FOSS tools and applications for education in geospatial sciences

While the theory and implementation of geographic information systems (GIS) have a history of more than 50 years, the development of dedicated educational tools and applications in this field is more recent. This paper presents a free and open source software (FOSS) approach for education in the geospatial disciplines, which has been used over the last 20 years at two Italian universities. The motivations behind the choice of FOSS are discussed with respect to software availability and development, as well as educational material licensing. Following this philosophy, a wide range of educational tools have been developed, covering topics from numerical cartography and GIS principles to the specifics regarding different systems for the management and analysis of spatial data. Various courses have been implemented for diverse recipients, ranging from professional training workshops to PhD courses. Feedback from the students of those courses provides an invaluable assessment of the effectiveness of the approach, supplying at the same time directions for further improvement. Finally, lessons learned after 20 years are discussed, highlighting how the management of educational materials can be difficult even with a very open approach to licensing. Overall, the use of free and open source software for geospatial (FOSS4G) science provides a clear advantage over other approaches, not only simplifying software and data management, but also ensuring that all of the information related to system design and implementation is available

Free and open source software for geospatial applications (FOSS4G) to support Future Earth

The development, integration, and distribution of the information and spatial data infrastructure (i.e. Digital Earth; DE) necessary to support the vision and goals of Future Earth (FE) will occur in a distributed fashion, in very diverse technological, institutional, socio-cultural, and economic contexts around the world. This complex context and ambitious goals require bringing to bear not only the best minds, but also the best science and technologies available. Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial Applications (FOSS4G) offers mature, capable and reliable software to contribute to the creation of this infrastructure. In this paper we point to a selected set of some of the most mature and reliable FOSS4G solutions that can be used to develop the functionality required as part of DE and FE. We provide examples of large-scale, sophisticated, mission-critical applications of each software to illustrate their power and capabilities in systems where they perform roles or functionality similar to the ones they could perform as part of DE and FE. We provide information and resources to assist the readers in carrying out their own assessments to select the best FOSS4G solutions for their particular contexts and system development needs

WEB MAPPING ARCHITECTURES BASED ON OPEN SPECIFICATIONS AND FREE AND OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE IN THE WATER DOMAIN

The availability of water-related data and information across different geographical and jurisdictional scales is of critical importance for the conservation and management of water resources in the 21st century. Today information assets are often found fragmented across multiple agencies that use incompatible data formats and procedures for data collection, storage, maintenance, analysis, and distribution. The growing adoption of Web mapping systems in the water domain is reducing the gap between data availability and its practical use and accessibility. Nevertheless, more attention must be given to the design and development of these systems to achieve high levels of interoperability and usability while fulfilling different end user informational needs. This paper first presents a brief overview of technologies used in the water domain, and then presents three examples of Web mapping architectures based on free and open source software (FOSS) and the use of open specifications (OS) that address different users' needs for data sharing, visualization, manipulation, scenario simulations, and map production. The purpose of the paper is to illustrate how the latest developments in OS for geospatial and water-related data collection, storage, and sharing, combined with the use of mature FOSS projects facilitate the creation of sophisticated interoperable Web-based information systems in the water domain

Free and open source GIS in South America: political inroads and local advocacy

Geographical information systems (GIS) practitioners worldwide enjoy a growing array of free and open source software (FOSS) options. This software has expanded the accessibility of GIS in economically developing countries while fostering local technical expertise. This article reviews FOSS GIS uptake and advocacy in South America, especially how it relates to a climate of political friendliness toward FOSS in the region. The use or absence of FOSS GIS is assessed in public-facing web maps in South America, first at the national government level, and then at the provincial level using Argentina as a country of study. Local technical support groups and software development initiatives surrounding FOSS GIS in South America are then summarized. Finally, three case studies are presented of notable efforts to build FOSS GIS technical communities at the local level: the FOSSGIS Brasil online magazine, the Geoinquietos Argentina professional network, and the FOSS.4GIS.GOV conference in Brazil. A study of the leaders, dynamics, and practices of these groups can inform others in similar circumstances around the world who are trying to promote FOSS GIS adoption, development, skills, and services

A Web GIS-based Integration of 3D Digital Models with Linked Open Data for Cultural Heritage Exploration

This PhD project explores how geospatial semantic web concepts, 3D web-based visualisation, digital interactive map, and cloud computing concepts could be integrated to enhance digital cultural heritage exploration; to offer long-term archiving and dissemination of 3D digital cultural heritage models; to better interlink heterogeneous and sparse cultural heritage data. The research findings were disseminated via four peer-reviewed journal articles and a conference article presented at GISTAM 2020 conference (which received the ‘Best Student Paper Award’)

Proposal of an Academic Spatial Data Infrastructure for the Federal University of Viçosa

Universities use and produce significant amounts of cartographic data. Besides the administrative sector, which is responsible for the management of the territory, several research, education and extension projects also involve large volumes of maps and other types of spatial information. However, much of the data produced in higher education institutions is lost in laboratories or in the possession of researchers - making it impossible to reuse this information and doubling expenses in the reproduction of such data. An Academic Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) would enable the availability and standardization of spatial data produced in higher education institutions. Understanding this potentiality, the article at hand describes the development of an Academic SDI for the Federal University of Viçosa (SDI-UFV). In order to identify all the elements to be provided by the SDI-UFV, we began with the conceptual modeling of existing data and user needs. For the implementation of this SDI, we had to establish partnerships with the administrative bodies of the university. This helped us to define an institutional structure that ensures the management, maintenance and continuity of the SDI within the university. We proposed the appointment of a permanent commission and a resolution model. Regarding the technological components, we decided to use Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). We used the PostGIS database management system, the i3Geo software for the publication of spatial data, the edpMGBs editor for creating metadata, and the GeoNetwork software for managing the metadata catalog. The standards adopted were those approved by the Brazilian National Spatial Data Infrastructure (INDE), which follow the standards of the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC)

Using GeoTools to Implement the Multi -Criteria Evaluation Analysis : Weighted Linear Combination Model

Multi-Criteria Evaluation Analysis (MCEA) is a decision making method employed to solve optimization problems that require the evaluation of a set of criteria to build an optimal decision. Where MCEA is integrated with GIS, optimization problems with spatial aspects, such as finding the best location of a facility across an area, could be solved. MCEA is implemented through different criteria decision rules among of which is the Weighted Linear Combination (WLC) which has five different phases: 1) criteria definition, 2) criteria normalization, 3) weights definition, 4) criteria weighting, and 5) weighted criteria sum-overlaying. Free and Open Source GIS Software (FOSS GIS) is getting more popular. Indicators on this popularity include: 1) the number of governmentally funded projects, 2) the number of downloads, 3) and the increasing number of use cases of open source GIS software. Some governments have even decided to replace their proprietary software with FOSS software. Implementation of MCEA models in GIS software varied among loose-coupling, tight-coupling, and full-integration. In loose-coupling, GIS and MCEA are coupled through a file exchange mechanism. In tight-coupling, both systems share a common interface. In full-integration, custom programming scripts could be written to implement different MCEA tasks and models. Previous studies showed that most GIS software have limited capabilities to perform MCEA except for IDRISI, Common GIS, ILWIS, and TNT-GIS. Among of them, only ILWIS is an open source software distributed under GPL license. In this thesis, a desktop computer application, MC-Analyst, has been developed using GeoTools, a Java open source GIS software library, Java SE 1.7, and NetBeans IDE 7.3 to implement MCEA-WLC model. The milestone works of the thesis included: 1) The feasibility of using FOSS in general and FOSS GIS in specific was researched, 2) A survey of the literature that researched previous efforts and implementations for integrating MCEA in GIS software was carried out, 3) Experiencing software development using a FOSS GIS library, GeoTools, in order to address strength and weakness points for development using GeoTools and FOSS GIS, and 4) Some recommendations concerning future development approaches to produce better integrated MCEA and FOSS GIS systems were addressed for future works. To test MC-Analyst, a previous case study that located best sites to build solar farms in Colorado was employed. The output of the case study application was examined by altering input criteria weights for the main layers of solar DNI, distance to transmission lines, and distance to primary roads in the GIS-MCEA/WLC model. Different outputs found as expected that when a higher weight had been given to one criterion, the final suitability result showed noticeable higher suitability in areas where that factor was considered optimal. Raster and vector data processing capabilities of GeoTools were explored to perform basic GIS functions and it showed strong support for such functions. It was also found that in order for MC-Analyst to work as a standalone fully integrated Multi-Criteria Spatial Decision Support System (MC-SDSS), it would require other tasks that are found in common desktop GIS applications such as re-projection, clipping, and resampling. Therefore, re-using the source code of an open source desktop GIS application such as uDig or gvSig and integrate the developed MCEA-WLC model with it to produce fully integrated MC-SDSS could be of great interest for future development for FOSS GIS community. This would create an effective product that might compete with effective proprietary GIS software that implements MCEA models. The study showed also that before choosing a software library to start with, the development team should be acquainted with other possible open source and free software applications and libraries in order for the development process to be smooth and to output a productive application.Optimization problems exist in many disciplines. Regardless of the field in which the optimal solution is sought, all optimization problems share a common nature; seeking the best possible solution that must meet a set of criteria which are defined by a group of experts or professional shareholders in the field of the optimization problem. Therefore, by combining an optimal solution seeking methodology (Evaluation Analysis) and the multiple criteria of the problem (Multi-Criteria), a new term emerged, Multi-Criteria Evaluation Analysis (MCEA). MCEA is used with Geographic Information Systems (GIS is an information system that stores, processes, analyzes, and presents geographic information) to solve optimization problems that have a spatial nature such as finding optimal locations for some kind of facility or activity. Some implementation of MCEA models have existed in some GIS packages. IDRISI, Common GIS, ILWIS, and TNT-GIS are major GIS software that provided some kind of implementation of MCEA models. Among the four GIS software, only ILWIS is a Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). FOSS GIS is getting more popular. Indicators on this popularity were listed in the thesis. As FOSS GIS is getting more popular, a great potential of MCEA implementation is found in FOSS GIS. In this thesis, a desktop computer application, MC-Analyst, has been developed using GeoTools, an open source GIS development kit, to implement a MCEA model. MC-Analyst benefited from GeoTools's strong support for basic GIS functions that made MCEA model implementation easier. To test MC-Analyst, a previous case study that investigated a spatial optimization problem to evaluate Colorado landscape to locate best sites for solar energy farms in Colorado was employed. The different outputs that resulted from different inputs to MC-Analyst were analyzed and found as expected. The study demonstrated FOSS integration and concluded that developing a fully-integrated and competent spatial decision support system could be of great interest for future development for FOSS GIS community. The study also concluded the necessity for a developer to be acquainted with other possible and different FOSS GIS software components in order for the development process to be smooth and to output productive applications

On the role of GIS technology in Geospatial Education (QGIS vs ARGIS)

In the teaching of modeling concepts and spatial analysis, a major role play technologies and software. Anyhow main aim at the education is the teaching of concept independently on what kind of technologies and software will be used. The latter might be grouped in two categories: the commercial software and Open Source software. In this article emphasises the role of GIS technologies at the process of teaching and it is fulfilled an analysis advantages adn disadvantages between both software: commercial software ArcGis, and so called “Open Source” QuantumGis. Taking in to consideration the financial possibility of the educational institutions and also the complexity of its functionalities, it suggests that Qgis might be an acceptable alternative at the process of teaching and the practice at GIS lab

Web Mapping technologies for the valorization of slow tourism: the Via Regina project

The practice of slow tourism denotes a sustainable way of living the territory based on environmentally-friendly forms of transportation, the appreciation of nature and the rediscovery of local history and cultural identity. Technological advancements in ICT, mostly in the domain of GIS, nowadays represent an essential mean to give new insights to this kind of activities. This work presents a rich implementation of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) Web Mapping technologies to valorize slow tourism in the charming naturalistic area of Via Regina. This is an ancient cultural route overlooking Lake Como (Northern Italy) and defining a system of slow mobility paths – ideal for hiking and/or biking – which spans the mountainous region at the border between Italy and Switzerland. First, a mobile app is developed which allows tourists to report a wide range of points of interest while travelling around the paths. Along with a huge amount of other geospatial data (e.g. the authoritative data provided by local administrations and the paths surveyed by hikers associations), this crowdsourced information is made available within a standard 2D Web viewer. Services for routing as well as the computation of terrain profiles of paths are also implemented. Finally a virtual globe-based platform provides 3D data visualization while also offering a set of collaborative functionalities. Besides proving the efficiency of FOSS, the work provides a modern reinterpretation of the slow tourism concept which, along with the current technological possibilities, can simplify and at the same time enrich the travellers' experience