Introduction to Spatial Data Infrastructures Werner Kuhn March

Introduction to Spatial Data Infrastructures • Werner Kuhn March 14, 2005 SDI Concepcion

Today Ø Motivation for the course topic through • an analogy • a case study Ø Sketch basic ideas of SDI Ø Course plan • Lectures • Readings • Practicals Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 2

An analogy: Cooking Ø Discuss the infrastructure for preparing food • What do you need? • Where do you get it? • Where does it come from? • Who is involved in the „food chain“? • Can you cook at a friend‘s home? Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 3

Elements of the cooking infrastructure Ø Food: contents Ø Kitchen ware, stove etc. : technology Ø Cooks, waiters, diners, farmers etc. : people Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 4

Characteristics Ø Modularity: lots of components Ø Flexibility: change ingredients, delivery mode and time, etc. Ø Openness: add elements (e. g. , a microwave), change food suppliers, etc. Ø Standards: packaging, stores, stoves, etc. Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 5

Compare with Maps Ø „cooking“ a map (old style) • What do you need? • Where do you get it? • Where does it come from? • Who is involved in the „food chain“? • Can you „cook“ at a friend‘s home or office? Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 6

Yesterday GIS Specialists Maps for Users Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 7

Tomorrow Services for systems and users, built by Geo- and GI-Scientists Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 8

Business Opportunities 1. More potato sales • • • customers: cooks (i. e. , service providers) small margins improved content information (metadata) 2. More restaurants • • customers: those who can afford it big margins some economies of scale multiplier for potato sales 3. Develop mass products/services (chips) • • Werner Kuhn customers: everybody huge margins huge economies of scale life line for potato growers SDI Introduction 9

Business requirements Ø Ø Sales result from uses Uses occur through services Services support decisions by content integration Content integration occurs in services => It is all about services, not about data! Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 10

The wrong analogy ? Ø Multiple sales of products and services but: multiple sales of data are rare Ø Complexity of our „potatoes“ but: still need simple products and services Ø What has all this to do with SDI? • Market for Geographic Information (GI) requires infrastructures • Mass use of GI products is likely Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 11

Other useful analogies Ø Infrastructures for • Transportation • Telecommunication • Electricity • Education • . . Ø All of these have something to teach us Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 12

So, what is an SDI ? Ø No official and general definition yet Ø My own attempt: An SDI is a coordinated series of agreements on technology standards, institutional arrangements, and policies that enable the discovery and use of geospatial information by users and for purposes other than those it was created for. Ø Identifying the stake-holders and the subjects of agreements is the key step Ø OGC has created the model for the necessary consensus process. Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 13

Core ideas Ø Ø Ø Ø Ø Distribution Coordination Sharing Interoperability Interfaces Standards Architecture Metadata Policies Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 14

Scopes of SDI Ø Ø Ø Local National Regional Global Sectoral Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 15

GSDI = Global SDI Ø critical to substantial and sustainable development Ø involvement and support of decision makers at the highest levels of business, government and academia (G 7 countries, UN Institutions, World Bank etc. ) Ø requires education and research activities which transcend the purely technical treatment of spatial data Ø So far: conferences and other publications Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 16

Why this change from GIS to SDI ? Ø Ø Non-usability of GIS Market growth for GI(S) industry E-Government initiatives at all levels Economic pressure to recover investments Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 17

Drivers Ø Ø The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) ISO TC 211 High-level government initiatives Regional initiatives (US NSDI, NRW, Emilia Romagna, Galicia, . . . ) Ø In Europe: INSPIRE Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 18

What has changed from old-style GIS ? Ø Ø Ø Multi-vendor architectures Multi-source data Multi-user applications Multi-organization projects Diminished control over information use Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 19

Geolibraries Ø One stop shops • http: //nsdi. usgs. gov (includes international data) • http: //www. geodata. gov • http: //eu-geoportal. jrc. it/ (beta version) Ø Integration with GIS • access data and services from your GIS • based on OGC web service specifications • e. g. , http: //www. geographynetwork. com/ Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 20

Observations Ø Lots of data (somewhere) • rarely connected to infrastructure • spotty regional coverage • thematic variety, without ontology Ø Few services • single, isolated functionality • often tied to a database Ø Lack of business models • free vs paid • per use vs licensing • commercial uncertainty paralyzes markets Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 21

Reference Data Ø Idea: spatial data provide a common reference frame for domain information • examples: administrative boundaries, roads Ø But: • which spatial entities should be used as reference? no theory practice: see INSPIRE catalog • need to be well-defined and widely (maybe freely) available Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 22

The Growing Role of Services Ø Bottled functionality Ø (Mass) uses occur through services Ø Services integrate content for decisions Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 23

Background: Data Abstraction Ø Data with associated methods define modules Parnas, D. L. (1972). "On the Criteria to be used in Decomposing Systems into Modules. " ACM Communications 15(12): 1053 -1058. Ø Interfaces in object-orientation Ø SCOTS in OGC Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 24

SDI, a misnomer Ø The goal is not „data exchange“, but sharing of information Ø Sometimes SDI are also called Geospatial Information Infrastructures (GII) Ø But SDI has stuck (NSDI, GSDI etc. ) Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 25

An SDI Case Study Ø Ø Ø German state of North-Rhine Westphalia 18 Mio inhabitants Highly industrial Several small IT companies in the GI area Very heterogeneous GI production Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 26

Success factors Ø Politicians wanted a show-off project in the media business Ø State funding 1999 to 2002 Ø Very active PPP Ø Life-critical co-opetition between small IT companies Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 27

GDI Reference model User model Implementation model SDI Introduction Business model Architecture model Werner Kuhn Process model 28

User model Ø Requirements for GI from user perspective Ø Specification based on market study Ø Results: Priorities for action • B 2 B • focus on Telecommunication Trade, banks, insurances • Involve more stake holders (e. g. Municipalities) Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 29

Business model Ø Specification of value chains Ø Specification of GI products and services Ø Neutral coordinating organisation • Coordinates implementation projects • Maintains local standards • marketing of infrastructure Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 30

Process model Ø Describes technical processes Ø Links other models Ø Focus on • Publishing GI services • Discover GI products and services • Purchase • Assemble GI products on the fly Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 31

Architecture model Ø Specification of a Service Architecture Ø In close cooperation with Special Interest Groups (SIGs) Ø Based on Web Services: • • Mapping Service Catalog Service Data Access Services e-Commerce Services Ø Results • proof-of-concept through GDI Testbeds (see separate slides) Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 32

Goals of this SDI Course 1. Familiarize yourself with the basic ideas and terminology around SDI 2. Awareness of some SDI initiatives and of some key literature 3. Develop skills for project planning and proposal writing Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 33

Course idea Ø Three topical blocks • Technology • Semantics • People (institutions, policies) Ø Each introduced by a lecture Ø Followed by individual readings Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 34

Course Program Ø Monday, March 14 Ø Tuesday, March 15 Ø Wednesday, March 16 Ø Thursday, March 17 • • • Introduction Goals and Schedule Collect materials Organize groups Skim Cookbook and read Chapters 1 -2 • Lecture on Technology • Read Cookbook Chapters 5 -7 • Brainstorm in groups on possible project goals • Technology discussion (based on readings so far) • Read Cookbook Chapters 3 -4 • Write „one pager“ on proposal: problem-approach-results • Lecture on Semantics • Read Geospatial Semantics paper (first part) • Write abstract and state of the art for proposal Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 35

Course Program (cont‘d) Ø Friday, March 18 Ø Monday, March 21 Ø Tuesday, March 22 Ø Wednesday, March 23 • Semantics discussion (based on reading) • Read Geospatial Semantics paper (rest) • Draft work plan for proposal • Lecture on institutional and policy arrangements • Read Onsrud et al. chapter • Finish work plan for proposal (with deliverables) • Discussion of Onsrud et al. chapter • Write time schedule and budget for proposal • Prepare proposal presentation • Review of SDI topic • Present proposal Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 36

Practicals Ø SDI need to be implemented to really understand the problems Ø Time needed: approximately 3 -5 years for around 30 -50 technical experts. . . Ø for a short course like this: • there are no „toy SDI“ • lab exercises with web servers often fail • Alternative: identify research needs and work program • Combine with soft skills of proposal writing and presenting Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 37

Your task in this course Ø Ø write a proposal sketch for research or development project on a local or regional SDI in groups of 4 participants • Manager: organizes, presents, writes abstract • Engineer: architecture, technical specifications • Scientist: research questions, literature • „Moneyman“: budget, funding sources Ø today: form groups and assign roles Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 38

Materials Ø To read and discuss during the course: • Nebert (Ed. ): The GSDI Cookbook www. gsdi. org (excerpts – today: skim and read Chapters 1 -2) • Kuhn: Geospatial Semantics – why, of what, how? • Onsrud et al. : The Future of the Spatial Information Infrastructure. Ø Additional resources throughout the course Werner Kuhn SDI Introduction 39