Online GeoSpatial Processing (OLGP): Enhancements in WebGIS Applications Using UMN-MapServer

1. Online GeoSpatial Processing (OLGP): An Experimentation With UMN-MapServer Ranga Raju Vatsavai SRG, Department of Computer Science and Engineering RSL, Department of Forest Resources University of Minnesota Plan-B Presentation on March 26, 2003 Committee: Prof. Shashi Shekhar Prof. Jaideep Srivastava Prof. Thomas E. Burk

2. Outline • Motivation • Contributions • Relate Work • WebGIS Architectures • Our Approach • Architecture • GeoProcessing • Design Issues • Validation (Case Study) • NRAMS and kNN Applications • Conclusions

3. Motivation • Proper use and monitoring of environmental resources requires • Timely and accurate data on land use • Regular availability • Remote Sensing and GIS • Invaluable input for natural resource analysis and mapping • Problem? • Lack of an efficient and easy-to-use delivery mechanism. • Internet • Web has became popular as a vehicle for information distribution and client/server applications. • GISes are Standalone • Web offers a convenient way to share complex multimedia data

4. Motivation • Background Background • ForNet • One of 18 Remote Sensing Database (RSD) programs funded by NASA • MapServer and ImageServer • MapServer • Monolithic CGI program • Map Creation, Simple feature query, Feature annotation, feature classification, on-the-fly projection, etc. • MapScript: Rapid prototyping of web applications with server-side scripting languages. • Beyond WebMapping (OLGP extension to MapServer) • GeoSpatial Analysis and Native DBMS support

5. Motivation • Contributions Contributions • Beyond Web Mapping • Online GeoSpatial Processing (OLGP) • Efficient Implementation • Load Balancing Client/Server Approach, Fine-tuning • Integration of disparate data sources • Remote Sensing, Sampling Data (FIADB) • Extending Queries • Arbitrary region of interest (ROI) • Integration with RDBMS • Innovative Applications – From theory to practice

6. Contributions • Related Work WebGIS Architectures • WWW • Intelligent mix of protocols – • Client/Server handshaking and HTTP • HTML and XML • Popularity can be attributed to – • User-friendly Web Clients (Netscape, IE, ..) • Recent Advancements in development environments • WebGIS • Main Components • The Client, The Server and the Network • Limitations – No support for geographic elements • Initial developments – Visualization (MapViewer from Xerox PARC)

7. Contributions • Related Work Related Work - WebGIS Architectures • Initial Focus – Map Visualization (e.g. MapViewer –Xerox) • First noticeable WebGIS – GRASSLinks (UC, Berkeley) • Industry’s Initial response • CGI Wrappers to their standalone GIS • This resulted in “thin-client/fat-server” systems • Limitations • Server is overburdened with data access and analysis • As the number of requests increases, server performance decreases • Benefits • Users does not need any additional resources • Recent Advances in Internet Development Environments • Applets, ActiveX Controls and Extendible Web Clients (“plug-ins”) • Client-side GIS • Resulted in “thick-client/thin-server” systems

8. Related Work • Our Approach Architecture

9. Related Work • Our Approach Architecture • WEBSAS - Architecture • “Balanced Client/Server” paradigm • 3-tier Architecture • Tier 1: Client • Tier 2: Application Server • CGI Module (+MapServer) • GeoSpatial Analysis System • Communication System • Tier 3: GeoSpatial Database Access System • Generic Image support (BIL/BSQ/BIP) • Native RDBMS support (MySQL, Oracle etc).

10. Related Work • Our Approach GeoSpatial Analysis • Availability of multi-temporal AVHRR imagery made it possible – • Plant phenology • Quantitatively describe NPP patterns in time and space • Monitor and Map natural resources at regional and global scales. • NDVI and NDVI Profiles • A temporal profile is a graphical plot of sequential NDVI observations against time. • These profiles quantify the remotely sensed vegetation’s seasonality and dynamics • ROI and Polygon based queries • Change Detection

11. Related Work • Our Approach GeoSpatial Analysis – Spatial Interpolation Queries • Given • a set of sample plots (locations) and • a set of corresponding attributes • a set of spatial database layers (RS,..) • user specified arbitrary region of interest (ROI) • Find • Estimates for each location inside the ROI • i.e. Generalize queries over space • Constraints • Non-numerical attributes, auto-correlation • Objective • Minimize error

12. Related Work • Our Approach GeoSpatial Analysis – Spatial Interpolation Queries Query Window Given FIADB SURVEY(..,statecd,cycle,subcycle,…) #12 COUNTY(..,statecd,unitcd,countycd,..) #6 PLOT(..,statecd,cycle,unitcd,plot,..) #28 SUBPLOT(..,statecd, ..,subp, ..) #13 COND(..,statecd,..,conid,..) #48 TREE(..,statecd,..,tree,..) #61 SEEDLING(..,statecd,..,spcd,..) #12 Find estimates at each cell

13. Related Work • Our Approach GeoSpatial Analysis – Spatial Interpolation Queries • Extract FIA plot-id and coordinates from FIADB plot-id[], x[], y[] <- SELECT p.plot, p.lat, p.lon FROM Plot p WHERE p.countycd = ‘137’ and … • Coordinate transform :: lattitude/longitude into UTM (meters) ima_x[], img_y[] <- geo_to_utm(p.lat[], p.lon[]) Algorithm

14. Related Work • Our Approach GeoSpatial Analysis – Spatial Interpolation Queries • For each plot, compute mean of 3x3 window Signature[][] <- mean(p.plot, DN[][]). • For each pixel vector (scan each line, and each pixel in a line) pixel[] <- Dni, where i = 1,2, .., #of channels Algorithm

15. 255 Signature[][] Pixel[] IR 0 Red 255 • Related Work • Our Approach GeoSpatial Analysis – Spatial Interpolation Queries • Compute Euclidean-distance between pixel[] and each spectral signature Distance[plotid[]] <- euc_dist(pixel[], signature[][]) Algorithm

16. Related Work • Our Approach GeoSpatial Analysis – Spatial Interpolation Queries • Assign the closest FIA plot-id to the output pixel(x,y) Opixel(x,y) <- min(dist[]) • Repeat (for all pixels) Algorithm

17. Related Work • Our Approach GeoSpatial Analysis – Spatial Interpolation Queries • Generic FIA Query • Calculate the total number of all live white pine trees on timberland in the state of Michigan SELECT SUM(p.expcurr * t.tpacurr) FROM plot p, cond c, tree t WHERE p.statecd = 26 AND (joint conditions ..) • Limitations? • How about estimates for a census bloc?

18. Related Work • Our Approach GeoSpatial Analysis – Spatial Interpolation Queries • Extract plot-id’s from plot-id image • Generate plot-id histogram ( {<plot-id, frequency>, …}) • Formulate Query (on-the-fly) SELECT p.plot, p.expcurr, t.tpacurr FROM plot p, cond c, tree t WHERE p.statecd = 26 AND (join conditions ..) AND p.plot in (plot-id-list) • Results = SUM (frequency[p.plot] * p.expcurr * t.tpacurr) Solution FCC Image Plotid Image (Integration)

19. Related Work • Our Approach Design Choices – System Level Performance Issues • Communication – Amount of data to be transferred • Increasing speed of internet connection • Decreasing the amount of data to be transferred • Progressive Vector Transmission – M.J. Egenhofer et. al. • Efficient Spatial Data Transmission in WEBGIS – Z.-K. Wei • Computation – GeoSpatial Analysis Functions • Designing efficient algorithms • Efficient data structures • Our Approach • Load Balancing • Fine Tuning • Partial Materialization • System Configuration - Ease of Use

20. Related Work • Our Approach Design Choices Client Request Web Server MapServer Hard-coded Mapping Server Configuration LB=>C or S ? Fg Pre-compute Client Global Optimization Presentation Database Global + Local Template Based Static

21. Related Work • Our Approach • Design Choices Load Balancing Client/Server • Where should fg be computed • Choices – Server, Client, Pre-realization • Our Approach • Based on amount of data to be transmitted over network – “Output(fg) < Input(fg)” • Based on Response Time. • fg On Server If ((tf < tc) && ( dp di ) || (dp << di)) otherwise fg on client In Server case Data to be transmitted = Output(fg) ( di) In Client case Data to be transmitted = Input(fg)

22. Related Work • Our Approach • Design Choices Fg Level Fine Tuning • Pre-realization • An important criteria we have adopted in the development of geospatial database • Criteria Apply fg first and populate the geospatial database If the operation is computationally intensive && Parameters are fixed (output is same) && Size (output)  Size(input) Else apply fg on-the-fly in WEBSAS

23. Given images BIP BSQ • Related Work • Our Approach • Design Choices Fg Level Fine Tuning • Multi-temporal Image Organization –Band Interleaved by Pixel (BIP).

24. Related Work • Our Approach • Design Choices Partial Materialization • Partial-materialization • Division of fg into sequence of sub-tasks • If possible pre-compute one of the compute-intensive subtask • Example – kNN in queries involving interpolation Query Response Time No materialization Partial materialization NM – 484 MB (St. Louis) PM – 48 MB FM – 96 MB/attribute NM – >10 H PM – (25W-15s, 365W-4m) FM – (25W-1s, 365W-1m) Full materialization Storage Cost

25. Related Work • Our Approach • Design Choices System Configuration • Application is configured using server-side configuration files • Map Object • Label Object • Layer Object • Feature Object • Web Object • Process Object • Front-end • Standard HTML elements • Java-Script

26. Related Work • Our Approach • Design Choices System Configuration • Map Object • MAP NAME Application’s Name STATUS On/Off IMAGECOLOR R G B UNITS Meters/Feet FONTSET Fonts file name MARKERSET Filename (Shade/Line) SIZE X Y Layers Scale ….. • END • Layer Object • Layer NAME Layer Name GROUP Name DATA File Name STATUS ON/OFF TYPE Annotation|Point|Line|… MINSCALE N CLASSITEM Column CLASS … LABELITEM Column • END

27. Our Approach • Validation Validation • Case Studies • Natural Resource Analysis and Mapping System (NRAMS) – A WebGIS application for Land Managers. • Efficient Interpolation Queries (kNN Application) • AVHRR/MODIS Download Facility • Application is on Web Since March 1999. • Usage Statistics • Public Domain Software • Mailing Lists • Over 600 users

28. NRAMS-Frontend • Analysis • Numerical Window • Histogram Plot • Spectral Plot • Save Image • Window Size • Mapping • Browse Map • Query • Data Layers

29. Our Approach • Validation NRAMS – Numerical Window and Histograms

30. Our Approach • Validation NRAMS – Spectral Profiles

31. Validation • Conclusions Conclusions • Visualization, Query and Beyond • Online GeoSpatial Analysis (OLGP) • Various Design Choices To Improve Performance • Load balancing Client/Server Architecture • Fine tuning, Pre/Partial materialization • Template Based System Configuration • Open Source, Documentation, Mailing Lists, Trusted User Base, Dynamic, Innovative applications • 600 users, 10 developers, universities, public, private • Avg. 10,000 Data products/month • Future Directions • Caching – Both server side and client side • Persistent database connections • Web Coverage Standard

32. Acknowledgements http://terrasip.gis.umn.edu/projects/ NASA Funding Prof. Shekhar, Prof. Tom Burk, Prof. Jaideep, Steve Lime (DNR), Perry, Jamie, Mark Hansen, SRG members, RSL members.