geoinformatics 2008 vol05

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Geoserve Conference Oracle Spatial 11G

TomTom Mapshare and Neogeography AutoCAD Map 3D

M a g a z i n e f o r S u r v e y i n g , M a p p i n g & G I S P r o f e s s i o n a l sJuly/Aug. 2008

Volume 11

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On the Future of Surveying,Mapping and GIS

First things first, so a big thanks for everything from me to Huibert-Jan for being editor-in-chief of GeoInformatics. For those of you who dont know me, Id like to introduce myselfto you briefly. After finishing my studies in Human Geography, I became a freelance writer onGIS topics and, most recently, editorial manager of GeoInformatics. In this function, I have

come to know the entire geospatial chain from data acquisition to the end-user. Im lookingforward to my new task and meeting you, the reader, at a conference near you. Also, Id liketo invite you to email me if you have any questions or remarks on the contents of ourmagazine!

Speaking about GeoInformatics, we decided it would be a good idea to highlight theso-called neo-geography trend that is emerging at the moment. Since so many big compa-nies have embraced geospatial, its clear that a revolution in geography is happening wherethe importance of place is all. From now on every issue will cover one or more of theseneo-geo developments in the form of product reviews, interviews or industry news. In thisissue you will find a product review of Oracle Spatial 11g as seen from a GIS perspective.Also, a short article on TomTom Mapshare is included.

As for specialist views on the surveying market, please read Bernhard Richterss column onthe technical experience required for surveyors of the future. What are the implications of thegrowth of intelligence in surveying equipment for traditional surveyors? Richter is not theonly one who sees changes in the surveying market: during the FIG International Workshopat ITC in Enschede, the Netherlands, Andrs Ossk presented his ideas on the importance ofchanges in land surveyor education at universities. These changes include the growingimportance of land and real property related activities, and a decreasing importance in thetechnical aspects of measurements and computations. How can universities cope with thesechanging priorities?

Enjoy your reading!

Eric van [email protected]

July/August 20083

GeoInformatics provides coverage, analysis andcommentary with respect to the international surveying,mapping and GIS industry.

PublisherRuud [email protected]

Editor-in-chiefEric van Rees

[email protected]

EditorsFrank [email protected] [email protected] van [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

ColumnistsJacek PietruczanisAchiel SturmJohn Trinder

Contributing WritersMick Ashworthzgr ErtacFlorian FischerAndrew GosneyJob van HaaftenGuido van den HeuvelNoor van der HoevenJim IrvineEric KoomenHuibert-Jan LekkerkerkBart van MierloEric van ReesBernhard RichterRemco TakkenJoc Triglav

Account ManagerWilfred [email protected]

SubscriptionsGeoInformatics is available against a yearlysubscription rate (8 issues) of 85,00.To subscribe, fill in and return the electronic replycard on our website or contactJanneke Bijleveld [email protected]

Advertising/ReprintsAll enquiries should be submitted toRuud Groothuis [email protected]

World Wide WebGeoInformatics can be found at:

www.geoinformatics.com

Graphic DesignSander van der [email protected]

ISSN 13870858

Copyright 2008. GeoInformatics: no material maybe reproduced without written permission.

GeoInformatics is published byCMedia Productions BVPostal address: Street address:P.O. Box 231 Noordzijde 2-b8300 AE 8302 GLEmmeloord EmmeloordThe Netherlands The Netherlands

Tel.: +31 (0) 527 619 000Fax: +31 (0) 527 620 989E-mail: [email protected]

So long (but not goodbye)

About a year ago, I became editor-in-chief of this magazine, knowing full well that I would

have to combine it with my day job. The day-to-day tasks were assigned to an editorial

manager, Eric van Rees. Most of you will have met Eric at some event or other instead of

me. So, to make matters clearer, you will see a photo of Eric van Rees on this page from

now on. But it is not goodbye; I will keep on writing articles and keep on advising Eric.

Eric, much success in your new role!

Huibert-Jan Lekkerkerk
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.geoinformatics.com/http://www.geoinformatics.com/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.geoinformatics.com/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Neogeography and TomToms

CommunityThe term Neogeography is on everyones lips these days, but its

meaning is not clear to everyone. Contributing GIS-editor Florian Fischer

explains what Neogeography is all about: communities, data and

technology. TomTom recognized the importance of communities and

introduced the TomTom Map Share techology, where user communities

can correct and share street data and Points of Interest. TomTom is

working on more services of this sort.

The Phoenix Has LandedOn May 25th Phoenix Mars Lander has landed in the Mars Northern

Plains with the main goal of its mission to study the history of water

and search for organic molecules in the ice-rich soil of the Martian

arctic. To bring you some unearthly perspectives here's a quick

compilation of the available mission information.

C o n t e n t

4July/August 2008

ArticlesA Border-crossing Project in the Euregio 6X-GDI Supports Joint IT infrastructure

Mapping at Collins Bartholomew 10Home of The Times Atlas of The World

Standards in Practice 16Part 8: KML Keyhole Markup Language

The Netherlands Climate Proof 26What Will the Country Look Like in 2040?

The Phoenix Has Landed 36Digging for Water and Life Evidence on Mars

Utilizing Local Knowledge 42Neo-geography and the TomTom Community

Reviews1Spatials MapRelate 18Addressing the Phenomenon of CAD/GIS Convergence

User Is No Longer a CAD Guy 22AutoCAD Map 3D 2009

Oracle 11g and Oracle Spatial 11g 28From a GIS Specialists Perspective

ColumnGIS for The Public? 31Bart van Mierlo

Surveyor Needed - No Technical 33Experience NecessaryBernhart Richter

Conferences

Sharing E-learning Experiences 45International FIG Workshop

Page 42

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Latest News? Visitwww.geoinformatics.com5

July/August 2008

Geoserve Satellite Image Products Conference 47Its All About the Right Shot

Autodesk Geospatial Solutions 48Listening to Customers, Changing the Game

Data Sharing from Mash-up to SDI 54GeoXchange Platform for Discussion

BIM, BRIM and Communicate 56BE Conference 2008

Lance Armstrong Is a Survivor, Too 58Intergraph International User Conference 2008

Calendar 62

Advertisers Index 62

On the Cover:

This image shows the delta of the Russian river Volga, the largest river of

Europe. The Volga ends in the Caspian Sea near the border of Kazachstan

and Russia.

The picture is taken by the Landsat satellite from an altitude of 705km using

the bands 7,4,2. The variety of soil, vegetation and water results in the nice

looking colours. The shallow water shows an unclear and unstable coastline.

Oracle 11g andOracle Spatial 11gWe first met Oracle Spatial more than ten years ago. The latest version,

Oracle Spatial 11g, includes native support in Oracle Database 11g for all

geospatial data types and models, including vector and raster data and

topology and network models, meeting the needs of advanced geospatial

systems. Being a GIS specialist, zgr Ertac tells all about the world of

Oracle Spatial features, including new features in 11g.

Page 47

Intergraph InternationalUser Conference 2008With its current focus on solutions instead of technology, Intergraphs

annual user conference, held this year in Las Vegas, still offered many

useful perspectives on the geospatial market and, of course, Intergraphs

software.

Page 58

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X-GDI Supports Joint IT Infrastructure

A Border-crossing Project inThe Euregio

The European programme X-GDI supports border-crossing GIS projects. The Netherlands already undertakes some

gesamt projects (joint projects) with its German neighbouring country. This summer a new geodata infrastructure (GDI)

has been delivered for the project Planning and Building in the Euregion Maas-Rijn (EMR), of which Zuid-Limburg, partof a province south in the Netherlands, is part.

By Guido van den Heuvel

municipalities and tens of bordering German

municipalities. They were trained in the use,

installation and administration of the X-bor-

der-GDI software components. The underlying

technology had been decided on in the pro-

ject Planning and Building and was devel-oped by a consortium of lat/lon (Bonn),

Delphi-IMM (Postdam) and IDGIS in the Dutch

city of Holten.

The new joint GDI consists of map services,

a map viewer, a metadata editor and a func-

tion to scan metadata. A number of things

have been integrated in a portal environment.

All of these functions meet the Dutch and

German standards for geoservices and meta-

data.

The GDI, which is based on deegree and

OpenCatalogue, is available as open source

software. Thus there are no software licensing

costs.

The GDI unlocks mutual information, enabling

mutual synchronization of policies. Herman

6

Art ic le

July/August 2008

German and Dutch project partners got

acquainted with their new GDI during an

intensive and interactive training in spring

2007. The trainees came from seven Dutch

Building and liv ing area.

In a technical and organizational way coop-eration with neighbouring countries and

municipalities has always been difficult

because of language, cultural and technical

barriers. Deploying a geoinformation infra-

structure (GDI) and open source should helpin overcoming these differences.

The X-GDI Programme (part of the European

programme Inspire) has recently established

the crossing-border project GI-X for the

Euregion Rijn-Maas Noord (ERMN, Rijn-Maas

north), of which the northern and middle part

of the province of Limburg are part. This has

been realized with subsidiary money of the

European Interreg IIIa-programme which

focuses on the problems of border regions.

The technical infrastructure is currently in

operation.

Useful ToolboxAs part of their GI-X-project (Euregio Maas-

Rijn Noord; Euregion Maas-Rhine North)


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Assink, director of IDGIS, was involved in the

technical installation of the GDI. We can now

speak of a well-filled toolbox ready to be used

by civil servants and directors, he says. The

complex system integration was not the only

aspect. Double legislation in this area is

another obstacle. Cultural and language bar-

riers had to be solved as well. Therefore

Thesaurus is being developed; a bilingual set

of headwords and conceptions to unambigu-

ously name spatial matters and terms related

to policy.

Assink: There are some first technical expe-

riences. Sometimes the destinations on both

sides of the border overlap. These are differ-

ences in the coordinate systems that we are

still working on. Confrontation about the con-tent does a development plan in Kerkrade,

the Netherlands, match with a German neigh-

bouring municipality- will be dealt with in near

future. Other thematic groups related to traf-

fic, agriculture and industrial zones will also

start working with it.

Now that technology is working the big ques-

tion is whether the policy and the execution

by the border municipalities will indeed be

drawing nearer.

Social UrgencyGradually the cooperation between the

European regions is taking shape and this is

far from a coincidence. Often it is simply

inevitable. This became obvious in 1995 when

some interesting practice examples. The X-

border project has already yielded several pro-

jects (have a look at www.x-border-gdi.org).

Other ProjectsThe outbreak of classical swine fever in 2006

in Kreis Borken, Germany, brought about the

border-crossing Geoviewer animal epide

mics. At that time the epidemic was literallyon the threshold of its neighbouring country

the Netherlands. The new geoviewer links ser-

vices from the Ministery of Agriculture with

those from Kreis Borken and the province of

Gelderland, the Netherlands. Together with the

Dutch ministeries LNV (Ministry of Agriculture,

Nature and Food Quality) and VROM (Ministry

of Environment and Spatial Planning,

Housing, Communities and Integration), the

Dutch Dienst Landelijk Gebied (DLG,

Government Service for Land and Water

Management), the province of Gelderland, theNetherlands, Bureau Nieuwland (the

Netherlands), Kreis Steinfurt and with the

cooperation of the Landkreis Grafschaft

Bentheim an internet based web application

was developed. With this tool topographical

data, street data and polical borders, but also

local data like locations of cattle farms or dis-

infection stations can be gathered and visu-

alized. At first the application was developed

in order to inform the public. Within short

time policy makers can also start working with

it.

The project Crossing the border with a digi-

tal pedestrian route map led to a border-

crossing test route between Bocholt, Germany,

and the bordering Dutch municipalities of

Aalten and Winterswijk. Trilingual versions

have been developed; one in German, the

other two in Dutch and English. There is

always something interesting to see at the

farms taking part in the agricultural project

called Greta in the regions of Twente,

Achterhoek (the Netherlands), Mnsterland

and Grafschaft Bentheim (Germany). Farm

pubs, shops and accommodation to stayovernight shows that these farmers are aim-

ing at agro tourists. A route navigation sys-

tem has been developed for these tourists as

part of the X-Border-GDI-project Greta.

Guido van den Heuvel [email protected] is

a freelance copywriter of ICT related articles.

More information on the topics discussed in this

article can be found at www.x-border-gdi.org

(building and living project) and www.idgis.nl.

high tide had a big impact on both the

Netherlands and Nordrhein Westfalen,

Germany. This necessitated thorough improve-

ment of water management cooperation.

Cooperation on other social themes proves to

be highly productive. Particularly Nature,

Environment &Tourism, Traffic & Transport,

Crisis management (Enschede, the

Netherlands), or political themes such as eco-

nomic and spatial planning are involved.

Interregional cooperation proves to be very

useful and improves credibility of Europe with

its citizens.

Since 2000 technical information exchange

between neighbouring countries has been

seriously improved. Passionate geo special-

ists and attentive policy makers on both sidesof the Dutch and German borders have led to

Latest News? Visitwww.geoinformatics.com

Art i c le

7July/August 2008

Herman Assink

Core Activities IDGISIDGIS partly implemented the Limburgse

X-border project. IDGIS serves as an advi-

sory and development bureau in the field

of geographical information systems.

Analysis, design and building support are

IDGIS core businesses. Besides commercial

packages IDGIS has been deploying open

source software, like deegree, for several

years. Besides this IDGIS developed the

open source, web oriented mapclient

Geoide. Geoide is based on Flash and open

geoservices and has extensive capabilities

for editing geometry.
http://www.x-border-gdi.org/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.x-border-gdi.org/http://www.idgis.nl/http://www.idgis.nl/http://www.geoinformatics.com/http://www.geoinformatics.com/http://www.geoinformatics.com/http://www.idgis.nl/http://www.x-border-gdi.org/mailto:[email protected]://www.x-border-gdi.org/


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Home of The Times Atlas of The World

Mapping at Collins Bartholomew

The 12th Edition of The Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World, published in September 2007, and the forthcoming The

Times Universal Atlas of the World (publishing September 2008), epitomize the use of geographic data and Geographic

Information System (GIS) technology in the creation of published atlases and maps. Created from Collins Bartholomew

geographic databases and published by Times Books/HarperCollins, these products continue a long tradition of

atlas publishing stretching back over 100 years, established through the activities of, in particular, the time honoured

Edinburgh cartographic company of John Bartholomew & Son. Throughout this period, cartography has moved with

the times, embracing many new technologies. But what is involved today, in the creation and maintenance of

digitalgeographic data and in the creation of high quality cartographic products?

By Mick Ashworth and Jim Irvine

History of Times AtlasesThe first Times Atlas was published in 1895 and

was, in fact, a translated edition of a German

atlas. In the first decade of the twentieth cen-

tury, when The Times wanted a new edition,

and an atlas they could call their own, they

turned to the leading cartographers of the day

John Bartholomew & Sons of Edinburgh. Thus

began a relationship between The Times and

Bartholomew, and their successors Harper-

Collins and Collins Bartholomew, which contin-

ues today, and which still reflects the standards

of cartography established by Bartholomew

through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Many editions of Times atlases have been pub-

lished since this relationship was established.

The most recent being the 12th edition of the

flagship product, The Times Comprehensive

Atlas of the World (Figure 1) and the new The

Times Reference and Universal Atlases of the

World.

Technological DevelopmentAt each stage of their evolution, the atlases

have embraced new technology and since 1995

have been produced on a digital flowline,

exploiting GIS technology. This has only been

possible through the creation and maintenance

of extensive global geographic databases,

which also offer numerous possibilities for the

creation and delivery of maps beyond printed

products.

Digital mapping systems were first introduced

to Bartholomew in the mid-1980s and were con-

strained by both the hardware and software

available at the time. Despite the simplicity of

these early systems, a digital database of Great

Britain at a scale of 1:250,000 was created and

10

Art ic le

July/August 2008

Figure 1. The Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World 12th edition.


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used to produce the Bartholomew Road Atlasof Great Britain in 1988, the first title to be pro-

duced using digital techniques. This was fol-

lowed four years later by the Collins Road Atlas

of Britain, created from the same database.

While these two road atlases contained the

same information, they were targeted at differ-

ent markets and contained very different map-

ping styles. This was an early realization of one

of the anticipated benefits of digital map pro-

duction the ability to create different products

from the same basic data. The cartographic

database is an essential part of the production

process for each new edition of the Collins Road

Atlases.

In 1995 the 7th edition of The Times Concise

Atlas of the World became the first world atlas

produced by Collins Bartholomew to contain

mapping wholly produced using digital technol-

ogy. This was joined in 1999 by the first fully

digital version of The Times Comprehensive

Atlas of the World The Millennium Edition.

While the content of these atlases was created

digitally, they were printed using traditional

methods through the output of film for plate

making. The more recent introduction of digitalcomputer to plate (CTP) technology into the

printing industry completed the end-to-end dig-

ital map production flowline.

Map Information And ResearchThis first stage in the flowline is sourcing the

geographical information required for database

capture and maintenance. This is a continual

process, driven by the pace of physical and

geopolitical changes in the real world. New

maps and geographic publications from gov-

ernment departments, agencies, business

offices, and experts around the world provide

information for every country on a variety of

topics. The Internet has become a key resource

in this work, but a team of information experts

Initial Product CreationOne clear benefit of the database approach,

and of the detailed data structure on which the

databases have been built, is the great flexibil-

ity of the data. This allows the creation of a

great range of products, for specific markets

and users, from the same database.

The appropriate data is extracted from the

database, ensuring that coverage, content, scaleand projection are all correct. As much of the

final map specification as possible is also

applied at this stage. This is achieved using

standard ArcGIS tools, including Maplex, the

automated text placement and cartographic

design application. The application of different

cartographic representations to the same base

data allows very different maps to be created

from the same database.

Finishing Map Pages

Output from ArcGIS requires further manual edit-ing to create a final print quality map. The car-

tographic team use Adobe Illustrator for this

task. Generally this involves fine tuning the map

specification and type placement, as well as

adding marginalia, scale bars and grid refer-

ences. Rigorous editorial quality control is car-

ried out at this stage to ensure the specifica-

tion and policies have been correctly applied

(see figure 2).

Creating Geographic IndexesMost maps and atlases will include an index

to place names, and for large world atlases

with mixed scales, overlapping pages and

complicated indexing rules this can be a com-

plex task. A major feature of The Times

Comprehensive Atlas of the World, for which it

is renowned, is its index to over 200,000 places

and features. This includes several thousand

alternative name forms, all cross-referenced

accurately to the name form appearing on the

map.

Collins Bartholomew uses a combination of

standard commercial software and in-house

applications to create indexes. The unique IDsassigned to all named features in the database

remain attached to their features throughout

the map production process, and are used to

identify which names appear on each map and

to build up index entries. These index entries

are stored in product-specific Oracle tables,

where overlapping is accounted for and the

application of any specific indexing rules is car-

ried out. When all index entries are complete,

they are alpha sorted, combined with type set-

ting tags and extracted into a text file, which

in turn is flowed into page layout software

(Quark Xpress) for final formatting. This

approach automates as much of the indexing

process as possible while retaining the flexibil-

ity inherent in manual methods.

with skills in geography, cartography andinformation science assess and validate

numerous sources to ensure that the best mate-

rial is used and that the authority of the prod-

ucts is not compromised.

Underlying the capture of any information into

the databases are detailed policies relating to,

for example, name forms and political bound-

aries. The work of a Cartographic Policy

Committee and the advice of key external

experts ensure that our data is regarded as neu-

tral, accurate, up to date and trustworthy crit-

ical factors in an era where the amount of infor-

mation available appears endless and where its

provenance cannot always be established.

Cartographic Database MaintenanceOnce changes have been thoroughly researched

and validated, the database is updated.

Changes to the database are made on average

every three and a half minutes and are validat-

ed by information from approximately 500 orga-

nizations and experts. This worldwide network

has been built up over the last hundred years

of map making. This database approach leads

directly to the more efficient revision of prod-ucts, as a single database edit will be automat-

ically propagated to all maps derived from that

database.

To support the variety of mapping required for

their products, Collins Bartholomew maintain

data at different scales. Data is stored in a

hybrid structure, with graphical information

(points, lines and polygons) stored in ArcGIS

server from ESRI and a linked Oracle database

storing all non graphic information place

names, populations, information on administra-

tive divisions etc. The database contains

approximately 350,000 named features, each

of which is automatically assigned a unique

identification number (ID) at the time of cap-

ture.


Art i c le

11July/August 2008

Figure 2: Northern South America reference map from the Times Universal Atlas of the World.


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Computer to Plate PrintingThe final stage of the process is the creation of

PDF files for supply to the printer, who will use

these directly in the CTP printing process. This

involves transferring digital images directly from

the file onto the printing plate, avoiding the

output of colour separated films. Besides reduc-

ing cost through removing the need to create,

distribute and store film, this increases suppli-

er location flexibility as digital files can be sent

electronically to printers, either on CD or DVD

or over the Internet using File Transfer Protocol

(FTP). In addition, and in contrast to film, digi-

tal images do not deteriorate over time, and

result in better quality images time after time.

The BenefitsAs well as cost and efficiency gains, the devel-

opment of a completely digital flowline has cre-

ated a range of further benefits and new oppor-

tunities for the business of commercial

cartography, all of which have benefited Collins

Bartholomew.

- Flexible Map Specifications

Database driven production techniques allow

cartographers to create many different map

images from the same basic data. The ability

to select different sets of features from the

database and apply different representations

gives the cartographer great flexibility over the

types of map produced. As well as varying the

choice of colours, symbols, line widths and

fonts, it is also possible to vary map projection

and scale, further increasing the range of map-

ping styles which can be produced (Figure 2).

This flexibility has greatly benefited Collins

Bartholomew and HarperCollins through the use

of the data to create very varied maps for a

great range of products. The databases now

support approximately 250 products, and maps

are created not just for world atlases, road

atlases and sheet maps, but also for their range

of geographical and environmental books

including Fragile Earth, a dramatic portrayal ofenvironmental change, Disappearing World, a

guide to threatened world heritage sites, and

Atlas of Global Development, thematic atlas co-

published with The World Bank (see figure 3).

- Bespoke Mapping

The flexibility and cost effective nature of digi-

tal map production also allow Collins

Bartholomew to provide a comprehensive

bespoke mapping service. Customers have the

option of obtaining unique and specially

designed maps that directly suit their needs.

Using the digital production flowline, prototype

maps can be quickly generated in order to

agree a final specification with the customer,

while the high level of cartographic skill main-

tained in-house ensures that the best solution

is offered.

Building the production flowline around widely

used GIS data formats also gives customers the

option of supplying their own GIS data which

can often be plugged straight into our flowline.

This is useful for organizations which may have

captured GIS data for some other purpose, and

now want to produce print quality maps from

it but lack the cartographic expertise required.

- Foreign Language Co-editions

Digital production methods facilitate the trans-

lation of existing maps into foreign languages

for co-edition partners a major part of CollinsBartholomews publishing activities. Foreign lan-

guage name sets have been developed, often

in conjunction with overseas partners. Using the

system of unique ID numbers, these transla-

tions can be automatically applied to both the

map and index in question. The methods

employed also give our partners the flexibility

to include more of their own name forms if

required.

- New Visualizations

Storing digital representations of the earths sur-

face to support map production creates oppor-

tunities to visualize the world in new ways.

These rely on recent developments in geo-

graphic data and information software. Three

12

Art ic le

July/August 2008

Figure 3: World Energy Use page in The Atlas of Global Development.


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dimensional perspective views can be created

at the local, regional or continental level.

Overlaying these with map data, aerial photos

or satellite imagery creates new and visually

stunning ways to view the world. These mod-

els can be animated to create fly-throughs,

increasing the ways in which users can interact

with digital data to visualize the world (see fig-

ure 4). Besides creating exciting interactive dig-

ital applications, these techniques can also be

used to create visually stunning static images

for inclusion in published products, thus allow-

ing users of these traditional cartographic prod-

ucts the ability to share the benefits brought

by this exciting new technology.

- Internet Mapping

Today many maps are designed to be viewed

in different ways on computers, hand held

devices, etc. Many of these maps are deliv-

ered to the end user over the Internet and dis-

played in standard browser windows. There

are two basic approaches to serving maps onthe Internet. The first involves rendering maps

on the fly from vector data, while the second

delivers static raster maps to the users brows-

er. The first approach can provide a high level

of interactivity to the user, but presents many

cartographic and technical challenges if it is

to be done well. The creation of pre-created

raster maps for display on the Internet has

provided many commercial opportunities for

cartographers, with organizations already

skilled in digital techniques well placed to

exploit these.

Collins Bartholomew has created a suite of

seamless raster maps specifically for this pur-

pose. These have been designed to maintain

the attractiveness and clarity of printed maps

Other benefits have also become apparent:

The demand for digital maps to support

Internet and other electronic mapping appli-

cations has created a new and thriving mar-

ket for commercial cartographers.

The ability to create innovative and exciting

ways of visualizing the world.

Through the creation of high quality published

products, and the on-going maintenance and

enhancement of extensive geographic data-

bases, Collins Bartholomew are well positioned

for continuing to meet customer needs in many

sectors in this era of increasing map awareness

and demand for geographic data.

It is important to remember however that ulti-

mately maps are created by people, not by

computers, and that good maps are created by

skilled and talented cartographers working to

high editorial standards. Perhaps the biggest

benefit of the digital revolution is the freedom

it has given cartographers to be truly creative,

both in what they produce and how they pro-duce it, whilst still being able to work to exact-

ing standards of accuracy and authority repre-

sented by Collins Bartholomew products and

data.

Mick Ashworth [email protected]

Consultant Editor to The Times Atlas of the World.

Jim [email protected] isHead of

Digital Resources and the Collins Newsroom.

For more information, have a look at

the following websites:

www.timesatlas.com

www.harpercollins.co.uk

www.bartholomewmaps.co.uk

while at the same time minimizing file size in

order to facilitate fast download. The maps are

georeferenced, allowing application builders

to overlay their own or their customers spa-

tial data. This provides for Internet mapping

applications which offer a degree of interac-

tivity together with clear and attractive base

maps.

- Data Applications

Licensing digital map data to developers cre-

ating specialist mapping applications is a sig-

nificant revenue stream for many commercial

cartographers. At Collins Bartholomew it was

envisaged at the outset that the adoption of

digital techniques would add value to the

business in this way, and so it has proved.

Wide varieties of commercial applications have

been, and continue to be built incorporating

Collins Bartholomew digital map data. Many

major national and international agencies now

use Collins Bartholomew data within their sys-

tems and have come to trust it in the sameway, and for the same reasons of accuracy,

integrity and authority, that The Times Atlas of

the World is itself universally trusted.

ConclusionsIt is clear that the adoption of digital technol-

ogy into the world of commercial cartography

at Collins Bartholomew has delivered two

major commercial benefits:

An efficient and highly flexible production

flowline for Collins and Times published

maps and atlases.

New revenue streams based on the licens-

ing of the digital data on which the pro-

duction flowline depends.


Art i c le

13July/August 2008

Figure 4: 3D visualisation used BBC television programme Incredible Journeys
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.timesatlas.com/http://www.harpercollins.co.uk/http://www.bartholomewmaps.co.uk/http://www.geoinformatics.com/http://www.geoinformatics.com/http://www.geoinformatics.com/http://www.bartholomewmaps.co.uk/http://www.harpercollins.co.uk/http://www.timesatlas.com/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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ArcGIS

9.3Improving Your Entire

Data Management

Better MapsDissemination

Data courtesy of the City of Boston.


15/64

Data Management

ArcGIS 9.3 provides newtools for accessing data

within an organization,

including the addition of

PostgreSQL and MicrosoftSQL Server2008 support, a

new image service, version

management, enhancements

to geodatabase replication,and better geocoding.

Better MapsArcGIS 9.3 includes manyenhancements that make it

easier than ever to create

and share production-quality

maps. These enhancementsinclude a new Disperse

Markers tool and, via Maplex

for ArcGIS, better contour

labeling and more control overwhere labels are placed inside

and around polygons.

Dissemination of

InformationArcGIS 9.3 makes dissemination

of geographic informationmuch easier. New tools

that aid in dissemination

include improved map cache

management, which allows

ArcGIS9.3 offers a complete suite of software that

compliant environment. With ArcGIS, you also get the

instructor-led and online training, and new online

resource centers.

maps to be published more

quickly, and a series of

JavaScriptAPIs for mashup-style development. These

new APIs allow JavaScript

developers to easily embedArcGIS Server Web mapping

applications into any Web site.

Mobility

The new ArcGIS Mobileapplication increases data

accuracy and enables real-

time decision making in the

SDK now offers enhanced

map control rendering, data

storage capabilities, andexpanded projections.

Planning and Analysis

Many modeling tools have

been enhanced, and someentirely new tools have

been added to help users

get more answers from

their data. These includea new scatterplot matrix

graph, improvements to the

Near tool, and advancedOrdinary Least Squares and

Geographically Weighted

Regression tools.

Copyright 2008 ESRI. All rights reserved. ESRI, the ArcGIS logo, www.esri.com, Maplex, the ESRI Globe logo, and ArcGIS are

trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of ESRI in the United States, the European Community, or certain other jurisdictions.

Other companies and products mentioned herein may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective trademark owners.

Planning and Analysis

Mobility

Finland

Francewww.esrifrance.fr

F.Y.R.O.M.www.gisdata.hr

Germanywww.esri-germany.de

Georgiawww.geographic.ge

Greece and Cypruswww.marathondata.gr

Hungarywww.esrihu.hu

Icelandwww.samsyn.is

Israelwww.systematics.co.il

Italywww.esriitalia.it

Maltawww.geosys.com.mt

Moldovawww.trimetrica.com

The Netherlandswww.esrinl.com

Norwaywww.geodata.no

Polandwww.esripolska.com.pl

Portugalwww.esri-portugal.pt

Romaniawww.esriro.ro

Russiawww.dataplus.ru

Austriawww.synergis.co.at

Belgium and Luxembourgwww.esribelux.com

Bosnia and Herzegovinawww.gisdata.hr

Bulgariawww.esribulgaria.com

Croatiawww.gisdata.hr

Czech Republicwww.arcdata.cz

Denmarkwww.informi.dk

Estonia, Latvia, andLithuaniawww.hnit-baltic.lt

Slovak Republicwww.arcgeo.sk

Sloveniawww.gisdata.hr

Spainwww.esri-es.com

Swedenwww.esri-sgroup.se

Switzerlandwww.esri-suisse.ch

Turkeywww.esriturkey.com.tr

Ukrainewww.ecomm.kiev.ua

UK/Irelandwww.esriuk.com

www.esri.com/whatsnew

For more information, please contact your local distributor or call ESRI

Europe at +31-10-217-7788 or ESRI headquarters at +1-909-793-2853,

GIS Workflow

www.esri-finland.com

field. Also, the ArcGIS Mobile

benefits of an established and active user community,

improves organizational workflows within a standards-
http://www.esri.com/http://www.esrifrance.fr/http://www.gisdata.hr/http://www.gisdata.hr/http://www.esri-germany.de/http://www.geographic.ge/http://www.marathondata.gr/http://www.esrihu.hu/http://www.samsyn.is/http://www.systematics.co.il/http://www.esriitalia.it/http://www.geosys.com.mt/http://www.trimetrica.com/http://www.trimetrica.com/http://www.esrinl.com/http://www.geodata.no/http://www.esripolska.com.pl/http://www.esri-portugal.pt/http://www.esriro.ro/http://www.dataplus.ru/http://www.synergis.co.at/http://www.esribelux.com/http://www.gisdata.hr/http://www.gisdata.hr/http://www.esribulgaria.com/http://www.gisdata.hr/http://www.arcdata.cz/http://www.informi.dk/http://www.hnit-baltic.lt/http://www.arcgeo.sk/http://www.gisdata.hr/http://www.esri-es.com/http://www.esri-sgroup.se/http://www.esri-suisse.ch/http://www.esriturkey.com.tr/http://www.ecomm.kiev.ua/http://www.esriuk.com/http://www.esri.com/whatsnewhttp://www.esri-finland.com/http://www.esri-finland.com/http://www.esriuk.com/http://www.ecomm.kiev.ua/http://www.esriturkey.com.tr/http://www.esri-suisse.ch/http://www.esri-sgroup.se/http://www.esri-es.com/http://www.gisdata.hr/http://www.arcgeo.sk/http://www.hnit-baltic.lt/http://www.informi.dk/http://www.arcdata.cz/http://www.gisdata.hr/http://www.esribulgaria.com/http://www.gisdata.hr/http://www.esribelux.com/http://www.synergis.co.at/http://www.dataplus.ru/http://www.esriro.ro/http://www.esri-portugal.pt/http://www.esripolska.com.pl/http://www.geodata.no/http://www.esrinl.com/http://www.trimetrica.com/http://www.geosys.com.mt/http://www.esriitalia.it/http://www.systematics.co.il/http://www.samsyn.is/http://www.esrihu.hu/http://www.marathondata.gr/http://www.geographic.ge/http://www.esri-germany.de/http://www.gisdata.hr/http://www.esrifrance.fr/http://www.esri.com/http://www.esri.com/whatsnew


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Part 8: KML Keyhole Markup Language

Standards in Practice

The Keyhole Markup Language (KML) is a file format used to display geographicdata in an earth browser such as Google Earth or Google Maps. It forms the

basis of all user input into this software. KML uses a tag-based structure with

nested elements and attributes and is based on the XML standard.

By Huibert-Jan Lekkerkerk

In April this year the Keyhole MarkupLanguage (KML) became an official standard

with the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC).

KML was originally developed by a small com-

pany called Keyhole for their Keyhole soft-

ware. In 2004 the company was taken over

by Google and the Keyhole software became

branded as Google Earth. The name KML for

the standard stuck, however.

The current, official OGC version of KML is 2.2,

although most files on the Internet will be in

the slightly older version 2.1. The user, how-

ever, does not need to worry about versions

as each file is prefixed with the version num-

ber, allowing the display software to select

the correct format itself.

How Does It Work?KML is a bit of a hybrid. Part of the language

allows users to specify geographic elements

such as points (placeholders) as well as lines

(Linestring) and polygons (Polygon). It also

supports coverages via the overlay option. The

other part of the language describes how such

an element should be presented in terms of

layout, text size and colors. KML will even allow

HTML bits to be inserted into the KML file so

that layout (and hyperlinks) will look exactly as

they do on a webpage.

As such, a KML file could be compared to a

geographic version of the HTML language for

web pages that also contains both information

and the way it should be presented. As with

GML (see the article on GML) the geographic

options of KML are quite extensive. What makes

KML easier to use than GML is that for each

geographic type only a single option is avail-able, making it a lot simpler to implement (but

also less flexible if that is what the user needs).

Coordinate SystemOne of the major differences between KML and,

for example, GML is that KML only allows data

input in geographic WGS84 coordinates (lati-

tude and longitude). This is generally not an

issue when displaying data collected with a GPS

receiver, but it may present a problem when

overlaying data.

When overlaying an aerial photograph that is

referenced to a local map projection, for

instance, it needs to be converted into the

WGS84 latitude / longitude system. For small

areas this doesnt pose much of a problem, but

when overlaying larger images errors up to tens

of kilometers may arise. There are, of course,

workarounds for this such as using a GIS pack-

age to georeference the image onto the KML

coordinate system.

Combining Information from Different Sources

One of the strong points of KML is that it ispossible to link to external files. If, for exam-

ple, a website has a service that shows data

that changes in real time, then simply by creat-

ing a KML file that invokes that service as an

overlay icon within the correct geographic

boundary, an earth browser like Google Earth

will allow display of that real-time information

combined with whatever information the user

has on his own system.

Using this functionality, information from differ-

ent sources can easily be combined in Google

Earth without the user having to worry about

coordinate systems, file formats or layout

issues. In this respect KML duplicates some of

the functionality of WMS and the associated

Styled Layer Descriptors.

16

Art ic le

July/August 2008

KML Keyhole Markup LanguageWhat it is for: Overlaying geographic infor-

mation in, for example, Google Earth

Relevant standards: OGC KML Specification

Technical implementation: XML

Legal basis: None

Google Earth screenshot showing a real-time rain image and the associated KML file.


17/64

Information ExchangeSince the KML file holds all the relevant

information for displaying both the geom-

etry and the layout, it is very easy to

exchange the file between users (or put

it on a web server and reference the file).

The disadvantage is that one needs a

KML-enabled viewer in order to display

the data.In general that does not have to be a

major problem since Google Earth can be

downloaded from the Google website for

free and Google Maps is available wher-

ever one has access to a web browser.

KMZOne of the major problems with exchang-

ing XML files is that they contain quite a lot of

air. This problem has been recognized with

KML and a compressed (zipped) version is

available. This version is identified as a KMZtype of file.

The compression used is general zip which

means that the files can be uncompressed

using any compression software that supports

zip files (such as WinZIP). The only requirement

is that the file is (temporarily) renamed from

the .kmz extension to the .kml extension.

KML Versus Other OGCStandardsAccording to the OGC website, efforts

will be made to bring KML and GML

closer together in the future. Currently

KML uses geometries from GML 2.1.2

while the latest GML version is 3.2.1.

The OGC Mass Market Geo Working

Group (MMWG) will establish harmo-nization activities to bring KML and GML

closer.

Other OGC specifications such as

Context and Styled Layer Descriptor

(SLD) may be considered for harmo-

nization as well. How this harmoniza-

tion will take place has not been men-

tioned by OGC but presumably it will

mean copying certain elements from existing

OGC standards into KML so that, for example,

the latest GML geometries are used instead of

the current, sometimes deprecated, 2.1.2 ver-sions.

Huibert-Jan Lekkerkerk

[email protected] isproject manager

at IDsW and a freelance trainer and writer.

For more information: OGC: www.opengeospatial.org.

After decompressing the kmz file the user can

edit the resulting document and, if necessary,

recompress the file for display.

LegalThere is no legal basis for the use of KML (or

KMZ) files, and with the current coupling with

Google products there probably never will be.

Google products are very popular with con-

sumers, however, and consequently most GIS

packages support KML / KMZ.


Art i c le

17July/August 2008

The Centre for Conservation Ecology and

Environmental Change at BU has a number

of postgraduate opportunities available for

entry this Autumn. Courses are delivered

by experienced conservation ecologists,

remote sensing and GIS specialists,

with an emphasis on developing varied,

employable, professional capabilities

and enhancing the skills of professionals

wishing to work in these fields.

MSc Biodiversity Conservation

MSc Environmental Informatics

MSc Environmental Management

(by research)

MSc GeoInformatics (by research).

Get ahead withConservation Ecologyand EnvironmentalChangeat BU.

For detailed course information visit:www.bournemouth.ac.uk/pgenvironment

To find out more, contact askBUEnquiry ServiceonTel: +44 (0)1202 961916 Email: [email protected]

Google Earth screenshot showing a photo placeholder containing HTML

style layout and the associated KML file.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.opengeospatial.org/http://www.opengeospatial.org/http://www.geoinformatics.com/http://www.geoinformatics.com/http://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/pgenvironmentmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/pgenvironmenthttp://www.geoinformatics.com/http://www.opengeospatial.org/mailto:[email protected]


18/64

Addressing the Phenomenon of CAD/GIS Convergence

1Spatials MapRelate

To enable the convergence of AutoCAD and geospatial data, 1Spatial created a software solution called MapRelate.

It allows engineers, traditionally used to dealing with 3D models, the chance to interact with geospatial maps

without the need for data transfers or specialist software. In this article, 1Spatials Andrew Gosney

explains all about this software tool.

By Andrew Gosney

In the past, geospatial data has tended to betreated as special and, consequently, its use

has been restricted to specialist systems and

individual roles. We are witnessing a trend

towards using location information across main-

stream business processes to provide a spatial

parameter, a trend that is being driven by

demand and the fact that these data are

becoming more and more readily available. In

addition, advances in technology mean that

integration can be achieved without the need

for expensive system re-engineering or devel-

opment.

ConvergenceConvergence of different data types and sources

is a trend that is occurring across many levels.

Initially we saw the convergence of different

spatial data types, resulting from the increase

in GIS and spatial systems that support multi-

ple geospatial data formats. Within mainstream

business processes, integration is being seen

on three planes: the integration of geospatial

data from disparate sources, the integration of

geospatial data with other non-geospatial busi-

ness data, and the integration of geospatial

data within existing business processes. In addi-

18

Review

July/August 2008

Background mapping and corporate data displayed in AutoCAD. Crown copyright included by kind permission of the Ordnance Survey


19/64

tion, simple, web-based tools such as Google

Earth and Microsoft Virtual Earth are exposing

both geospatial data and 3D models, such as

cityscapes, to a new audience in revolutionary

ways.

Convergence of 2D and 3D data is a new phe-

nomenon driven by a need to combine these

worlds for operational and planning purposes

and as an extension to the efficiencies already

realised through integrating the 2D geospatial

world into decision-making processes.Computer Aided Design (CAD) has previously

been the domain of the engineer or architect

and GIS the realm of the GIS specialist, with

the two historically being seen as separate.

However, both have a very similar main goal

to create a representation of the real world.

Taking the most common CAD package,

Autodesks AutoCAD as an example, currently,

there are only two ways that engineers or archi-

tects can view their design in context, that is,

to have a more real-world view. They can dupli-

cate and then translate the relevant geospatial

data into files of a readable format, such as DXF

or DWG, and store them somewhere, or send

the design to the GIS and either loose control

of it or learn to use the GIS. Both of these pro-

hash datasets together in the hope that they

will fit.

1Spatials MapRelate1Spatial have created, in response to our cus-

tomers requirements, a simple, effective tool

to enable the convergence of AutoCAD and

geospatial data. MapRelate allows engineers,

traditionally used to dealing with 3D models,

the chance to interact with geospatial maps

without the need for data transfers or special-ist software.

MapRelate is simple and dedicated plug-in com-

ponent for AutoCAD that enables users to

directly and instantly access existing map files,

which are held locally or in a corporate

database. Access is provided from within their

native AutoCAD environment and is achieved

without the need for data transfers or special-

ist software and therefore streamlining the

whole process.

Utilising the same Feature Data Objects (FDO)

cross-platform interface that can be found in

Autodesks AutoCAD Map 3D and AutoCAD

MapGuide, MapRelate facilitates live, indepen-

dent access to spatial data files and datastores,

including OS MasterMap. This open-source tech-

cesses are time-consuming and expensive, and

can lead to duplication of effort when there are

multiple datasets in circulation. Using static

datasets can also mean that AutoCAD users are

not referencing the most-up-to date geospatial

data, unless they repeat the translation process

for every new or updated design.

A mapping context for designs is becoming pro-

gressively more important as the numbers and

complexity of customer and legal requirements

increase across industry sectors. For all parties,being able to view CAD designs on an accurate

mapping background, before any further work

commences, could allow any possible defects

to be identified and rectified at the design

stage, rather than once work has commenced

out on site.

AutoCAD, without the data translation process,

cannot provide this kind of functionality, so for

users and organisations that do not have

AutoCAD Map 3D, the only other solution is to

export the design to a GIS and somehow make

two datasets fit together. Despite being the

most common platform for the manipulation of

geospatial data, AutoCAD is given the least con-

sideration when planning GI strategy and inte-

gration, creating this problem of having to


Review

19July/August 2008

Base OS mastermap data. Crown copyright included by kind permission of the Ordnance Survey.


20/64


21/64


22/64

AutoCAD Map 3D 2009

User is No Longer a CAD Guy

The press launch of Autodesks 2009 geospatial products ranged from detailed product demonstrations to user stories andbold visions of the future by Autodesks own geospatial evangelist Geoff Zeiss. In short: Autodesk took some

more steps from CAD toward GIS, carefully keeping in mind the users CAD roots.

By Remco Takken

Autodesks geospatial customers are in dis-parate sectors ranging from coal mining to real

estate, but mainly in utilities: gas, water and

electricity. With more than 23,000 AutoCAD Map

3D licences in Northern Europe, Autodesk cer-

tainly is a force to be reckoned with in the

geospatial industry. However, the core focus of

the organization is still CAD and design, with a

relatively small but growing GIS and geo-pro-cessing division.

This was clear during Autodesks press days for

European journalists in London, where

Autodesks geospatial products, MapGuide

Enterprise and AutoCAD Map 3D, were hugely

overshadowed by the products out of the CAD

and visualization worlds. The geospatial verti-

cal within Autodesk only started last year. Of

course, this doesnt mean Autodesk started out

in geo in 2007. Its appearance as a new verti-

cal was the result of the growing user base in

Europe.

This growing interest in geospatial within both

Autodesk and its users can be explained by the

user base of CAD customers who are being con-

fronted with the ongoing integration of object-

oriented thinking, mapping directly into GIS and

the geo-referencing of CAD files in their daily

work. Then there is the continuing push for

greater e-government across Northern Europe,

and technological phenomena such as, in the

UK, the introduction of OS MasterMap.

Technical Overview

Autodesks geospatial specialist Lynda Streakerpresented a detailed technical overview of new

features within AutoCAD Map 3D. As for the

recent FDO (Feature Data Objects) support, Map

3D 2009 now allows the user to bypass the

check-out step when editing FDO data. No

longer is there a need to check out, convert to

geometry and then convert back to features.

The user can connect and edit an FDO feature

source directly using CAD commands. Map 3D

allows all kinds of GIS functionality with any

FDO data source, including SDF, SHP, Oracle

Spatial and ESRI SDE.

The Expression Builder is a new tool for creat-

ing sophisticated queries, filters, and calcula-

tions. The Locate on Map menu is for creating

a query by specifying a location on the map.

The location is specified by identifying a point

or drawing a rectangle, polygon, circle, or fence,

and indicating whether the features inside or

touching the boundary should be selected.

Server-side ViewsMap 3D now supports the use of server-side

views in Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL, and ODBC

data sources. Once the view is created usingthe sophisticated tools provided by the

database management software, Map 3D can

connect to it. Once connected, all of Map 3Ds

query tools are in place to retrieve and analyze

the data. When you change the data in the

view, the corresponding base table is updated.

More convenient data access aside, perfor-

mance is improved if the database server and

Map 3D are on different machines, since

database and Map 3D processing are distribut-

ed over the two machines.

Many Autodesk users have circular workflows

where DWG and FDO data sources must be

imported, exported, and converted for partners

that have either AutoCAD or Map 3D, but not

both. Autodesk Map 3D 2009 expedites the pro-

22

Review

July/August 2008

You can choose how you want to edit features in the data store, via the FeatureEditing Options dialog box. By adjusting these properties, you can set your FDO

editing to be as CAD-like as possible.

Two new commands will split or merge features and automatically assignattributes to the features created by the operation. Attributes are divided according

to the rules which are set in advance for each property. You set these rules from the

Data Table.


23/64

licences and MapGuide Enterprise. As was to

be expected, some obstacles from a typical CAD

perspective formed the starting point of this

new architecture. The old situation knew exces-

sive use of DWG files, numerous duplicates of

the same records and existing files being super-

seded by new ones. As there was little commu-

nication with the GIS team, his section had to

use an out-of-date Master Map, with updatesin the MapIno TAB file format. Advantages of

the AutoCAD Map solution offer reliable, intelli-

gent records, theres an object data editor for

adding and editing these records and batch

update. Furthermore, reading attributes is now

possible in a logical order instead of alphabeti-

cal.

All presentation and layering is shown in

MapGuide, where a borough-wide as-built map

is presented, with plans and maps also avail-

able to non-CAD users.

Al-Sheibani concluded: I am no longer a CADguy. I not only consume GIS data, I also

create it.

cess of exchanging data from one format toanother. This means you can now use CAD

properties such as color, line weight, and hatch

to populate fields in an FDO feature class.

MetadataMap 3D 2009 continues to support Federal

Graphic Data Committee (FGDC) metadata, and

now also includes support for ISO 19139.

Metadata can be made for file-based data

sources such as DWG, SDF, and SHP, and

database data sources such as Oracle and SQL

Server. You can also make and save a profile

for ISO metadata.

Citrix CompatibilityIn computer networks, it is often advantageous

to install an application on one powerful

machine and then let other less powerful

machines access that application remotely. Such

an architecture is often referred to as main-

frame/terminal, or thick server/thin client. The

main advantage of this architecture is that IT

staff can centralize their software. They only

have to install and upgrade the application on

one machine, rather than on each machine inan organization. In addition, users can access

the applications from kiosks, PDAs, or other

devices that could not run the application on

their own.

In the case of Citrix compatibility, Map 3D can

be served to an estimated 25 client machines,

while delays can be expected when going up

to 40 users. Problems might arise when client

rates are pushed over 50.

MapGuide EnterpriseMapGuide, Autodesks web mapping applica-

tion, also boasts some new features.

The flexible web layouts provide customized

interfaces and styling. Because of the existing

limitations of the MapGuide frameset, DM

Solutions Group creat-

ed another architec-

ture for MapGuide

called Fusion. Fusion

allows site designers

to create web layouts

of infinite variety with-

out programming.

Behind the scenes,Fusion uses Open-

Layers, a new Open

Source JavaScript API

for creating web-based

mapping applications.

This explains the intro-

duction of OS jargon

like widgets and con-

tainers within an

Autodesk context.

The cartographic en-

hancements were designed to help make mapsclearer and more appealing. The rendering of

map images creates a staircase effect produced

by the GD library that MapGuide has been using

for image rendering. A new AGG

rendering engine overcomes this pro-

blem, and it now renders a sub-pixel

accuracy.

Previous versions of MapGuide have

had no elevation styling for grid sur-

faces. This causes data in formats such

as DEM and GeoTIFF to appear flat

and washed out. In Map 3D 2009, you

can apply styling to a raster image and

then export it to MapGuide 2009. The

layer in MapGuide retains the styling

that you created in Map 3D, which

gives the image a more meaningful 3D

effect.

Customer StoriesDuring Autodesks press days in

London, one of the governmental cus-

tomers was Rushmoor Borough

Council. AutoCAD Map 3D has helped

this local authority integrate 400 activespatial data sets. Now AutoCAD Map

3D, AutoCAD and ESRI users all share

a single source of map information

based on OS MasterMap. This has

boosted collaboration, helped elimi-

nate errors and created efficiencies in

GIS management.

CAD Manager Bader Al-Sheibani talked

about the traffic management section

in the London Borough of Merton. His

work includes the implementation of

around twenty traffic schemes a year.

Instead of working with the councils

GIS platform of choice, MapInfo, Al-

Sheibani decided to upgrade his

AutoCAD team of six with two Map 3D


Review

23

By setting up enforceable constraints, and using the Data Table to add attribute

data for a new feature, the field will have a drop-down list of acceptable values.

Lynda Streaker


24/64

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25/64

Intelligent Simulations of UrbanEnvironmentsGeoff Zeiss, Autodesks own evangelist in

geospatial, talked about the recent develop-ments in simulations of urban environments.

The convergence of technology will enable

intelligent simulations, where you not only

need to know about the outside of buildings

in order to make a 3D model, but also about

the inside and all of its (underground) connec-

tions like pipes and cables, said Zeiss. He very

man, using this instead of a paper floor map

when hes on the 59th floor of a building.

Further needs for a 3D cadastre and a good

visualization of urban assets exist in cities like

Singapore, where, according to Zeiss, 95 per-

cent of the population lives above the first floor.

Most of the data needed for an intelligent 3D

simulation, like the one Zeiss showed, comes

from a limited number of media, most of themcaptured with CAD tools. The sophisticated

technologies, however, face serious interoper-

ability problems. For use in a GIS, engineering

and design data often needs re-digitizing, and

the field force largely still works on printed

paper. With the example of FME, an extract,

translate and load tool which as of today sup-

ports more than 220 data formats, Zeiss illus-

trated that it is not very likely that the phe-

nomenon of data format accumulation will just

go away.

This means that in the field of connections andintegration, a lot of work still has to be done.

But the big bulk, the data, is in place, and the

visualization possibilities are all there.

Remco Takken [email protected] is

editor of Geoinformatics. For more information,

please have a look at www.autodesk.com

cleverly interweaved

his lecture with the

overall Autodesk

assessments of ageing

infrastructure, ageing

work force and the

general outline that

weve got a lot of work to do, with less peo-

ple out there. The shown demo of a virtual

city in 3D included a walk-through inside a

building in order to show the engineeringdetails. Zeiss: None of this data needs to be

captured, all the existing data allows you to

realize a 3D environment like this. And its basi-

cally simple technology which lies behind it: a

3ds Max game engine, DWG, stuff from Oracle

Spatial and Shape files. Think about this from

the perspective of a first responder, like a fire-


Review

25July/August 2008

One way to extend the

number of properties

available to you is to

create a calculated field.

Like joins, calculated

fields result in extra

columns in the data

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the new property to

theme or query the data.

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26/64

What Will the Country Look Like in 2040?

The Netherlands Climate Proof

A maritime island? Dikes 25 metres high, floating houses. How can we make

sure the Netherlands is still habitable when looking at the predicted climate

changes? Where will we be able to live and work? Which measures do we need

to take? The Climate changes spatial planning programme encompasses several

institutions that are researching climate change and its effects regarding the

use of land in the Netherlands.

by Eric Koomen and Noor van der Hoeven

What will the Netherlands look like in theyear 2040? It is hard to get a picture of this

since we dont know exactly how many peo-ple will live in the Netherlands then, and

where they will live. We can speculate on this,

but we simply dont know for sure. Not only

internal but also external factors that we can-

not influence are having impact. Naturally cli-

mate plays an important role. But how many

metres of sea level rise can we expect? Where

will we be able to live and work? What are

the consequences for agriculture et cetera?

In this article we are making use of the LANDS

research project to get more insight into this

problem. We will give an overview of differ-

ent possible images of the future of the

Netherlands. Possible spatial adaptations

which can guarantee water safety in future

will get special attention.

The Use of Land and Climate ChangeWhat we are focussing on within LANDS is how

to make the Netherlands climate proof in future.The target year is 2040. The measures that we

need to take in order to prepare for possible

consequences of climate change are related to

the future spatial patterns in the Netherlands.

In turn these patterns depend on the current

use of land, the demand for land, population

size, economy, climate, et cetera.

In the LANDS project we are using the scenario

approach to scout possible future images of the

Netherlands. These are not predictions on what

the Netherlands will look like in future. In fact

these are possible future images which lead us

to measures that need to be taken in order to

make the Netherlands climate proof. What

makes LANDS special is that different sectors

are integrated in these scenarios. The

Netherlands is conducting a lot of climateresearch but often this only applies to one sec-

tor. We can ask ourselves what impact climate

change has on agriculture and which measures

we need to take to enable agricultural activi-

ties in 2040. By including different sector-spe-

cific projects in LANDS scenarios are created

that include measures for the different sectors.

In the end the LANDS project yields different

scenarios with integral adaptation strategies to

ensure climate-proofness of the Netherlands.

This makes us better prepared for highly or less

extreme consequences of climate change.

Future Scenarios for The NetherlandsStarting point in the LANDS project are the G-

(moderate) and the W- (warm) scenario by the

KNMI (Royal Netherlands Meteorological

Institute). These scenarios are describing the

expectations concerning several aspects of cli-

mate change with a focus on temperature and

sea level rise. We are linking these climatic

changes to two strongly differing social-eco-

nomic scenarios including several assumptions

regarding the nature and extent of the popula-

tion, economy, use of land, mobility, energy, et

cetera. Making use of a set of opposite future

images enables simulation of a broad range of

possible spatial developments. It likely that nei-

ther of these future views reflects the most

probable situation. However combining these

views provides an image of the scope of pos-

sible future developments. The scenarios are

meant to stimulate our imagination and to

broaden our look towards the future.

The W-scenario is characterized by a 2 degree

Celsius temperature rise between 1990 and

2050. This corresponds with the A1-scenario inthe recent Welvaart en Leefomgeving (WLO;

Welfare, Prosperity and Quality of the Living

Environment) study. This study reveals major

growth in population (20 million in 2040), huge

economic growth and EU extension towards the

east. There is free market trade without politi-

cal integration. There are no initiatives for inter-

national environmental cooperation and rail and

road networks are broadly extended.

The G-scenario is based on a temperature rise

of 1 degree Celsius between 1990 and 2050.

This corresponds with the B2-scenario in the

WLO-study. The size of the population remains

roughly the same (16 million in 2040), there is

a slight increase in economic growth and unem-

ployment rate is high. Trade blockades are

26

Art ic le

July/August 2008

One of the projects within the Climate ChangesSpatial Planning programme is the Attention

for Safety project on water safety in the

Netherlands.


27/64

imposed and taxes are raised to protect the

environment. There is an emphasis on environ-

mental policies and environmental public

awareness is growing. Extension of both road

and rail networks is also part of this scenario.

Both scenarios are describing different future

images of the Netherlands in terms of popula-

tion, economics, use of land and the

climate. Based on these scenariosadaptation strategies are developed

to make and keep the Netherlands a

climate proof country.

Modelling with the Land UseScannerThe Milieu en Natuur Planbureau

(MNP; the Netherlands Environmental

Assessment Agency) has deployed

the Land Use scanner to calculate the

different scenarios. Accordingly the

scenarios were mapped. The LandUse scanner is a land use simulation

model based on Geographic Infor-

mation System (GIS) which simulates

future land use. It provides an inte-

grated view on urban, conservation

and agricultural use divided into dif-

ferent functions. For example agricul-

ture can be further divided into arable

land, grassland, intensive cattle-

breeding and greenhouse horticul-

ture. The Land Use scanner divides

the Netherlands into 3.3 million cells

measuring 100 x 100 metres and

assigns different functions to each of

them based on actual use of land,

current policy, suitability maps and

land use claims. The suitability of a

location for a certain land use type

depends on current use of land, possible poli-

cy restrictions, proximity of infrastructure et

cetera. The expected land demand for the dif-

ferent sectors comes from specialist institutes.

What is striking in the W-scenario is the big

increase in urban use of land. Living areas

around the bigger cities in the Randstad, themid/western part of the Netherlands, are

increasing but smaller villages in the rural area

are expanding. By deploying more land for eco-

nomic activities the quality and openness of the

landscape are deteriorating.

The G-scenario depicts modest growth of living

areas but population size remains the same.

This is mainly caused by further dilution of

households and the preference for ways of

living demanding more land, particularly in the

rural area. Expectations are that urban growth

will be concentrated in the central and western

part of the Netherlands. There is an enormous

decrease in agriculture and greenhouses are

vanishing in many parts, especially around the

the lower part of the country, have been

thought of. For this project the Land Use scan-

ner has been provided with a Damage scanner.

This enables calculating economic damage and

human casualties at different water depths.

These numbers depend on the scenario, the

measures that are taken and the actual rise of

the sea level.

One of the adaptation strategies inthe Attention for Safety project is the

Terpenstrategie (Dwelling Mound

Strategy). This strategy is based on

newly-built quarters being raised as

far as +5 metres above the national

datum level (NAP). Research shows

that there is sufficient sand that can

be reclaimed at the North Sea to

raise the lower part of the

Netherlands (10.000 km2) by 10

metres. About 170 km3 would be

needed for this while 200 km3 isavailable from the North Sea. Further

analysis from TNO, the Netherlands

Organization for Applied Scientific

Research, shows that 100 million m3

sand from the North Sea is needed

on an annual base to raise the built

area within the dike-rings to such an

extent that the impact of sea level

rise and ground level decline are

minimal. At a price of 5 to 7 euros

per m3 hydraulic-fill sand this will

cost about half a billion euros,

around 2 per cent of the annual

building investments. Naturally this

leads to higher house prices but the

economical damage and the number

of victims will decrease in case of

flooding. Another strategy, called

Business As Usual, highlights the impact of only

taking normal measures such as dike enlarge-

ment, sand suppletion as a coastal defence sys-

tem, additional space for rivers, replacement of

storm surge barriers and other structures. By

putting the different strategies next to each

other costs and benefits can be compared anddifferent strategies can be compared. Eventually

the Attention for safety project is aimed at pro-

ducing a Discussion Support System, to stipu-

late the effectiveness of the safety perspectives

for long term developments. Besides the strate-

gies mentioned above a much broader range

of measures to protect water safety in the

Netherlands are discussed. This makes

Attention for Safety and LANDS important in

making the Netherlands climate proof.

Eric Koomen [email protected] is researcher at

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam/Spinlab and Geodan

Next in The Netherlands. Noor van der Hoeven

[email protected] works at Greenpeace

Nederland.

Hague. Some of the existing conservation areas

are expanding heavily and new conservation

areas are developed near rivers like the Waal,

the Rhine, the Maas and the IJssel. Clusters of

recreation areas will come into being in attrac-

tive landscapes, especially in the northern and

western part of the Netherlands.

Water SafetyThe LANDS-scenarios are providing input

for different projects within the Dutch

Climate Chan

geoinformatics 2008 vol05

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