Transcript The TimeMap Project

CAA 20000 Ljubljana
The Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative:
Global Access to Cultural Data Using
TimeMap Methodology
Ian Johnson
Archaeological Computing Laboratory
University of Sydney
Evolution of the TimeMap Project
• CAA 1997
– Methodology
• Snapshot-transition model
– Interface
• Time-based SQL queries
– Map animations
• One-off animations using SGI
– Data
• Very limited test data
1998: ECAI
•The Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative (ECAI)
“A community of scholars with common tools
and shared expertise”
(Karl Longstreth, China Data Centre, Univ. of Michigan Jan 99)
• Emphasis on metadata:
• Plan for a centralised index of cultural datasets
• TimeMap (connection) metadata
• Descriptive metadata based on Dublin Core
– Australian working party: Helen Jarvis, Matthew Ciolek, Larry
Crissman, Andrew Wilson, Nerida Cross, Ian Johnson
– See http://www.ecai.org for detailed description
1999: ECAI Metadata clearinghouse
• SQL server database holds metadata
definitions
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Definitions can be modified or extended
Definitions are not hard-coded into software
No problems with out-of-date software
Multilingual metadata
dc.language
ISO639-2b
eng
Element (from list of elements)
Scheme (from list applicable schemes)
Value (from list for chosen scheme)
1999: Metadata clearinghouse (cont.)
• Mechanisms for web-based metadata entry
• Tight control of elements, schemes and values
(pulldown lists, required values etc.)
• Forms generated on-the-fly from definitions + data
• Default metadata sets to speed data entry
• User management and editorial control
•Email notification
•Editorial rating system
ECAI Structure diagram
2000: Data preparation toolkit (TMT)
• Consists of:
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TimeMap metadata wizard
Metadata editor
Clearinghouse update
Data import (MapInfo, Shapefile, Access, ODBC)
– Data thinning
– Selection of data fields
• Data upload to SQL server
– Spatial data stored as compressed blobs
– No need for spatial data server
2000: Data preparation toolkit (TMT)
• Consists of:
•
•
•
•
TimeMap metadata wizard
Metadata editor
Clearinghouse update
Data import (MapInfo, Shapefile, Access, ODBC)
– Data thinning
– Selection of data fields
• Data upload to SQL server
– Spatial data stored as compressed blobs
– No need for spatial data server
TMT meta/data upload
TMView Vsn 1 main screen
TMView map links
Directions 2000: Real money!
• Strategic Partnereship with Industry for Research and
Training (SPIRT) grant
– US$300,000 over 3 years (plus Museum of Sydney resources)
– Museum of Sydney
• Design & visitor interaction expertise
• Historical data
– ESRI Inc.
• GIS and mapping toolkits (ArcView, MapObjects)
• Web delivery tools (ArcIMS, SDE)
– NSW State Records office, Sydney City Archives, NSW
State Library, Sydney Harbour Authority and others
• Historical data, maps, plans, photographs, documents
Directions 2000: Real data!
• Museum of Sydney Pilot project
– Historical resource on the history of Sydney:
• stand-alone display in resource centre
• CD-ROM based application (Director, TMView, web
browser)
– Consolidation of resources collected 1997 – 1999
– Substantial new data collection by MOS
• 20 selected historical maps (approx. 10 year intervals)
• Approx 500 selected archive maps/photos/images/documents
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Museum of Sydney
Sydney City archive
NSW State Records Office
State and University libraries
– Approx. 25 – 30 period/theme combinations
Directions 2000: Pilot project
• Museum of Sydney Pilot installation (June)
• Framework in Director
• Dual monitor system
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Timeline – grid of time (across), themes (down)
TMView projects loaded from timeline
Display of resources on second monitor
Projection of main screen
• First build of project this week
Directions 2000: ECAI
• Limited release of TimeMap software
• Second quarter, ECAI members, TMT + TMView
• “Exemplary projects”
• London meeting hosted by British Library
• Projects to demonstrate the establishment of an
ECAI local/regional/thematic atlas
– China Atlas
– Historic Sydney project
– Others to be finalised
Directions 2000: TMView
• Three-tier model (only for Internet access)
– Database access isolated on server
• Reduces distribution size
– Simpler client, no database drivers
• Simpler to debug
– Isolates database access from vagaries of clients
• Security
– Single authorisation: clients don’t need access to database
passwords
• Portability
– Allows mixed development environment with Java client
TMView directions …2
• Conversion to ESRI MapObjects
– Non-technical reasons
• SPIRT Partnership
• ESRI site licence
– Technical reasons
• Considerable difficulties with subset generation speed
• MapObjects has built-in Filter property on map layers
• Opportunity to integrate with ESRI data and Internet map
servers
World cultural sites database
• URL
• www.archaeology.usyd.edu.au:8080/world_sites
• Web-based data submission
• Password controlled
• Search Getty Thesaurus for geographic locations
• Availability
• Registered with ECAI clearinghouse
• Display of maps in TMView
• Simple web mapping application when ArcIMS server
available
World sites database
World sites database … 2
Contact information
•Ian Johnson
[email protected]
http://www.timemap.net
•Sydney University
Archaeological Computing Laboratory
Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative
http://www. ecai.org
Next meeting British
Library, London
26 – 28 June 22000
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