A conceptual investigation of the ontological commensurability of spatial data infrastructures among different cultures

Humans think and communicate in very flexible and schematic ways, and a Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) for the Amazon and associated information system ontologies should reflect this flexibility and the adaptive nature of human cognition in order to achieve semantic interoperability. In this paper I offer a conceptual investigation of SDI and explore the nature of cultural schemas as expressions of indigenous ontologies and the challenges of semantic interoperability across cultures. Cultural schemas are, in essence, our ontologies, but they are markedly different than classical formal ontologies. They shape our ontological commitments to what exists in the world as well as the ways in which we approach and engage the world. And while they help structure our understanding of the world in which we are embedded, they are associative and flexible. They help to focus our attention to particular details of our experiences and give them salience, yet they cannot be simply reduced to a series of extracted features. They allow us to make meaning of the contextualized, cultural experience in which we are always immersed. An SDI is a shared social-technological-informational structure that, if it is to be useful and successful for sustainability in the Amazon, must incorporate and use indigenous cultural schemas. Indigenous communities must have the ability to contribute to the collection of geospatial data and their contributions recognized as legitimate forms of knowledge. In order for the SDI to work, it must recognize the larger cultural landscape to which cultural schemas can connect to the ready-to-hand elements of salient cultural experiences.     

欧盟空间信息基础设施建设(INSPIRE):兼议对中国地学信息化的启示

欧盟空间信息基础设施(INSPIRE)是欧洲空间信息基础设施建设法令。目的是建立欧盟统一的空间信息基础设施,实现有关环境空间信息在统一的框架下全欧盟范围内的共享,便于跨区域的政策决策及应用。通过近7年的实施,INSPIRE完成了欧盟层面的立法和各参与国层面具有法律效力的执行规则,制定了一系列技术规范和技术指南,并在各参与国中执行实施。总结分析欧盟空间信息基础设施(INSPIRE)的目的与意义、组织管理体系、实施方案、空间信息的融合与互操作、统一架构与相关规范等方面的相关经验,提出了对中国地学信息化的几点启示。     

LusTRE: a framework of linked environmental thesauri for metadata management

The paper illustrates a Linked Thesaurus Framework for the Environment, named LusTRE, to facilitate data sharing across different environmental disciplines. It provides a knowledge infrastructure of multilingual thesauri and code lists, interlinking them so that they can be used as one integrated linked data source. This multilingual thesaurus is published according to the Linked Data Best Practices and supports metadata compilation and data discovery for describing and finding Environmental geodata. A human readable web interface is provided for the exploitation of LusTRE as well as a set of web services for programmatic access to the knowledge infrastructure. LusTRE has been exploited within the European directive INSPIRE and SEIS piloting testbeds implemented within the EU project eENVplus in order to support cross-border and cross-domain data sharing. It is aimed at supporting multilingual data search and query refinement. In order to show how interlinked content can help users to more easily express metadata within Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI), LusTRE web services have been integrated within existing metadata editors and geoportals.     

An INSPIRE-compliant open-source GIS for fire-fighting management

Every year, there are almost 50,000 forest fires in Europe (127/day), which have burned an area equal to more than 450,000 ha. An effective management of forest fires is therefore fundamental in order to reduce the number of the fires and, especially, the related burned areas, preserving the environment and saving human lives. However, some problems still exist in the structure of information and in the harmonization of data and fire management procedures among different European countries. Pursuing the same interoperability aims, the European Union has invested in the development of the INSPIRE Directive (Infrastructure for Spatial Information in Europe) to support environmental policies. Furthermore, the EU (European Union) is currently working on developing ad hoc infrastructures for the safe management of forests and fires. Moving from this premises and following an analysis of the state of the art of information systems for forest fire-fighting, in the light of the end-user requirements, the paper presents the INSPIRE—compliant design of a geographical information system, implemented using open-source platforms.     

Designing a flood forecasting and inundation-mapping system integrated with spatial data infrastructures for Turkey

Turkey currently lacks a fully functional flood forecasting system (FFS). However, the studies necessary for establishing such a system are still being performed by the Turkish State Meteorological Service. The main purpose of this study was to determine the technical architecture of the FFS intended to be developed in Turkey and to design a flood forecasting and inundation-mapping system integrated with spatial data infrastructure (SDI). Because SDIs provide interoperability among the institutions by enabling collective use of data and services, this enables decision makers to take correct and rapid decisions regarding the forecasting. In the design of the system, the Web services architecture presented by the open geospatial consortium that develops international standards for SDI realizations was taken as a basis. Designed with flexibility and an expandable architecture, the system will enable instant access to up-to-date data from different institutions through Web services and meets the requirements of a real-time FFS. While the criteria requiring the expansion of the designed system were explained, its implementation was left for future studies.     

基于GML的地质图空间数据库交换体系

如何提高地质图空间数据库信息交换体系的可扩展性和互操作能力是这一领域中的研究热点.首先研究了ISO/OGC空间信息共享的规范和标准, 并建立了具有服务能力的空间信息集成模块, 在此基础上研究具有一致性的空间信息共享与服务体系, 形成独立于软件、适用于地质空间信息互操作的表达模式, 提供一个可用于异构和分布式体系下的数据描述机制, 使得应用管理地质空间数据成为可能.提出了以地理置标语言(geography markup language, GML) 模型为框架, 给出一种地质空间信息交换的机制.针对地学应用需求, 提出了专业应用数据的模式, 为地质空间信息交换提供了一种可行的方法.      

基于GML的WFS研究与实现

网络要素服务(webfeature services, WFS) 是空间数据互操作的一个重要组成部分, 能为不同GIS数据格式提供要素级的交互.基于地理标志语言(geography markup language, GML) 的WFS能够为Web环境下的空间数据互操作技术和空间信息处理互操作技术提供简单而又有效的基本数据访问、要素编辑(包括添加、删除、更新)、要素的组合查询.通过研究开放式GIS联盟(open GIS consortiumInc., OGC) 的标准规范, 使用MAPGIS基础平台和.NET编译环境实现WFS, 使用XML传输和存储地理信息, 其中包括属性和地理要素的几何属性.最后给出了以MAPGIS平台为基础的基于GML的WFS的体系结构和实现方法.WFS只解决了空间数据互操作的一部分, 为了更好的进行空间数据互操作, WCS、WCTS的实现是必不可少的.      

Towards a spatial data infrastructure for technological disasters: an approach for the road transportation of hazardous materials

Spatial data have been used for the environmental monitoring of the consequences of accidents that involve the transportation of hazardous chemical products. This spatial data infrastructure (SDI), which was created for the sharing and use of spatial data, is limited by the absence of policies to support its establishment. The main objective of this study was to explore the use of social network analysis (SNA) as a tool to identify spatial data sharing between organizations involved in the management of accidents related to road transport of hazardous materials (RTHM). In addition, to discuss the existing policies and institutional agreements, and to initiate a conceptual SDI framework for RTHM sector. In this context, the institutions that are involved with RTHM were identified and information concerning their interest in the use and sharing of spatial data via a SDI was collected through interviews and consolidated. The interviews were at 39 institutions with representative employees. The interview data were tabulated and entered into the UCINET software (2000 version) to calculate metrics of centrality. From the SNA, the flow of data among the participating institutions was identified through the visual representation of the spatial data sharing and use networks. Subsequently, the existing institutional agreements for spatial data sharing were analyzed and discussed. The compiled results enabled the proposal of a conceptual SDI framework to support the management of disasters involving RTHM, based on the application of SNA theory, and the development of a methodology that supports the analysis of interactions among the various actors of an SDI. The purpose is to facilitate the formulation of policies for the sharing of spatial data for decision-making and preventive disaster management. The results indicate that the 39 institutions share spatial data, but this sharing is not always predetermined by formal agreements. Furthermore, there is a strong demand, by the institutions involved in the management of RTHM accidents, regarding legal mechanisms governing the sharing of data for the purpose of producing maps that help to describe actions of preparedness, prevention, management and immediate relief involving RTHM incidents. Finally, it was possible to propose a conceptual framework with data that is considered essential for creating an SDI for RTHM.     

网络地理信息系统（WebGIS）的现状及前景

WebGIS是GIS技术与Internet技术相结合的产物,它改变了地理信息的获取、传输、发布、共享和应用的方式,是GIS未来的发展方向.介绍了WebGIS的概念、功能、结构模型和平台软件,认为目前WebGIS还不能通过网络来实现真正意义上的空间分析,离商业化和实用化尚有相当距离,还存在着空间数据共享、互操作、表现手法单一、跨平台、数据传输瓶颈等问题.在分析的基础上,指出与OpenGIS、GML、第二代互联网、分布式计算、.Net、移动通信、虚拟现实、网格计算等技术相结合是WebGIS未来的发展方向.     

A development of spatiotemporal queries to analyze the simulation outcomes from a voxel automata model

The raster and vector spatial data models are the most commonly used in geographic information systems (GIS) practice but are insufficient for the representation of dynamic spatiotemporal phenomena that operates in multiple dimensions. Although numerous improvements to the spatial data models have been proposed and various prototype implementations have been developed in order to address this limitation, the problem has persisted. One of the proposals for spatial data representation is the geoatom data model which is a theoretical concept used for conceptualizing geographic information as it pertains to the four-dimensional (4D) space-time continuum. The objective of this study is to develop and apply the spatiotemporal queries in order to analyze and explore the evolution of the 4D geospatial process. The geo-atom data model and voxel automata have been used for the simulation of a dynamic 4D process of snow cover retreat in order to test the developed theoretical concepts. The developed queries for spatio-temporal analysis are volume, surface area, rate of change and temporal ordering. The data used have spatial, temporal and attribute components and represent the voxels units generated from the simulation of the process. Obtained results are the outcomes of various spatio-temporal queries that permit the analysis of the snow retreat process in 4D. This study contributes to conceptual and applied advancements in the field of 4D GIS and multidimensional analysis, and is relevant to geography, earth and environmental sciences, the disciplines where the phenomena need to be studied in 4D.     

Reconceptualizing the role of the user of spatial data infrastructure

Spatial data infrastructures, which are Internet-based mechanisms for the coordinated production, discovery, and use of geospatial information in the digital environment, have diffused worldwide in the last two decades. Currently, there are about one hundred spatial data infrastructures at the national level and many other at supra- and sub-national levels. These contemporary spatial data infrastructures operate with two main assumptions: formal organizations are the producers and suppliers of geospatial information; users are the passive recipients of information. The recent phenomenon of volunteered geographic information departs from these assumptions. In this paper, we argue that reconceptualizing the user of a spatial data infrastructure can accommodate this new phenomenon. Such a reconceptualization creates a middle ground between spatial data infrastructure and volunteered geographic information, which has important implications for future research.     

A skeleton design theory for spatial data infrastructure

In this paper, we look into the theory of designing geoservice systems, i.e., SDI networks and their constituent SDI nodes. As the field of SDI is strongly about bridging between geoservice systems, interoperability and harmonisation, it is not surprising that standardisation efforts are of crucial importance in it. These efforts have historically addressed abstract and concrete content models for data and metadata exchange, as well as abstract and concrete behavioural models for computational processes. The list of standards that are in use in the SDI field continues to expand, and reaches out to neighbouring fields such as sensor nets. We argue that given these trends, the resulting levels of standardisation in actual systems, and the complexity of geoservice systems in general, it appears only natural to look into the possibility to define a standardised design theory for SDI and its nodes, which addresses the function base and the communication base. Specifically, we provide an overview of those components that need to be designed, and what are their relationships. We do so in an abstract way, focussing on the concern of information content in this paper, and only hinting at an appropriate theory of realisation based on our skeleton theory.     

SWAT hydrological model as a DaaS cloud service

Earth Science community depends on the exploration, analysis and reprocessing of high volumes of data as well as the modeling and simulation of complex coupled systems on multiple scales. The main aim of this article is to introduce a new hydrological modeling service based on the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) (Arnold et al. J American Water Resour Assoc 34(1), 73–89, 1998 ; Arnold and Fohrer Hydrol Process 19(3), 563–572, 2005) model using high efficiency, resource sharing and low cost cloud computing resources (Astsatryan et al. International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research 1(1), 1130–1133, 2014). Such a Desktop as a Service (DaaS) approach allowing users to work from anywhere, and gives centralized desktop management and great performance. Within the Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) and cloud platform, the DaaS service gives secure access to the model and a centralized data storage to get a SWAT model input. The article illustrates the analyses of the implementation of the SWAT model for the Sotk watershed of Lake Sevan in Armenia (Sargsyan 2007).     

Towards an Open Information Infrastructure for Disaster Research and Management: Data Management and Information Systems Inside DFNK

The development of new and better methods for preventing and managing natural disasters requires a variety of different data sets, covering the range from referenced data, e.g. topographic data and digital elevation models, to various kinds of thematic data, e.g. data about soil, vegetation and land usage as well as monitoring data like precipitation and water levels. So a well-organised data and information management and the implementation of a modern processing environment to acquire, store, analyse and visualise data were decisive for the success of the German Research Network Natural Disasters (DFNK). An information infrastructure was established to support data management and information flows inside the network. A web-based portal offers general information to the public and internal documents, data and software tools to the project community. A catalog service allows the overview of existing but distributed data scombined with flexible data retrieval. Based on internet technology and global standards these concepts contribute to a superior information infrastructure and finally substantiate to the development of Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI). SDIs aim is to improve availability and usability of spatial data for the manifold application areas. Disaster management is one field depending on a very high level on high-quality data equipment, and on a working SDI.     

A geo-ontology-based approach to decision-making in emergency management of meteorological disasters

Ontology as a kind of method for knowledge representation is able to provide semantic integration for decision support in emergency management activities of meteorological disasters. We examine a meteorological disaster system as composed of four components: disastrous meteorological events, hazard-inducing environments, hazard-bearing bodies, and emergency management. The geospatial characteristics of these components can be represented with geographical ontology (geo-ontology). In this paper, we propose an ontology representation of domain knowledge of a meteorological disaster system descending from an adapted geospatial foundation ontology, designed to formally conceptualize the domain terms and establish relationships between those concepts. The class hierarchy and relationships of the proposed ontology are implemented finally at top level, domain level/task level, and application level. The potential application of the ontology is illustrated with a case study of prediction of secondary disasters and evacuation decision of a typhoon event. The multi-level ontology model can provide semantic support for before-, during-, after-event emergency management activities such as risk assessment, resource preparedness, and emergency response where the formed concepts and their relationships can be incorporated into reasoning sentences of these decision processes. Furthermore, the ontology model is realized with a universally used intermediate language OWL, which enables it to be used in popular environments. This work will underlie the semantic integration among human beings, between heterogeneous systems and between human beings and systems, enable spatial semantic reasoning, and will be useful in guiding advanced decision support in emergency management of meteorological disasters.     

Cooperation in earth observation missions in Africa: a role for afrigeoss

This paper is aimed at examining the role of African Global Earth Observation System of Systems (AfriGEOSS) in Earth Observation (EO) mission cooperation on the continent of Africa. It discusses the importance of earth observation programs for developing countries as well as the benefits of international cooperative efforts. The paper further examined some collaborative projects on Earth Observation in Africa and their associated problems. It specifically looked at the EO data coordination initiatives such as the Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI), GEOSS, Africa Discovery Broker, etc. It then situates AfriGEOSS in the context of African Space Agenda (ASA) with recommendations especially to the Africa Union Commission for the realization of ASA set goals. The paper reiterated that regardless of whether developed or developing, Earth observation information provides substantial benefit supporting economic development, decision making and policy implementation of all countries of the world. This is as a result of its multifarious benefits to humans in areas like agriculture, forestry, risk management, disaster monitoring, maritime, defence and security and natural resources management. Consequently, the paper argued that the numerous benefits from space assets have driven countries within the continent of Africa to either acquire or develop capabilities in space systems which is devoted to improving quality of life in general. The paper concluded that while space systems are expensive, there is need for continuity and sustainability as a result of its numerous advantages to the human’s society.     

Adaptive DTM generalization methods for tangible GIS applications

Several international studies attempt to construct tangible GIS systems, forming real 3D surfaces using a large number of mechanical parts along a matrix formation. Most of these attempts suffer in cost, accuracy, resolution and/or speed. In order to facilitate data handling in GIS tangible systems, the generalization process becomes crucial, accommodating compression, visualization and comprehension of spatial data under various scales. Under this perspective, the main objective of the proposed adaptive generalization approach is to provide optimized representation of 3D digital terrain models with minimum loss of information, serving specific applications. That is, to minimize the number of pixels in a raster dataset used to define a DTM, while reserving surface information and enhancing the important semantic features. To this aim, this paper presents specific computationally efficient surface generalization approaches, which can be incorporated in applications of tangible GIS systems, due to their low processing time, facilitating real-time results. The research methods developed and tested include adaptive variations of a) the Douglas-Peucker line simplification algorithm in 3D data and b) the spatial Laplace filter that estimates the significance of each node, based on its nearest neighbors. The proposed strategy also dynamically incorporates topology and semantic restraints, in order to preserve important information and depict it with variable detail level, according to the application at hand. The algorithms are evaluated on their accuracy for a specific wildfire application and for different reduction levels in two different types of terrain data. They are also compared to their original-basic implementations in terms of performance.     

信息高速公路与地理信息系统——试论地理学的信息革命

综合介绍了信息高速公路及国家空间信息基础设施的基本情况、地理科学的信息化和地理信息系统的发展趋势和特点，并说明了信息高速公路对地理科学信息化及地球科学研究及应用的影响。     

Spatial characterization of environmental gradients in a coastal lagoon, Chincoteague Bay

Spatial patterns of environmental processes are intrinsic yet complex components of estuaries. Spatial characterization of environmental gradients is a necessary step to better understand and classify estuarine environments. A geographic information system is developed to analyze the major abiotic environmental processes, to evaluate accuracy and spatial uncertainty, and to analyze potential zonation within the choked coastal lagoon of Chincoteague Bay in Maryland and Virginia, USA. Spatially extensive grid-based models of environmental gradients are constructed from existing geospatial and environmental databases, including tidal prism, bathymetry, salinity, wave exposure, and Secchi disk depth. Integration of wetland boundaries and bathymetric data provide for full basin analysis of flushing and tidal prism. Multivariate Principal Components Analysis demonstrates the covariation among gradients and provides an empirical approach to mapping multidimensional zones within the lagoon. The project documents the development of an estuarine geographic information system that can be used to analyze and compare estuarine environments and provide data for environmental decision making.     

Getting across information communities

Amazon’s deforestation affects citizens from varying information communities. Experts like scientists or journalists acquire relevant data on-site and publish valuable information on the Web. But different and sometimes conflicting views on reality impede sharing of information across communities, relevant content remains far too often undiscovered. We introduce rule-based semantic annotations as solution to facilitate the discovery and evaluation of geographical information. With the distinction between shared domain and local information source ontologies, the proposed architecture of a semantically supported SDI for the Amazon also takes the plethora of GI formats into account. Creating semantic annotations is challenging, a recommender system for semantic annotations enables even the non-IT experts to participate. The benefits of the proposed techniques are further illustrated by a scenario which spans across information communities of economics, ecology, and ethnology.