Cost Optimization in Geospatial Technology

International Journal of Futuristic Science Engineering and Technology

Vol 1 Issue 4 April 2013 ISSN 2320 – 4486

Cost Optimization in Geospatial Technology Santhi Swarup Manugula Faculty in Centre for Spatial Information Technology, JNTU,

Hyderabad-500085

ABSTRACT:

The daily use of geospatial technology, such

tools

as the global positioning system (GPS),

effectiveness and it can be customized

geographic information systems (GIS), and

according to user needs. Also, various spatial

remote sensing (RS), is increasing.

queries can be made for better decision

Increase in the number of commercial and

making. They are helpful in monitoring

open source tools for geospatial applications

various rural development schemes run by

have resulted in confusing environment

government. To demonstrate the use of free

among students / researchers, institutions and

available software i.e. free open source

consultants while selecting software tools.

software

Also geospatial software applications require

management, a system was designed for

more time and money in design and

extracting geospatial information content

development.

from spatial database and practical issues

Software

Cost

optimization

plays

an

important role in many projects. Though

provide

facilities

(FOSS)

for

such

as

geospatial

cost

data

during development are described in this paper.

number of tools are available for web based spatial information system, each one of them

Keywords: Cost optimization , FOSS, Free

have some restrictions, such as license,

Open source software, geospatial technology.

availability

of

skilled

person,

etc.

To

overcome such problems, open source tools are better solutions. Open source geospatial

Santhi Swarup Manugula

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International Journal of Futuristic Science Engineering and Technology

Vol 1 Issue 4 April 2013 ISSN 2320 – 4486

INTRODUCTION:

To overcome such problems, open source

The free software movement was launched in

tools are better solutions. Open source

1983. In 1998, a group of individuals

geospatial tools provide facilities such as cost

advocated that the term free software should

effectiveness and it can be customized

be replaced by open source software (OSS) as

according to user needs. Also, various spatial

an expression which is less ambiguous and

queries can be made for better decision

more comfortable for the corporate world.

making. They are helpful in monitoring

With open source software, generally anyone

various rural development schemes run by

is allowed to create modifications of it, port it

government.

to new operating systems and processor

This paper is mainly for the requirement of

architectures, share it with others or, in some

two purposes

cases, market it.

•

Cost optimization

Even though of tools are available for web

•

Satisfy the basic requirements in

based spatial information system, each one of

GIS/Image Processing activities

them have some restrictions, such as license, availability

of

skilled

person,

etc.

To

overcome such problems, open source tools

Advantages of Open-source Geospatial Tools

are better solutions. Open source geospatial

•

Access to source.

tools

•

Enables

provide

facilities

such

as

cost

development

of

highly

effectiveness and it can be customized

customized applications based on

according to user needs.

client’s needs.

In India most of the rural area people cannot subscribe

commercial

software.

•

Though

number of tools are available for web based spatial information system, each one of them

end-user needs. •

No licensing fees.

•

Resources are allocated for building

have some restrictions, such as cost, license, internet connectivity, availability of skilled person, etc.

Development priorities are driven by

the applications. •

No licensing multiple machines.

•

Interoperability, adoption of open specifications.

Santhi Swarup Manugula

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International Journal of Futuristic Science Engineering and Technology

Vol 1 Issue 4 April 2013 ISSN 2320 – 4486

•

Developers listening to users directly.

analysis

•

Issues can be resolved in-house.

3D

•

Affordable and high quality.

editing for optimal view findings

•

Open source software has fewer

Rich projection and coordinate system

defects, because if defects are present,

library

they get repaired faster

Geo-statistical analyses, with Kriging

Free as in freedom.

for improved interpolation. Production

•

visualization

with

interactive

and visualization of stereo image pairs Spatial Multiple Criteria Evaluation

OPEN SOURCE GEOSPATIAL TOOLS:

Set of operations on DEMs/DTMs and 1) Integrated

Land

and

hydrological processing

Water

Information System (ILWIS) •

ILWIS is PC-based GIS & Remote

ILWIS

Sensing software, developed by ITC

has

extensive

up to its last release (version 3.3) in

documentation and help files

2005. ILWIS comprises a complete

2) GeoServer

user

package of image processing, spatial

GeoServer is an open source software server

analysis and digital mapping. It is easy

written in Java that allows users to share and

to learn and use; it has full on-line

edit

help, extensive tutorials for direct use .

interoperability, it publishes data from any major

•

Tech support available

geospatial

spatial

data.

data

Designed

source

using

for

open

Key features:

standards. Being a community-driven project,

Integrated raster and vector design

GeoServer is developed, tested, and supported

Import and export of widely used data

by a diverse group of individuals and

formats

organizations

On-screen

and

Comprehensive

transformation

the

world.

GeoServer is the reference implementation of

image

the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), Web

tools

Feature Service (WFS) and Web Coverage

georeferencing,

Service (WCS) standards, as well as a high

set

image

around

digitizing

tablet of

processing Orthophoto,

from

and

mosaicing

performance certified compliant Web Map

Advanced modeling and spatial data

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International Journal of Futuristic Science Engineering and Technology

Vol 1 Issue 4 April 2013 ISSN 2320 – 4486

Service (WMS). GeoServer forms a core

of type text or numbers you can also store

component of the Geospatial Web.

point, polyline or polygon data.

It can access databases like PostGIS, in addition to the dozens of other vector and raster formats. It supports feature labeling and

The

data

structure

of

NRDB

Pro

is

hierarchical. This means that, for example, you can represent the administrative structure

has a great user community.

for your project area and calculate statistics based on this.

3) Quantum GIS (QGIS) Quantum GIS (QGIS) is a user friendly Open

NRDB Pro is also a time-series database, all

Source Geographic Information System (GIS)

data has a date associated with it. You can

licensed under the GNU General Public

therefore observe changes over time in the

License. QGIS is an official project of the

data.

Open

Source

Geospatial

Foundation

(OSGeo). It runs on Linux, Unix, Mac OSX,

All data for the NRDB Pro is stored in a

and supports numerous vector, raster, and

single database file which can be redistributed

database formats and functionalities.

with the software. The database structure consists of features

4) Natural

Resources

Database

(NRDB)

and attributes. You define these in the Data Dictionary. You can define a structure that meets the needs of your project. NRDB Pro is

NRDB Pro

therefore is applicable to a wide range of environmental / socio-economic projects in

NRDB Pro is a free GIS tool for developing

developing countries.

and distributing environmental databases. It was designed to provide people in developing

Queries:

countries with a powerful yet simple tool to assist in the managing of their own resources.

As well as simple selection of features and

Database: The Natural Resources Database is a spatial database. As well as storing data

Santhi Swarup Manugula

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International Journal of Futuristic Science Engineering and Technology

Vol 1 Issue 4 April 2013 ISSN 2320 – 4486

attributes to display on maps, graphs and reports you can also use queries. These give you more control over what is displayed. With queries you can apply conditions, e.g. only select data for 2002 or display only households that are not formal settlers and are living in makeshift housing. Queries can also be used for calculating statistics. You can for example count the number of households below the poverty threshold by municipality. You could also normalize this by dividing it by the number of households in each municipality. Spatial data can be imported from shape files In the same way that you can add layers to

or text files. NRDB Pro also includes a utility

maps, by selecting values or using queries,

for georeferencing image files scanned from

you can also produce reports.

paper maps. You can then digitize directly using the NRDB Pro software. we can also export map layers to shape files.

Digitizing, Import and Export

Uses

Data can be encoded directly into the NRDB


NRDB software can assist with the

Pro software. You can also encode data into a spreadsheet and then import it into the NRDB

following sorts of projects:
Monitoring the effect of management

Pro

and

software.

Santhi Swarup Manugula

impacts

on

environmental

resources.

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International Journal of Futuristic Science Engineering and Technology


Collating

information

environmental

on

management

Vol 1 Issue 4 April 2013 ISSN 2320 – 4486

6) PostGIS

and

PostGIS adds support for geographic objects

organisations, so as to coordinate

to the PostgreSQL object-relational database.

effort more effectively.

In effect, PostGIS "spatially enables" the


Storing socio-economic information

PostgreSQL server, allowing it to be used as a

spatially, so as to relate services to

backend spatial database for geographic

need.

information systems (GIS), much like ESRI's


Production

of thematic maps

of

SDE or Oracle's Spatial extension. PostGIS

environmental concerns to assist in

follows the OpenGIS

advocacy work.

Specification for SQL" and has been certified


As a tool for training in environmental management and spatial mapping. 5) POSTGRESQL

"Simple Features

as compliant with the "Types and Functions" profile.

• Recent advances in the domain of spatial technology:

PostgreSQL is an object-relational database management system (ORDBMS) based on POSTGRES, Version 4.2, developed at the

Recent advances in the domain of spatial

University

Berkeley

technology are making considerable impact in

Computer Science Department. POSTGRES

planning activities. This type of planning is

pioneered

became

more important in countries like India where

available only in some commercial database

rural population is more and is having

systems much later.

variations in geographic patterns, cultural

of

California

many

concepts

at

that

activities, etc. One of the strongest points in PostgreSQL is an open-source descendant of

favor of open source geospatial tools is that

this original Berkeley code. It supports a large

they are cost effective. By using open source

part of the SQL standard and offers many

geospatial tools, planning work can become

modern features: complex queries, foreign

simpler and cost effective. It is helpful in

keys, triggers, views, transactional integrity,

monitoring the rural development schemes

and multiversion concurrency control.

and various spatial queries that can be run for analyzing the problem.

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International Journal of Futuristic Science Engineering and Technology

Vol 1 Issue 4 April 2013 ISSN 2320 – 4486

Various maps can be generated using open

improvement and data update, particularly,

source geospatial tools, which provide an

for models with dynamic and real time

added dimension to data analysis by Geo-

information.

visualization.

• The simple GUI and user friendly way to query/extract the village level information.

• Administrative Map, Village Location Map,

• Users do not need professional GIS

State Highways Map, Major District Roads.

knowledge,

• Map of Village Roads, Light Vehicle Roads

complex hardware and software as web based

(Matelled,

systems are platform independent.

Un-matelled),

Roads

Under

training

or

expensive

and

construction, Prime Minister Roads under

• Allow public and stakeholders to access and

Construction.

participate in planning and decision making

• Map showing Child and Maternity Welfare

processes.

Centre’s,

• Other facilities such as education, market

Ayurvedic,

Allopathic,

Homeopathic Hospitals, Community Health

changes,

Centres,

information of government schemes can be

Public

Health

Centres,

Base

Hospital, District Hospital, Civil Hospital,

agriculture

information

and

made available through the same system.

Women Hospital etc. • Perennial Water bodies Non Perennial

CONCLUSION:

Water bodies of District, Forest Cover of

This paper also deals with the following

District, Agriculture Land map, etc.

issues.

• Service area map, showing accessibility of

• Open source software can solve some of

service facility from villages or to villages.

rural

• Map showing drought affected area, flood

administrative challenges and create a viable

affected area can be prepared.

& cost effective technology for the provision

India's

social,

political,

and

of health, education, and other social services.

The main advantages of the system

• Open source geospatial tools provide an

are:

added dimension to data analysis which helps

• Centralized control over data & model

in visualizing the real world complex

resulting in lower costs for hardware,

problem.

software,

and

• It’s easy to modify using source codes of

training as well as more efficiency in model

software tool rather than building new which

Santhi Swarup Manugula

distribution,

maintenance

272

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International Journal of Futuristic Science Engineering and Technology

facilitates

the

conservation

of

financial

•

resources.

Vol 1 Issue 4 April 2013 ISSN 2320 – 4486

QGIS, (2008) website. [Online]. Available: www.qgis.org

• Voluntary organizations can get better software tools for spatial and non spatial

Author:

study helping in planning and management

-

Santhi

Swarup

B.Tech.,(Civil).M.Tech

for development work with less cost.

(Remote having

• •

•

•

•

ILWIS, (2008), (The Integrated Land and Water Information System), website. [Online]. Available: www.itc.ni/ilwis/default.asp. Intermap’s Product Handbook and Quick Start Guide, Version 3.3, 2004. NRDB, Natural Resource Data Base, 2010, website [Online], Available: http://www.nrdb.co.uk PostGIS, 2008, Supporting object for PostGRESQL, Website [Online]. Available: http://postgis.refractions.net PostGRESQL, 2008, ORDBMS Sql server for spatial data, website [Online].Available: http://www.postgresql.org GeoServer, 2008, Geographical Information System Web Server, website [Online]. Available: http://www.geoserver.org

Sensing) 14

experience

REFERENCES: •

Manugula

years

and of

(Civil.,GIS/

Photogrammetry/ Remote Sensing)

worked

with

National & International Clients in various MNC in various roles from GIS Engineer to Dy. General Manager.

.

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