Geospatial Data Visualization
Data visualization for geospatial data, that means tabular data with associated geographical indications, is a crucial functionality. It allows scientists to investigate on produced distribution probability maps, to analyze the results of some geospatial processing or to retrieve graphically the distribution of environmental features. The number of elements making up a distributed storage system for geographical layers can be difficult to setup, along with a visualization utility for that. The Geospatial Data Visualization is a set of utilities for retrieving and visualizing information stored on a distributed geospatial layers network.
This document outlines the design rationale and high-level architecture of such components.
Overview
Geospatial Data Visualization provides the following facilities:
- the ability to retrieve layers from a distributed network based on the GeoNetwork software;
- the ability to visualize layers coming from different kind of datasources;
- the ability to add, modify and investigate those layers from a graphical interface.
The entire system is helped by the following technology:
- Geo Network: a software for realizing a distributed network of WMS or WFS layers;
- Geo Server: a software allowing users to share and edit geospatial data.
In summary, the Geospatial Data Discovery system provides distributed, researchable or to be generated, environmental features associated to geographical points or areas.
Key Features
- uniform model and access API over environmental data
- heterogeneous external datasources investigation;
- uniform access to OGC compliant services.
- pluggable external sources
- a plug-in based architecture allows for an easy attachment of new datasources.
- data consumption with OGC standard protocols
- it is possible to produce data under standard protocols like WFS, WCS, WMS etc.;
- it is possible to perform processing requests by means of standard protocols, like WPS.
Subsystems
Geospatial Data Discovery clusters within the following component:
- The Gis Viewer
- The Geo Explorer
