Adopting OS GIS technology in heterogeneous environments

Providing decision makers with arguments beyond cost

● Save Money! Currently this catch line is often being (mis)used to primarily legitimate the use of Free Software. This may be one argument, but there are many more.

● A peek into the inner workings of Free Software and Open Source development models

What to expect from this presentation

● Adoption of methods and techniques which are responsible for the high quality and constant further development of OS/FS GIS software

● An introduction to the software development concepts of Free Software and Open Source related to GIS

CCGIS – Specializing in Spatial Data Infrastructures

CCGIS implements GIS related software since 1998 (http://www.ccgis.net)

The authors of this presentation are Athina Trakas and Arnulf B. Christl

We provide full service around GIS and have specialized in implementing WebGIS (Internet GIS)

We have initiated and operate the Free Software project Mapbender, a D-HTML WebGIS Client Suite(http://www.mapbender.org)

We operate a website with Online Web Map Services and Free Data (http://wms.ccgis.de)

We have implemented the proprietary Web Map Server SICAD/SD-IMS and taught it to talk WMS

At Work

Under Observation...

What is Open Source?

● The human readable part of a software is the source code. The term "Open Source" describes a software where the source is open for everybody to see (Eric S. Raymond 1998)

● Instead of treating Source Code as the most important business secret, the Open Source concept opens sources to the scrutiny of a highly educated user community who in turn compensate this openness by further developing the project

● The Open Source Initiative (OSI) explicitly extends the openness to other areas, most of which can also be found in the Free Software movement. Open Source is a precondition of Free Software

http://www.opensource.org/docs/definition.php

What is Free Software?

● The GNU GPL (General Public License) is probably responsible for Free Software to not have died out

● The concept of Free Software was initiated by Richard Stallman in 1984

● It is founded on rather more philosophical and theoretical questions about copyright, copyleft and users' rights

● Initially it was spawned from the simple need for a free UNIX-style operating system, it was named with the acronym GNU (GNU is not UNIX)

http://www.fsf.org/philosophy/free-software-for-freedom.html

● Free Software concepts and models can be transferred to Free Spatial Data – a new development with high potential

Free Software rights

0.The freedom to run the program for any purpose

1.The freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to your needs. (Access to the source code, i.e. Open Source is a precondition for this)

2.The freedom to redistribute copies

3.The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements to the public, so that the whole community benefits. (Access to the source code, i.e. Open Source is a precondition for this)

To fully understand all the implications of Free Software and Open Source it takes more than this short introduction! Check with the FSF and OSI websites.

OS/FS Development Models

From our practical point of view Open Source and Free Software can be handled together as OS/FS

● High quality standards are achieved because the open process includes every single participator involved (namely users, developers, decision makers, support and service teams, trainers – name them as you like)

● Without the participation of enough competent users and programmers a project may not be further developed and will fail, and many do

● The opportunity for everybody to access the source code helps to reduce cost and time of development

market analysis

Life Cycle vs. Development Cycle

Software development teamsolves problem

new version is released

Participators find errors and solve the problem

Improved code is published in the Internet

development teamdevelops software

sell copies of software productproduct is launched

beta version release for beta tester

beta tester reports errors to development team

development team reproduces the error

development team solves problem after OK from pm

product cycle model

Problem is identified

development team reports to the product management

Internet as communication pool and distribution media

Free Software development cycle

Bottom Up Method

The absence of a tight roadmap allows highest flexibility in the

development

No softwarecomponent is essential, everything can be done in a different way

Solutionsoriginate from

problems that havebeen solved and documented

in a fashion that empowersothers to also use it

The nature of FS/OS prevents dependencies and inhibits the growth of any knowledge monopoly

Early adapters usetechnology justbecause it is available

Development of OS/FS GIS Software

● The GRASS community was the first to develop and use OS/FS GIS

● Commercial enterprises make systematic use of OS/FS methods to further develop GIS projects and software

● Internet technology and the growing need to access spatial data from different sources foster the chaotic collaboration of software developers and users alike

● Right from the start GRASS focused on format interoperability; later activities organized themselves in the OpenGIS Consortium

Adoption of OS/FS by GIS Users

There are basically three different levels of accessing GIS technology: decision makers, users and developers. Each level needs an individual view to Open Source and Free Software.

● The nature of spatial data reflects ideas of OS/FS concepts => a specialists view on everybody's space

● Developers appreciate the OS/FS software development model and ease to access know-how

● For most decision makers the economical aspects currently are the most appealing advantage

http://www.mapbender.org/

● For users the ease of getting highly qualified help and support is an argument for using OS/FS GIS software

Conclusion

● Open Source and Free Software are not new to GIS technology but growing faster than ever before

● The Internet as communication platform considerably accelerates the adoption of OS/FS GIS technology by users and developers alike

● Internet technology itself empowers a much broader user community to access spatial data with GIS software

● GIS cannot be isolated from other developments anymore as it highly depends on third party software

● Standardization can conciliate between sometimes antagonistic proprietary and open development models

WebGIS with Free Software Example

Standardisation:

Open GIS Consortium

ISO Standardisation Organisation

Software components:

Free Web Server

Free Web Map Client Suite

Free Spatially Enabled Database

Free Web Scripting Language

Free Web Map Server (WMS)

Mapbender

Free Operating System

This architecture can be seen at work:http://wms.ccgis.de

Thank You for your attention

For more information please contact:

Arnulf B. Christlarnulf.christl@ccgis.de

CCGIS Christl & Stamm GbRSiemensstr. 853121 BonnGermany

Visit our web sites at:http://www.ccgis.de

Visit the Mapbender Project homepage at:http://www.mapbender.org