Delivery of Geo-services at the EDINA National Data Centre: past, present and future

Transcription

1 Delivery of Geo-services at the EDINA National Data Centre: past, present and future Dr David Medyckyj-Scott Research and Geo-data Services Manager EDINA National Data Centre Scotland NMCA s and the Internet II - Electronic delivery and feature serving 24th Feb 2005

2 Overview of presentation Context The Past - Core Services UKBORDERS Digimap (Recent) Present and Future (Some of the) Issues

3 Context

4 EDINA - Who we are A National Data Centre for UK tertiary education since 1995 Around 50+ staff working in GI, multimedia, e-learning, e-services security, digital libraries Focus is on services but also undertake r&d projects Services Funded mainly by Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) First online GI service launched in 1994 (before national data centre) Value added component = making data usable

5 Characteristics of the academic sector Non-commercial Supporting the national interest participation in FE and HE will increase predicating large number of users of GI Require access to key spatial datasets Large number datasets but many not accessible for re-use Supporting both teaching and research requirements of each differ need for easy to use, on-line tools alongside standalone GIS applications knowledgebase and learning materials to support GI novices

6 Service requirements Fast servicing of requests Scaleable and extensible accommodates steady or increasing demand Robust (our SLA aspires to 99% uptime!) Maintainable Standardized can easily substitute components for repair, upgrade, etc Rapid prototyping and rollout All of above on tight budget!

7 The Past Core services

8 UKBORDERS

9 UKBORDERS - Overview An on-line boundary data delivery service funded by UK ESRC Census Access programme 300+ datasets and look up tables covering UK geographies from 1840 to present day census, electoral, administrative, postal Data may be freely used for all teaching and research purposes, includes publication and web deployment (within UK academic environment) Used by 120 institutions, registered users, downloads per month

10 UKBORDER facilities Formats for downloads: DXF e00 Shape MIF/MID Easy Download

11 UKBORDER facilities Boundary Data Selector

12 Original UKBORDERS Architecture Web client Perl CGI scripts ArcInfo GIS metadata INGRES AML scripts

13 EDINA Digimap

14 Digimap Service - Overview An internet mapping and data delivery service Provides access to Ordnance Survey GB maps and data via easy-to-use, map-based interface Launched in January 2000 A 'virtual map library 90 subscribing institutions and 39,000 registered users over 5 years Nationally and internationally recognised AGI Technology Award in 2000

15 The Digimap Service Subscription service but free at point of use Wide variety of Ordnance Survey products, ranging from small to large scale Terms of use are very broad Designed to be easy to use, task based Service access is profiled Comprehensive security policy and procedures established

16 Factors that made it happen A perceived user need and proven demand An NMA facing a new data distribution challenge in an important market sector The existence of an organisation with the remit to provide electronic services i.e. JISC The existence of National Data Centres The Internet Appearance of desktop mapping systems Already proven (pilot project 96-99) A secure national authentication scheme University map librarians

17 Mapping services Digimap Classic Digimap Carto

18 Data supply services Gazetteer Download Digital Map Data Downloader CodePoint Download

19 Misc. services Postcode query tool Gazetteer query tool Site statistics

20 Main features Customisable maps - ability to select individual themes Access to highly detailed data building outlines, road centre lines etc High quality and large format cartographic output over the web (up to A0) Availability of map data for use in GIS Detailed postcode and gazetteer data Extensive and detailed online help High quality user support

21 Usage summary last academic year 116,000 sessions 130,000 maps downloaded for printing (large scale = 80%) 210,000 files taken in 37,000 requests (large scale = 70%) helpdesk managed 2200 calls Undergraduate 50% Postgraduate 25% Staff 25% Biotechnology and Biological Sciences 4% Art and Humanities 12% Particle Physics and Astronomy 0% Economic and Social Science 23% Engineering and Physical Sciences 22% Natural Environment Information Services 14% Medical Sciences 1% 5% Geography 19% Not just something for geographers less than 20% of users come from geography or closely related disciplines

22 Browser Java (applet) Admin database Logging database Metadata base JDBC Web server Digimap application LSL Web mapper Image Map Servers Feature Servers Apache Tomcat Alchemy RIP Corba C & Perl JSP Perl Java servlets Java SQL XML XSLT Ingres dbm Log4J gothic object server Display elements Lull Java Map features Mapping gothic data server Object databases x 9 LSL Translate LSL Manage LSL Lamps2 FME bash scripts csh scripts

23 Data Supply Browser Admin database Logging database Metadata base Web server Downloader application Data files Apache C & Perl Perl SQL Ingres dbm + Monitoring scripts Reporting scripts Files copied to user area User downloads via ftp

24 (recent) Present and Future

25 The challenges Additional datasets (in new formats) Re-use of data important need finding aid From discovery to access (and use) Data publishing and sharing New ways of delivering geographical information Using geography to find other types of information objects Need to share data between core services and services being developed in projects Approaches by other service providers wanting to use maps and data in their services

26 The solution Promoting SDIs as a framework for thinking and acting brings lots of benefits Many of the components of a SDI exist in the academic IE organisational remits, policies, data, technologies, standards, delivery mechanisms (access) Applying discover, locate, access, use, & publish functional model to GI Move towards a more open technological/ services oriented environment based on OGC and industry standards

27 Data Access - a one-stop shop Based on R. Wagner 2002 User WWW-Browser Go-Geo! Portal WMS Client WFS Client WAAS Client Clients Services Catalogue Service WMS Service WMS Service WAAS Service WGS Service WAAS Service WFS Service Athens geox walk Geo- Data Geo- Data Data set 1 Data set 2 Security Zone EDINA Research Council Institute JISC Data Centre

28 UKBORDERS James image

29 Digimap All products now exposed as WMS and some as WFS, looking at WCS Big challenge is OS Mastermap delivered in GML greater control over delivery requires significant changes to data supply data complexity and data volume issues institutional and support issues e.g. format Move to WFS based service will it deliver QoS needed?

30 Portal Go-Geo! Web services Gazetteers, geo-coding and parsing (geoxwalk)

31 (Some of the) Technical issues Service availability in a web services supported environment Performance and scalability e.g. latency and asynchronicity (especially if doing lots of round-tripping) compliance to standards standards a moving target Practical implementation issues e.g. Metadata * how to rationalise users view with disparate views afforded by different services (may not be a 1:1 correspondence of portrayal and data) ontology? * getting the map logic right e.g. sane layer names Not all the components needed exist yet

32 (Some of the) Policy and people issues Moving from map user to geospatial data user bridging the skills & knowledge gap Supporting end users (as they become more sophisticated) Keeping funder onboard Promoting data (re)use v. IPR and copyright worries Digital rights when products brought together through web services = GeoDRM will be increasingly important Integrating academic SDI with other SDIs

33 Contact Contact details Dr David Medyckyj-Scott Manager, Research and Geo-Data Services EDINA web site: Tel.: +44 (0) Fax: +44 (0)

34 Digimap digital map creation process Software + application of default cartographic rules specified by vendor Software + application of cartographic rules Playing Field % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % OS digital data Value added component

35 Research and geo-spatial data team Largest team within EDINA mixture of GIS specialists and software engineers highly experienced and skilled team Deliver 24/7 online geo-data, mapping and gazetteer services to HE/FE and beyond First online GI service launched in 1994 (before national data centre) Demands of the services offered means team has been at leading edge of GI service development in UK Strategic move toward interoperability and adoption of SOA member of OGC since 2000 Value added component = making data usable

36 UK Funding Councils Data Supplier Licensor (Swets Blackwell) Data flow Money flow Rights flow Feedback flow end user (staff/student) access institutional (subscription)

37 The UK Academic Information Environment authentication/authorisation (Athens) JISC-funded content providers institutional content providers external content providers JISC IE service registry user preferences services metadata schema registries resolvers brokers aggregators indexes catalogues provision institutional preferences services terminology services shared infrastructure OpenURL resolvers subject portals institutional portals end-user desktop/browser media-specific portals learning management systems presentation fusion

38 OS MasterMap A seamless database reflecting the real world, with polygons representing man-made and natural features topographic data have been restructured into a seamless database of 416+ million objects * fundamentally different to tile-based Land-Line data Delivered in new format, Geography Markup Language (GML) Delivered in new ways by theme user defined area Change only Update (CoU)

39 OS MasterMap - Topography

40 MasterMap - Major challenges for EDINA requires significant changes to data supply less impact on mapping side data complexity and data volumes institutional and support issues awareness raising, training, data management incorporating new MasterMap layers as they become available but managing old style products at same time managing user expectation

41 How could it look?

42 How could it look?

43 Data Products Old Style MasterMap Strategi 1:250,000 Strategi 1:250,000 Meridian 1:50,000 1:50,000 Colour Raster and Gazetteer Land-Form PANORAMA contours and DTM Meridian 1:50,000 1:50,000 Colour Raster and Gazetteer 1:25,000 Colour Raster 1:10,000 Colour Raster Integrated Transport Network (ITN) Land-Line.Plus 1:10,000-1:1,250 Land-Form PROFILE contours and DTM Land-Line.Plus 1:10,000-1:1,250 Topographic 1:10,000-1:1,250 Code-Point with polygons Code-Point with polygons

44 Example uses Archaeology Architecture Horticulture Meteorology Planning Economics Sociology Zoology Computer Science Engineering Health Environmental History History Retail Geomorphology Spatial analysis of prehistoric rock art in Northumberland 3D modelling for flood prevention designs Ability of particular tree species to reduce air pollution Effects of orography in weather radar measurements Sustainable integrated transport planning Retail stock changes in deprived areas Changing spatial pattern of behavioural and mobility as children grow up Analysis of home ranges and foraging patterns of urban foxes Research into graphics and visualisation Effect of construction programming on passenger flows Cancer incidence in relation to mobile phone masts Effects of disturbance from roads on nesting stone curlews How did Cromwell feed his New Model Army Distribution of 18 th Century brewing and malting Credit card customers shopping behaviour for major UK retailer Glacial landform mapping and reconstruction of UK ice sheets

45 Benefits - Users fast and efficient access to up-to-date Ordnance Survey data [ wonderful resource for student who might never have considered utilising digital map data in their work ] students can focus on the problem and not data acquisition has enabled research/teaching to happen without regard to mapping costs [80% of users conducted research they would not have done...] no longer geographically limited potential for use of real, local data in teaching and projects [ we can now do our projects using site information as if the students are in a real architect s office ]

46 Benefits The University Sector increased use of geo-spatial data and GIS in teaching and research [29%] GIS at [] was almost solely a Geography Dept thing, now it is used widely across the campus increased awareness of geo-spatial data in teaching and research [23%] improved graduate employability [16%] costs lower than purchasing directly from Ordnance Survey improved research methodology using current spatial data the methodology was proven and illustrated with Ordnance Survey and census data it has put the UK in the forefront of international research in this field improved IT skills of students

47 Benefits Ordnance Survey Ordnance Survey products presented to and used by a wider audience Ordnance Survey data can now be seen to be enhancing research in many different disciplines enabled graduates to take their experience of Ordnance Survey data into business (first hand experience with our own graduate entrants) opens up communication links with universities helps to build valuable research links at all levels highlights the diverse application of Ordnance Survey data a new user base to feedback on how fit-for-purpose are Ordnance Survey data products reduced administrative overheads in dealing with data for academics institutions