GIS-T Stovepipes1

GIS-T Stovepipes: Barriers to Geospatial Interoperability

David Loukes, P. Eng.

Geoplan Consultants Inc.

March 26, 2002

Atlanta, GA

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Presentation Overview

• Stovepipe technology issues: Lack of GIS-T interoperability standards Proliferation of personal geodatabases Technology architecture complexities IP issues

• Parting thoughts

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Geospatial Trends

• NSDI / GSDI initiatives

• Advanced, more accurate data collection methodologies

• Move toward web enabled applications

• Concern over IP issues

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National / Global SDI Initiatives

• There is a growing interest in national and international Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) initiatives

• National: NSDI (US) CGDI (Canada) Others … 27 nations in 1998 (U. of Maine)

• Growing international commitment for a Global Spatial Data Infrastructure (GSDI)

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Clearinghouse SitesClearinghouse Sites

Today: Global Reach On the Way

GatewaysGateways

WebClient

WebClient

CEONetCEONet

NodeNodeNodeNode

NodeNodeNodeNode

FGDCFGDC

NodeNodeNodeNode

NodeNodeNodeNode

OthersOthers

NodeNodeNodeNode

NodeNodeNodeNode

OthersOthers

Source: Mark Reichardt, US FGDC

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(G)SDI Emerging Standards

• ISO TC 211 / 204

• Open GIS Consortium

• ISO/JTC1 SC32 - SQL/MM

• Others ...

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The DOT Role in NSDI / GDSI• NSDI / GSDI initiatives moving toward interoperability

– access to geospatial data across organizational boundaries

• DOTs and other transportation agencies have a considerable amount of data that should be contributed to these initiatives CGDI studies have clearly identified transportation network

data as the number 1 priority among users

• Result: “enterprise GIS-T” extends far beyond the boundaries of any one transportation agency

• Example: the GeoConnections National Road Network initiative

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National Road Network (NRN)• Being developed by Natural Resources Canada as part

of the GeoConnections program• Objectives:

Develop transportation network “core” data in support of the CGDI

Provide a framework upon which “value added” data can be overlaid

• Concept: collect data once, as close to the source as possible, and share across jurisdictional boundaries

• The NRN will likely incorporate a LRS data model in support of provincial and municipal road network data requirements

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The GIS-T Data Model Stovepipe

• Open GIS standards for interoperability so far are restricted to simple features (points, lines, polygons)

• A great deal of the useful attribution related to transportation networks is stored as LRS events along routes

• There are no open standards at present for the GIS-T data model extensions necessary to support the transfer of LRS event data features among unlike systems

• Result: the GIS-T data model stovepipe

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GIS-T Data Model Research

• Current “best practice” transportation data model standards need to be integrated NCHRP 20-27 (3) ISO GDF others?

• The “new and improved” transportation data model needs to be incorporated into the Open GIS standards

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Advanced Data Collection Methods

• Many advanced data collection technologies are now available: GPS Digital videolog Multi-purpose vehicles Had-held and voice activated computers Others …

• These technologies have made it far easier to collect transportation infrastructure data quickly and with improved location accuracies

• Result: proliferation of personal / workgroup geospatial databases due to stovepipe issues

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GIS-T Data Collection Stovepipes

• The technologies are easy to use and cost effective• It is often possible to justify the acquisition of

these systems in support of very specific applications

• Result: Data may not be collected according to corporate

geospatial data standards Differing accuracies may make integration with

existing data layers difficult Multiple road centerline representations exist

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Data Standards Stovepipe Issues

• Project based data collection missions may not adhere to corporate data standards for: Location (LRS, coordinate framework) Attributes (fields, allowable values) Metadata (lineage tracking)

• Result: inability to integrate data into corporate road asset databases

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Accuracy Stovepipe Issues

• Mixed accuracies: Existing GIS-T basemaps and road network features

commonly based on 1:10K – 1:24K compilation specifications, with associated accuracies of +/- 2.5 meters or greater

GPS data collection methods can now achieve sub-meter positional accuracies

• Result: features show up “in the wrong place: Signs appear on the wrong side of the road Bridges are not positioned over rivers / streams Anchor points don’t fall on topological nodes

• Reconciliation of these problems may be time consuming and expensive

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Centerline Stovepipe Issues

• With GPS, it is possible to collect a new road centerline during each data collection mission.

• This presents the following issues: Do you update the network geometry after each

mission? How do you filter out unnecessary shape points? How do you reconcile the new geometry to the existing

base network:• Which nodes should be moved?• Does the associated LRS need to be updated?

• Result: data may not be used

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Architecture Complexity Issues

• Technology architecture: we have (evolved?) from mainframe to workstation to PC to Client - Server to web-based

• We are now dealing with “n-Tier” architectures and many components (“Plug and Pray”)

• What happens when something goes wrong?

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GIS & applications

(ESRI, CARIS, INGR)

Access ToolsTools for query, analysisand reporting.(Web-based preferred)

Integration ToolsTools for modeling, cleaning, integratingand loading data.

Tier 3Application

Environments

Network Interface APIs - (OGDI, OGC & CGI) Data AccessProtocols &

APIs

Tier 2Application

Servers

DB servers File servers App Servers

Data Management Tools

Meta-Data Management (Repository)

Object-Relational DBMS + with Spatial enhancements

Tier 1Data Management

& Data ServerEnvironment

File manager

Data files

Multi-tier Architecture for Components

Ref: Kucera, H., “The Open GIS Consortium … a focus on interoperability” W

ho’re

ya go

nna call

? Web

Buste

rs!

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IP Issues

• In the IT community, it’s never the technology that’s the primary barrier to data integration / interoperability CGDI framework and NGTN studies: the main

barriers are associated with intellectual property (IP) issues: cost, licensing, copyright

• In Canada, cost recovery programs have seriously impeded data sharing Now trying to overcome these barriers

• Don’t repeat our mistakes!

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Final Thoughts …

• General GIS interoperability is achievable in the near term

• Specific GIS-T interoperability (ie, LRS) is farther out• Neither is possible without some convergence on data

model and data content specifications for the spatial database

• Field data collection needs to be carried out within a corporate data standards context

• Geospatial data is a corporate resource The enterprise extends far beyond DOTs

• Don’t let IP issues drag you down

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GIS-CentricApplications

TextData

GIS

DigitalMaps

Spatially EnabledDatabase

Spatially Aware Applications

SpatialProcessing

Desktop GIS Browser exor app

Changing Face of GIS

Source: Graham Stickler, Exor Corporation

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Discussion?

• This is one perspective

• There are many others …

• Let’s hear from you!