XML for geoscience data – standards-based developments

Simon Cox

CSIRO Exploration & Mininghttp://www.ned.dem.csiro.au/CoxSimon/

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Geospatial data in the web world

Internet is an extension of the desktop

DEM, Hydro,Infra - AUSLIG

httpAssay data -Contractor

Geological Map- GSWA

Tenement Map – Mines Dept

Magnetic Anomaly

Map - AGSO

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Geoscience Data types

maps

geophysical surveys & images, remote sensing

drill-holes (3-D, 1-D)

interpreted geology (3-D)

ore-body-models, block-models (3-D)

CAD mine-plan, pit-shells, shafts & driveways, stopes (3-D)

plant, trucks (4-D?)

samples, assay data

reports (0-D)

etc …

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A lot more than maps!

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Open geospatial standards

OpenGIS Consortium (OGC) Industry oriented membership consortium Open specifications ISO is abstract level, OGC is implementation level Accelerated development cycle

technical committee meets bimonthly “web year”

Based on Feature model

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OGC’s Web-based geospatial specifications

Web Map Service

Web Feature Service

Registry/Catalog

Coverages

Annotations

Geospatial Fusion Services

gif, jpeg, png, ...

XML (GML)

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Open Geospatial Services

client

Response - GML

Request - WFS

Feature server

datastore

ArcXML

ArcIMS ArcSDE

Oracle,filesystem,ObjectStore

etc ...

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Standardised XML-based languages MathML

SVG - Scalable Vector Graphics – 2-D graphics

X3D - VRML in XML – 3-D graphics

SMIL - Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language – TV on the web

WML - Wireless Markup Language – the Web on your cellphone

XHTML – webpages on speed

SOAP, UDDI, WSDL, XML/EDI - B2B components

MRML - Mind Reading Markup Language

ArcXML - request/response/portrayal codes in ArcIMS transactions

XML customised for Geoscience information?

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OGC’s Geography Markup Language

Encoding ISO/OGC Feature Model Serving features with semantics over http Lossless data transfer in other contexts

e.g. between desktop tools, sneakernet

GML 2.0 – 20 Feb 2001 (Eds. Cox, Cuthbert, Lake & Martell) W3C XML Schema

GML is used in an application schema i.e. a domain-specific feature-catalogue

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eXploration & Mining Markup Language

GML for geoscience uses open software standards compatible with open infrastructure standards multiple vendor support

Semantics match geoscience requirements

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Open Geospatial Services

client

Response - GML

Request - WFS

Feature server

datastore

Geoscience data - XMML

XMML is GML-for-geoscience

Development requires domain expertise community agreeement

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Priority feature types

Samples – geochemistry, assays, (geochronology?)

Drillholes

Geophysics Grid, TIN, point-sampled “coverages”

Solid geology, structure

Maps?

Stratigraphy & classifications?

Wrappers for “reports” and other textual data?

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Section view

Example Feature Type: drillhole

Map view

Observations Collar Location (Point

Property) Shape (Linestring Property)

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GML Components Use GML components in domain-specific

feature-types

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Section view

Example Feature Type: drillhole

Map view

Observations

Survey

Continuous logs

Intervals

Horizons

Point observations

Position is 1-D arc-length from collar

Collar Location (Point Property)

All these are “logs”

Shape (Linestring Property)

Samples

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Coding a drillhole in GML <xmml:Borehole gml:fid="CGQ-0001" … > <gml:boundedBy> … </gml:boundedBy> <md:metadata> … </md:metadata>

<xmml:collarLocation> <gml:Point> … </gml:Point> </xmml:collarLocation> <xmml:holeShape> … </xmml:holeShape> <xmml:holeLog>

<xmml:HoleSurvey gml:fid="survey1"> <map:points> <map:PointArray … /> </map:points> <xmml:orientations> <xmml:TangentList … /> </xmml:orientations> </xmml:HoleSurvey> </xmml:holeLog> <xmml:holeLog>

<xmml:PointLog gml:fid="log1"> <gml:name>CONTACTS</gml:name> <map:points> <map:PointArray … /> </map:points> <map:observations> <osf:ObservationSet osf:count="12“ osf:scheme="ContactCodes … /> </map:observations> </xmml:PointLog> </xmml:holeLog> <xmml:relatedFeature>

<xmml:Sample gml:fid="SAMP-03"> <xmml:location xlink:href="#xpointer(id('contactLocations'))“ … />… <osf:observationProperty> <osf:Code osf:scheme="schemes.xml#SampMaterial">Till</osf:Code> </osf:observationProperty> </xmml:Sample> </xmml:relatedFeature> <xmml:holeLog>

<xmml:IntervalLog gml:fid="log8"> <gml:name>Setup</gml:name> <map:patches> <xmml:IntervalSet osf:count="2“> … </xmml:IntervalSet> </map:patches> <map:observations> <osf:ObservationSet osf:count="2"> … </osf:ObservationSet> </map:observations> </xmml:IntervalLog> </xmml:holeLog>

<xmml:holeLog> <xmml:PointLog gml:fid="log9"> … </xmml:PointLog> </xmml:holeLog> </xmml:Borehole>

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Why use GML based encoding?

Open data standard Not limited to single vendor architecture Clients will access data from multiple servers in single session Any WFS conformant server: Oracle SDO, ArcIMS, MapInfo

server

Supports domain-specific semantics “drillhole” not “linestring” Common coding for 3-D, 2-D, 0-D customised using W3C XML Schema

Separate meaning from presentation

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Support

GML OGC members - Oracle, Intergraph, MapInfo, ESRI, POSC, IBM,

Microsoft ... Adopters - Ordnance Survey, US Census Bureau, NSW (CANRI)

XMML $ - MERIWA, Fractal Graphics, CSIRO, WMC, Placer-Dome,

Snowdens, AGSO + state surveys, BGS? In-kind - RCI, Surpac, Fugro, Micromine, Terra Search, Metech,

Pasminco Collaborators - CGKN , USGS

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XMML + WFS applications Data download from web

All Survey and Open-file data can be delivered in common format Geoscience data mixed and matched with data from any WFS

compliant server

Data upload through web data to contractor for processing, order-form to lab for analysis between agencies into consolidated data-stores Statutory reporting – “features” loaded direct into data-store

Archive metadata & data use same technology

Lossless data transfer, on desktop, over the web Multiple exploration software applications Inter-office collaboration Applications developers can focus on their distinctive features

E-business friendly Transaction control, security provided by generic web-business tools

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Summary

Data sharing in Geology, Exploration & Mining between apps, between orgs

Leverage internet technology B2B infrastructure, XML for data

Leverage open multi-vendor spatial technology “Feature” data model, GML standard, web-hosted service

model

XMML “tagset” for geology and mining rich semantics, customised to domain

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More information?

Website http://www.ned.dem.csiro.au/XMML/

Mailing list http://www.ned.dem.csiro.au/mailman/listinfo/xmml-public/

Documentation http://www.ned.dem.csiro.au/XMML/docs/

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XMML vs. NADM

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Pro’s and cons of Feature Model?

Feature model matches modern GIS applications AM/FM, telecoms, marketing

… but has performance limitations for continuously varying properties (c.f. categorical properties) E.g. Geophysics –look at “functional-mapping” approach

O-O model looks like a good match to Geology “mine”, “ore-deposit”, “fault”, “bed”, “formation”

… but early binding sometimes requires interpretative judgements Change feature-type? Change classification? Classification level?

Use just for transfer

Your local application will almost certainly need a different datamodel natively

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An alternative O-O model

NADM - North American Data Model for geologic maps USGS/GSC working group

Spatial item(occurrence)

Description(Observations and

measurements)

Concept(classification,

type)

All occur at instance-level of model

Associations between these generate object semantics enforces another level of indirection …

Feature?

Feature-type?

Map + legend

“Accompanying Memoir”

A complete NADM object

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Intro to XML

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Analysing a dataset

header - various components

title

body of report, with references to supporting material

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HTML presentation markup

<html><head><title>Sample report</title></head><body>

<h1>Sample Report</h1>

<img align="right" src=“mugshot.jpg"><h2><i>J. Q. Geologist</i></h2><h3>Huge Resources<br>PO Box 999<br>Digemup<br>WA</h3><p><i>Created:</i> 1999-11-08<br><i>Last Modified:</i> 1999-12-01</p><hr>

<img align="right" src="locmap.gif"><p>We report the results of a drilling program. The <a href="log.dbf">drill-log</a> database and <a href="chem.xls">assay</a> results are available separately. </p><p>Etc ...</p>

</body></html>

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<xml><report id=“259”>

<cite><title>Sample Report</title><author> <name>J. Q. Geologist</name> <portrait src="jqg.jpg” /></author><organisation>Huge Resources</organisation><address> <street>PO Box 999</street> <locality>Digemup</locality> <state>WA</state></address><date type="created">1999-11-08</date><date type="modified">1999-12-01</date></cite>

<related label="drill log database" href="log.dbf” /><related label="assays" href="chem.xls” /><description>We report the results of a drilling program</description><map src="locmap.gif” />

</report></xml>

XML semantic markup

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XML - structured data in clear-text

<contacts>

<person id=“RogersonRick”> <name> <given>Rick</given> <family>Rogerson</family> </name> <affiliation> <name>GSWA</name> <address> … </address> </affiliation></person>

<person id=“RootJonathon”> … </person>

<person id=“HortonMike”> … </person>

…

</contacts>

<drillhole id=“we368>

<collar north=“369.5” east=“114” elev=“342” />

<survey> <observation depth=“5” azimuth=“141” incl=“85” /> <observation depth=“19” azimuth=“135” incl=“87” /> <observation depth=“29” azimuth=“130” incl=“88” />...</survey>

<log> <interval top=“7” bottom=“13”> <lith scheme=“AGSO” code=“62” /> <cu method=“A” value=“256” /> <au method=“C” value=“2.5” /> </interval> <interval top=“13” bottom=“21”> <lith scheme=“AGSO” code=“64” /> <cu method=“A” value=“134” /> <au method=“C” value=“1.8” /> </interval>… </log>

...

</drillhole>

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XML benefits

Structured data, clear-text, self-describing, web compatible

Standard (free) software components – parsers & libraries easy to upgrade legacy applications software

Standard (free) transformation tools data display format (HTML, SVG, X3D) data other data formats (Shapefile, CSV)

Enables clean separation of content and presentation

Name your own tags machine readable schemas (DTD, XML Schema, Schematron)

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Standard processing pipeline

Styling processor

XSLT

rules

Visualisation

SVG

X3D

ReportHTML

Legacy Applic-ations

shapefile

CSV

Data in XML (XMML)

XML Schemadata model

informationpresentation

validation

transformation

One data file many output formats