Usage of Open Source GIS Software in the Public Sector: Possibility and Irrationality?

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Usage of Open Source GIS Software in the Public
Sector Possibility and Irrationality?
Sr Dr Zainal Bin A Majeed JUPEM

• Is the GEO-ENABLED GOVERNMENT anxious about USING
  OPEN SOURCE GIS software?

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CONTENT
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What is open source GIS software?

• OSS its free but does not mean free of charge,
  use freely
• OSS GIS is freely available software that can be
  used to manage and create system development for
  geospatial data
• It is a free geospatial data open source software
  for developing a GIS
• Available to develop a web based GIS application
  that supports data request, retrieval,
  integration and presentation.
• Free to use, copy, study, change and improve, and
  even distribute them freely

FOSS4G Free Open Source Software for
Geo-Spatial
GeoFOSS Geo Free Open Source Software
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OSS Freedoms

• Freedom of Use
• Freedom of Software
• Freedom of Redistribute
• Freedom of Modify
• Freedom of Copy
• Open Source SW Criteria by OSI (Open Source
  Initiative)
• 1. Free Redistribution
• 2. Source Code
• 3. Derived Works
• 4. Integrity of The Author's Source Code
• 5. No Discrimination Against Persons or Groups
• 6. No Discrimination Against Fields of Endeavor
• 7. Distribution of License
• 8. License Must Not Be Specific to a Product
• 9. License Must Not Restrict Other Software
• 10. License Must Be Technology-Neutral

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Open Source GIS?
FOSS4G as Substitute for Proprietary
Software ArcReader - viewing - uDig, GRASS,
gvSIG, QGIS, OSSIM ArcMap/ArcGIS cartography -
uDig, GRASS, gvSIG, QGIS, OSSIM ArcINFO/ArcGRID
analysis - GRASS, OSSIM, SEXTANTE ArcPad
devices - gvSIG mobile ArcSDE database -
PostGIS ArcIMS web - Mapserver,
GeoServer ArcGIS Server spatial server -
GRASS, SEXTANTE VB, Python scripting - PHP,
Python, Perl, C.net, etc




(From Shin, Sanghee(endofcap_at_gmail.com )
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OSS GIS local trends

• Organisations begin to use OSS GIS from vendor
  who do not use inherent and commercialised
  software
• Many organisations in the public sector are
  interested in commercialised GIS software which
  come with training and hands-on development by
  vendors (but expensive)
• The agony of using OSS GIS is affecting utmost
  mentality
• Local authority are lacking of fund to spend
  RM10K to RM30K for vendor software, with no
  support but ask to buy new version
• Small organisations require cheap, freely
  available, ease of support from OSS community

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OSS GIS local trends

• Support from policy makers and management to use
  OSS GIS is not good
• Not many use OSS GIS within the desktop
  environment. The approach may save government
  allocation, either to do mapping and to develop
  GIS within the organisation.
• RM30K-60K vendor specific software were not fully
  utilised in an overarching benefits
• Bugs and fault in the developed system tend to
  demoralise the ideas.
• Installation, configuration and configuration are
  sometime problematic
• Human capital are not fully ready to embark in
  this genius notion and approach

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• Test Case of OSGIS Development for Possibility of
  Usage in Government Organisation

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Objectives

• To investigate the current open source software,
  standards, protocols and technologies capable of
  resolving the issue of data integration and
  dissemination.
• To investigate and test existing open geospatial
  web service e.g. Minnesota WMS.
• To use GML for vector online data format.
• To implement WFS for GML server to serve GML
  online.
• To design a common ad hoc database for data
  import/export in order to manage the data before
  dissemination
• To develop intelligent middleware capable to get
  the user requests for query vector/raster data
• To develop a web based GIS application that
  supports data request, retrieval, integration and
  presentation.

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Methodologies

• A simple development of a web based GIS through
  the construction of a 3-tier web service
  architecture, comprising a client, middleware and
  server, as follows
• Server In order to serve raster and vector
  geospatial data from multiple sources via the web
  we have implemented the OGC WMS and WFS
  specifications
• Middleware The middleware enables the
  application to retrieve the geospatial data from
  different servers
• Client A client map viewer developed to render
  the data requested by the servlet.

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Geospatial data used

• Cadastral data or land parcel data handled by the
  JUPEM states ( in local coordinate system)
• Topographical mapping data developed in JUPEM
  (real world coordinates)
• Aerial/Orthophoto images produced in JUPEM (real
  world coordinates)
• Test area in the Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
• Data preparation involved tasks on image
  processing, vector data conversion and
  coordinates transformation.
• Data is prepared and integrated into one single
  view

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The topographical data overlayed an aerial images
of the test area
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The cadastral data overlayed on an aerial images
of the test area.
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Spatial Relational Database (SRDB) was utilised
as an ad hoc database
Logical database model of SRDB
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Implementing Feature Schema for Use with GML
ltRealWorldFeature name"shop" desc"Shop"gt
ltMetaDatagt ltData name"dateCreated"
detail"2002-12-22"/gt ltData
name"numberFeatures" detail"1"/gt lt/MetaDatagt
ltPropertiesgt ltProperty name"gpoint"
type"POINT_GEOM"/gt ltProperty name"name"
type"CHAR"/gt lt/Propertiesgt ltFeature
fid"1"gt ltgmllocationgt ltgmlPointgt
ltgmlcoordgt ltgmlXgt543761.3125lt/gml
XgtltgmlYgt263694.71875lt/gmlYgt
lt/gmlcoordgt lt/gmlPointgt
lt/gmllocationgt ltname type"CHAR"gtshop1lt/namegt
lt/Featuregt ... lt/RealWorldFeaturegt
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Developing the Web Geospatial Server
WMS freeware Mapserver
WFS GML server
Map of WP Kuala Lumpur
The administrative area of WPKL through GML
server and Image Map Server
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Developing Middleware for the Geospatial Data
Connector
- get the user request through the CGI
protocol - connect to other data server and
retrieve the data via HTTP protocol as user
required - integrate the requested data and
generate the final integrated objects - deliver
the required objects back to the client
application.
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The project request is encoded using XML
The sample of project is illustrated as
follows. ltproject xmlns"http//jukn.gov.my/webgis
/scn/"gt ltbox minx"402250" miny"345972.47"
maxx"408970.0" maxy"352473.62"/gt
ltrwo_datasetgt ltdataset protocol"http"
type"gml" name"hospital_clinic" address
"http//survey1.org/wfs?VERSION1.0.0ampSERVICE
wfsamp REQUESTgetFeatureampLAYERSKL.h
osp_clinic"/gt ltdataset protocol"http"
type"gml" name"gov_office" address
"http//survey2.org/data/gov_office.gml"/gt
ltdataset protocol"http" type"gml"
name"education" address
"http//survey3.org/ducation.gml"/gt ltdataset
protocol"http" type"image" name"canal"
address "http//survey4.org/wms?VERSION1.
0.0ampSERVICEwfsamp
REQUESTgetFeatureampLAYERSKL.canel"/gt
ltdataset protocol"file" type"image"
name"river" address"river.png"/gt
lt/rwo_datasetgt lt/projectgt
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Developing the Web Based GIS
The application GUI
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Local and HTTP data open dialog
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The rendering tool
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The sample of project in Kuala Lumpur area
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The zoom-in area that contains lot parcel,
topographical data and digital aerial photograph
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Results
This test case has achieved the objectives of
implementing and utilising existing open source
geospatial standards and technologies, e.g. OGC
standards and specification (GML, WFS, WMS),
HTTP, CGI, XML and RDB, to overcome the issue of
data integration and dissemination from multiple
heterogeneous systems The application has
clearly shown the successes of the concept of
data integration on-the-fly from multiple
heterogeneous GIS servers which supply the
spatial web service. The SRDB was implemented
and utilised to enable the construction of an ad
hoc database capable of providing a solution to
some of the issues of data proprietary
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Way Forward
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CONCLUSION

• OSSs are not freeware but much cheaper to
  develop, neither there are free of charge
• Free to use, copy, study, change and improve, and
  even distribute them freely
• Data integration through open source, standard
  and protocols and technologies is possible (test
  case outcome)
• Open source software and standard is significant
  to safe allocation, for interoperable system and
  integrated GIS data
• A small to medium to large scale authority
  organisation capable with low cost to develop OS
  GIS
• Executive direction is crucial as OSSs are the
  available, free and cheap software development
  widely used nowadays
• OSS GIS is possible in the public sector and can
  be are rationally proposed as one of any
  transformation program

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Thank you for listening