Wireless GIS (w-GIS) for
real time data logging
Nitin K. Tripathi (Speaker)
Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok
Nitinkt@ait.ac.th
Phisan Santitamnont , CU
Pakorn Apaphant , GISTDA
Prasad R. Bauchkar, AIT
Vasan Choengsa-ard, AIT
Geo-Informatics &
Space Technology
Asian Institute of Chulalongkorn
Development
Technology
University
Agency
Introduction
• Emerging technologies, Internet, Wireless communication
and mobile computing device changing way of using GIS
• Growing demand for Internet due to real time information
needs
• Traditional static GIS became Wireless and operations
possible on the fly
• Wireless + Mobile Technology
Ready-to-Use GIS
Issues
• Traditional GIS is in static environment -Limitation
• GIS analysis should be possible through any browser
(no GIS software needed)
• Real time GIS needs data acquisition, upload, update and
retrieval directly from field
• Non-availability of comprehensive system for real time
data updating
Trend
Accessibility
Wireless
GIS
Internet
GIS
Desktop
GIS
Mainframe
GIS
Time
Wireless GIS
GPRS Network Operator
TCP/IP access to GPRS network
Internet
PDA + GPS
+Digital camera
+mobile phone
Web Server+
Dastabase+
Applications
3-Tiers Architecture
Web
Application
Spatial
Data
Repository
GIS Data
PDA
Web Browser
GPS Autoloading Program
Benefits - Open Source Software
•
•
•
•
•
Cut down budget
Opportunity for technology exploration
On-the-job training and education
Prototyping and demo
Excellent tools for research and
development
Minnesota MapServer
•
•
•
•
Developed at UMN Remote Sensing Lab
Funded by NASA “Mission to Planet Earth”
Started as Arc/Info AML generation script
Built on top of standard Open-source projects like
GD, FreeType, Proj.4 and libTIFF, Shapelib
• Implemented as a CGI program
• Written in ANSI C
• Source distribution : UNIX, Window
Interfacing with MapServer
Spatial Database Offerings
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
ESRI ArcSDE (on top of several different DBs)
Oracle Spatial
IBM DB2 Spatial Extender
Informix Spatial DataBlade
MS SQL Server (with ESRI SDE)
Geomedia on MS Access
PostGIS / PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL/PostGIS = SFSQL Spatial DB
• PostGIS spatially enables PostgreSQL by adding spatial objects, functions,
and indexing.
• PostGIS aims to be an “OpenGIS Simple Features for SQL” compliant
spatial database
• PostGIS is free software (GPL)
• PostGIS follows the OpenGIS Simple Features for SQL
• PostGIS is an important component in open and free GIS.
• PostGIS is an important building block for all future open source spatial
projects.
PostgreSQL/PostGIS = SFSQL Spatial DB
• Why choose PostgreSQL/PostGIS?
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
No cost (open source)
Supports most of the SQL standard
Ability to add new data-types
No limit on column size
Easy to add custom functions
One of the only open, respected standards
Participation by the major GIS/DB organizations
Other spatial DB are at least partially compliant
SFSQL provides complex functionality required by Web Feature Server / Web Map
Server
Wireless Spatial Data Logger Process
OUTPUT
Shape file
PHP
GPS
+
Attribute
MapServer
Wireless
Network
SUBMIT DATA
Raster file
RDBMS
PostgreSQL
+PostGIS
Program
GIS Data
Web Server
Map Viewer Process
OUTPUT
Shape file
PHP
Raster file
MapServer
Wireless
Network
RDBMS
PostgreSQL
+PostGIS
Program
REQUEST
GIS Data
Web Server
Spatial Relational Database Design
Hardware Profile
Hardware
Feature
Laser itouch P600
Pocket PC 2002
ipaq 3970
Pocket PC 2002
Compact Flash GPS
Inbuilt Antenna GPS Receiver
Compact Flash Camera
Mobile Device Camera
Extension Slot
Extension for Compact Flash cards
Field Test
1. Locate point of interest
3. View result
2. Submit upload form
4. Query by point
Samples of user interaction and available maps
Using the tool
Field Test
Applications
 Flood Monitoring
 Forest Fire
 Farm Management
 Map Updating
 Environment
 Natural disaster and hazard management
 Tourism
nitinkt@ait.ac.th
Contact
 Dr. Nitin K. Tripathi
Associate Professor
Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand
Phone : +66-2-5246392
Email : nitinkt@ait.ac.th
 Dr.-Ing. Phisan Santitamnont
Assistant Professor
Survey Engineering Department
Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
Tel : +66 (0) 2218-6661
E-mail : Phisan.S@eng.chula.ac.th
Workshop on
Wireless/Handheld Spatial
Data Logger
Nitin K. Tripathi
Phisan Santitamnont
Prasad R. Bauchkar
Vasan Choengsa-ard
Asian Institute of Technology
Chulalongkorn University
The Asian Federation of Information Technology in Agriculture
Introduction
Emerging technologies; Internet, Wireless communication
and mobile computing device changing way of using GIS
Growing demand for Internet due to real time information
needs
Traditional static GIS became Wireless and operations
possible on the fly
Wireless + Mobile Technology
Ready-to-Use GIS
Accessibility
Wireless
GIS
Internet
GIS
Desktop
GIS
Mainframe
GIS
Time
Problems
Traditional GIS is in static environment
GIS analysis should be possible through any browser
without GIS software installed
Real time GIS needs data acquisition, upload, update and
retrieval directly from field.
Non availability of system for real time data updating
Internet GIS
GIS + WWW
Internet GIS
Similar to the client-server architecture of the web
Users can access, manipulate and retrieve GIS data
without necessity of GIS software.
Thick client (Client) :
Display client request.
Client Side
Thin client ( Server) :
Store information and
executes client request
Server Side
Wireless GIS
Mobility + Wireless connectivity + GIS = Wireless GIS
Inexpensive hardware, standardized communication protocols
and innovative software made possible to deploy GIS
functionality in a mobile computing environment
Provide the facility to extract particular sets of information
where it is needed
A Simplified Cellular Network
Mobile
Switching
Center
Web
Hosts/Servers
• Wireless Technologies
Third Generation (3G)
General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)
Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)
Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN)
• 3G
ITU specification for the third generation of mobile communications
technology.
Bandwidth, up to 384 Kbps when a device is stationary or moving at
pedestrian speed, 128 Kbps in a car, and 2 Mbps in fixed applications.
Work over wireless air interfaces such as GSM, TDMA, and CDMA.
• GPRS
Standard for wireless communications
Runs at speeds up to 115 kilobits per second
• CDMA
A digital cellular technology that uses spread-spectrum
techniques
CDMA does not assign a specific frequency to each user Instead,
every channel uses the full available spectrum
• WLAN
A type of local-area network that uses high-frequency radio
waves rather than wires to communicate between nodes
Open Source
Free to use – no licensing fees
Duplicate software and installed on any machine
Full Access to source code
Highly responsive to end-user requirements
• Web Map Service (WMS)
Produces maps of georeferenced data
Maps are rendered in a pictorial format such as PNG, GIF or JPEG,
GetCapabilities (required): Obtain service-level metadata, which
is a machine-readable (and human-readable) description of the
WMS's information content and acceptable request parameters
GetMap (required): Obtain a map image whose geospatial and
dimensional parameters are well-defined
GetFeatureInfo (optional): Ask for information about particular
features shown on a map.
• Web Feature Service (WFS)
Retrieve geospatial data encoded in Geography Markup Language
(GML) from multiple Web Feature Services
Support INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, QUERY and DISCOVERY
operations on geographic features using HTTP as the distributed
computing platform
Client
WFS Request
WFS Response
Web Feature Service
(WFS)
Minnesota MapServer
• Originally developed as free map server software containing
various freeware systems - Shapelib, FreeType, Proj.4, libTIFF etc.
• Runs under Windows and UNIX operating systems, supports
various formats both raster and vector datasets.
• Relies on the CGI mode program, Map file and Template file.
Library Support
GD
C library for the dynamic creation of images PNG, JPEG
PNG
PNG support
Proj.4
Cartographic projection library
Freetype TrueType font support
OGR
Simple Features Library, C++ open source library supports vector
formats –ESRI Shape files, MapInfo tab, GML, Arc/Info coverage,
DGN, PostgreSQL
GDAL
Translator library supports raster geospatial data formats –
TIFF/GeoTIFF, JPEG, Arc/Info Grid, ENVI ESRI header, ERDAS
Imagine.
Map file
• Presented as ASCII file. configures basic information for Minnesota Map
Server mechanism such as map’s unit, projection and the path of the data.
• Used for object definition. Every mechanism is considered as object in Map
file like map object, label object, layer object, projection object, legend object,
class object and so forth.
Template file
• Required for rendering image on user's web browser
• HTML file with specially tagged replaceable parameters designated with
square brackets.
• When the map server receives queries from users, it reads the
Template file and generates map objects to reply to the users. The parameters
in the square brackets would be replaced by the exact path of the output file.
MapServer Using CGI
Web Browser
CGI-Request
(Mapserv)
Map
File
Minnesota MapServer (WMS)
HTML
Template
File
PostgreSQL
Geodatabase
Desired
Map
Spatial Database
The CGI mode program
The CGI mode program of Minnesota Map Server is called Mapserv – a
component to store all freeware systems.
Map Server executable is called directly from CGI mode, and renders the
entire HTML page based on parameters passed in the query string, and static
configuration files stored on the web server.
Map File Example
MAP
NAME
"thai"
STATUS
ON
EXTENT -231930.03916 459597.455047 1673801.76813 2365717.07906
SIZE
500 500
SHAPEPATH
"/usr/local/apache/htdocs/Thailand/data/"
SYMBOLSET
"/usr/local/apache/htdocs/Thailand/etc/symbols.sym"
FONTSET
"/usr/local/apache/htdocs/Fonts/fonts.list"
IMAGECOLOR -1 -1 -1
UNITS
METERS
IMAGETYPE
JPEG
WEB
TEMPLATE
IMAGEPATH
IMAGEURL
HEADER
TEMPLATE
FOOTER
"/usr/local/apache/htdocs/indice/indice.html"
"/usr/local/apache/htdocs/tmp/"
"/tmp/"
QHead.html
main.html
QFoot.html
LAYER
NAME
"province"
STATUS
DEFAULT
DATA
'province'
TYPE
POLYGON
UNITS
METERS
TEMPLATE
"QProvince.html"
CLASSITEM
'PV_NAME_E'
LABELITEM
'PV_NAME_E‘
CLASS
NAME
"province"
COLOR
255 187 169
OUTLINECOLOR 150 98 255
SIZE
1
END
END
WMS Result
PNG, JPEG, GIF
Query Map
PostgreSQL
Object-Relational DBMS
Uses a client-server model of communication
PostgreSQL can be extended by the user in many
ways, for example by adding new
 Data types
 Functions
 Operators
 Aggregate functions
 Index methods
 Procedural languages
PostGIS
Adds support for geographic objects to the
PostgreSQL object-relational database
Spatially enables, the PostgreSQL server,
allowing it to be used as a backend spatial
database for geographic information
systems
Spatial Data Logger
• System Development
PostGIS
PHP
PostgreSQL
Minnesota
MapServer
Spatial
Database
Client Interface
Application Software
Data Server
Software Profile
Software
Function
Apache Server 2.0.47
HTTP Web Server
Minnesota MapServer 4.0
MapServer
PostgreSQL 7.3.5
RDBMS
PostGIS 0.7.5
PostgreSQL extend
PHP 4.3.2
Server Scripting Language
Webmin
System Administration for Unix
Hardware Profile
Hardware
Feature
Laser itouch P600
Pocket PC 2002
ipaq 3970
Pocket PC 2002
Compact Flash GPS
Inbuilt Antenna GPS Receiver
Compact Flash Camera
Mobile Device Camera
Extension Slot
Extension for Compact Flash cards
Prototype Development
PostGIS
PHP
Wireless
Network
Query
PostgreSQL
Request
HTML Pages
Minnesota
Mapserver
Application Server
Web Server
GIS Data
Data Server
• System Flow
• CGI interfaces the client’s request with the apache web server
which further sends it to PHP compiler.
• PHP executes the request by invoking the necessary SQL
sentences for updating, uploading and deleting the information into
the PostgreSQL/PostGIS database.
• The request is now retrieved into the database and ready to display
through MapServer.
• The PostGIS layer is connected with MapServer through the
internal map file configuration providing geo-database access.
• PostGIS Layer
LAYER # This Layer is connected to the PosetgresSQL database table stationrid by postGIS
CONNECTIONTYPE postgis
NAME "stationrid"
CONNECTION "user=postgres password=star123 dbname=test host=localhost
port=5432"
DATA "the_geom from stationrid"
STATUS ON
DUMP TRUE
TYPE POINT
TOLERANCE 16
TEMPLATE "QStationrid.html"
CLASSITEM “stat_name”
LABELITEM “stat_name”
CLASS
SYMBOL 3
COLOR 75 55 200
SIZE 7
LABEL
FONT toomtam
COLOR 50 255 55
TYPE bitmap
SIZE small
POSITION AUTO
END
END
END
Upload Data Using Open GIS Function
<?php
$sid = $_GET["ID"];
$sname = $_GET["NAME"];
$lat = $_GET["XX"]; $lon = $_GET["YY"];
$con = pg_connect("host=localhost port=5432 dbname=test user=postgres
password=star123");
$res = pg_exec("INSERT INTO stationrid(id,stat_name,the_geom,srid)
VALUES($sid,'$sname',GeometryFromText('POINT($lat $lon)',23846),'$sid')");
pg_close($con);
?>
Results
The prototype is publicly available on the Internet at :
http://203.159.10.15/bangkok/user.html
Available Actions
• Samples of user interaction and available maps
Ratchathawi, Bangkok Map
Upload Data
Query Data
PostgreSQL Database
Database of Uploaded Points
Spatial Data Logger (SDL)
SDL
Ready to use GIS in real time.
Field Verification
1. Locate point of interest
3. View result
2. Submit upload form
4. Query by point
Field Test
Applications
 Flood Monitoring
 Forest Fire
 Map Updating
 Environment
 Natural disaster and hazard management

Tourism
Cost Estimation
• Software
No licensing fees for Open Source softwares
Freeware Softwares
• Hardware
Device
Cost (Baht)
Laser P600
25000
Camera
6500
GPS
8000
Contact
 Dr. Nitin K. Tripathi
Associate Professor
Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand
Phone : +66-2-5246392
Email : nitinkt@ait.ac.th
 Dr.-Ing. Phisan Santitamnont
Assistant Professor
Survey Engineering Department
Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
Tel : +66 (0) 2218-6661
E-mail : Phisan.S@eng.chula.ac.th