Open Source Solutions for a Open Source Solutions for a

Growing Atlas of CanadaGrowing Atlas of Canada

Douglas O’BrienJune 10, 2004

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Presentation outline

• What is the Atlas of Canada• Evolution of the Atlas Online• Current software solutions• Philosophies leading to decisions

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The Atlas – addresses the Government’s priorities of the time

Issues

1st edition (1906) Transportation Networks*, Populating the Country, Natural Resources

2nd edition (1915) Update of 1st edition, plus Climate

3rd edition (1957) Natural Resource Development,

Industrial Development

4th edition (1974) Communications, Canada in the World – Exports

5th edition (1993) Native Issues, Health and Welfare, Ethnic Diversity

6th edition (current) Aboriginal, Resource-dependent Communities, Climate Change, Water, Healthcare Delivery, Biodiversity …

* transportation was a unifying theme in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd editions

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1300+ MAPS

Environment

People and Society

Economy

Historical

Reference

Climate Change

Health

Freshwater

Partnerships

Natural Resources Canada•Resource Reliant Communities•Forestry•Mining•Energy•Geology

Other departments•Statistics Canada•Agriculture•Health•Environment•Indian and Northern Affairs•Fisheries & Oceans

Users

General Public•Find-a-place•Subject information

Education•Subject information•Tools

Science/Policy Experts•Communication•Tools for visualization and analysis•Information for analysis

Communities of Practice•Tools and services for visualization•Access to distributed information

WebFrameworksReference mapsCGDI/services

FrameworksCommunicationsMapping tools

GeoConnections

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The Atlas – what does it do

• addresses current national issues:• deals with information and relationships to other information*.

• engages partners from many federal agencies, NGOs etc.

• reaches a broad Canadian audience. • general public, especially students and teachers.

• is a key component of the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (GeoConnections Program):

• a point of entry for the public.

• a consistent implementation demonstrating best practices.

• re-usable (representations, services and data).

* the Atlas contains maps, explanatory text, analysis, commentary, graphs, charts, pictures etc.

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Some numbers

• Over 300 interactive maps, most with multiple layers, as part of a hierarchy of issues/themes/topics with associated text and related information

• Over 1,000 static maps (primarily scanned previous editions).

• Each month, 180,000 users make 380,000 visits to the Atlas and view over 450,000 maps (initial views only).

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1997

1994/95

19992002

2004

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Atlas Online 1994/1995

• Internally developed web mapping application as technology prototype.

• Limited set of data layers at 1:30M scale dealt with as secondary in importance.

• A few partners, most internal to Natural Resources Canada.

• Little thought to user interaction.

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Atlas Online 1999

• Custom application built on “off the shelf” ESRI Map Objects.

• Improved information content presented at 1:7.5M scale.

• Increase in partnerships across government.

• User interaction based on “we know best”.

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Atlas Online 2004

• Custom built application based on open source software.

• Information content presented at scales up to 1:1M.

• Waiting list of partnerships across government.

• User interaction strongly based on user-centric design.

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Open/free software solutions for the Atlas

• Red Hat Linux• Zope• PostgreSQL/PostGIS• Python• OpenLDAP• Tripwire• Apache• PHP• University of Minnesota

MapServer

• University of Minnesota MapServer

• GDAL/OGR• PROJ• MapLab• Analog• Darwin Quicktime

Streaming Server• M3Cat

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Apache Reverse Proxy Cache

End User Browser

Zope Application Server

UMN MapServer CGI

Z Objects Database PostgreSQL

Concise Gazetteer WFS(CubeWerx CubeSERV)

WMS Interface(Selected Layers Only) M3Cat Metadata

Catalogue

WMS Clients

Shape Files

Current Atlas Online publishing architecture

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Main interactions

• The Atlas has Zope at its core, utilizing additional packages such as Localizer, mxmRelations, WFSAdapter, TranslationService, CMF.

• Zope & MapServer: The key Mapping Component object is designed to interact with the UMN MapServer. Its proxies requests between the end-user and the MapServer CGI, generating a web page from the output of MapServer, repeating the process to obtain the legend.

• Other Zope interactions including PostgreSQL and M3Cat.

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Using service interfaces

• The Atlas publishes base information through OGC WMS specifications.

• The Atlas reads information layers through OGC WMS specifications.

• The Atlas accesses Gazetteer information through a WFS interface.

• The Atlas publishes high level services, such as find-a-place, through open, custom web based interfaces.

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Some technology philosophies

• Importance of separating data, services and presentation.

• Information management and publication are two different things.

• Value of open standards to interconnect services.• Iterative approach – anything is possible, but

nothing is perfect.• Own what you must, and influence all that you can.

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Embracing an open approach

• The Atlas collaborates with GeoConnections, a national partnership initiative, to provide Canadians with Internet access to geospatial information - information about the geography, environment and natural resources base of a country.

• The Atlas consumes and publishes information through the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure through open interfaces.

• The Atlas works with partners to develop national scale framework data sets which are made freely available for common use.

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Why use open source solutions

• The Atlas is not looking for an out-of-the-box solution – the need to be something extra.

• Open source provides a balance between custom-built and out-of-the-box solutions.

• Open source solutions are purpose built which means that they are efficient at what they do.

• Support is good for popular solutions.• But, experience/expertise may be a limiting factor.

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Future growth for the Atlas

• Expanded Reuse– High level service to embed the Atlas, as the official mapping

source, into non-mapping web sites.

• Advanced Interaction– Customizable user interface to target specific client groups.

– Advanced analytic capabilities and visualization (dynamic, 3d, …)

• Increased access to information– Incorporate discovery and access of a wide range of geographic

data from a wide variety of sources.

– Incorporate larger scale information down to local reference layers, and local, distributed thematic information.

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http://atlas.gc.cahttp://atlas.gc.ca