Transcript Geomatics for Connecting Canadians

Open Source Solutions for a
Growing Atlas of Canada
Douglas O’Brien
June 10, 2004
Presentation outline
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What is the Atlas of Canada
Evolution of the Atlas Online
Current software solutions
Philosophies leading to decisions
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The Atlas – addresses the
Government’s priorities of the time
Issues
1st edition (1906)
Transportation Networks*, Populating the Country,
Natural Resources
2nd edition (1915)
Update of 1st edition, plus Climate
3rd edition (1957)
Natural Resource Development,
Industrial Development
4th edition (1974)
Communications, Canada in the World – Exports
5th edition (1993)
Native Issues, Health and Welfare, Ethnic Diversity
6th edition (current)
Aboriginal, Resource-dependent Communities, Climate
Change, Water, Healthcare Delivery, Biodiversity …
* transportation was a unifying theme in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd editions
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Natural Resources Canada
•Resource Reliant Communities
•Forestry
•Mining
•Energy
Frameworks
•Geology
Communications
Mapping tools
Other departments
•Statistics Canada
•Agriculture
•Health
•Environment
•Indian and Northern Affairs
•Fisheries & Oceans
General Public
•Find-a-place
•Subject information
1300+ MAPS
Environment
People and Society
Economy
Web
Frameworks
Reference maps
CGDI/services
Historical
Partnerships
Science/Policy Experts
•Communication
•Tools for visualization and
analysis
•Information for analysis
Reference
Communities of Practice
•Tools and services for
visualization
•Access to distributed
information
Climate Change
GeoConnections
Education
•Subject information
•Tools
Health
Freshwater
Users
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The Atlas – what does it do
• addresses current national issues:
• deals with information and relationships to other information*.
• engages partners from many federal agencies, NGOs etc.
• reaches a broad Canadian audience.
• general public, especially students and teachers.
• is a key component of the Canadian Geospatial Data
Infrastructure (GeoConnections Program):
• a point of entry for the public.
• a consistent implementation demonstrating best practices.
• re-usable (representations, services and data).
* the Atlas contains maps, explanatory text, analysis, commentary, graphs, charts, pictures etc.
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Some numbers
• Over 300 interactive maps, most with multiple
layers, as part of a hierarchy of
issues/themes/topics with associated text and
related information
• Over 1,000 static maps (primarily scanned
previous editions).
• Each month, 180,000 users make 380,000 visits to
the Atlas and view over 450,000 maps (initial
views only).
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2004
1994/95
1997
1999
2002
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Atlas Online 1994/1995
• Internally developed web mapping
application as technology prototype.
• Limited set of data layers at 1:30M
scale dealt with as secondary in
importance.
• A few partners, most internal to
Natural Resources Canada.
• Little thought to user interaction.
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Atlas Online 1999
• Custom application built on “off
the shelf” ESRI Map Objects.
• Improved information content
presented at 1:7.5M scale.
• Increase in partnerships across
government.
• User interaction based on “we
know best”.
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Atlas Online 2004
• Custom built application based on
open source software.
• Information content presented at
scales up to 1:1M.
• Waiting list of partnerships across
government.
• User interaction strongly based on
user-centric design.
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Open/free software solutions
for the Atlas
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Red Hat Linux
Zope
PostgreSQL/PostGIS
Python
OpenLDAP
Tripwire
Apache
PHP
University of Minnesota
MapServer
• University of Minnesota
MapServer
• GDAL/OGR
• PROJ
• MapLab
• Analog
• Darwin Quicktime
Streaming Server
• M3Cat
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Current Atlas Online
publishing architecture
WMS Clients
End User Browser
WMS Interface
Apache Reverse
Proxy Cache
(Selected Layers Only)
M3Cat Metadata
Catalogue
UMN MapServer CGI
Zope Application
Server
Concise Gazetteer WFS
(CubeWerx CubeSERV)
Shape Files
Z Objects Database
PostgreSQL
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Main interactions
• The Atlas has Zope at its core, utilizing additional
packages such as Localizer, mxmRelations, WFSAdapter,
TranslationService, CMF.
• Zope & MapServer: The key Mapping Component object
is designed to interact with the UMN MapServer. Its
proxies requests between the end-user and the MapServer
CGI, generating a web page from the output of MapServer,
repeating the process to obtain the legend.
• Other Zope interactions including PostgreSQL and M3Cat.
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Using service interfaces
• The Atlas publishes base information through
OGC WMS specifications.
• The Atlas reads information layers through OGC
WMS specifications.
• The Atlas accesses Gazetteer information through
a WFS interface.
• The Atlas publishes high level services, such as
find-a-place, through open, custom web based
interfaces.
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Some technology philosophies
• Importance of separating data, services and
presentation.
• Information management and publication are two
different things.
• Value of open standards to interconnect services.
• Iterative approach – anything is possible, but
nothing is perfect.
• Own what you must, and influence all that you can.
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Embracing an open approach
• The Atlas collaborates with GeoConnections, a national
partnership initiative, to provide Canadians with Internet
access to geospatial information - information about the
geography, environment and natural resources base of a
country.
• The Atlas consumes and publishes information through the
Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure through open
interfaces.
• The Atlas works with partners to develop national scale
framework data sets which are made freely available for
common use.
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Why use open source solutions
• The Atlas is not looking for an out-of-the-box
solution – the need to be something extra.
• Open source provides a balance between custombuilt and out-of-the-box solutions.
• Open source solutions are purpose built which
means that they are efficient at what they do.
• Support is good for popular solutions.
• But, experience/expertise may be a limiting factor.
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Future growth for the Atlas
• Expanded Reuse
– High level service to embed the Atlas, as the official mapping
source, into non-mapping web sites.
• Advanced Interaction
– Customizable user interface to target specific client groups.
– Advanced analytic capabilities and visualization (dynamic, 3d, …)
• Increased access to information
– Incorporate discovery and access of a wide range of geographic
data from a wide variety of sources.
– Incorporate larger scale information down to local reference layers,
and local, distributed thematic information.
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http://atlas.gc.ca
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