Geodata conversion & interoperability

Dr Nigel TroddCoventry University

Converting data: R2V – V2R

Most, but not all, GIS can handle raster & vector data

Many GIS functions have been implemented for only one data model

Users of GIS frequently have to rasterise vectors & vectorise rasters

rasterisation

Some complications? 1

2

Vectorisation: many more complications

Project based file conversion

Corporate interoperability

interoperabilityWhat? Why?In a perfect world all data would come in one data format… but the world is not perfect!!Therefore, we adopt standard procedures & protocols to describe dataIf a GIS complies with these standards then it can read the data, …no matter what its’ internal format.

Partial interoperability

Making interoperability happen: formats & standards, procedures & protocols

de facto industry formats software vendors e.g. ESRI ‘shp’, Google Earth KML

National / international standardse.g. Ordnance Survey NTF

Web-based open standards… HTML, XMLe.g. Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) specificationsGML, WMS, WFS

Interoperability in action

Local governmentMultiple stakeholders in the planning processVirtual Planning Environment

DEM,weather

data

Naturalenvironment

Legacy data

Simulationdata e.gacoustic

properties

3D IFCschema

Legacy applications

Visualisations & interactions

OO databasesRelational databases

Builtenvironment

Topographic,Infrastructure

data

Health,crime dataHuman

environment

Multispectralimages

Other files

Files

Simulation & prediction models

e.g. GIS viewer …

Research applicatio

ns

Legacy data

Sta

nd

ard

Layers

INTELCITIES applications

Legacy applications

VR / AR visualisations & interactions

OO databasesRelational databases

Files

Simulation & prediction models

Naturalenvironment

Builtenvironment

Humanenvironment

summary & conclusion

• The future is bright, the future is

InteroperableGIS