Abstract

The new GIS on the Internet technology allows the evaluation and dissemination of environmental information to any interested user in several user levels and types of applications. Governmental or city environmental departments have usually large GIS databases. Due to the European legislation, they are forced to publish environmental and other information to the public. The Internet technology allows nowadays to disseminate the related environmental GIS information to any interested user very fast and easy to access. In several European funded projects three types of potential users have been considered: Sophisticated High-End Users, such as governmental or city departments, universities, research organizations; Desktop Users such as homes, schools, interested public etc. and Low-End users using one way predefined information from a server such as the publication of environmental conditions at an electronic information panel. Traditionally environmental data are used for information on the condition of the environment at a special location, in a selected area and displayed with an adequately selected scale.
More sophisticated users and organizations also want to work with the data and produce their own results due to their organizational requirements. Therefore they need to combine the data with their individual methods such as environmental modeling, calculation of eco-balances, application of distribution models or environmental risk assessments etc.
The presentation shows examples of technology application and development as well as actual examples from ongoing project and consulting work of Esri Germany.

USER REQUIREMENTS AND LEVELS

Different users have different user requirements and queries to environmental databases.
City administrations, governmental Institutions and their environmental agencies are often data providers as well as data users. Regional users such as homes, schools, universities, planners or political parties and the public require more aggregated information.
Remote users such as the European Environmental Agency, other European Agencies or city departments as well as the or interested public on the INTERNET are interested in receiving Meta database information and sources of environmental data.
According to the user requirements analysis of several environmental projects, three levels of typical users have been identified:

• Low -End Public Users
• Sophisticated Desktop Users
• High -End Data Providers and users

These users need different levels of GIS and database software such as professional GIS and DB software for the High-End Users, Desktop and PC solutions for desktop users and imbedded GIS and database functions for Low-End Users.

APPLIED GIS - AND INTERNET TECHNOLOGIES

The common client-server architecture of such systems connects the user via standard telematics technologies such as ISDN to the Environmental data base server.
Several prototype software applications have been developed with standard GIS programming tools under ArcView and Avenue.
The server provides with the implemented software tools the answers to the user requests and delivers the needed data formats to transfer the requested information via the network to the user.

TECHNOLOGY IMPLEMENTATION

The adapted GIS Solutions are based on the Esri - GIS Internet technology to provide GIS and related attribute data by user access in a client-server- architecture. At the server side SDE and Geodata are provided via MapObjects Internet server to the HTML Browser with Java Script and MO active at the client side. The navigation through the environmental databases is supported by user-defined interfaces: developed in several projects with the end user. The GIS solution provides therefore for the user a distributed GIS with MapObjects and Intranet at the server side and dynamic Internet access at the clients computer.
The upscaling of the current technology is based on the implementation of Java technology also on the server side using wrapper classes as well as Java scripts on the client. Map-objects client-server technology builds the top-of the spatial database engine of an environmental database. Providing all necessary software tools in form of a` GIS Internet developers Kit` for environmental data access, allow the Implementation of an environmental Geo - data server and the upgrading of the interfacing of the developed Navigators to the providers Web-site via the WWW so to interactively respond to remote client-user requirements at acceptable speeds and resolution requirements.

Different technologies are affecting the Internet applications:

• Faster and cheaper computing
• high resolution satellite imagery and fast image processing technologies
• GPS and automated GIS data gathering
• multi- media and fast communication networks.

To process and apply environmental information to the user via a multi-tiered client/server architecture, this has to be applied with three logical levels of services:

• A data logic and service logic for the environmental data server,
• A application logic for the application server, and last not least
• a presentation logic for the end user ( Client)

On the environmental data server professional GIS software is installed such as UNIX ArcInfo, an INTERNET Server software and a Common Gateway Interface (CGI) software to switch between GIS and INTERNET data structures, as well as to access GIS and attribute data via INTERNET.
The environmental and planning database is organized by a standard SQL database e.g.ORACLE or others combined with the special GIS database technology SDE (Spatial Database Engine) for extremely fast multi-user access and query of GIS- and attribute information
The software technology in the current applications is based on standard GIS Internet and User Interface technology: ArcView, MapObjects, SDE, IMS ( MapObjects Internet Map Server), HTML, J++,Java Java script, ActiveX, CGI/Part Script and WEB Browser Software, and others.
The combination of different software technologies is needed for the final implementation of an environmental information server.
Beside very fast query and multi-user GIS data access such as provided by SDE technology, a META DATA CATALOGUE software has to be installed, to allow logical and helpful user guidance and navigation through the data bases provided at the server. The implementation of security and billing tools is also necessary to have environmental databases adequately secured.
Also new, simple and fast desktop GIS functionality has to be provided such as ArcViews spatial and network analysis. Embedded GIS solutions are necessary for low end - one way information applications - provided with MapObjects technology on INTERNET.

INFORMATION SOURCES

Most of the existing environmental data are spatial referenced. Therefore GIS plays a major role in environmental application projects. Typical data sources are therefore existing maps, GIS databases, pollution measurements, attributes and statistics, remote sensing data, and dynamic data such as traffic data, emissions etc.. Also documents, hypertext and images are typical sources. Most of the environmental measurement data is stored under standard SQL technology, also data of technical infrastructure, utilities, public transportation and services etc..

PROTOTYPE DEVELOPMENT

To create an information system for many different types of databases the prototype solutions has to be simple, pragmatic, stick to standards and also easy to maintain and to use. The prototype has to take into account that data preparation and preprocessing has to be combined with existing models (e.g. air quality, noise distribution), the existing communication server system and the telematics systems to transfer the data and to control access and distribution to the clients. Different types of clients user interfaces related to the type of access such as touch screen terminals, large display terminals, broadcasting and television, teletext and TV access systems or INTERNET access have to be realized.

EVALUATION METHODS

Based on existing database query and GIS technology e.g. environmental measurement databases can be combined with pollution - and distribution models as well as the application of GIS tools such as overlay technology or spatial distribution of pollutants.
With the usage of these technologies more questions on the quality of the applied database or methods arise. Therefore access to Meta databases and expert information has also to be provided. Environmental agencies working with environmental modeling can provide their knowledge via Internet to interested other data providers. Also universities or consultants are able to test their special applications of environmental modeling with different databases from many sources.

THE ECO -BALANCE APPLICATION EXAMPLE:

REGECO - Regional Ecological and Environmental Balancing; A GIS and INTERNET based Decision Support and Public Information dissemination system
Ecobalances are spreading not only in the fields of life cycle assessments of products, but also in business concerns and even local communities. Within this contribution, an approach and an example for a regional eco - balance will be presented related to the concept of environmental indicators of the advisory board of environmental affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany. By taking on board the administration of the district of Pfaffenhofen (Upper Bavaria, Germany) and establishing a GIS-based information system, a high practical relevancy and acceptance of the final users can be achieved. The aim is a system to balance environmental impacts in a map scale of 1:10,000-1:50,000 in order to provide the district administration with tools for an environmentally sound and sustainable development of their region.
The new and innovative GIS software products, MapObjects and MapObjects Internet Map Server are the key components of this technical solution. The implementation of the GIS Internet interfacing comprises several tightly adjusted software components of a multi - tiered client/server architecture.
For the project, a simple-to-use interface has been created to handle user requirements on the GIS Internet server.
The key solution is the online execution of the ecological balance models together with the GIS functionality to provide the respective results via the Internet.
The online user has access to the server and does not need GIS functionality on his/her computer. The presentation will show the actual status of the project and related application examples.