Track: Public Access and the Internet
Integration of WWW and GIS Technology in Support of Regional Water Management Authorities
Marc Van LiedekerkeArwyn Jones
The water management authorities of the Italian Region of Lombardy are developing a regional information system for the acquisition, processing, archiving, and retrieval of water data. Most of the data handled are georeferenced, and ArcInfo is the primary tool for processing them; up to now, this happens offline and one of the main objectives of the project is to integrate GIS functionalities better with the target system. The prototype system is based on a WWW client/server architecture and exploits the possibilities of this technology as the glue that brings the various system components together. To integrate GIS with this system, a combination of known techniques and products that bring WWW and GIS technology together have been applied to fulfill various objectives. The adequate organization and presentation of static and simple sensitive maps is effective in distributing offline prepared finished products. The use of HTML forms and CGI-BIN scripts is adequate for retrieving nonmapped data, for the online specification and calculation (using ArcInfo and ArcView GIS) of feature maps, and for running models (AML based or not) with user-specified parameters, which also results in calculation and presentation of maps. The requirement for a more direct interactivity with the geodata is easily fulfilled by spawning an ArcView GIS session when clicking on a link to an ArcView GIS file. Because this needs the availability of ArcView GIS on the desktop, a requirement that is not met by all, another solution was sought. After screening the market for a suitable commercial product (we evaluated 15), it was decided to use and further investigate Esri's ArcView Internet Map Server technology for the implementation of better map interactivity. In the near future, the possibilities of applying a combination of Java and SDE technology will be tested for a similar but much larger project on the dissemination of European-wide statistical data. This paper reports on the state of the prototype incorporating the techniques and products mentioned above and will provide early feedback of a range of real-life users who, up to now, have not been exposed yet to similar advanced systems but who plan to standardize their work practices around such integrated tools.
Marc Van Liedekerke
Joint Research Centre of the European Commission
Env Inf Systems,
Ispra, VA 21020
ITALY
Telephone: +39-332-785179
Fax: +39-332-789256
E-mail: vanliede@ei.jrc.it