WEB BASED CAMPUS INFORMATION SYSTEM

Transcription

1 WEB BASED CAMPUS INFORMATION SYSTEM Arif Çağdaş Aydınoğlu 1, Tahsin Yomralıoğlu 2 Department of Geodesy & Photogrammetry Engineering, Karadeniz Technical Unıversity, Trabzon, TURKEY 1 arifcagdas@ktu.edu.tr 2 tahsin@ktu.edu.tr The Campus Information System for Karadeniz Technical University collects university s various data consisting of education, management components and topography, land use. KTUBIS named as Karadeniz Technical University Information System provides the sharing of information for the university as a result of building a database and presenting the data on the Internet. KTUBIS is designed and built with usual GIS phases. Web technologies are examined. A web based campus information system has been developed with the using of developing web technologies. KTUBIS is browsed over the Internet with the using of ArcIMS program. By using this system, communication among departments and services started. This system aims to help the university s image and services with updated data and continuously developing interfaces. 1. INTRODUCTION The use of Geographical Information System (GIS) and the Internet has changed the way organisations use geographic information. Therefore, GIS is expanding into new industries. Local governments, businesses, utilities, higher education instituties are some examples of industries that have started to implement GIS in daily job routines. [Gonzalez, 2001] University is one of these application areas. They began to comprehend these technologies advantages. Web-based programs are being using in facility management, admission, enrollment, campus image and so on today. The role of GIS has also been understood in universities recently. GIS has become more than a program since GIS is a visual and analytical tool and helps the users to understand or visualize this information in a map form and enables the users to manage these information interactively and analytically. This contributes to increase the use of GIS. Therefore, a web based GIS system can be built as a decision making system in universities. It informs and presents data as a result of answering spatial questions. The Campus Information System (CIS) of a university collects graphic and non-graphic data related to university and its sub-departments and then transforms this data to a computer platform, store, query, analyze, present this data to the user with various formats including charts, reports, maps, and webbased views with the aim of increasing the efficiency and progress of university. Software, hardware, data, and personal constitute the CIS for a university. It is a Land Information System (LIS) including topographic data and land use data and a GIS including health services, landscape planning, statistical data related to education. In addition, The CIS can be used as a decision making tool for a university mission. 2. GIS ON THE INTERNET Creating web applications on the Internet has become a current topic recently. GIS systems have been a platform which is expensive, dependent, and slow. Different approaches depending on web technologies appeared. Because of large amounts of data and map images, the software and data locations are important to create the most optimum system architecture. Various system architecture have appeared on the Internet GIS. Since Internet is an effective solution, departments can use GIS

2 together with web technologies unlock the location compenents of their data in one centralised place or contributed places such as information departments. The only text and images could be browsed over the Internet some years ago. HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) and CGI (Common Gateway Interface) programming technologies initiated preliminary applications. The first internet mapping application called Xerox PARC Map Viewer ( was published in While Internet technologies are improving, Web based GIS applications continue to develop. New technologies like Java, ActiveX provide alot of new opportunities for web based GIS. A variety of programs which different vendors have created are available nowadays. Web based GIS vision, therefore, is developing on different environments. ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.) has many products including ArcIMS, MapObject IMS, and so on. These programs work with ArcXML specified XML (extensible Markup Language) programming language or use Java-based and Active-X extensions. ArcXML named as ESRI s XML is designed as a protocol data exchange between ArcIMS program components. (ArcIMS Architecture will be explained in application section) Autodesk Inc. uses MapGuide working with a plug-in or an Active-X control. Intergraph Corp. uses Geomedia Web Map working with a plug-in in different formats. MapXsite and MapXtreme produced by MapInfo Corp. are server-side Java products for application development. There are different web based GIS programs developed by different companies. But, these Internet applications generally have different standards, so the sharing of data is impossible. As a result of this, The Open GIS Concortium,Inc. (OGC) ( was founded to develop a standardized framework for the interaporability of GIS based services. OGC created The Geography Markup Language (GML). GML is an XML encoding for the transport and the storage of geographic information, including both the geometry and properties of geographic features. [OGC, 2000] General working principles have to be explained to understand application components. To illustrate this, in client and server architecture, Client and server communicates across a computer network either on Internet or Intranet by means of a HTTP. It lies in creating software systems that are platform independent and run on open TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol) based networks. A web browser is a usual client program. The browser program sends a request to the server and finally a file is transmitted from the server to the client by means of URL (Uniform Resource Locator). Different strategies having advantages and disadvantages appeared for employing Internet GIS. These are server side, client side strategies or hybrid strategy including the common features of other strategies. [Footh,Kirvan, 1998] Internet Mapping has many technical advantages. Data can be maintained and be updated in a centralized location or be integrated with many sources on broad spectrum platforms. A web-based map can be used both privately and publicly. Access can be regulated and redundancy eliminated. The end-user software is an easy and cheap web browser, not an expensive and complex GIS program. The web browser provides a much more dynamic map tool than a static map display. System may support various the end users. When people save and publish these data on the Internet, other people can access and browse these data simultaneously. Maps can be copied easily on the Internet and be downloaded for a more detailed use. [Tsou, 2002] As a result of this, GIS on the Web is an inexpensive method for reaching a vast audience. Web GIS Applications can bu used in many different areas. Location services, routing and directing services, electronic atlases, database query, changing phenomena maps, demographic data viewers, environmental condition maps and data distributing sites are some current examples of web based GIS applications.

3 3. DEVELOPING THE CIS Developing the KTUBIS (Karadeniz Technical University Information System) has many benefits. Campus maps required formats can be created and be collected in updated environments. Files organized by the system can be reached easily. Created database regarding departments in the university campus can be used by the university s managerial services. The main users including managerial officers, campus planners, personnel, students, other people outside the university can reach this system via Internet. 3.1 Designing system and collecting data The KTUBIS graphic data including building, road, parking area, landscape [polygon], infrastructure, contour [line], geodetical point, illumination, plant [point] was collected from the maps having 1/1000 scale. These layers constitute KTU main campus s geographical features. According to usage, the buildings are divided into units such as house, dormitory, managerial, education, food, sport, culture, library, repair and so on. The other data was collected as to system design. The database s basic files are presented on Figure 1. Graphic data was collected from relavent municipality and Geodesy and Foresty departments in the university. Non-graphic data was collected from managerial services in the university. ROAD.AAT PARKING.PAT BUILDING.PAT EDUCATION.DBF road_id park_id build_id build_id road_name park_name build_code... type capasity name width location type MANAGERIAL.DBF area area storey build_id perimeter perimeter built_date... area INFRAST.AAT GEODESY.NAT perimeter HOUSE.DBF infrast_id point_id... build_id found_date point_code... type type PLANT.NAT repair_date y plant_no FOOD.DBF... x plant_id build_id h latin_name... ILLUNIN.NAT found_date turk_name lamp_id location family SPORT.DBF lamp_no form build_id type TOPO.AAT height... height topo_id leaf_shape colour h leaf_color CULTURE.DBF length... build_id... Figure 1: KTUBIS Database Design

4 3.2 Processing the data and building GIS Database Graphic data was digitised and edited with AutoCAD program. The digital maps was created on DXF format and transformed to shapefile format ARC programs use. The KTUBIS has primarily built on Arc. Connections and database architecture were built, depending on database design. (Figure 1) All querying and analyzing functions are available on ARC program environment. Figure 2 shows an example of ArcView s user interface. Figure 2: Showing non-graphic data regarding a building on ArcView program 3.3 Designing Web Architecture for KTUBIS ESRI s ArcIMS 3.2 software has been used to serve the KTUBIS data and services. ArcIMS has a multitier architecture consisting of presentation, business logic, and data storing tiers. The business logic tier including server components are used to process requests, create and run MapServices, and manage the site. The data storage tier includes the sources of data. (Figure 3) Communication between the tiers is handled through ArcXML. Client viewer processes the data on the client machine performing many tasks without further interaction with the server. ArcIMS supports HTML and Java Clients. While Java viewers use a Java applet and contain more clientside processing capabilities, HTML viewers are lighter weight and has more reduced features. HTML Viewer is used in this study. The HTML/DHTML Viewer is written using HTML, DHTML, and JavaScript. Browsers must be version 4.0 or higher to do process. KTUBIS created by ArcIMS Architecture can solve basic GIS problems. Specific applications are developed, depending on user needs. The users on a local network (LAN), and anyone over the Web can potentially access and analyze the data. Basicly, ArcIMS work can be phased over six steps. Firstly, The client over the Internet sends a request to KTUBIS web site. Secondly, The web server receives the request and passes the connector. The connectors provide a communication pathway between a Web Server and The Application Server. Thirdly, the request handed from the connector providing communication for request and responde to the Application Server. The Application Server handles the load distribution of incoming requests. Fourthly, The Application Server distributes the requests to appropriate The Spatial Server. The Spatial Server processes requests for maps and related information. When a request is received, Spatial

5 Server performs functions such as creating map image files, streaming map features, feature extraction, geocoding, querying. Fifthly, The Spatial Server creates response. Finally, the response returns through the reverse order of the initial request. [ESRI, 2000] Presentation Tier Internet Web Browser Microsoft IIS on Windows2000 Web Server Servlet Connector Application Server Business Logic Tier Data Storage Tier Spatial Server KTUBIS Data Sources ArcXML 3.4 The Use of System Figure 3: ArcIMS 3.2 Architecture used by the KTUBIS Figure 4: KTUBIS Web Browser

6 This system presents basic GIS functions. Pan and zoom the map, identify and find features, search for features, work with measuring distances and scale bar units, query data, change layer properties and add data are some abilities of the KTUBIS. 4. CONCLUSIONS The KTUBIS is tested on an example system. A great many users can reach this information efficiently in a common platform and view the same data simultaneously. It can be understood that web based information system has advantages in view of time and cost. This system is an inexpensive and cost effective approach because the users can easily reach the data on the Internet. Otherwise, an addition software would be necessary to use the KTUBIS on computer desktop. We continue to improve this system for expanding it fulfilling future demands. The KTUBIS can be updated easily, and provide easy-use multimedia presentation with new functions. New user interfaces are being developed, depending on user needs. REFERENCES Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc., ArcIMS 3 Architecture, White Paper, California, USA (2000) Foote, Kenneth E. and Anthony P. Kirvan., WebGIS, NCGIA Core Curriculum in GIScience, Available: USA (1998) Gonzalez, Lorri J., Assesment of a Web-based GIS Mapping application for California State University Advancement, MA, California State University, USA (2001) Open GIS Concortium, Inc., Geography Markup Language (GML) v1.0, Doc.Number:00-029, USA (2000) Tsou,M., Internet Mapping and Distributed GISerrvices, GEO596 Lecture Notes, Available: San Diego State University, USA (2002)