Web Map Service Research Articles

Land Use versus Land Cover: Geo-Analysis of National Roads and Synchronisation Algorithms

Technological progress in Earth surface observation provides a vast range of information on the land and methods of its use. This enables property owners, users and administrators to monitor the state of the boundaries of the land they own/administer. The land cover, monitored directly on the ground, is not always consistent with the land use entered in the Land and Property Registry (LPR). Discrepancies between these data are often found in former communist countries. One of the reasons for this was the rapid process of land privatisation, which took place in Poland, without updating information on the plot geodetic boundaries. The study examined and compared the land use (entered in the LPR) with the land cover (on the ground) for national roads (acr. LU-LC). The most frequent discrepancies were selected, using CLC2018, digital orthophotomaps (using the Web Map Service (WMS) browsing service compliant with Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards), cadastral data, statistical modelling and an updated survey of the right-of-way. Subsequently, six algorithms were proposed to synchronise the land use and land cover when the right-of-way was used by unauthorised persons, and two algorithms for cases of unauthorised use of land by the road administrator. Currently, it is difficult to synchronise the land cover with the land use from the administrative, legal and social points of view. The results of analyses show that full synchronisation of land use and land cover is complicated and time-consuming, although desired.

Smart QR Based Parking System

Today parking management is a big issue in our society because of rapid growth in a number of vehicles day by day so in order to manage this problem, there has to be a solution, which helps getting rid of problems arising due to the lack of a proper parking management system. Hence finding a parking space has become an unpleasant experience in many metropolitan cities. There are many parking management systems like PGIS (Parking Guidance Information Systems), GIS (Geographic Information System), etc. These systems provide the driver with a view of the near real-time parking situation of his destination and allow the driver to reserve a space for a vehicle. In this present paper, we have represented an alternate solution based on Smart QR Technology for Parking Management using Android Application. This system will collectively alleviate traffic congestion, reduce fuel consumption and provide a user-friendly interface to access parking. Keywords: Android application, internet of things, parking management, protocols, QR code technology, web map server Cite this Article: Siddahant Jain, Shivam Kumar Mishra, Madhur Bihani, Palash Goyal. Smart QR Based Parking System. Journal of Computer Technology & Applications. 2019; 10(3): 12–18p.

Utilizing web based GIS services for retrieving and disseminating geographic information for disaster management

The development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) related to web-based services such as portals, web services and databases (DB) services for searching, retrieving, disseminating and sharing information has also happened in the field of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) through web-based GIS Services. In GIS, the portal is replaced by Geoportal, Web Service by Web Mapping Service (WMS) and Web Feature Service (WFS) while DB Services is replaced by Geographic Database (GeoDB) services. Web based GIS services can be classified as Geoportal, WMS, WFS and GeoDB Services. This research developed a prototype of web-based GIS services for the management of Geographic Information related to disaster management. There are several techniques for developing GIS based web services such as using Content Management Systems for GIS, namely OpenGeo Suite, GeoNode, and ArcGIS based GIS Services. This research focuses on Web-based GIS Services with the ArcGIS platform. The prototype of Web-based GIS Services was built focusing on Geographic information in disaster management cycles such as recovery (rehabilitation and reconstruction), prevention (mitigation), preparedness and emergency response periods.

Real-time microscale modeling of thermal comfort conditions in Moscow region

Urban climate comfort is an indicator of a set of parameters, such as temperature, humidity, and solar radiation for a person’s sensation of being favorable to being outdoors or indoors. In this study, an attempt to develop a technology of real-time prediction of thermal comfort conditions in urban landscape is described (based on the example of Moscow State University campus). For this, the authors used a RayMan model-based algorithm for calculating three most popular worldwide comfort indexes. In the scripting method, predictive data of the Canadian global model meteorological parameters are automatically transferred to the RayMan-model (with an implementation of the unique thermal and radiation properties of the Moscow State University campus landscape) by using an autoclicker software. For the convenience of perception of the information, the results of calculations are visualized on the basis of a free web mapping service. Thus, the main idea of the work is that any user with minimum expenditure of his time resource and without knowledge of the model’s work can launch the program and receive an individual forecast of comfort conditions for the next few hours in a visually understandable format. It is suggested that the developed methodology will be used for calculations on projected areas to identify the safest construction option. Such realtime forecasting will continue to be of particular importance for urban infrastructure.

Multigranular Wavelet Decomposition-Based Support Vector Regression and Moving Average Method for Service-Time Prediction on Web Map Service Platforms

The quality-of-service for web mapping depends on accurate service-time predictions when balancing cloud computing resources to ensure improved allocation, but the service-time on a web map service platform is nonstationary, periodic, and random, thereby making the classic prediction methods ineffective. To address this problem, we analyze the positive correlation between the service-time and access loads based on queuing theory, and build a multigranular service-time series according to variations in the volume of information contained at different time granularities. Furthermore, we propose a new wavelet decomposition (WD) based support vector regression (SVR) and moving average (MA) (WD-SVR-MA) model based on service-time decomposition theory. In order to predict the service-time accurately using our method, subsequences with nonstationary long-term trends and subsequences with stationary random fluctuations are extracted from the service-time series by WD, and predicted using the combined SVR and MA model. We compared the performance of the proposed method with other six models in experiments. Thick granularity and thin granularity service-time series were extracted from the log files of the “Tianditu” web map service platform. The proposed multigranular WD-SVR-MA model provides a variety of multigranular prediction results, demonstrating the superior performance and robustness, which are suitable for different scenarios.

Geospatial Technology Application for Groundwater Prospects Mapping of Sub-Upper Krishna Basin, Maharashtra

Abstract The objective of this study is to demarcate the groundwater potential areas in sub-upper Krishna basin (SUKB). Geospatial technology applications viz. remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) were utilized to generate the groundwater prospects map with the aid of satellite data, secondary data, web mapping services (wms) i.e. Bhuvan geoportal, and Google Earth along with requirement based field visit and ground truth, particularly while preparing a land use/land cover (LULC) map. Using these data sources input parameters which influence the occurrence of groundwater were prepared utilizing ArcGIS 10.3 and ERDAS IMAGINE image processing software. The input parameters generated were geomorphology, geology, LULC, slope, lineament density, drainage density, and rainfall. Each parameter was treated as a GIS raster theme with a number of features. Each feature of the theme was ranked and weights were assigned to the themes according to their role in influencing the occurrence of groundwater. The ranks and weights were assigned on the basis of opinions of experts in their respective fields and by referring the previous research work on groundwater prospect mapping. All the themes were integrated and Weighted Overlay Model was built in ArcGIS to generate the groundwater prospects map of SUKB. It is found that very good to moderate groundwater potential zones are clustered near the water bodies, cropland, and in floodplain regions of the basin while poor groundwater potential zones are located in the regions of structural origin geological features which seldom support good infiltration of water. The study revealed an exemplary result which is in good agreement with ground reality as validation using field observation data justified the authenticity of the generated groundwater potential (GWP) zones. Hence, geospatial technology application is worthy for mapping the groundwater potential zones which would be further utilized to pinpoint the locations for geophysical investigations for groundwater exploration in the basin.

MAP SERVER FOR VISUALIZING AIR TRAFFIC BASED ON DATA FROM A REMOTE PSEUDO RADAR

In order to ensure the safety of aircraft operating in airspace, air traffic controllers apply a number of rules recommended by the ICAO, known as "separation rules". Previously using essentially the calculation of the estimates, they are based today on the visualization of the traffic through Air Traffic Management Systems. Traffic data comes from several sources. These include radar data from Air Traffic Control Radars. The objective of this work is to simulate, using a web map server, the evolution of air traffic: positions and flight levels of aircraft over time based on radar data. For this we use three parts. The first part, the pseudo radar, is a remote radar data server that, depending on the time, sends the data to the map server that is the second part. The latter receives this data and combines it with other geographical and cartographic data and sends them in turn to the client via the web server. The client, a simple interface finally displays the positions of aircraft on screen.

A PDF Tile Model for Geographic Map Data

Vector tile mapping is an important issue in web map research. At present, vector tile mapping requires the symbolization of geographic information, as supported by cartographic software, and the development of a corresponding symbolic database when web map services are provided for users. The development of PDF (portable document format) mapping makes it possible to use symbolized map data directly for web map services. This paper presents a PDF tile map model suitable for web map services, in order to provide a new solution for vector tile mapping. This paper details the construction and establishment method of the PDF tile map model and verifies that the model has the characteristics of a vector tile map and that this approach can provide web map services. In addition, this model has some other noticeable characteristics. First, the map service supported by this model does not require the support of cartographic software, and thus has low system software and hardware requirements. Second, the maps displayed in the service system can be directly used for high-quality map publishing. Third, the high popularity of the PDF format can promote the sharing of PDF tile maps and reduce the use threshold of ordinary users.

CROWD4EMS: A CROWDSOURCING PLATFORM FOR GATHERING AND GEOLOCATING SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT IN DISASTER RESPONSE

Abstract. Increase in access to mobile phone devices and social media networks has changed the way people report and respond to disasters. Community-driven initiatives such as Stand By Task Force (SBTF) or GISCorps have shown great potential by crowdsourcing the acquisition, analysis, and geolocation of social media data for disaster responders. These initiatives face two main challenges: (1) most of social media content such as photos and videos are not geolocated, thus preventing the information to be used by emergency responders, and (2) they lack tools to manage volunteers contributions and aggregate them in order to ensure high quality and reliable results. This paper illustrates the use of a crowdsourcing platform that combines automatic methods for gathering information from social media and crowdsourcing techniques, in order to manage and aggregate volunteers contributions. High precision geolocation is achieved by combining data mining techniques for estimating the location of photos and videos from social media, and crowdsourcing for the validation and/or improvement of the estimated location. The evaluation of the proposed approach is carried out using data related to the Amatrice Earthquake in 2016, coming from Flickr, Twitter and Youtube. A common data set is analyzed and geolocated by both the volunteers using the proposed platform and a group of experts. Data quality and data reliability is assessed by comparing volunteers versus experts results. Final results are shown in a web map service providing a global view of the information social media provided about the Amatrice Earthquake event.

Simulation of snow cover formation and melt with publication of the output data on the web map service (on the example of Kama river basin)

It is performed an assessment of the use of daily precipitation forecasts of global numerical weather prediction (NWP) models GFS (U.S.), GEM (Canada), SLAV (Russia) and ICON (Germany) as input data for snow accumulation and melt modelling in the Kama river basin for two cold seasons. It is shown, that maximum snow water equivalent (SWE) calculated on the basis of NWP models output has an error less than 27% of the measured values, in the conditions of 2017-2018 snow accumulation season. However, this is preliminary assessment, which requires verification by several seasons. It is rather difficult to conclude which model provides highest accuracy of SWE calculation, because each of them has its specific limitations. In 2018-2019 cold season, we additionally obtained ICON model data, which provides the most accurate forecast of precipitation. The simulated SWE and meltwater outflow data are published on the online web map service.

Study of reforestation after cuttings based on materials of open web-mapping services

The article considers the possibility of application of open cartographic materials for the analysis of reforestation on the territory of Sosnovsky subdivision of forest district in Priozersky district of the Leningrad region, after felling with a limitation of more than 15 years. With the increase in the pace of technological development, there is an annual increase in the natural resources of our planet and the consumption of wood resources, reforestation is a necessary part of the work after felling on the lands of the forest fund. However, studies based on the analysis of Earth remote sensing data allow us to conclude that there is no quality reforestation of forest land.

Spatial crowdsourcing based on Web mapping services

With the rapid development of mobile Internet and smartphones, crowdsourcing marketplaces has extended to spatial crowdsourcing (SC), where crowd workers perform spatial tasks (i.e., tasks related to a location) in the physical world using their mobile phones. Currently, most of existing spatial crowdsourcing algorithms (e.g., task assignment) assume the underlying road network is given or simply base on Euclidean space. However, in fact, not every spatial crowdsourcing platform has enough resources to possess map data (e.g., the road network and live traffic information) by itself, especially for these that are small or startup companies, while the Euclidean distance is usually not accurate enough for SC processing. To overcome these limitations, we propose a spatial crowdsourcing system based on Web mapping services, i.e., the spatial crowdsourcing platform can subscribe distance, live travel time and detailed route information from Web mapping services through their APIs, and utilize these retrieved map data for SC processing; furthermore, workers and task requesters can also snap their real locations to the locations on the road for privacy protection through the APIs. As retrieving map data from Web mapping services is much more expensive than accessing local data, we take the advantage of the pruning and route sharing approaches to reduce the number of external requests to Web mapping services, and our experimental results have proved their effectiveness.

Graphic design and placement of map tools in mobile map application

Abstract. Research problem: The analysis of the user’s preferences concerning the layout and graphic design of mapping tools in the mobile mapping application is the problem touched upon in the research. The authors focused on six public web mapping services (Google Maps, Bing Maps, Here WeGo, ArcGis Maps and the Polish geoportal: geoportal.gov.pl), analyzing them in terms of their graphic variability and the functionality of their mapping tools.The aim of the research carried out was to test the user’s preferences concerning the number and layout of buttons in the web mapping service. The research also touched upon the issue of variability in graphic web design of mapping tools in mobile cartography. The authors concentrated on the following six mapping tools, also referred to as buttons: Geolocation, Change layers, Search, Default range maps, Measure, Route. Those functions most frequently occurred on selected web mapping services. The authors could learn about their usefulness through subjective choices of respondents.Method: One hundred respondents took part in the research and, by means of the anonymous online questionnaire, they answered some questions and decided upon the number, layout and visual aspect of buttons. The comparison of subjective user’s preferences in the layout of mapping tools to the system of public web mapping services has made the research innovative.The results obtained allow one to draw the conclusion that the user’s preferences differ from the solutions utilized on mapping portals and have been employed for the comparative analysis of the eight most popular global web mapping services. The study conducted by means of the eye-tracking method demonstrated that objective functionality (time and method of specific task execution) differs from subjective evaluation made by map users on smartphones and large desktop display screens.

Geo-visualization of antibiotic resistance based on web map service

Abstract. An antibiotic resistance is a serious problem on health and humanity. Our human society needs to understand the threat of antibiotic resistance. To geo-visualize the location, biotic information and spatial pattern of antibiotic resistance matters is an effective way for intuitive findings. We focused on the antibiotic resistance issue of Han-river in South Korea and analyzed their spread, as well as range of influence.We developed the geo-database of antibiotic resistance matters and represented spatial information based on WMS (Web Map Service) which is adjusted to OGC (Open Geospatial Consortium) specifications. We designed correlated data schema structure of antibiotic matters, degrees of resistance, water quality and location of the sampled points on the river. Our WMS system followed the open source architecture and Q-GIS to make geo-server. This system was organized server-client structure.As for antibiotic resistance map on our WMS system, we illustrated the infographics and related tables of many kinds of information about antibiotic resistance. The WMS system represented simple spatial information, temporal variation of antibiotic resistance and degrees of correlation between antibiotic resistance and human activities such as emissions of antibiotic resistance matters on hospital or pharmacy. We also considered domestic sewage discharged into river through sewage processing facilities.This system will be contributed to reducing social cost and economic loss caused by antibiotic resistance spreads. These web maps will provide users with correct information on threat of antibiotic resistance.

Housing issue in shrinking Russian cities: mapping the reality

Housing issue in shrinking Russian cities: mapping the reality

Functionality similarities of global web mapping services in the context of responsive map design

Abstract. The problem discussed in this research is connected with the functionality of the graphical user interface (GUI) of global web mapping services displayed on different devices. Displaying a mapping service on devices with diverse display screen size causes the adaptation of the graphical user interface to the size of the screen. This adaptation is the result of the responsive design technique which enables one to display the same web content on different devices. Eight global web mapping services: Google Maps, Bing Maps, OpenStreetMap (OSM), Baidu Maps, Yandex Maps, 2GIS, MapQuest, and HERE WeGo, constituted the source of the data. All of them were displayed on four display screens: the monitor of a personal computer, laptop, tablet, and smartphone in order to compare the similarities in the adaptation of GUI, its functions and map content.The aim of the research conducted was to find different solutions for displaying GUI of the same mapping service on diverse display screens of various devices and to track which functions are the most common and how they differ in terms of graphics.Methodology of the research is based on the comparative analysis of eight global web mapping services in terms of the number of GUI buttons, their layout, graphic style, the map functionality, and map content displayed on four devices of different display screen size.The results showed that most of the global web mapping services adapt to the device and their way of use. Some of them are also responsive in the context of external conditions. Interestingly, the adaptation between the PC monitor, laptop and tablet occurs only by changing the size of GUI buttons, other functions remaining the same. Only in the case of smartphones GUI adapts to the size of the device, the number of buttons decreases and their layout changes, new functionality is available (e.g. day/night mode), and the map content is more generalized. On that basis, authors concluded that GUI of global map services constituted a good example of responsive web design.

Task-Oriented Display of Landmark Pictograms in Maps

Abstract. When people use maps to plan and memorize a route, they commonly look for landmark representations in the form of pictograms that can be used as reference points for orientation (Anacta et al., 2017; Bestgen et al., 2016; Steck & Mallot, 2000). During navigation, matching the positions of landmark pictograms with the positions of the represented objects allows them to verify that they are following the route correctly (Golledge, 1999). When route planning functions of web mapping services as OpenStreetMap or Google Maps are used, the width of the map margins around the displayed route determines which, and how many, landmark representations are displayed in the map. Therefore, margin widths should be selected based on the relevance of specific landmarks around the route for memorizing and following the route. However, this requires to identify task-relevant landmark representations first.In order to identify factors predicting the task-relevance of landmark pictograms, we carried out two route recognition experiments on an eye-tracker monitor. These experiments examined how the relative position of landmark pictograms and the visual complexity of the map affect gaze pattern when a route is memorized. We hypothesized that landmark pictograms close to the route, decision points and potential decision points would receive more visual attention, as they can act as local reference points. Additionally, we expected that more distant landmark pictograms receive visual attention if the visual complexity of the map is low and therefore less reference points for memorizing the route are available.The results demonstrate that the relative position of a landmark pictograms is indeed a relevant predictor for visual attention. The closer landmark pictograms were to the route, decision points or potential decision points, the longer they were fixated. As expected, the average distance of all fixated landmark pictograms was also higher in maps with a low visual complexity. We conclude that small map margins around the route may be applied if a map has a high visual complexity, as enough reference points are available in the close surroundings of the route. Additionally, reducing map margins would increase the presentation size of the remaining map elements and thereby their readability. However, in maps with a low visual complexity, e.g. rural areas, large margins around the route should be applied to provide a sufficient amount of visual reference points, as landmark pictograms, for memorizing the route.

Self-adaptive load-balancing strategy based on a time series pattern for concurrent user access on Web map service

Load-balancing strategies address challenges stemming from intensive access and heavy communication traffic on a Web map service platform (WMSP) by collecting workload-related information from cluster-based servers, and distributing tasks to minimize the consumption of computational and caching resources. However, intensive user access has time series patterns that create temporal periodic variations that can be exploited to improve the performance of the WMSP. In this paper, we propose a variable feedback strategy based on time series variations in the intensity of user access to increase the efficiency and reliability of workload feedback with little resource consumption. A task distribution strategy, based on the expected values of the arrival rate that match real-time conditions in workload feedback periods and the real-time processing capability of each cluster-based server, is devised simply and accurately by an association strategy for workload and service rate that supports services insensitive to massive numbers of concurrent access requests. The results of experiments show that the proposed strategy provides quick responses and high throughput for large-scale user access. It implements efficient load balancing for service resource utilization, and can thus improve the stability and capacity of the WMSP server using heterogeneous back-end cloud cluster-based servers.

A web service based advanced traveller information system for itinerary planning in an uncertain multimodal network

This article intends to provide an advanced traveller information system based on open geospatial consortium (OGC) standards to perform a fuzzy bi-criteria shortest-path analysis for a multimodal transportation network. To do so, chaining of OGC web services is used to resolve interoperability problems among distributed and heterogeneous resource data. First, a web feature service is assigned to each mode of transportation to gather and convert the data to a standard format, such as geographic markup language. Then, the obtained data are combined to model and construct the multimodal transportation network. Subsequently, a web processing service is designed for performing a fuzzy bi-criteria shortest-path analysis in the multimodal transportation network. Finally, the best routes between the origin–destination pair are presented on a digital map by using a web map service. In the study, among various route-selection criteria, travel time and comfort are considered. To model these criteria, the fuzzy set theory is utilized. By using fuzzy decision tables and a Tsukamoto fuzzy inference system, the desirability of the routes is calculated. The results of comparison among the four travel routes between various origin–destination pairs indicate that the proposed system could be an applicable tool for providing pre-trip information and assisting multimodal travellers under uncertain conditions.

DEVELOPMENT OF A GEODATABASE FOR EFFICIENT REMOTE SENSING DATA MANAGEMENT IN EMERGENCY SCENARIOS

Abstract. Disasters such as floods, large fires, landslides, avalanches, or forest fires are often inevitable and cannot be fully prevented, but their impact can be minimized with sound disaster management strategies aided by the latest technological advancements. A key factor affecting these strategies is the time, because any delay can result in dramatic consequences and potentially human losses. Therefore, a quick geo-situation report of the disaster is highly demanded, but still not an easy task because – in most cases – a priori known spatial information like map data or geodatabases, are outdated, and anyway won’t provide an overview on the current situation. This paper provides an exploratory investigation to be smart in providing correct and timely geodata that can help in emergency cases; especially in support decision making in emergency and risk management. In particular, issues related to geodatabase design and visualization of a variety of geodata available play a key role when it comes to efficient data deployment and usability. To this end, a significant part of this research will be devoted to develop a concept for a geodatabase design and dataset management that helps assessing a disaster risk through a potential provision of data needed. Based on this consideration, the proposed concept is to create multi-disciplinary integrated geodatabases as well as an easy-to-use graphical user interface to access the obtained data. To address this concept, hard- and software solutions are being developed through the joint research project ANKommEn and its extension ANKommEn2. In those projects two automated unmanned systems, that is an aerial UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) and a ground based UGV (Unmanned Ground Vehicle), are being developed to provide up-to-date information of rescue scenarios. Within this paper, highlights about the two project parts will be briefly presented, and then the current state of the art in geospatial database management, followed by focusing on Postgres-based database management connected with QGIS, and finally current results like a Web Map Service will be discussed.