XXIII International Cartographic Conference
4-10 August
Moscow 2007, Russia
SYNCHRONISATION OF VARIOUS DATA REGISTERS
WITHIN THE CONCEPT OF A MULTI-RESOLUTION
TOPOGRAPHIC DATABASE FOR POLAND
(abstract)
Bac-Bronowicz J. 1,Gotlib D.2 Olszewski R.2,
1
2
) Institute of Geodesy and Photogrammetry, Wroclaw Academy of Agriculture, Poland
) Institute of Photogrammetry and Cartography, Warsaw University of Technology, Poland
The concept of development of a multi-resolution database, as a key component of
the NSDI appeared in Poland several years ago. The outline of the first ideas in this field was
presented, among others, during the previous ICA Conference in La Coruna: „SDI in Poland –
concept of topographic reference system for thematic, harmonized databases” (Gotlib,
Iwaniak, Olszewski, 2005). In that paper the authors presented the concept of harmonisation
of reference databases, existing in Poland, as the first step towards the creation of the MRDB
type database. Those concepts resulted in launching the research and implementation Project
No. 6 T 12 2005C/06552 “Methods and procedures of integration, visualization,
generalization and standardization of state geodesic and cartographic resources databases and
their usage in creating thematic databases”. This Project has been carried out by the Wrocław
Academy of Agriculture and it was commissioned by the Ministry of Science and the Head
Office of Geodesy and Cartography, in co-operation with five marshal (province) offices. The
contractors in the Project are universities, research institutes and GIS laboratories from the
State Geological Institute (PIG) and the Office of Forest Management and Forest Geodesy
(The Directorate of State Forests). This paper presents the current results of research and
implementation works performed within this Project.
The objective of this Project is not only to propose the rules of development of a
multi-resolution reference topographic database for the entire country, but also to develop
assumptions and develop the project of integration of various registers of spatial data in
Poland. The existing registers are maintained by various state institutions; co-operation of
those registers has been considerably limited. Therefore, the development of a complex
concept of the reference, MRDB database would allow to create a platform of integration of
state registers of spatial data. At the same time, the multi-resolution topographic database
should be developed in such a way that it could become the basis for development of official
thematic databases.
At present, as the topographic background, those works (maps and geographic
databases) utilise outdated information acquired from topographic maps, which were issued
many years ago, or from the VMap L2 database, developed basing on an analogue, 1:50 000
scale map. That is why in many cases, various institutions, which create thematic databases
and maps must independently update topographic data. Results of those processes are not
utilised for the needs of updating of the state resources of geodesic-and-cartographic data.
Such an approach often results in multiplication of the same works, i.e. development of many
databases, integration of which is very difficult. On the other hand, developers of thematic
databases have access to several topographic databases: VMap, TBD, BDO. However, they
are highly differentiated and not mutually related databases.
Coherent mechanisms of data exchange from many state registers (as the State
Register of Borders, the State Register of Geographic names, the Register of Territorial Units
– TERYT, the Hydrographic Division Database of Poland etc.) have not existed. Introduction
of one, coherent
topographic database may change this situation and allow for
synchronisation of those registers.
Unfortunately, due to economic purposes, it is not possible to create, maintain and
continuously update the Topographic Database for the entire Poland, with the highest
assumed accuracy level (similar to 1:10 000 topographic maps). Therefore another solution
has been proposed which would shorten the time for data acquisition and allow for acquire
detailed data for those areas, where such data are acquired, as for example, areas of the future
investments or areas hazarded with flood. The developed concept assumes that the reference
database will be created for two (or more) levels of conceptual generalisation, corresponding
to the scale of 1: 10 000 (TBD1) and 1: 50 000 (TBD2). Utilisation of an orthophotomap,
carried out from 1:26 000 scale aerial photographs will allow to maintain the similar level of
geometric accuracy and the complete topological coherence of the entire database.
The general idea of the multi-resolution database is illustrated in Figure 1.
Fig. 1 The idea of a multi-resolution database. Detailed data for selected areas (TBD1) and for
other areas more generalised data (TBD2), with maintenance of the coherent model of the
entire database. Possibility to “densify” data for selected areas.
The proposed concept is based on two basic assumptions:
1) The necessity of maximum utilisation of the existing resources of data,
2) The possibility to maintain certain level of autonomy of particular databases and the
possibility to perform stage synchronisation with remaining databases.
Thus, the presented concept does not assume to develop one, integrated spatial database in
Poland, but a system of databases, the core of which will be the multi-resolution topographic
database.
The most important databases, which are to be synchronised within the Project, and proposed
data flows between those databases are presented in Figure 2.
Fig. 2 The most important databases within NSDI with specification of elements to be
reviewed within the research Project.
The following databases and processes, which will be reviewed in details within the Project,
are specified by numbers in the above Figure:
A. Databases:
I.
Topographic Database, in its version of limited content and decreased accuracy –
TBD2
II.
The system of administration of the State Register of Geographic Names - PRNG
B. Processes:
1. The process of supplying the TBD Database with selected cadastral data
2. The process of supplying the TBD2 Database with data from the VMap L2
Database
3. The process of supplying the TBD2 Database with the DTM data of lower
accuracy, acquires from the LPIS (Land Parcel Information System) Database
– discussed in a separate paper
4. The process of supplying the TBD Database with data from the State Register
of Borders (PRG), including the process of data generalisation
5. The process of supplying the TBD Database with information on geographic
names, including names of localities and hydronimes
6. The process of supplying the TERYT Database (The National Register of
Administrative Units – Localities and Streets) with information on names of
localities
7. The process of supplying „the Gazetteer” of military cartographic services with
information on geographic names,
8. The process of supplying the BDO Database (The General Geographic
Database) with data from the TBD Database (generalisation of the TBD data)
The main difficulties related to implementation of the proposed concept are, among others:
- differences in the conceptual model of the cadastral and TBD Databases, which make data
exchange and integration difficult,
- differences in the conceptual model of the VMap and TBD Databases,
- selection of the possibly minimum set of data, which would create the TBD2 Database,
which would – at the same time – maintain the features of a topographic model and meet
users’ requirements,
- organisational and formal issues related with introduction of changes in technology of
development of thematic databases, performed by various institutions, such as the Head
Office of Geodesy and Cartography (GUGiK), The Central Statistical Office (GUS), the
Polish Geological Institute (PIG) and the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management
(IMiGW),
- generalisation of the TBD data for the needs of generation of maps at smaller scales than
1:10 000 and for the needs of creation of a database at the scale level of 1:200 000,
- methodology of visualisation of multi-resolution data.
The paper will describe in details solutions for the most important issues listed above.