Communicating Antarctic Science Using Open Source Software

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Communicating Antarctic Science Using Open Source
Software

• Peter Pulsifer D.R.F. Taylor
• Geomatics and Cartographic Research Centre
• Carleton University
• Open Source GIS Conference
• June 9, 2004

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Presentation Overview

• The Cybercartographic Atlas of Antarctica Project
• Atlas Content
• Partnerships
• System Architecture
• Conclusion

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The Cybercartographic Atlas of Antarctica Project
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Project History

• First proposed by Dr. Daniel Vergani of Argentina
• Formally adopted by SCAR in Sienna, 2001
• Three workshops held to date
• Puerto Madryn, December 2001
• Ottawa, May 2002
• Ottawa, October 2003

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Cybercartography

• Multisensory
• Multimedia
• Interactive
• Information/analytical package
• Produced by interdisciplinary teams
• Forms new partnerships
• Applied to a wide variety of subjects
• Taylor, 2003

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Goals of the Atlas

• Atlas Goals
• Create an innovative new product and methodology
  to compliment discovering, utilizing, presenting
  and distributing existing information and data
  about Antarctica to a wide variety of users,
  including scientists, decision makers and the
  general public
• Facilitate increased cooperation and information
  exchange between Antarctic stakeholders under the
  terms of the Antarctic treaty
• Through international cooperation, to develop and
  link National Atlases of Antarctica

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Atlas Users

• General public
• Learn from theme specific synthesis of data on
  Antarctica
• Policy makers
• Integrate and analyse geographic information to
  support policy decisions (Cordnonnery, 1999)
• Scientists
• Integrate and analyse geographic information
  using scientific visualization to support
  information discovery and knowledge generation

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Atlas Content
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Atlas Volumes and Themes

• Volume 1 Antarctica in a Global Context
• The Antarctic Ice Sheet Implications of Global
  Climate Change
• Volume 2 The Continent of Antarctica
• McMurdo Dry Valleys
• Volume 3 Antarctic Science
• Geoscience Subglacial Antarctic Lake Exploration
• Volume 4 Human Activity in Antarctica
• Tourism in Antarctica

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Maps
On-Line Services
Digital Raster Graphics
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Satellite Images
IceSat
LandSat
RadarSat
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Aerial Photography
Hope Bay, Antarctic Peninsula. Compliments
U.S. Geological Survey
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DEMs / Shaded Relief Maps
Source http//www.maps.ethz.ch
Mount Erebus, Ross Sea
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Text
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Images cont.
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Process Animations
Folding of the Earths Crust
Movement of the Earths Tectonic Plates Over
Geologic Time Scale
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Time Series Animation
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Video
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Partnerships
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Users
User / Providers
Providers
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Data Infrastructure
Hub
Node
Data, Metadata, Semantics
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System Architecture
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CAAP Conceptual Framework
Interface
General Public
Scientists
Policy Makers
Mediator
Data Infrastructure
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General Service Architecture
User
Interface
Application (atlas)
Portrayal (map renderer)
Mediator
Processing (modeling software)
Registry (metadata catalog)
Data (feature service)
Infrastructure
Service (example)
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ltcatalog servicegt ltregistry servicegt
ltportrayal servicegt ltprocessing servicegt ltdata
servicegt
The Atlas
Atlas Hub
SCAR Partners
SCAR/External Partners
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Example of Partner OGC Data Services for The Atlas
ResponseGML/ IML
Request http
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(Pulsifer, 2004)
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(Pulsifer, 2004)
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Infrastructure

• Data and Registry Services
• Open source object relational database (PostGIS)
  central to infrastructure
• WMS, WFS, WCS (Mapserver)
• Catalog service (deegree)
• Sensor Collection Service using SensorML (GML)
• Gazetteer (deegree)
• Standardized feature model under development
• Semantics - future will see open standards formal
  ontology used by mediator level

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(Pulsifer, 2004)
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Geographic Mediation

• Processing Services
• Coordinate transformation (Proj4)
• Geofusion (development project, OGC)
• Semantic Translation (RDF, DAMLOIL)
• Image classification (GRASS)
• Advanced modelling (GRASS, PostGIS)

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Cartographic Mediation

• Portrayal services
• Map (Mapserver)
• Coverage (Mapserver)
• Terrain (deegree)
• Multi-media / multi-modal (Apache, others)

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(Pulsifer, 2004)
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Interface

• Rendering Applications
• HTML, JavaScript (Apache, Mapserver)
• SVG (Mapserver experimental)
• Flash (Mapserver Flash experimental)
• 3D/4D rendering (TBD i.e. NVIZ 3D)

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Architecture Summary

• Developed to support multimedia cartography based
  on a Spatial Data Infrastructure model
• Modular design intended to provide flexibility,
  scalability
• Based on open standards (i.e. OGC)
• Uses (but not limited to) open source software

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Conclusion

• Cybercartographic Atlas of Antartica aims to
  communicate Antarctic science using multi-media
  cartography
• System based on distributed knowledge and data
• Open source technologies have facilitated the
  development of a flexible system that can be
  shared among stakeholders

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Acknowledgement

• The Author acknowledges the support of the
  Initiatives on the New Economy program of the
  Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
  of Canada