MapServer Deployment in Environment Canada

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MapServer DeploymentinEnvironment Canada
Tom Kralidis Integrated Environmental
Applications Branch Knowledge Integration
Directorate Environment Canada
09 June 2004
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Environment Canada

• Departmental Overview
• MapServer Implementations
• Benefits
• Questions

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Environment Canada

• Departmental Overview
• MapServer Implementations
• Benefits
• Questions

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Environment Canada

• Federal Government Department dealing with
• Reporting on Canadas Environment
• Collection and dissemination of Environmental
  Information
• Clean Environment
• Nature
• Weather and Environmental Predictions
• Management, Administration and Policy
• Working with other environmental organizations

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Environment Canada

• Importance of Decision Making
• Reporting, Tracking, Forecasting
• Analysis
• Importance of Information
• Timeliness
• Informed
• Reliable

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Environment Canada

• Large
• Department
• Numerous
• Regional
• Offices/Facilities

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IM Perspectives in Environment Canada
Integrated Data Information Shareable
Data Useable Data Identification of Data
Knowledge
EC Moving Towards Connectivity
Integrated Discovery, Access, and Use of
Environmental Data
Develop an architecture that allows for any API
2005
Build capacity in ability for others to share
Applied geospatial area environmental management
projects
2004
2nd year Focus on the architecture that allows
any partners to connect
EC commits to two years of levied monies for
development of CISE projects/program
2003
1st year Make environmental information
available in four key theme areas
2002
Ask Canadians what they want for environmental
decision-making
2001
CISE Task Force formed
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Environment Canada

• Abundance of data
• Legacy Databases (circa 1800s)
• Location-based reports
• XML
• Spreadsheets
• Data exists and maintained (Good to go)
• Enablement of location-based environmental data

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EC Implementations

• Graduating to Information as Web Services
• Publishing
• Consuming
• Departmental Interoperability
• Fusion of information across activities
• Plug-and-play with complimenting infrastructures
• National/Provincial CGDI, NLWIS, NFIS, LIO, NSDI
• International NSDI, INSPIRE, AUSLIG

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Canadian Information System for the Environment
(CISE)

• Answer Canadians' need for integrated
  environmental information to assist in
  decision-making
• Integrating information from across the country,
  across jurisdictions, and across issues

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Canadian Information System for the Environment
(CISE)

• Theme areas
• Air, Water, Climate, Biodiversity
• Architecture built upon OGC specifications
• Data Visualization
• Data Access
• Data Discovery
• Metadata

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RésEau

• Focus on watershed-based pilot projects
• Informing Canadians for enhanced decision-making
• RésEaus deliverables are aligned with five key
  areas as identified in the Treasury Board
  proposal

• Focus Areas
• Mapping the sources open data sources.
• Mapping the services open applications.
• Dissemination strategy information and tools.
• Watershed management Pockwock example of how
  interoperability leads the development of
  watershed management solutions.
• Engaging youth water from a youth perspective.

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Environment Canada

• Departmental Overview
• MapServer Implementations
• Benefits
• Questions

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EC MapServer Implementations

• CISEViewer
• Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network
  (EMAN)
• Ontario Regional Information System for the
  Environment (ORISE)
• Bird Studies Canada
• Ecostratification
• Water Quality Web
• Canada Newfoundland and Labrador Aqua Link (CANAL)

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CISEViewer

• Web Mapping Application to showcase EC data
  through OGC / CGDI specifications
• Uses Chameleon to connect to data via
  standards-based services
• Integrated Environmental Information Holdings
• Air
• Water
• Climate
• Biodiversity
• Currently internal application
• Data QA tool

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CISEViewer

• Integration of partner agency online services
• NRCan NTDB OGCWMS
• Atlas of Canada OGCWMS
• Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
  Ecostratification OGCWMS, OGCWFS)
• Canadian Geographical Names Service (OGCWMS,
  OGCWFS)
• NIMA World Placename Lookup Service (OGCWFS)
• NRCan Postal Code Lookup Service (OGCGML)
• FGDC ZIP Code Lookup Service (OGCGML)
• NRCan NTS Lookup Service (OGCGML)

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CISEViewer
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CISEViewer

• Uses Chameleon extensibility to add new widget
  functionality
• Subject matter/ theme-based information
• Air
• Water
• Climate
• Biodiversity

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EMAN NatureWatchWeb Services Enablement

• Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network
• http//www.eman-rese.ca/
• NatureWatch
• http//www.naturewatch.ca/
• Community / Citizen based science monitoring
  programs
• IceWatch
• PlantWatch
• WormWatch
• FrogWatch
• Input of Observations using accepted field data
  collection protocols

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EMAN NatureWatchWeb Services Enablement

• Use of UMN MapServer
• Publishing
• OGCWMS (Visualization)
• OGCWFS (Data Access)
• Cron job to generate shapefiles of observations
  using Perl Mapscript

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EMAN NatureWatchWeb Services Enablement

• Small level of effort
• Afternoon implementation session
• Next steps
• Connect directly to database (Port to PostGIS ?)
• Seamless upgrade for MapServer
• Need only to update data bindings

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EMAN NatureWatchWeb Services Enablement

• New functionality launched January 2004
• Map of the Week on GeoConnections Discovery
  Portal (February 2004)
• First EC publicly available OGCWMS and OGCWFS

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EMAN NatureWatchWeb Services Enablement
Integration with partner agency data through
interoperability

• Placenames
• (CGNS)

• Observations
• (NatureWatch)

• Basemaps
• (Atlas)

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PYR Water Quality WebWeb Services Enablement

• Use of UMN MapServer
• Publishing
• OGCWMS (Visualization)
• OGCWFS (Data Access)
• Consuming
• Use of MapSurfer to connect to MapServer based
  data
• Export of OGC Web Map Context Documents

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PYR Water Quality WebWeb Services Enablement
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PYR Water Quality WebWeb Services Enablement

• New functionality launched March 2004
• In alignment with departmental Water Quality
  Services Initiative

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ORISE

• Ontario Regional Information System for the
  Environment
• Decision Support for Ontario environmental
  information
• Multi-jurisdictional
• Federal
• Provincial

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ORISE

• Chameleon
• Rapid Application Development
• Extensibility for domain requirements

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ORISE

• MapServer
• Quick deployment of robust OGC services

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Canadian Bird Portal

• Partnership
• Bird Studies Canada
• Miistakis Institute
• Portal
• Access survey data
• Breeding bird surveys
• Christmas bird counts
• Bird banding recoveries
• Important bird areas across Canada

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Canadian Bird Portal

• Use of MapServer
• (recent convert!)
• Publish to WMS and WFS
• Small level of effort
• Data already in place
• 8-10 emails!

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Environment Canada

• Departmental Overview
• MapServer Implementations
• Benefits
• Questions

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Benefits

• Supports Specifications
• No charge to acquire (licensing, etc.)
• Code Extensibility / Customization
• Contribution to main dist
• Quicker turnaround time for upgrades to serve
  direct needs and requirements
• e.g. MapServer ODBC Simple Points support

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Benefits

• Platform independence
• Easier to use
• Enables increased capacity within organization
• Higher awareness among developers

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MapServer Deployment inEnvironment Canada

• Questions
• Thanks!
• Tom Kralidis
• tom.kralidis at ec.gc.ca