsibility and will extend them step-by-step to other relevant areas. According to INSPIRE, the following term definitions are used: Infrastructure for spatial information Metadata, spatial data sets, and spatial data services; network services and technologies; agreements on sharing, access, and use; coordination and monitoring mechanisms, processes and procedures, either established, operated, or made Spatial data Any data with a direct or indirect reference to a specific location or geographical area Spatial data set An identifiable collection of spatial data Spatial data services Operations which may be performed by invoking a computer application on the spatial data contained in spatial data sets or related metadata Spatial object An abstract representation of a real-world phenomenon related to a specific location or geographical area Metadata Information describing spatial data sets and services, making it possible to discover, inventory, and use them Interoperability The possibility of spatial data sets combined with services to interact without repetitive manual intervention, enhancing the added value of the data sets and services Providing Government Collaboration and Public Distribution with Spatial Data Infrastructures Page 3

7 3. Philosophy and Architecture To become an SDI node, or a member in a spatial data infrastructure network, organizations must first accomplish several key steps in strategy: Identify the related parties and persons Identify and define the process the infrastructure will support Identify the spatial resources and empower them with appropriate technology Identify the needs of the infrastructure and outline how to meet those needs These steps clearly show that SDI nodes need more than software and hardware components to benefit from collaboration and distribution. It requires the implementation of a fully empowered solution that can manage all different aspects of processes, organizations, infrastructures, and software. Another highly recommended step for SDI leadership includes involvement in respective standardization bodies, as well as national or regional SDI initiatives. Intergraph actively participates in these organizations and serves as a principal, funding member of the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC ), participates in INSPIRE drafting teams and local initiatives like state SDI organizations and groups, as well as European and national GI bodies (EUROGI, AGILE, Runder Tisch, AGEO, etc.). This active involvement builds the foundation for Intergraph to gather requirements from all different areas of interest and implement those experiences and findings into our software solutions a key factor that benefits our customers during implementation projects. SDI network members must meet several technology prerequisities, which include: Providing interoperable services Consuming interoperable services Structuring geospatial data according to determined models Publishing/displaying the geospatial data This helps organizations develop the principle architecture for storing, reading, writing, and displaying data in an SDI-technology manner, as shown in Figure 2 on the following page. Enterprise GIS includes all the existing geospatial software and infrastructure available in this node. Intergraph s GeoMedia product portfolio gives users a customizable turnkey solution and builds a perfect foundation for an SDI technology extension. The major objective for this technology extension is to fulfill the core requirements of sustainability, interoperability, and flexibility. Sustainability is important, as it pertains to any possible changes in related standards. An open solution makes it easy for users to adapt and modify for any upcoming change requests. An interoperable solution enables an organization to meet all required standards. Providing Government Collaboration and Public Distribution with Spatial Data Infrastructures Page 4

8 Figure 2: Principle architecture of an SDI node. Flexibility applies to many different solution characteristics. A flexible solution easily integrates into an organization s IT environment, adopts security policies, and adapts to corporate standards. Flexible and scalable solutions can also adjust to multiple types of user-profiles and demands. All levels of governmental organizations (federal, state, regional, local), or even pan-national governments, must evaluate the appropriate needs of an SDI implementation in size, scale, availability, accessibility, and functional requirements of possible beneficiaries in services. For example, a national SDI node has a strong demand for harmonizing data provided by state services to generate a homogeneous geospatial picture receiving node. Providing Government Collaboration and Public Distribution with Spatial Data Infrastructures Page 5

9 4. Intergraph SDI Software Intergraph s SDI technology family is available (where applicable) for GeoMedia Desktop, as well as GeoMedia WebMap as an industry application to the existing product portfolio. To meet the different requirements of our customers, SDI software consists of three primary products that help users develop a collaborative distribution solution for geospatial data. These three major software application components GeoMedia WebMap, SDI Pro, and SDI Portal embrace all necessary services, structures, and user-interface elements required to implement a SDI. Note: All elements of this section of the white paper have ISO, OGC, or INSPIRE standards or discussion papers as a reference, which will be not mentioned. Since some of the services are available in different versions according to the corresponding standard, please contact your local sales representative for a concrete list of supported versions. It is also necessary to mention that some of these services, such as the secured services of SDI Pro, are not adopted standards yet. Various discussion papers address this issue within OGC. Intergraph conducted an in-depth evaluation of the different positions regarding these services, including an estimation of a user s operational costs, and chose the version which minimizes the total costs of ownership for a user. As previously mentioned, whenever one of these discussion papers becomes standard, Intergraph will implement the service accordingly. 4.1 GeoMedia WebMap The services offered by GeoMedia WebMap are viewed as the fundamental building block to empowering an infrastructure to become a SDI node. All fundamental data interoperability services are part of this extension package. The general requirements for GeoMedia WebMap are: Services compliant to: o o ISO and OGC standards INSPIRE directives and implementation rules Practical services: o o Extendibility, scalability, and reusability, and other abilities Performance services According to the principal architecture in Figure 2, GeoMedia WebMap offers services for publishing data (writer services) typically based on the server, as well as consuming services (reader services), which are located either on the desktop or on a server as the recipient (client). Providing Government Collaboration and Public Distribution with Spatial Data Infrastructures Page 6

10 GeoMedia WebMap provides the following services: Server (SDI Writer Services) o Web Map Service (WMS) o Web Feature Service (WFS) o Web Coverage Service (WCS) o Open Location Services (OpenLS) Client (SDI Reader Services) o WMS/sWMS data server o WFS/sWFS data server o WCS/sWCS data server o WFS-T data server 4.2 GeoMedia SDI Pro The GeoMedia SDI Pro extension package offers a set of highly valuable services that extend beyond GeoMedia WebMap. These services provide additional functionality and some monitoring capabilities. The general requirements for GeoMedia SDI Pro are: Services compliant to: o ISO and OGC standards o INSPIRE directives and implementation rules Useful services: o Rights management o Quality measures Practical services: o Extendibility, scalability, reusability, and other abilities Performance services To protect our customers from illegal usage, Intergraph provides SDI writer and secured services with the following protection methods for rights management: User authentication: o Username and password o IP address of the caller User authorization: o Access rights on feature classes/layers o Access rights on geographic extent o Time-based access rights Providing Government Collaboration and Public Distribution with Spatial Data Infrastructures Page 7

11 As part of an SDI, each node must have a clear understanding of its serving capabilities. As a reliable part of an external value chain, these nodes will be confronted with service level agreements (SLA), which guarantees a certain level of quality of the services. The service provider must have valid, up-to-date information about its services for this to be successful and classic operational monitoring tools are insufficient. Furthermore, monitoring the content is also essential, especially when these services are connected to a billing system. GeoMedia SDI Pro offers services for: Event logging: o No response from resource o No connection o Incompatible version of request and grounding service (third-party WMS) Performance measurements: o Number of calls/second o Average service response time Content logging: o Requested layers o Requested spatial extend o Requested feature objects In terms of enterprise application integration (EAI) or service oriented architectures (SOA), the transport protocol is also an issue. OGC services typically relay on the http post/get paradigm, while EAI and SOA are typically looking for simple object access protocol (SOAP) bindings. Within GeoMedia SDI Pro, users can configure the transportation protocol between HTTP and SOAP, according to their needs. Most of the named functionality is gained by applying a façade technology to the services. Within the façade, different pipes are used to realize a dedicated functionality. By this concept, the user gets an easy-to-configure, powerful, flexible, and scalable extension package customizable to his or her concrete needs. Within GeoMedia SDI Pro, Intergraph offers the following services: Server (SDI Writer Services): o Transactional WFS (WFS-T) o Gazetteer Service (WFS-G) o Secured WMS (swms) o Secured WFS (swfs) o Secured WCS (swcs) o Coordination Transformation Service (WCTS/WPS) o Catalogue Service (CS-W) Providing Government Collaboration and Public Distribution with Spatial Data Infrastructures Page 8

12 4.3 GeoMedia SDI Portal (futures) Intergraph s GeoMedia SDI Portal services will provide the building blocks for empowering existing browser applications with SDI technology. GeoMedia SDI Portal offers a set of connectors, which can enhance the functionality of all kinds of clients (thin clients, as well as smart clients). WEB 2.0 is a state-of-the-art topic, especially for thin clients. Therefore, the implementation is AJAX-based including well-defined interfaces (controls) for integration purposes. In addition, these connectors are an integrated component of a fully equipped portal, serving as the visual representative of a SDI node (see example of this in section 4). GeoMedia SDI Portal offers connectors for the following services (swxx denotes a secured service): WMS/sWMS WFS/sWFS WFS-T WFS-G WCTS/WPS Single CS-W OpenLS WMC Context information Providing Government Collaboration and Public Distribution with Spatial Data Infrastructures Page 9

13 5. Customer Success Stories Several governmental agencies and organizations around the world have experienced tremendous success with Intergraph s SDI solutions. The customer examples that follow showcase organizations that have successfully implemented SDI technology. 5.1 SITGA Galicia Spain As a result of the demands generated by the District Development Plan of Galicia (PDC), Spain, the region of Galicia created a GIS directed toward land planning and management at the local and district government levels. This GIS, known as the Territorial Information System of Galicia (SITGA), compiles socioeconomic, physical, and infrastructural data from a variety of sources. SITGA s many responsibilities include developing GIS applications for system users and publishing cartographic maps in different scales. SITGA stores Galicia s geospatial data in a catalog located on different servers, enabling other government municipalities of the region to access this information as needed. Conversely, this process can prove laborious, requiring too much time to push this data to the different servers. SITGA s objective is to provide users with as much geographic information as possible while allowing them to access this information from other servers and applications through the use of international standards. The main project objectives were: Create a user-friendly environment to facilitate geospatial data management Make spatial data commonly available, based on international standards Share resources and procedures with other regional government municipalities Introduce GIS functionalities to decision makers SITGA decided to implement a Web-based solution with two levels of access an intranet for technicians of Galicia s regional government and an Internet site for other interested users and communities. Based on their past experience with Intergraph GeoMedia software, SITGA partnered with Intergraph (Spain) to develop the Web solution. Intergraph used GeoMedia WebMap Professional as the basis for the solution. GeoMedia WebMap Professional enables the manipulation of valuable geographic information, allowing SITGA to create custom dynamic, open, and scalable Web mapping applications on the fly. SITGA s new Web-based solution (Figure 3) allows users to easily retrieve spatial data relating to the Galicia region. Users can access a database with basic and thematic cartography at different scales, as well as an aerial and satellite images store. The solution also incorporates various services such as CSW, WFS-G, WMS, and WFS capabilities out of the GeoMedia WebMap and GeoMedia SDI Pro portfolio. Through their new Web-based solution, SITGA now has an easy-to-use cartographic server complete with a wide array of services needed to manage a large amount of cartographic information. Providing Government Collaboration and Public Distribution with Spatial Data Infrastructures Page 10

14 Figure 3: SITGA s new Web-based solution helps it manage a vast amount of cartographic information. By promoting the development of online information services in the regional government of Galicia, this solution is a major step toward creating an entire Galician Spatial Data Infrastructure. 5.2 State of Baden-Wuerttemberg The Survey Administration of State of Baden-Wuerttemberg is responsible for the collection, update, and dissemination of all geospatial data, such as cadastre, topographic data, and analogues or digital maps for the whole state. Baden-Wuerttemberg has about 11 million inhabitants and an area of km, making it the third largest state in Germany. The state office has used a geoportal known as GEODIS for data dissemination since The geoportal is based on Intergraph s GeoMedia WebMap technology for online ordering and selling of their geospatial data. Due to a new German-wide standard data and process model on cadastre and topography, the entire structure for production, storage, and dissemination needed to be updated. Additionally, new responsibilities in the field of SDI were granted to the state office. Consequently, it serves as an active node in the national SDI (called GDI-DE) and for the INSPIRE directive of the European commission. To fulfill these new challenges, Intergraph was selected to update and extend the existing geoportal environment to the new standards and upcoming needs of INSPIRE and GDI-DE. Intergraph implemented a new database for product generation and Web Services based on a new Germanwide data model, which is integrated into the existing SAP-connected e-shop system by a rich set of services. The state office decided to extend their system with several OGC services for data delivery, including WMS, WFS, and WCS. Additionally, the system provides metadata based on the OGC Catalogue Service Web Standard. For local searches, an Intergraph Gazetter Service, using OGC WFS-Gazetteer profile, helps users find the information they need. As official geospatial data in Germany is subject to a charge, the SDI Pro functionality with secured services Providing Government Collaboration and Public Distribution with Spatial Data Infrastructures Page 11

15 fulfills a critical task. It protects the data services from unauthorized use and tracks how services are used. It also integrates with a privilege management and SAP-based accounting system. The resulting new GEODIS-geoportal of the Survey Administration of State of Baden- Wuerttemberg serves as an innovative node in the expanding European SDI, and helps to optimize the processes of data discovery and delivery to Baden-Württemberg, Germany, and Europe. 5.3 Additional References Germany and then click on: Zum Kartenservice der Ballungsräume (Gesamtbelastung) this is for Noise Pollution within URBAN areas Zum Kartenservice der Haupt- und Parallelstrecken this is for Noise Pollution for ALL tracks within Germany Federal Agency for Geodesy and Cartography (BKG) Survey Administration of State of Baden-Wuerttemberg Bundesland Thüringen avigationhandler&eventsubmit_doclear=1 Polish SDI Spain YouTube information on Spanish SDI: La Rioja SDI ( see regional maps) City of Barcelona Providing Government Collaboration and Public Distribution with Spatial Data Infrastructures Page 12

16 SITGA Others NIGERIA Census Portal Czech GeoPortal (Czech Land Survey Office Geoportal) o : Slovak national SDI Spanish regional SDIs Czech regional Urban planning portal LV Shop of Baden-Wuerttemberg (D) Polish Cadaster online Italian Railways SDI/SOA project Regione del Veneto GeoPortal (I) Regione Marche SUT (I) City of Nijmegen Portal (NL) gplan Galicia - North Portugal TerraMapServer Service Portal (D) NGA GeoPortal (US) Czech Land Survey Office Czech Forests Vltava River-basin SouthMoravia Region European founded projects GMES Humboldt GIS4EU EURADIN NatureSDI+ esdi-net CAFE Providing Government Collaboration and Public Distribution with Spatial Data Infrastructures Page 13

17 6. Building a Better SDI Solution This white paper clearly highlights the benefits of using SDI technology for collaboration and distribution of geospatial related data. SDI, the base technology for sharing geospatially-related data, is enforced by law in Europe and other regions. In terms of interoperability, this technology helps to streamline processes and improve efficiency through out an important part of the economic network. Intergraph, a world-leading geospatial solution vendor, understands the demands and necessities of building up and maintaining a SDI solution for our customers. To facilitate the benefits, our core technology products, GeoMedia and GeoMedia WebMap, are empowered by two extension packages: GeoMedia SDI Pro Provides additional services covering more aspects for highperformance SDI-nodes GeoMedia SDI Portal (future) Enriches smart and thin clients in their ability of becoming the visual front-end of an SDI-node Intergraph provides geographic information systems and interoperability technologies to enable the deployment of spatial data infrastructures for collaboration and distribution of geospatial data. This framework of spatial data, metadata, and tools connects interactively and allows government agencies around the world to use and share spatial data in an efficient and flexible way. In addition to government mandates for sharing geospatial data, there is also a strong demand for it from a business perspective. From Intergraph s perspective, SDI will dramatically change the world of geo-related solutions for service-oriented businesses. Traditional services that integrate GI processes (data capture, data maintenance, software integration, database related implementations, etc.) will change to integration projects which support the meaning of state-of-the-art services and Internet services among players in the market. SDI also opens up spatial data for wider use, such as integration within other (non-spatial) business systems and integration with complete, end-to-end on-line services, which usually require interaction with multiple back office systems. This is a key driver for governments around the world who are looking to reduce government overheads and increase economic competitiveness by harnessing IT to improve the efficiency, quality, flexibility and accessibility of services. The same drivers are motivating private sector organizations to do the same by linking up data and process silos to improve business insight and increase operational efficiency. Providing Government Collaboration and Public Distribution with Spatial Data Infrastructures Page 14

18 SDI can be seen as a next step within the evolution of GIS by supporting all different aspects of open, standards-based architecture so organizations can share geospatial data in a global context internally and externally using Web technology. Through our activity in all relevant standardization bodies and SDI initiatives around the globe, Intergraph provides our customers with a sustainable solution to fulfill their needs. We have more than 40 years experience of building spatial data infrastructures around the world with all different aspects of complexity and differentiations. In addition to our state-of-the-art SDI technology, we offer proven support and services capabilities to help our customers to achieve a successful and cost-effective SDI implementation. This is truly a step forward toward a collaborative geospatial infrastructure that easily distributes geospatial information to the public. Providing Government Collaboration and Public Distribution with Spatial Data Infrastructures Page 15

19 For more information about Intergraph, visit our Web site at Intergraph, the Intergraph logo, and GeoMedia are registered trademarks of Intergraph Corporation. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners. Intergraph believes that the information in this publication is accurate as of its publication date. Such information is subject to change without notice. Intergraph is not responsible for inadvertent errors Intergraph Corporation. All Rights Reserved. 5/09 GVT-US- 0010A-ENG