Environmental Data Coding Specification EDCS Product Development Group PDG

1
Environmental Data Coding Specification (EDCS)
Product Development Group (PDG)

• 7 April 2005
• Bob Richbourg
• rrichbou_at_ida.org

2
ISO/SISO Development Relationships
Product V.1
Product V.2
SISO Products
Product V.n
SISO Product References Adds MS-specific
Elaborations and Implementation Details
to International Standard
SISO PDG
Difference Assessment Revised Product Draft
Proposed Revisions
. . .
SISO PDG
Product Draft V.n1
SISO Proposed Extensions (via TAD to
National Standards bodies)
ISO Draft
International Standard
Draft International Standard (DIS)
Committee Draft (CD)
Working Draft (WD)
Final Committee Draft (FCD)
3
The SISO Effort The EDCS PDG
PDG recommends EDCS recognition as SISO standard

• Objectives
• To review the EDCS technologies and the
  associated software implementations
• To provide comments, modifications,
  improvements for incorporation into the ISO/IEC
  standard
• Once the results are satisfactory to SISO, to
  recognize the EDCS as an accepted ISO product,
  recommending and encouraging its use within the
  MS community
• To encourage and guide the development of
  utilities (software, mapping documents, use
  guides, etc.) that will enhance usability of the
  EDCS
• Activities
• Large up-front EDCS PDG effort to ensure the
  ISO product meets SISO requirements (2000 - 2002)
• Post FCD, ability to influence EDCS evolution
  decreases, as does PDG effort (2003 - 2004) - PDG
  monitors situation as EDCS proceeds through the
  ISO standardization hurdles
• In December, 2004, ISO recognized the EDCS as one
  of its international standards (awaiting
  publication)
• PDG Drafting Group submits paper 05S-SIW-098
  recommending SISO recognition of the ISO EDCS IS
  as a SISO standard (PDG close-out activity)

05S-SIW-098
Spring 2005
International Standard
Final Committee Draft (FCD)
02S-SIW-049
Fall 2002
Committee Draft (CD)
301 reviewer comments
1135 reviewer comments
557 reviewer comments
Working Draft (WD)
104 reviewer comments
00F-SIW-079
Fall 2000
ISO Effort
EDCS PDG Effort
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The Environmental Data Coding Specification and
its SISO Role 05S-SIW-098

• Virginia T. Dobey, SAIC, DMSO
• Paul G. Foley, NGA
• Annette Janett, LMIS-ADS
• David Jodeit, ITT
• Ronald G. Moore, SAIC
• Robert Richbourg, IDA
• members of the
• EDCS PDG PDG Drafting Group

5
The Bottom Line

• The EDCS is a powerful, expressive specification
  resource!
• All lexicons exhibit various degrees of general
  problems
• Consistency vs. Completeness
• Availability of mappings
• Version management and upward compatibility
• Universality of acceptance
• Approaches to resolving attendant issues help
  characterize the suitability of specific lexicons

6
Now and the Future

• With International Standard status, changes to
  the EDCS become somewhat more difficult due a
  requirement to use the formal registration
  process
• There is room for improvement from the SISO (EDCS
  PDG) point of view
• Aids to find the right code
• Pre-defined mappings
• Profiles specific to domain needs
• Lessons learned from using the API
• These are potential areas for further SISO PDG
  efforts

7
EDCS PDG Recommendations

• SISO SAC formally endorse the ISO/IEC EDCS (and
  associated ISO language binding) as the standard
  for representation and interchange of
  environmental data in and among simulations
• SISO SAC recognize the implementations of the
  EDCS that exist as parts of the SEDRIS technology
  base (including the EDCS API, EDCS Query Tool,
  EDCS database) and recommend these components for
  community use
• SISO maintain liaison with the ISO/IEC JTC1
  (SC24) to ensure continued applicability of the
  EDCS to the SISO community needs

8
EDCS PDG Recommendations (2)

• SISO constitute a group or groups from within
  its general membership to coordinate and manage
  future SISO-specific EDCS registration efforts
• SISO recognize these recommendations as the
  concluding effort of the EDCS PDG

9
What is the Origin of the EDCS?
The EDCS is one of the core technology components
developed as part of the SEDRIS program -- The
SEDRIS Data Representation Model provides the
form, organization, and inter-relationships of
environmental data -- The Spatial Reference Model
provides location information -- The EDCS is the
data dictionary
EDCS Purpose Provide a set of environmental
concepts that are unambiguously defined, flexibly
denoted (and encoded), and easily bound in
exchange formats and to programming languages
10
Why Have an EDCS?

• Demand for simulations that feature realistic,
  accurate representations of the environment is
  increasing
• Reuse of available data necessary
• Federation of disparate simulations is increasing
• Correlation problems lead to use of servers
  using systems must understand data semantics
• Types and number of digital systems that use
  environmental data are increasing
• Data transfer requires a means for unambiguous
  specification

11
Understanding the EDCS
The EDCS is a set of 9 dictionaries of
environmental concepts and supporting
infrastructure to facilitate the encoding and
communication of qualitative and quantitative
information describing real or virtual
environments
The EDCS provides a large amount of detailed
information! 1427 classifications 1655
attributes 8785 enumerated values Dont let
the trees blind you to the forest ? Understand
the design and patterns of use
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EDCS Dictionaries - Identification

• Classification Dictionary classifications that
  describe an object (house, river, road, )
• Attribute Dictionary attributes that describe
  the state (sometimes called condition) of
  environmental objects (length, color,
  temperature, )
• Attribute Enumerant Dictionary tabulations of
  discrete values that are used in valuating
  specific attributes (color red, green, blue,
  , )
• Unit Dictionary units that tabulate basic
  quantitative measures of state (meters, volts,
  degrees, )

13
EDCS Dictionaries - Amplification

• Attribute Value Characteristic Dictionary
  information describing the values of attributes
  (attribute value is missing, more than one value
  is possible, )
• Unit Scale Dictionary scales providing standard
  methods to extend (scale) basic units (102, 230,
  10-24, )
• Unit Equivalence Class Dictionary tabulations of
  sets of units that are mutually comparable
  (electron volts, joules and watt-hours are
  comparable units of energy )

14
EDCS Dictionaries Use Aids

• Organizational Schema Dictionary definitions of
  partitions of the EDCS codes from the context of
  a specific application area (the General
  Organization Scheme relies on general scientific
  or natural principle to organize similar
  concepts)
• Group Dictionary tabulation of groups that
  comprise each organizational scheme and are
  collections of codes that can be viewed as
  similar from within the context of that scheme
  (Hydrology, Air Transportation, and Physiography
  are some of the 55 groups in the General
  Organizational Scheme)

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EDCS Dictionary Design Fundamentals

• Each dictionary concept must include
• An unambiguous definition
• A denotation supporting efficient machine
  processing (a code)
• A denotation for human comprehension (concept
  label)
• References and reference type
• Concept specification occurs along 2 fundamental
  axes
• Classifications specify object type (chair, tree,
  mountain, )
• Attributes specify object state (width,
  temperature, color, )
• Object state is expressed using valuated measures
• Discrete values are value sets (enumerations,
  logical)
• Continuous values are numerical (real, integer)
• Some values can be expressed using comparable
  units of measure
• Similar concepts can be organized into sets
• Groups of similar concepts can be organized into
  schema

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An Example of Dictionary Relationships
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EDCS Profiles

• The EDCS neither mandates nor suggests typical
  associations between entries in different
  dictionaries
• Flexibility for the data provider
• Potential confusion for the data consumer
• EDCS profiles define subsets of the EDCS
  dictionaries these are, at a minimum, lists of
  dictionaries and entries in those dictionaries
  (required component of a profile)
• EDCS profiles may include constraints on
  relationships between dictionary entries
• Specific attribute and classification
  relationships
• Only specific value types or ranges .
• The default profile is the entire EDCS
• Profiles can only limit EDCS usage extensions
  are possible through the registration process..

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Registration

• The EDCS must change with domains of application
  and data within those domains
• Now that the EDCS is an ISO Standard, additions
  to the EDCS are possible through the standard ISO
  registration process
• Submissions must include all fields in relevant
  dictionary except the code
• New profiles can be added by Registration .

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Example Mapping from ITD TREES Data Object into
the EDCS
Attribute Name
Code
Allowed Values
Units
Vegetation Characteristics
Deciduous, Evergreen, Mixed, Forest Clearing
VEG
Density Measure
Percent
DMT
0 100
Height AGL
HGT
0 - 150
Meters
Stem Diameter Size
SDS
0 - 900
Centimeters
Tree Spacing Category
TSD
0 - 500
Decimeters
Overlay Category
OVC
Vegetation
Unknown, None-to-Sparse, Medium-to-Dense
Undergrowth Density Category
UGD
(taken from NIMA document MIL-PRF-89014A, 15
March 1996)
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Find a Suitable Classification Concept

• A variety of ways to find a suitable concept
• Annex B, Groups and references for EDCS
  Classifications, Table B.21, ECs whose label
  begins with T
• TREE A woody-perennial ltPLANTgt that has a
  self-supporting main stem or trunk and a definite
  crown a tree or tree-like plant.
• ITD object is an area feature and the attributes
  make it clear than more than one tree is intended
• Table 8.6 -- EDCS Group Dictionary Entries
• Group PLANT is among the 55 groups this group
  contains 47 classification entries including
  FOREST (better than linear search through 1400
  classifications!)
• FOREST A ltTRACTgt containing a substantial
  number of closely spaced ltTREEgts a forest.

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First Attempt Look for Trees
1. Annex B
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Look in the Alphabetical Listing
2. Table B.21
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There is a Tree, but no Trees
3. EC Tree
24
Look to the Organizational Schema
4. Back to the top
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Plant is an Available Group of Concepts
5. Table 8. EDCS organizational schema
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The Plant Group
6. Table 8.44 Plant Group
27
EC Forest Provides the Desired Semantic
7. Table 5.10
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And So On

• The example here uses only the EDCS itself during
  the mapping development
• There are other supporting tools available from
  the SEDRIS program
• A database that can be searched
• The EDCS query tool
• Mappings

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Final Mapping
Proscribed Values Deciduous Evergreen Mixed, Fores
t Clearing, Unknown 0 100 0 150 meters 0
900 Centimeters 0 500 Decimeters Vegetation Unk
nown, None-to -Sparse, Med-to- Dense
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The Final Mapping Looking Closer
EDCS Dictionary
ITD
Attribute Name Vegetation Charac- teristics Dens
ity Measure Height AGL Stem Dia- Meter Size Tree
Spacing Category Overlay Category Undergrowth Dens
ity Category
Attribute Label Vegetation Type Summer
Canopy Cover Fraction Predominant Vegetation
Hgt Mean Stem Diameter Tree Spacing Object
Set Type Brush Density
Unit Pure Number Metres Metres Metres P
ercent
Values Deciduous Evergreen Mixed, Forest
Clear- ing Real Real Real Real Vegetation Rea
l Interval
Unit Scale Centi Deci
Charac- teristic Undes- ignated Undes- ignate
d Undes- ignated Undes- ignated Undes- ignated
Proscribed Values Deciduous Evergreen Mixed, Fores
t Clearing, Unknown 0 100 0 150 meters 0
900 Centimeters 0 500 Decimeters Vegetation Unk
nown, None-to -Sparse, Med-to- Dense
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Mapping ITD Attribute Height AGL
Predominant Vegetation Height
The predominant (greater than 50 percent)
ltltHEIGHT AGLgtgt of ltVEGETATIONgt
Height AGL
The distance of an ltOBJECTgt above a ltPLANETARY
SURFACEgt
Height Above Surface Level
The ltltHEIGHTgtgt of an ltOBJECTgt on a ltPLANETARY
SURFACEgt
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Questions?
Resources are available SEDRIS Tutorial this
evening http//www.sedris.org
The EDCS PDG meets tomorrow morning (Thursday, 7
April) in the Catalina Room, 0800
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Attribute Vegetation Characteristics

• Discrete set of possible values ? an enumerated
  type
• Use the Attribute link from the Group PLANT two
  likely candidates appear in a list of 20 Group
  members (out of 1400 attribute concepts)
• TREE TYPE an enumerated attribute, but no value
  appropriate for forest clearing
• VEGETATION TYPE also enumerated and includes all
  4 possible ITD values in list of 85 enumerated
  values

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Providing a Specification for All Domains of
Environmental Data Complete and Consistent

• The EDCS will provide for the shared
  understanding of the semantic associated with
  specific environmental data, without regard to
  data modeling strategy or data domain

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Dictionary Fields
EDCS Dictionary
Unit
Classi- fication
Attri- bute
Enum- erant
Char- acter- istic
Unit Scale
Unit EQ Class
Group
Organi- zational Schema
Field
Definition
Label
Code
Reference
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Ref Type
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Supplemental Ref
X
X
X
X
X
Groups
X
X
X
Attr Value Type
X
X
Unit EQ Cls Label
X
Quantity
X
Attribute Label
X
X
Symbol
X
Unit Label
X
Organ Scheme