THE UNIFORM GEO-INFORMATION SYSTEM UKRSCES
I.Loyeva, T.Gavrilova, R.Lisovsky, U.Prudius
The Ukrainian Scientific Centre of Ecology of the Sea (UkrSCES) is the
leading scientific and research institute of the Ministry of Natural Environmental
Protection of Ukraine in the field of marine ecological investigations. UkrSCES
has completed comprehensive studies of marine ecosystems, ecological impact
assessments, chemical analyses of the Black and Azov Sea basin. UkrSCES is
nominated as the Activity Center for Pollution Monitoring and Assessment
according to the Black Sea Environmental Programme in scientific researches
on special monitoring programs, biological effects of pollution, environmental
quality standards and information exchange, scientific co-ordination of work of
the research institutions on national and international level, coordination of
regional training exercises in monitoring, pollution assessment and control and
participation in fulfilment of the Black Sea Contingency Plan ( forecasting oil
spill movements, sensitivity mapping of the coast to oil spills, ship crisis
monitoring during accidental oil spills). It maintains a fleet of research vessels.
Information needs of users about the real objects and events of our world
contain a spatial component. Modern geo information technologies (GIS) allow
to work with geographical information and enable to represent non-comparable
data at the first sight in their incorporated kind and to support a wide spectrum
of applied problems, including the tasks connected to environmental problems.
UkrSCES processes a big enough programme-technical potential, of geo
data on the ecological condition of marine and coastal water areas of the Azov
and Black Sea basin. The task consists in maintenance of the availability of
information to all potential consumers in the view of safety requirements to data,
copyrights and administrative restrictions within the framework of the uniform
complex approach and preservation of conceptual unity as the whole.
Development of the Concept of a Uniform Geo-information System
(UGIS) and its realization were carried out within the framework of the ТАСIS
Programmes (1997-2000., 2002-2004). In the framework of UGIS a corporative
network which has united scientific departments of UkrSCES was created and
has ensured to the institutes scientists functioning of the "Sea-base" database
which is constructed on the MS SQL server 2000 platform. Licensed ESRI
software (ArcSDE 9.0 and ArcIMS 9.0) enables users to create cartographical
databases and to publish them on the global Internet, to generate GIS community by creation of their own geographical network, and the main thing to
be the participant of the World Geographical Network. Fig.1 presents the
element scheme of the Uniform Geo-information System (UGIS).
Scientific
www.sea.gov.
vessels
ua
SQL server
LAN
workstati
ons
Analytic
laboratorie
s
SDE
IMS
Fig.1 Scheme of the Uniform Geo-information System (UGIS)
One of the basic components of UGIS is the relational "Sea Base"
database. In the database except of our own ship observations there are historical
data which were received within the framework of international exchange. Data
are loaded in the Data bank and compile of more than 17000 oceanographic
stations in the Black and Azov Seas.
UkrSCES data base “Sea Base” was created in 2002. In 2005 it was
reorganized. The data base at the present time is functioning on the MS SQL
Server 2000 platform. The average quantities of parameters are 279. They exist
in 3 languages: English, Russian and Ukrainian. The structure of the new
version of DB is presented in 22 tables on the following information:
 General meteorological information;
 Hydrology and hydrochemistry;
 Geology;
 Pollution in bottom sediments;
 Pollution in water;
 Metals in water;
 Metals in bottom sediments;
 Poly aromatics in water;
 Poly aromatics in bottom sediments;
 Chlorine organics in water;
 Chlorine organics in bottom sediments;
 Radioactive elements in water;
 Radioactive elements in bottom sediments;
 Macrozoobenthos;
 Phytoplankton;
 Fotosyntetic pigments;
 Meyo benthos;
 Microphytobenthos;
 Macrophytobenthos;
 Methods.
Each sea station where investigations are made, is identified by a platform
of name of the research program, time and spatial parameters. Each parameter,
in turn, is identified by sample number, the environment of sampling (biota,
water, sediments, air, etc.), the technique of measurement, the analytical
equipment by means of which the analysis are made, personification
characteristics and an attribute of quality (quality label).
A logic structure of the data base "Coast base" is now under development
It is submitted by the following information:
Geography
 Urban
 Roads, railways
 Pipelines
 Electrical
 Agriculture
 Land using
Pollution sources
 Underwater and coastal pollution sources
 Rivers as pollution sources
 Ports and shipping pollution sources
 Industrial pollution sources
 Domestic pollution sources
Natural-recreation potential
 Reservations and protected territories
 Recreation resources
 Mineral waters and mud’s
 Bio resources
Assessment
 Human health
 Biological risk
 Economic risk
Storage of cartographical data and their linking to the control systems of
"Sea Base" and “Coast base” are carried out by means of Arc SDE. This
software provides an opportunity of simultaneous multi user editing of spatial
data by clients using UkrSCES local network and representations of geo data for
separate transactions. Using the mechanism of Arc SDE will provide
management of information flows and will lower requirements to hardware
resources at end users of the information, working as an application server.
Besides the above mentioned functions Arc SDE gives access to clients of
the network working with ArcView 3.2., ArcEditor 9.0, carrying out their
inquiries for receiving various kinds of geo data for using them in local
projects. At the present time local projects which provide the needs of scientific
researchers for the analysis of data, by system methods ArcView 3.2, and
original program developments: «Initial data processing of expedition data»,
«Vertical analysis», «Hydrological division of specific shelf zone areas with
conservative markers applications».
Arc IMS represents a powerful system of mapping using Internet – Fig 2,
which provides an environment for creation and distributions of services and
the data through the Internet. With the use of Arc IMS it is possible to deliver
simple focused GIS applications and given to simultaneously to a big amount of
users both inside the organization, and via external Internet networks. Arc IMS
works with the multi user geo data base that is controlled through Arc SDE. Arc
IMS allows to carry out typical inquiries to the Data Bank by users which are
not using special software for work with the geo data, or not having the
sufficient rights for formation of direct inquiries to the data base control system
. The system allows to connect the developed specialized modules of the
analysis and data processing, carry out modeling and situational forecasting. Fig
2
Fig 2 Arc IMS processing
The major objective is to develop web-based capabilities to facilitate
environmental analysis and data presentation for the Black Sea coastal region.
The purpose is to support regional environmental strategies to protect and
preserve the resources and the natural environment in this region. The developed
website will also provide necessary information to research communities,
government agencies and concerned citizens in order to effectively assess and
monitor the ecological conditions for the region. Fig 3 presents an example of
UkrSCES web – map service development that is at the present time under
constriction.
Fig 3. Arc IMS map – service to develop web-based capabilities to
facilitate environmental analysis
and data presentation for the Black
Sea coastal region of Ukraine and Ukraine as the whole
Detailed objectives are:
 To acquire and integrate geographical feature data, which will
include administrative boundaries, road networks, population
distributions, and socio-economic statistics.
 To identify land-based sources of pollution, evaluate the quality of
coastal waters, and assess environmental conditions in recreational areas.
 To estimate, track and predict changes of ecological conditions in
the region as a whole and in separate areas
 To present the data developed in a web-based environment to
facilitate effective communications and interactions among scientists,
decisions makers, and general public.
 Database development will provide the key information for the
WEB. Through the database following data layers will be developed:
 ecological charts based on an inventory of features (industrial and
municipal sources of coastal pollution, recreational zones, tanker
routes, winter resting and spawning areas for fish);
 ecological charts based on estimates of features (biogenic pollution
of coastal waters (eutrophication), chemical pollution of coastal
waters, maps of recreational potential)
 ecological charts for decision makers (maps of marine water quality
and bottom sediments of the region, zoning of coastal waters by water
quality criteria)
 ecological charts for the public.
The GIS cartographical database «Electronic Atlas - Natural Resource
Potential of the Coastal Zone and Sea Water Areas of the North Western part of
Black Sea» further will be placed and published on the UkrSCES WEB Site
using Arc IMS technologies –Fig 4.
Fig 4. Electronic Atlas - Natural Resource Potential of the Coastal Zone
and Sea Water Areas of the
North Western part of Black Sea with Arc
IMS service
UkrSCES has sufficient potential to provide interactive environment
services to the interested consumers for allocation of cartographical and
scientific ecological information on the UkrSCES WEB Site, carry out
information linking with the Secretariat of the Black Sea Commission,
International Centers and Special Regional Centers on Pollution Monitoring and
Assessment of the Black Sea for information exchange and coordination of
actions.