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NOM DU FICHIER / FILE NAME
NOTE POUR LE TOME / VOLUME NOTE:
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METHOD, SYSTEM, AND PROGRAM FOR
AN IMPROVED ENTERPRISE SPATIAL SYSTEM
CROSS-REFERENCE TO PROVISIONAL APPLICATION
This application is a non-provisional application claiming priority from the
following applications:
U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/384,807, entitled "A SYSTEM AND
METHOD AND COMPUTER PRODUCT FOR COUPLING A DATA
PROCESSING CENTER TO A LIVE DATA PROCESSING CENTER TO
PROVIDE FOR SPATIALLY VIEWING, ANALYZING, AND SHARING
ENTERPRISE DATA AND GEOSPATIAL DATA ACROSS MULTIPLE USERS,"
by T. von Kaenel et al., filed on March 16, 2002, and which is incorporated by
reference herein in its entirety.
U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/433,597, entitled "SYSTEMS AND
METHODS FOR REAL-TIME EVALUATING AND REPORTING ASSOCIATED
WITH INSURANCE POLICY UNDERWRITING AND RISK MANAGEMENT," by
S. Kumar et al., filed on December 16, 2002, and which is incorporated by
reference
herein in its entirety.
U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/437,990, entitled "SYSTEMS AND
METHODS FOR REAL-TIME EVALUATING AND REPORTING ASSOCIATED
WITH INSURANCE POLICY UNDERWRITING AND RISK MANAGEMENT," by
S. Kumar et al., filed on January 6, 2003, and which is incorporated by
reference
herein in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
[0001] The present invention is generally related to improved spatial systems
and
geospatial information systems. Spatial and geospatial information systems
involve
the use of spatial andlor geospatial information to explore, analyze,
visualize, and
communicate spatial relationships.
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2. Description of the Related Art
[0002] Businesses have a great deal of data. Some of the data is spatially
referenced
data (i.e., the data is associated with a point on the earth using a latitude
and
longitude), while much of the data is non-spatially referenced data (e.g.,
sales data that
may be in a tabular format). Currently, there is no convenient way for users
to
spatially analyze non-spatially referenced data. Instead, data is analyzed by
comparing tabular data from spreadsheets or data stores and creating pie
charts or bar
charts to represent tabular data graphically. With these limited options, it
is difficult
for users to determine the interaction of various data to a spatial
perspective.
[0003] Spatial Information Management (SIM) enables business applications to
use
business data in a spatial context by assigning real earth coordinates (i.e.,
latitude and
longitude) to the business data. Associating location information with
business data
allows SIM users to make more informed decisions quickly by visualizing
spatially
referenced business data on a map or by executing spatial queries which return
results
based on an intersection of proximity of various data sets. That is, SIM
allows data to
be represented in a spatial context and provides information in various
formats (e.g.,
graphical, tabular, text, etc.) by combining various data elements, such as
geographic
information, demographic information, business information or psychographic
information. The SIM industry is made up several areas, including, for
example:
Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Business Support Systems (BSS), Personal
Productivity Applications, and the Internet.
[0004] Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are used to handle geographic
information reliably. GISs are designed mainly for handling spatial data
conversion;
data analysis and cartographic display.
[0005] Business Support Systems (BSS) are designed mainly to support specific
business processes. The following are a few examples of different types of
Business
Support Systems: Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), data mining, Customer
Relationship Management (CRM), and Supply Chain Management (SCM). ERP
integrates departments and functions across a company onto a single computer
system
that can serve the particular needs of different departments. CRM is a
comprehensive
way to integrate customer information in areas of business. SCM provides a
solution
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for companies to find the raw components needed to make a product or service,
manufacture that product or service, and deliver the product or service to
customers.
These applications are not, however, designed to support business data in
spatial form.
Yet, users would be more informed if these applications were enabled to
analyze
business data spatially using geocoded business records that have information.
[0006] Personal Productivity Applications are tools that help improve users'
productivity in their daily jobs. Spatially referenced data can also help
users manage
their daily tasks.
[0007] The Internet is a worldwide system of computer networks that allows
computers connected to the computer networks to access information from other
computers. As the Internet replaces the client server architecture for
managing data
access, more Internet products are becoming available to support spatially
referenced
data (e.g., MapQuest~, Autodesk MapGuideTM, etc.). Examples of the use of
spatially referenced data include obtaining driving directions to a nearest
coffee shop
or finding all gas stations within ten miles of a specific location.
[0008] Currently, SI1VI users are able to access static, pre-spatially
referenced data sets
that have been stored on very large storage devices. A data set is a subset of
related
data. Whenever a user requests certain information using existing conventional
software, a user has access only to static data that has been previously
stored and
referenced (i.e., raster imagery, such as LanSat, DOQQs, DRGs, etc. or vector
data
such as roads, lakes, landmarks, etc). The term "raster data" refers to one or
more
pre-generated images. The term "vector data" refers to a set of coordinate
numbers
that are converted to an image.
[0009] It is difficult for users simultaneously to view spatially referenced
data and
non-spatially referenced data, such as customer information, sales results,
and
inventory levels. In order to do this, it is necessary for the non-spatially
referenced
data and spatially referenced data to be accessed in real time from wherever
the data
exists in an enterprise (i.e., an organization that uses computers), and the
information
must be spatially referenced or geocoded by associating a longitude and
latitude value
with each data record to be viewed spatially.
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[0010] For example, if a salesperson wants to make informed decisions by
visualizing
how certain marketing promotions are working out, the sales person needs to be
able
to view the sales data overlaid with other geospatial information, e.g., maps,
county
boundaries, competitor locations, etc. Then, a salesperson needs to be able to
select
certain areas on the map to determine why some areas are providing poor
results based
on the specific marketing promotions which have been used in the specific
areas. To
accomplish this, a salesperson must have the ability to simultaneously access
enterprise data (i.e., data generated by an enterprise, which may also be
referred to as
"corporate data" or "enterprise data", such as sales data, marketing data,
employee
data, etc.) and third party data (i.e., data generated outside of the
enterprise accessing
the data, such as, public data, data retrieved from third party sources such
as the U.S.
Postal Service or Dunn & Bradstreet, etc.) that provide demographic
information
about the selected area. Since there are so many different possible results
that can be
generated based on user requests, it is very difficult to anticipate all of
the possible
results, and preload and pre-reference static data (e.g., images) that
represent all of the
possible results.
[0011] Thus, there are numerous problems in the existing spatial systems
solutions.
One problem is dynamically accessing data sets and generating spatial
references (i.e.,
geocoding) for enterprise data sets that are typically not spatially-
referenced (e.g.,
sales results, customer information, inventory levels, plant or asset
locations, etc.).
Another problem is simultaneously combining enterprise data with third party
data
(e.g., geographical data) to allow enterprises to spatially analyze and
visualize
enterprise data and other data (e.g., traditional spatially referenced data
sets in a
spatial context).
[0012] Yet another problem is illustrated with reference to FIGs. 1-2.
Referring to
FIG. 1, a client application sends a request 101 via a network 102 to a server
computer
103. The server computer 103 retrieves the requested data from a data store
104 and
generates individual images for each data layer 105. The individual images are
spatially referenced images (e.g., an image in which each point is associated
with a
longitude and latitude). The server computer 103 obtains data from the data
store 104.
The server computer 103 combines the individual image layers 106 into one
single
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composite image 107. The composite image 107 is then sent via a network to the
client application 101 to be displayed.
[0013] Since the server computer needs to combine the images into one
composite
image, and then send the composite image to the client, several problems
occur. For
example, when a user wants to view the composite image with some changes
(e.g.,
view a new data layer, view one less data layer, or change the order of the
layers), the
server computer 103 regenerates individual images for each data layer to be
viewed
and sends a new composite image to the client application. This adds
additional
processing load on the server computer and requires many roundtrip
transactions
between the client application 101 and the server computer 103. Additionally,
the
response time becomes slow when the user wants to view a new data layer (in
addition
to the ones currently being viewed or accessed) or when the user wants to view
one
less data layer, since each type of request results in new roundtrip requests
to the
server computer 103 to generate a new composite image.
[0014] Referring to FIG. 2, a client application 201 sends a request via a
network 202
to a server computer 203. The server computer 203 retrieves the requested data
from
a data store 204. The raw data for each data layer is retrieved as individual
data sets
205 and sent via network 202 to a complex client application 201. The client
application 201 stores each data set in data store 208. The client application
201 will
render and convert 209 individual sets of raw data to displayable images 210.
Then
the client application 201 will combine the displayable images into one
composite
image 211 and finally display the composite image 211 to the user.
[0015] Several problems occur with the technique illustrated in FIG. 2. For
example,
the technique requires a complex client software application 201 to contain
the logic
to convert and, possibly, combine raw spatially referenced data into viewable
data
layers. Additionally, raw data, rather than images, are sent to the client
application
201, which results in data being copied to and stored on client computers,
rather than
being centralized in a single data store.
[0016] Yet another problem is that Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
require
data to be in a very specific format that allows client applications to
process and
allows users to view the data spatially. Due to this need, the process of
generating and
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linking spatial coordinate data often requires the conversion of the format of
the initial
data set to a new spatially referenced format. The processing for conversion
of the
format is typically performed manually, which is time consuming and error
prone.
The conventional process for converting data so that the data may be viewed
spatially
cannot be easily automated because of the manual processing required. The
manual
processes also make it very difficult to track the chain of custody for the
data. This is
a problem in a server computer that handles data from different customers. The
manual processes also make it difficult to generate data validation procedures
that can
guarantee the integrity of the data across all the processes.
[0017] FIG. 3 illustrates a conventional process for converting data. For
example,
customer data 312 is tabular data. The customer data 312 is uploaded in block
320.
To make the tabular data viewable spatially, location information (e.g.,
addresses) that
is associated with the customer data 312 is cleansed in block 340 using
conventional
cleansing techniques known in the art. Cleansing of location information
refers to
determining that the location information is valid and accurate by, for
example,
comparing the location information to data in a data store available from the
U.S.
Postal Service or Dunn and Bradstreet (which maintains information on
businesses).
Also in block 340, a set of spatial coordinates are generated from the
cleansed
location information, and this is often done using a conventional geocoding
application that generates a set of spatial coordinates (e.g., latitude and
longitude) for
each data element (e.g., customer record) in this example. The result of
geocoding is
spatial coordinate data 370, which is stored in spatial data store 360.
[0018] Next, a new data set is created by merging the customer data 312 with
the
spatial coordinate data 370. This data then needs to be uploaded back to the
server
computer 320 from the spatial data store 360. Then, rendering specification
data is
generated, which describes how the data should be presented as a spatial
layer, and the
hardcoded table is displayed in block 380.
[0019] The resulting transformed data is typically no longer usable by
existing
applications. A common solution to this problem is to keep the original data
intact
and create a new data set to be loaded and viewed spatially, which includes
the
original data concatenated with the spatial coordinate data. This causes data
integrity
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problems with the original data getting out of synch with the data created for
spatial
viewing.
[0020] Moreover, the resulting data cannot be made visible to the client
applications
without restarting the client and server processes. Conventional systems use
configuration ales at startup time to read information about the data
presented to the
client applications. The server applications or server processes are shut
down,
configuration files are updated, and the server applications or server
processes are
restarted in order to provide access to new or modified data to client
applications.
This process logs out the client applications, and the client server session
may need to
be restarted before the new or modified data can be accessed and displayed.
[0021] A further problem is that conventional systems provide access control
to data
with one of two approaches. First, access control is done at the application
level. In
other words, a user is granted or denied access to the application based on
the user's
credentials. Once the user is granted access to the application, the user may
view all
data the application can access. Therefore, all users who use the application
may view
all the data at the server computer. Second, access to data is controlled by
access
control mechanisms provided by baclc end data store technology. This requires
the
application to access the back end data store with the same credentials used
to access
the application itself. Both approaches have several problems.
[0022] With the first approach, all users of an application get to view all
data that the
application can access, and access is not restricted to a subset of the data
based on the
user of the application. If different users need to be granted access to
different sets or
groupings of data, multiple instances of the application or multiple processes
within
the same application need to be run, each working with a different set or
grouping of
data. Also, users view all data within a data set, and access is not
restricted to some
records or data elements within a data set based on attributes associated with
the user
(e.g., security clearance level). Take for example a data set that contains
the customer
data for a company. The data set contains customer data for the entire
country.
Conventional spatial systems do not restrict access of users that are part of
the west
coast sales team to only the customer data for the west coast. A completely
new data
set that contains only the west coast customer information would have to be
created in
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conventional systems for access to be limited. Moreover, it is very difficult
to
customize the presentation of data to the user based on access information
associated
with the user.
[0023] With the second approach, the credentials of the users of the
application are
tied directly to the credentials used to access the back end data store. This
creates a
very cumbersome process of user access right management within the application
and
from the perspective of the personnel setting up access rights to the server
computer.
Moreover, the application gets tied into the back end data store technology
used, and
it is extremely difficult to replace back end data store technology with a new
technology as it becomes available. Also, application code gets extremely
complex
when multiple data stores with different access requirements are used.
[0024] Further problems occur in conventional systems when displaying images
from
pyramided data. A set of related spatially referenced data is commonly
referred to as a
data layer. A typical image, seen by a user in client software, will consist
of spatially
referenced images, each of which is a data layer, overlaid on top of one
another
utilizing spatial queries of spatial coordinates (e.g., latitude and
longitude).
[0025] When a user changes the viewing area of a data layer displayed by
client
software by zooming in or out, various amounts of data need to be retrieved
from the
server computer to display the spatially referenced data to the user. When the
user
zooms out, more data needs to be retrieved from the server computer, since the
area
being viewed is larger. As the user zooms out, since the actual display area
on the
client software display device is fixed, more and more data is retrieved from
the server
computer to produce an image having more detail. This leads to the server
computer
taking progressively longer times to generate a composite spatially referenced
image
as the user zooms out. Conventional systems use "pyramiding" to handle such
zooming.
[0026] Pyramiding is a technique in which the data for a data layer is stored
in more
than one data set. All the data sets contain data for the same subject matter
in the
same geographical area of interest (i.e., subsets of data based on a
particular area
being viewed), but the level of detail varies from one data set to another.
These data
sets can be arranged in a pyramid, such that the data sets at the top of the
pyramid
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have the data with the least amount of detail. Data in the data sets at the
lower levels
in the pyramid have progressively higher level of detail, with the data set at
the lowest
level in the pyramid containing the most detailed data.
[0027] For the same geographical area of interest, each data set at a higher
level in the
pyramid contains less data than the data set at the pyramid level immediately
below.
Therefore, it takes less time to convert the data to a spatially referenced
image at a
higher level in the pyramid than at the pyramid level below. As the user zooms
out, if
the spatially referenced image is generated from data sets at progressively
higher
levels in the pyramid, the time taken by the server computer to create the
spatially
referenced image should not increase as a user zooms out.
[0028] The typical pyramid consist of several levels with the data set at each
level
being used for a fixed range of zoom scales, with a predefined minimum zoom
scale
and a predefined maximum zoom scale. When the user zooms out beyond the
maximum zoom scale, the data set from the next higher level in the pyramid
will be
used to generate the spatially referenced image. When the user zooms in below
the
minimum zoom scale for a pyramid level, the data set from the pyramid level at
the
next lower level in the pyramid is used to generate the spatially referenced
image.
The data for each level in the pyramid will be stored as separate data sets.
[0029] FIG. 4 illustrates a pyramid 410 for roads data. If the roads data of a
pyramid
(e.g., pyramid 410) is stored in data store tables, there would be five data
tables in the
data store, each containing data for one level in the pyramid 410. FIG. 5
illustrates
conventional processing when data is pyramided. Each level of the pyramid 410
is
stored as a table 550 at GIS system 530. Each table is a data set, and each
data set
stored in the data store is represented as one data layer in a user interface
(UI) screen
presented to a user. For example, the pyramid depicted in FIG. 4 is presented
as five
data layers to the user in FIG. 5. So instead of seeing the related data in
the different
levels of a pyramid as one data layer, the user sees five different data
layers.
[0030] Conventional systems use special client computer or server computer
logic to
make a data layer available for viewing based on the zoom scale the user is
using.
Since at any given time the user will be at only one zoom scale, only one out
of the
five layers in the pyramid will be available for viewing. Via client software
510, a
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user selects multiple layers and a zoom scale (block 512), and the selection
is sent to
the server computer 520 via a network. A data store is accessed, image layers
are
generated, and a consolidated image is returned to the client software 510
(block 532).
[0031] The one-to-one relationship between data sets and their corresponding
data
layer representation by the client software creates several problems. For
example,
unnecessary information about how data is stored on the back end data store is
exposed to the client software. That is, data is seen as multiple data layers
matching
the different data sets stored in the data storage device for the same set of
spatial data
(e.g., roads). Therefore, in a typical application, a user can be presented
with an
overwhelming number of data layers, many of which are duplicate data layers
for the
same set of data at different zoom scales.
[0032] Since the user is allowed to view only one individual data layer at a
time in a
pyramid based on the user's zoom scale, as the user zooms in or out, the data
layer the
user is currently viewing may suddenly become unavailable for viewing. The
user
then has to manually choose to view the next data layer in the pyramid to view
data.
That is, the switchover from one level in the pyramid to the next is not
always
transparent.
[0033] Some conventional systems that store raster data, store the data as a
pyramid to
speed up the retrieval of the raster data. These conventional systems,
however, do not
store any other form of spatially referenced data, such as vector data.
[0034] A further problem involves third party systems. A third party system is
one
that is outside of a spatial system. If an organization wishes to apply custom
business
logic and validations to the manipulation and viewing of spatially enabled
information, many steps are necessary and the process is expensive. Some
examples
of business logic include, for example, when editing a spatial layer, it may
be
necessary, that prior to saving the edit, to verify that the areas of plots of
land must be
smaller than a certain size, a=minimum distance from a river, contained within
other
plots, etc. Validations may include basic editable data element (e.g.,
graphical object,
tabular data, etc.) validations (e.g.,validations that make sure only well
formed
graphical objects are created). Other validations may include the rules about
the
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relationships between various graphical objects or data layers. Often, several
different
software packages are purchased, installed, and configured to get spatial
capability.
Additionally, custom software is written and maintained. Then, various base or
background layer information is purchased, configured, and maintained.
Moreover,
access control, storage, and distribution problems must also be solved. Often
in-house
expertise must be developed in order to configure and maintain these systems.
[0035] Another problem in conventional Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is
the difficulty in editing images. In particular, a composite image viewed by a
user
consists of images from multiple data layers overlaid on top of one another.
The
spatial data may be in a raster data or vector data format. Raster data refers
to pre-
generated images that may need to be cropped to fit the viewing area desired
by the
user. Vector data is a set of coordinate numbers that are converted to an
image.
[0036] Conventional editors are typically an dedicated desktop applications
because
of the processing power, user interface, and data storage needed for editing.
In some
conventional systems, editing requests are sent from the client computer to
the server
computer, the server computer performs the editing, and the server computer
returns a
composite image to the client computer. There are several problems with trying
to
implement an effective editor in client software. For example, it is difficult
to
separate a data layer to be edited from all of the other data layers forming
the
displayed composite image. It is difficult to gather needed information about
the
elements in the data layer to be edited and to transfer this information from
the server
computer to the client software quickly. Also, there is typically a slow
response
during editing because interactions with users are transmitted back to the
server
computer for processing. Moreover, the typical user interface is cumbersome.
There
is difficulty in matching complicated graphical object boundaries to avoid
overlaps or
exclusion areas by use of "snap to" functions, which match new vertices to
existing
vertices. Furthermore, it is difficult to copy portions of graphical objects
from various
data layers to assist with building or modifying graphical objects.
Conventional
editors also lack the ability to tailor the user interface.
[0037] A further problem in a conventional Geographic Information Systems
(GIS),
involves sharing of customized views of data layers among different users.
Some
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conventional GIS systems may provide the users the ability customize a view of
data
(i.e., a "data view"). Customizing the data view includes actions such as
turning on or
off a layer, reordering data layers and highlighting layer objects within a
data layer by
selecting the objects with a selection tool. Users may also add annotations to
the view
by drawing on the image viewing area using an annotation tool. These functions
are
performed by the client application at the client computer and the results of
such
customizations are not saved on the server computer.
[0038] Conventional systems provide two types of functionality for saving
customized
views of data. In terms of a first type of functionality, some GIS systems
provide the
ability to save only a limited subset of customizations, such as annotations,
in a
specific user area on the server system, but they do not provide a means to
share these
customized views with other users of the server computer. In teens of a second
type
of functionality, other GIS systems allow a limited set of customizations to
be shared
with other users, but they do not provide the ability to limit access to a
subset of the
users of the server computer.
[0039] Additionally, the first type of functionality provides access limited
to only the
editor/author of the customized view of the data (i.e., the project) and no
other user.
These GIS systems do not have the ability to save all customization done by
the user
as a project, then share this project with other users, to properly discuss
and possibly
enable the other users to provide their inputs, comments, and modifications to
the
project on-line. That is, the first type of functionality lacks on-line
collaboration of a
project within a GIS system.
[0040] On the other hand, the second type of functionality provides access to
all users
of the system of the newly customized data (i.e., the project). Such open
access
creates the problem that the project will not be confidential and all users of
the system
will be able to view and further modify the project on-line. This
functionality creates
lack of on-line confidentiality, security, and integrity of a project within a
GIS system.
[0041] Regardless of the many benefits of using geographic information to make
business decisions, it is very costly for companies to build spatial
information system
infrastructure and to maintain the infrastructure properly. Also, current
techniques for
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acquiring and manipulating spatial data are cumbersome and very time
consuming.
Furthermore, as noted above, there are no easy techniques for integrating
enterprise
data that is not spatially referenced with geographic information data to
fully
maximize the spatial capabilities of geographic information data.
[0042] To fully support data access for geographic information in a cost
effective way,
there is a need for a solution for standardizing data, integrating different
business rules
to support the integration of enterprise data and geographic information data
for
spatial representation. Also there is a need for a web-based architecture that
is secure
and easily scalable to support multiple users who need to access the
geographic
information, as well as, to share and collaborate using the geographic
information
with other users.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0043] Provided are a method, system, and program for providing access to
spatial
data. A request for data is received. Enterprise and third party data are
integrated.
The integrated data is processed. Spatially referenced results are generated
using the
processed data. The spatially referenced results are returned in response to
the
request.
[0044] The described implementations of the invention provide a method,
system, and
program to support data access for spatially referenced and non-spatially
referenced
data. Solutions are provided for standardizing data and integrating different
business
rules to support the integration of both enterprise data and third party data
for spatial
representation. Moreover, a secure, scalable, web-based architecture is
provided that
allows enterprise and third party data to be viewed, analyzed, and shared.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numbers represent
corresponding parts throughout:
FIGs. 1-5 illustrate various problems in the prior art.
FIG. 6 illustrates the use of spatially referenced data in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention.
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FIG. 7 illustrates, in a block diagram, workflow through a computing
environment in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 8 illustrates services in accordance with certain implementations of the
invention.
FIGS. 9A-9E illustrate various computer system architectures in accordance
with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 10 illustrates a software architecture of a server system in accordance
with certain implementations of the invention.
FIGS. 1 lA and 11B illustrate software and Web services architectures in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 12 illustrates processing for integrating third party data and enterprise
data in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 13 illustrates multiple data layering in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 14 illustrates logic for multiple data layering in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 15 illustrates a distributed computing environment in accordance with
certain implementations of the invention.
FIGS. 16A-16B illustrate data preparation in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 17 illustrates logic for data preparation and activation in accordance
with
certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 18 illustrates metadata stored in metadata store for use in controlling
access to data in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 19 illustrates logic when a client request to view information as data
arrives at the server system in accordance with certain implementations of the
invention.
FIG. 20 illustrates a user hierarchy in accordance with certain
implementations
of the invention.
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FIG. 21 illustrates a single data layer presentation that is provided for a
single
pyramided spatially referenced data set in accordance with certain
implementations of
the invention.
FIG. 22 illustrates a metadata store, a spatial data store, a business data
store,
and relationships among the data stores in accordance with certain
implementations of
the invention.
FIG. 23 illustrates logic for processing a client request to view data in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 24 illustrates logic for the interaction of metadata tables to identify
the
information to be sent in response from a request for a data layer.
FIG. 25 illustrates logic for printing multiple data layers in accordance with
certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 26 illustrates logic for order fulfillment in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 27 illustrates logic for e-commerce processing in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 28 illustrates an enterprise spatial system interfacing with a third
party
system in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 29 illustrates an editing example in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIGs. 30A-30C illustrate editing in accordance with certain implementations
of the invention.
FIGs. 31A-31B illustrate logic for editing in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIGS. 32 and 32 illustrate examples of collaboration in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 34 illustrates metadata tables in a metadata store that are used to
enable
collaboration in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 35 illustrates logic for enabling collaboration in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention.
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FIGS. 36 and 37 illustrate logic for collaboration in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 38 illustrates a UI screen provided by the enterprise spatial system for
online knowledge mapping in accordance with certain implementations of the
invention.
FIG. 39 illustrates in a UI screen constraints in workspace in accordance with
certain implementations of the invention.
FIGS. 40A - 40E illustrate UI screens in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 41 illustrates a section title in accordance with certain implementations
of
the invention.
FIG. 42 illustrates a control prompt in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 43 illustrates an Edit box and a Drop Down list box in accordance with
certain implementations of the invention
FIG. 44 illustrates Radio button controls and Check Box controls in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 45 illustrates a sample Grid Display in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 46 illustrates a table display in accordance with certain implementations
of the invention.
FIG. 47 illustrates a control frame in accordance with certain implementations
of the invention.
FIG. 48 illustrates command buttons in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 49 illustrates hyperlinks in accordance with certain implementations of
the invention.
FIG. 50 illustrates a pop up dialog box in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 51 illustrates a small pop up dialog box in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
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FIG. 52 illustrates a large pop up dialog box in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 53 illustrates a color picleer in accordance with certain implementations
of the invention.
FIG. 54 illustrates a Message UI screen in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 55 illustrates a UI screen before an error has occurred in accordance
with
certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 56 illustrates UI screen in accordance with certain implementations of
the
invention.
FIG. 57 illustrates a pop up error message in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 58 illustrates logic for the registration process for transaction-based
users
in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 59 illustrates common registration wizard elements in accordance with
certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 60 illustrates a registration UI screen requesting user login information
in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIGs. 61 and 62 illustrate cancel registration and cancellation confirmation
UI
screens, respectively, in accordance with certain implementations of the
invention.
FIG. 63 illustrates logic for login in accordance with certain implementations
of the invention.
FIG. 64 illustrates common login UI screen elements in accordance with
certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 65 illustrates a main login UI screen in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 66 illustrates a login UI screen in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 67 illustrates a shared secret UI screen in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
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FIG. 68 illustrates a change password UI screen in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 69 illustrates conceptual logic for the main UI screen in accordance with
certain implementations of the invention
FIG. 70 illustrates sample portal content in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 71 illustrates a main UI screen in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIGs. 72A - 72I~ illustrate details of a find location portion of the UI
screen in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 73 illustrates an Ambiguous Location pop up dialog box 7310 without a
scroll bar in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 74 illustrates an Ambiguous Location pop up dialog box with a scroll bar
in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 75 illustrates a Base Image Conflict pop up dialog box in accordance
with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 76 illustrates an Open AOI File dialog box in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 77 illustrates a Select Base Image portion of the main UI screen in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 78 illustrates a Data Layers UI screen in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 79 illustrates custom tab navigation control in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 80 illustrates a UI screen after the Show all categories tab has been
selected in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 81 illustrates a symbol picker UI screen in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIGs. 82A-82C illustrate line Color Picker pop dialog boxes in accordance
with certain implementations of the invention.
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FIG. 83 illustrates a Change Data Layer Order pop dialog box in accordance
with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 84 illustrates an Edit Favorites pop up dialog box in accordance with
certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 85 illustrates a Change Detection pop up dialog box in accordance with
certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 86 illustrates a Mapping and Analysis portion of the main UI screen in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 87 illustrates a Map window in accordance with certain implementations
of the invention.
FIG. 88 illustrates a map frame in accordance with certain implementations of
the invention.
FIG. 89 illustrates a docking bar in accordance with certain implementations
of the invention.
FIG. 90 illustrates a docking bar with a toolbar, attributes bar, and prompt
bar
in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 91 illustrates expansion docking in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIGS. 92A-920 illustrate a toolbar, states of an icon, and various tools in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 93 illustrates an example of measure tool use in UI screen 9310 in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIGS. 94A-94R illustrate various tools in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIGS. 95A-95F illustrate toolbars in accordance with certain implementations
of the invention.
FIG. 96 illustrates a table in which tools described herein may be grouped in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIGS. 97A-97D illustrate attribute bars in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
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FIGS. 98A-98B illustrates Point n' View pop up dialog boxes in accordance
with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 99 illustrates a Change Drawing Object Order pop up dialog box in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 100 illustrates a Point n' Attribute pop up dialog box in accordance with
certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 101 illustrates a push pin in accordance with certain implementations of
the invention.
FIG. 102 illustrates a Setup Point n' Attribute pop up dialog box in
accordance
with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 103 illustrates a Buffering pop up dialog box in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 104 illustrates a Boolean Query pop up dialog box in accordance with
certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 105 illustrates a reference map in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 106 illustrates a Map Summary window in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 107 illustrates an 'Analysis Summary window in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 108 illustrates Command buttons in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 109 illustrates scaling the main UI screen to a different resolution UI
screen in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 110 illustrates table that identifies the size of the Map window at some
resolutions in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 111 illustrates logic for creating a map in accordance with certain
implementations ofthe invention.
FIG. 112 illustrates a map layout window in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
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FIG. 113 illustrates a Map Preview UI screen in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 114 illustrates an example of a download dialog box in accordance with
certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 115 illustrates a save file UI screen in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 116 illustrates logic for purchasing data in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 117 illustrates a first data buy UI screen in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 118 illustrates an example imagery pop up dialog box in accordance with
certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 119 illustrates a second data buy UI screen providing data options in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 120 illustrates a third data buy UI screen with a purchase summary in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 121 illustrates a change shipping information pop up dialog box in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 122 illustrates a change billing information pop up dialog box in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 123 illustrates a Full Report pop up dialog in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 124 illustrates a download dialog box in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 125 illustrates a Full Report pop up dialog box with Boolean query in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 126 illustrates highlighting in a Full Report pop up dialog box with
Boolean query in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 127 illustrates a file menu in accordance with certain implementations of
the invention.
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FIG. 128 illustrates processing for a New operation in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 129 illustrates a New Project UI screen in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 130 illustrates a Select Template UI screen in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 131 illustrates processing for an Open operation in accordance with
certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 132 illustrates an Open Project UI screen in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 133 illustrates logic for processing a Save operation in accordance with
certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 134 illustrates a Save Project UI screen in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 135 illustrates an Email Form UI screen in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 136 illustrates logic for supporting transactional customers in
accordance
with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 137 illustrates a main UI screen for supporting transactional customers
in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 138 illustrates a first Shopping UI screen with an Order Summary in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 139 illustrates a second Shopping UI screen with Contact Information in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 140 illustrates a third Shopping UI screen with Payment Information in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 141 illustrates a fourth Shopping UI screen with Purchase Summary in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 142 illustrates a fifth Shopping UI screen with Acknowledgment in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
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FIG. 143 illustrates logic for entering the shopping cart from the create map
functionality in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 144 illustrates a first Map Shopping UI screen with Order Summary in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 145 illustrates a second Map Shopping UI screen with Purchase
Summary in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 146 illustrates logic for entering the shopping cart by selecting
analysis
form the main UI screen in accordance with certain implementations of the
invention.
FIG. 147 illustrates logic for shopping cart fiznctionality when the user
enters
the shopping cart from the data purchase UI screens in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 148 illustrates a download dialog box in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 149 illustrates a Zoom layer pop up dialog box in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 150 illustrates selection of the Preferences menu in accordance with
certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 151 illustrates logic for processing a logoff in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 152 illustrates common Logoff UI screen elements in accordance with
certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 153 illustrates a first Logoff UI screen in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 154 illustrates a Logoff Confirmation UI screen in accordance with
certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 155 illustrates navigation using the Back button and using the continue
button in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 156 illustrates processing when there is a dropped connection in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 157 illustrates a structure that shows variables that are involved in the
pricing structure in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
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FIG. 158 illustrates co-branding for a welcome UI screen in accordance with
certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 159 illustrates an example of a co-branded version of the main UI screen
in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
FIGS. 160 and 161 illustrate examples of a pop up dialog box and of a
co-branded version of a secondary UI screen in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 162 illustrates a table of valid US state codes in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 163 illustrates a table of information to display in the Ambiguous
Address pop up dialog box in accordance with certain implementations of the
invention.
FIG. 164 illustrates a table of map layers of scale dependency in accordance
with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 165 illustrates a table of some raster and vector data to be used in the
enterprise spatial system software in accordance with certain implementations
of the
invention.
FIGs. 166A-166B illustrate another table of some raster and vector data to be
used in the enterprise spatial system software in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 167 illustrates the business process and data flow supported by the
enterprise spatial system service and operational facilities in accordance
with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 168 illustrates Web Services in accordance with certain implementations
of the invention.
FIG. 169 illustrates an application services overview in accordance with
certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 170 illustrates content services in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 171 illustrates e-commerce services in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
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FIG. 172 illustrates data services in accordance with certain implementations
of the invention.
FIG. 173 illustrates a spatial datamart in accordance certain implementations
of the invention.
FIG. 174 illustrates maintenance services in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 175 illustrates operational dataflow for a Web Center in accordance with
certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 176 illustrates a deployment process workflow in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 177 illustrates data flow in accordance with certain implementations of
the invention.
FIG. 178 illustrates an ADS40 center architecture in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 179 illustrates a GIS processing center in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 180 illustrates a GIS processing component architecture in accordance
with certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 181 illustrates a GIS processing network in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 182 illustrates an Operations Center in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 183 illustrates GIS storage components in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 184 illustrates development components in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 185 illustrates an Operations Center network in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 186 illustrates a Staging Cluster architecture in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
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FIG. 187 illustrates a Web Center Functional Architecture in accordance with
certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 188 illustrates an alternative architecture in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 189 illustrates a Web Center Component Architecture in accordance with
certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 190 illustrates a servlet architecture in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 191 illustrates a Client EJB Architecture in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 192 illustrates Health & Welfare Components in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 193 illustrates a GIS Data Loader in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 194 illustrates a Data Archiver in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 195 illustrates an architecture for the hardware, software and network
architecture for an enterprise spatial system web deployment in accordance
with
certain implementations of the invention.
FIG. 196 illustrates a Client Interface Architecture in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 197 illustrates a Thin Client Architecture in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
FIG. 198 illustrates an architecture of a computer system that may be used in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0045] In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying
drawings
which form a part hereof and which illustrate several implementations of the
present
invention. It is understood that other implementations may be utilized and
structural
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and operational changes may be made without departing from the scope of the
present
invention.
A. Overview
[0046] Implementations of the invention provide an enterprise spatial system
that
supports functions (e.g., viewing, analysis, and other functions) for
processing both
enterprise data and third party data. The enterprise data may include
spatially
referenced data and/or non-spatially referenced data, and the third party data
may
include spatially referenced data and/or non-spatially referenced data.
Spatially
referenced data refers to data that has associated coordinate data, and non-
spatially
referenced data refers to data that does not have associated coordinate data.
[0047] Implementations of the invention provide analysis of spatially
referenced
and/or non-spatially referenced data. The results of the analysis may be
spatially
referenced data and/or non-spatially referenced data. Also, implementations of
the
invention may store data as data layers, which may include spatially
referenced data
and/or non-spatially referenced data (e.g., a data element, table, etc.).
Although
specific examples herein may refer to, for example, graphical objects, images
or maps,
the techniques of the invention are applicable to any type of data.
[0048] The enterprise spatial system may store and/or process spatial and
geospatial
information, which include, for example, geographic reference data, including,
but not
limited to, vector data, raster data, and tabular data, such as, customer
information,
sales data, and marketing data. For spatial data, each data element in a data
set has
coordinate data associated with the data element, such as an x, y and z
coordinate. For
geospatial data, the coordinate data is tied to a point on earth. So, for
example, the x
coordinate becomes longitude, y coordinate becomes latitude, and the z
coordinate
becomes elevation. Therefore, geospatial data is a subset of spatial data, and
geospatial information systems are a subset of spatial information systems.
Although
examples herein may refer to geospatial data or geospatial information
systems, the
techniques of the invention are applicable to any type of data or information
processing system.
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[0049] Implementations of the invention provide a method, system, and program
for
providing data processing systems coupled with one or more live (up to and
including
24 hours x 7days) data centers to securely share, access, and/or distribute
data from,
for example, enterprise data stores at an enterprise combined with hosted data
(e.g.,
enterprise or third party data) from the enterprise spatial system. The
combined data
is used to generate data layers to allow users to view, analyze, and share
spatially
referenced data using different client software (e.g., client applications).
That is,
different client applications may retrieve the same data from the server
system and
provide different presentations of the data to the user, based on the needs of
the user.
[0050] More specifically, implementations of the invention provide solutions
for the
above described problems through, for example, software, which can
simultaneously
access enterprise data and third party data, and then dynamically generate
(e.g., by
geocoding) spatially referenced data (e.g., graphical representation data on a
map)
based on a user's request.
[0051] To solve each of the problems identified above, unique solutions within
the
context of the instant invention have been developed in the following areas:
(1)
providing processing coupled with live data centers to securely access
enterprise data
from enterprise data stores and generate data layers from data centers to
allow users to
manipulate spatially referenced data or dynamically generated spatially
referenced
data using different client software; (2) providing software solutions to
integrate
existing enterprise data stores and application software (e.g., from Oracle
Corporation,
Siebel Systems, ESRI and others); (3) providing security and access control
for
simultaneously accessing enterprise data and third party data; (4) using
compression,
tiling, and pyramiding technologies to provide spatial data for fast data
access; (5)
processing spatial data and uniformly standardizing the spatial data, where
standardizing the spatial data refers to presenting the data in one or more
well known
formats, as opposed to exposing the data in multiple different proprietary
formats to
client software, which makes writing and maintaining client software that
works with
the spatial data more simple; (6) providing secure, linearly scalable, web-
based
architecture; and (7) developing automated geocoding systems that can geocode
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non-spatially referenced data'on the fly' to allow for spatially viewing and
analyzing
other externally available non-spatially referenced data.
[0052] Geospatial information is very important for business. In order for
companies
to have an advantage over other competitors, the companies need to be able to
make
informed decisions in a short period of time. Analysis based on geospatial
information improves understanding and communication of complex relationships,
which fosters better decision making. When analysis is based on geospatial
information, better business solutions are obtained from utilizing information
resources data, analytical technical tools, and decision criteria rules. Here
are some
examples of how companies can benefit from using geospatial information: (1)
sales
departments can better understand customer behaviors, sales patterns, and
staffing
processes; (2) marketing departments can forecast market growth, strategize
for public
relations, and work on competitive analyses; (3) planning for facility sites
such as
stores, manufacturing facilities, and cell towers can be done; and (4)
managing risks
(e.g., modeling investment risks, insurance liabilities, and emergency
preparedness)
can be planned more effectively.
[0053] Implementations of the invention are applicable to systems in which a
spatial
query is executed to deliver a result. A spatial query is a query for which
the query
results are identified by analyzing spatial relationships between data. One
example of
a spatial query is a query to identify all household locations within three
miles of a
department store. Moreover, implementations of the invention are applicable to
all
systems in which data (e.g., an image or a report) is generated on a server
system and
displayed on a client system. Also, implementations of the invention are
applicable to
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and decision support systems based on
spatial
data.
[0054] In certain implementations of the invention, a server system is
connected to
one or more client systems via a network (e.g., the Internet). The server
system
performs many functions, including, for example: enabling client software to
log in to
the server system and request and access data; uploading data from client
software;
retrieving and using data from a data store; generating data layers (e.g.,
spatially
referenced images); sending data to the client software for display to a user;
and,
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handling various notifications to the client software (e.g., a notification
regarding new
data added to the data store).
B. A System and Method and Computer Product for Coupling a Data Processing
Center to a Live Data Processing Center to Provide for Spatially Viewing
Anal~~
and Sharin,~Enterprise data and Geospatial Data Across Multiple Users
B.1 Overview
[0055] FIG. 6 illustrates the use of spatially referenced data in accordance
with certain
implementations of the invention. Enterprise data 600 includes, for example,
sales
data, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) data, Supply Chain Management
(SCM) data, and assets data. Third party data 610 includes, for example, maps,
infra-
structure data (e.g., roads, lakes, etc.), and demographics data. In the prior
art, the
enterprise data 600 and the third party data 610 was not combined in a useful
manner.
With implementations of the invention, the enterprise data 600 and third party
data
610 is converted to spatially referenced data by associating geographic
information
(e.g., longitude and latitude) with non-spatially referenced data (e.g., sales
data).
Then, data layers 620 are generated with the spatially referenced data, and
the data
layers 620 are overlaid based on the longitude and latitude values to form a
composite
image 630 that integrates the enterprise data 600 and the third party data
610. Thus,
for example, it is possible to view locations of stores in which sales are
high on the
composite image 630.
B.2 Architecture Overview
[0056] FIG. 7 illustrates, in a block diagram, workflow through a computing
environment in accordance with certain implementations of the invention. FIG.
7
represents a system data work flow diagram for simultaneously integrating
enterprise
data with third party data using a processing center and a live data center,
processing
spatially referenced data, and providing access to the data.
[0057] FIG. 7 illustrates several components of an enterprise spatial system
provided
by implementations of the invention, including (1) a Geographical Information
System (GIS) processing center/operations center 710 , (2) a data center 720,
(3) a
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fulfillment center 730, (4) enterprise integration 740 (which may be part of
the data
center 720), and (5) client software 750 (e.g, one or more client
applications). The
client software 750 executes on a client system 752, which has a display
screen on
which a UI screen or other data may be displayed for viewing by, for example,
a user.
Although, one client system 752 is illustrated, it is to be understood that
many client
systems may access data in the production center 722 at any time, including
other
server systems acting as clients to the enterprise spatial system. Certain
implementations of the invention provide a 24/7 live system that integrates
and offers
on-demand data (e.g., superior quality geographical imagery, associated
industry or
enterprise specific data, such as, sales information), and analysis tools to
enterprises,
government, industry, and the general public.
[0058] Prior to implementations of the invention, conventional systems
provided no
interactive GIS tools for users to access dynamic enterprise data at run time
and
integrate third party data hosted by a data center. That is, with
implementations of
the invention, users may access the GIS processing center/operations center
710,
which processes data (e.g., converting Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) to
Joint
Photographic Expert Group (JPEG) format) at run time, and makes the processed
data
available at run time to users without disrupting the data center 720
operations.
[0059] Referring to FIG. 7, enterprise data sources 702, govermnent/Freedom of
Information (FOI) public data 704, and satellite imagery data 706 is input to
the GIS
processing center/operations center 710 in the form of vector data, tabular
data, third
party imagery, and/or raw tiled TIFF imagery. Although not shown, other types
of
data may also be input into the enterprise spatial system. In certain
implementations,
the satellite imagery data 706 is obtained using airplanes flying over areas
and taking
photographs with cameras that provide high resolution images. The data is
stored in
an interim archive tape library 712. As a part of processing data, the GIS
processing
center 714 retrieves data from the interim archive tape library and forwards
the data to
pre-production processing 716. Ultimately, the data is stored in the
production center
722 for client software 750 access.
[0060] The GIS processing center/operations center 710 handles many different
operations in pre-production processing 716 due to irregularities in GIS data
from
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various sources. For example, the GIS Processing Center performs data
compression
(e.g., of image data) at run time during the data transformation stage.
Compressing
data is important because some data (e.g., GIS image data) cannot be accessed
over
the Internet due to the size of the data. For example, some image data is in a
graphical
data format called TIFF. TIFF, as understood by those skilled in the art, is a
tag-based
image file format that is designed to promote the interchange of digital image
data.
TIFF provides a mufti-purpose data format and is compatible with a wide range
of
scanners and image-processing applications. It is device independent and is
used in
most operating environments, including Windows, Macintosh~, and UNIX. TIFF
is one of the most populax and flexible of the current public domain raster
file
formats. To be able to use GIS image data that may be transferred over the
Internet,
implementations of the invention convert large image data to a compressed data
format, such as JPEG. There are many reasons for using the JPEG file format.
JPEG
permits a greater degree of compression than other image formats, such as
TIFF,
enabling quicker downloading times for larger graphics. Furthermore, JPEG
documents appear to retain almost complete image quality for most photographs.
[0061] There are several important stages in data processing at the GIS
processing
center 714. The following demonstrate four of the different stages and
functions of
each stage: (a) data acquisition stage; (b) data extraction stage; (c) data
transformation
state; and, (d) GIS product inventory creation stage. The data acquisition
state
procures data from various sources (e.g., enterprise data 702, government/FOI
public
data 704, and satellite imagery data 706). Data acquisition is an important
fiznction of
the GIS processing center 714. In the data extraction stage, data is staged
for use, the
data integrity is verified, and data quality control is provided. In the data
transformation stage, the following actions occur on data: color fusion,
histograms,
matching, mosaicing, re-sampling, tiling, and compression, which are well
known in
the art. In the GIS product inventory creation stage, the following actions
occur:
metadata is created for the data layers, different data layers are described
using
metadata, data (e.g., vector, rastor or tabular data) is stored in spatial
data store, and
GIS data is uploaded to the data center 720 for deployment.
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[0062] The data center 720 includes a staging system 721. Data from the
staging
system 721 is sent to the production center 722. Data from the staging system
721
may also be stored at a master archive tape library 723 and sent to offsite
storage 724.
The staging system 721 provides a replica of the production center 722 and is
used to
test the client software, enterprise spatial system software (e.g., server
software at
servers in the enterprise spatial system), and data. The staging system 721 is
used to
ensure that a new version of client software and/or data will work correctly
when
deployed to the production center 722. The production center 722 is used to
store data
accessed by users via client software 750.
[0063] The data center 720 supports many operations. For example, the data
center
720 hosts raster data, vector data, and tabular data for users to access using
various
client software 750 (e.g., client applications such as, a browser client, a
thin client, or
an enterprise client). Various techniques of accessing data (e.g., tabular
data of sales
information) from an enterprise data store and geocoding non-spatially
referenced data
are supported. In particular, although geocoding may be performed in the GIS
processing center/operations center 710, the data center 720 also supports
functions
that require geocoding in the production center 722. The data center 720 also
manages network communications between enterprise users and the data center
720.
The data center 720 supports linear scalability to be able to expand the
enterprise
spatial system provided by implementations of the invention to handle larger
data sets
(i.e., larger amounts of data) at run time.
[0064] The data center 720 provides security and access controls to enterprise
users to
securely access their enterprise data, allows enterprise users to
simultaneously access
dynamic data from their enterprise data store 702 and the data center 720, and
processes requests from, for example, client applications by supporting client
applications' functionality. The data center 720 also supports different types
of
analytical functions, such as querying for data, generating data reports,
retrieving data
layers, accessing data, and sharing and/or collaborating with multiple users.
[0065] The fulfillment center 730 receives orders for data (e.g., particular
data, a
particular image or a set of images), prepares the data (e.g., creates or
collects the
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appropriate data), and delivers the data to a requested location. Further
details of
order fulfillment are provided below.
[0066] Enterprise integration 740 allows users to access securely their
enterprise data
that is stored outside of the data center 720. Enterprise integration 740 also
determines whether enterprise data are pre-geocoded or not, and, if the
enterprise data
is not pre-geocoded, the enterprise data is parsed and geocoding information
is
provided by determining the proper longitude and latitude information to be
associated with the enterprise data elements (e.g., records). The enterprise
integration
technology 740 also provides the ability to interact with and retrieve data
from third
party applications using various Application Programming Interfaces (API)
exposed
by the third party applications and makes the data available to the client
systems of the
data center 720. The enterprise integration technology 740 also provides
various
Application Programming Interfaces (API) to third party applications so that
different
third party applications, including enterprise applications, can access
production data
from the data center 720. The APIs provide defined function calls to third
party
applications so that users can interact with the enterprise spatial system
provided by
implementations of the invention to utilize stored data (e.g., raster data,
vector data,
and tabular data) for spatially analyzing enterprise data. In addition to
accessing data,
the APIs also allow third party applications to utilize the various analysis
functions
provided by the enterprise spatial system.
[0067] The client software 750 (e.g., client applications) allows users to
manipulate
spatial data interactively by making dynamic data requests from the data
center 720.
The client software 750 includes, for example, browser-based clients, thin
clients,
thick clients, and enterprise clients. The client software 750 handles all
user actions
promptly and retrieves spatial data from the data center 720 in a timely
manner. To
achieve this goal, the client software 750 and the data center 720 rely on
using a
multiple data layering mechanism. That is, unlike legacy GIS software, the
data
center 720 does not combine multiple data layers as one composite image when
transmitting spatial data to users over a network. Instead, the data center
720 retrieves
proper spatial data layers from various data stores based on client requests
and
converts the data layers to individual images. Then, rather than combining
multiple
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spatial data layers as one raster file or vector file (e.g., JPEG, ASCII
Extensible
Markup Language (XML) or other forms of binary file), the data center 720
sends the
images separately to the client software 750. The client software caches the
images
for the different spatial data layers to avoid generating new image files
every time
users change back and forth between different spatial data layers. The client
software
may combine multiple images to form a composite image that is displayed to a
user.
[0068] FIG. 8 illustrates services in accordance with certain implementations
of the
invention. Core spatial services 810 include, for example, storing third party
data and
enterprise data for various businesses. Also, enterprise data stored on-site
at a
business may be accessed, via, for example, a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
Healthcheck servers perform tests to ensure that all systems are working
correctly.
Reporting servers are used to generate reports. Data store servers link
Extraction,
Transformation, and Loading (ETL) servers connected to locally hosted and
remotely
hosted enterprise data storage devices, reporting servers, and storage devices
storing
third party data. Spatial servers perform spatial manipulation of data, which
includes,
for example, performing spatial queries and rendering spatial data layers.
Application
servers coordinate the server tasks performed to satisfy requests made by
client
software (e.g., client software 750). Web/Portal servers provide front end
access to
different software services provided by the production system 722.
[0069] The Web services 820 include, for example, login, fording of addresses,
render
maps, print maps, run queries, get reports, save maps, and get projects.
Projects are
saved user views of the data, including the results of spatial analysis
performed by the
user. The ellipsis indicate that other services may be provided. A network,
such as
the Internet 830, enables the various services to communicate with each other.
Application services 840 perform particular functions. In particular, each
application
service is a collection of distinct features 2012 that perform particular
functions. For
example, geocoding is a feature that performs the function of translating an
address to
a latitude/longitude pair. Solution services 850 perform a combination of
application
functionality.
[0070] FIGS. 9A-9E illustrate various computer system architectures in
accordance
with certain implementations of the invention. In FIG. 9A, the customer's
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environment 902 performs data extraction 904, and the extracted data is sent
to the
enterprise spatial system 910 via a network, such as the Internet 908. In
certain
implementations, the enterprise spatial system is one in which third party
data and/or
enterprise data is hosted (e.g., in a data store) and services provided by
implementations of the invention are available (e.g., to a user at a client
system
accessing a server system in the enterprise spatial system via client
software).
[0071] The enterprise spatial system 910 performs data sourcing 912, prepares
data
914, has data storage 916, and performs core functions 918. In data sourcing
912,
third party data is aggregated. Preparing data 914 includes, for example,
address
cleansing, geocoding, and otherwise preparing data. The data storage 916
stores both
enterprise and third party data. The core functions 918 include, for example,
Web
services, report preparation and delivery, spatial analysis functions (such as
spatial
queries), business rules management, and collaboration among users. Data and
results
of the core functions supported by implementations of the invention are
delivered
from the enterprise spatial system 910 to a client software interface, such as
a browser
interface 906, in the customer's environment via the Internet 908.
[0072] FIG. 9B differs from FIG. 9A in that data storage 916 at the enterprise
spatial
system 910 stores third party data spatial data. The enterprise data extracted
in the
customer's environment 902 is sent to the enterprise spatial system 910 for
data
preparation and is then returned to the customer's environment for data
storage 920.
The enterprise data is retrieved into the enterprise spatial system 910 from
the data
storage 920 in the customer's environment 902 when core functions 918 are to
be
performed.
[0073] FIG. 9C differs from FIG. 9B in that third party data is prepared 914
in the
enterprise spatial system 910, while enterprise data is prepared 930 in the
customer's
environment 902. 'The enterprise data is stored in data storage 920 in the
customer's
environment, and the enterprise data is retrieved into the enterprise spatial
system 910
when core functions 918 are to be performed.
[0074] FIG. 9D differs from FIG. 9C in that the data storage 920 in the
customer's
environment stores both enterprise and third party data spatial data. That is,
third
party data spatial data is no longer stored in the enterprise spatial system
910. In this
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illustration, after third party data is prepared in the enterprise spatial
system 910, the
third party data spatial data is sent to the customer's environment 902 for
storage.
Additionally, the core functions 940 are performed in the customer's
environment 902,
rather than in the enterprise spatial system 910.
[0075] FIG. 9E differs from FIG. 9D in that the enterprise spatial system has
been
eliminated and all processing occurs in the customer's environment. Therefore,
data
sourcing 950 and preparing data 960 for third party data occur in the
customer's
environment 902.
[0076] FIG. 10 illustrates a software architecture of a server system 1000 in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention. The server system
1000
includes a Web tier 1010, an application server tier 1020, a data provider
tier 1030, a
data store tier 1040, and a data integration tier 1050.
[0077] A Web tier 1010 includes a Web/Portal server, an authentication
service, an
input/protocol transform engine, a request dispatcher, and Web services
components
to support requests coming from client software and return different data
layers to the
client software.
[0078] The Web/Portal server communicates via HyperText Transfer Protocol
(HTTP), HyperText Transfer Protocol over Secure Socket Layer (HTTPS) or
Extensible Markup Language (XML). The Web/Portal server serves up data (e.g.,
map images and static pages).
[0079] In certain implementations, the authentication service is an
authentication
module that plugs into the authentication framework of the Web/Portal server.
One
such authentication service uses Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)
as a
back end authentication service provider.
[0080] The input/protocol transform engine provides the front end that
understands
the client protocol and converts the incoming requests to a canonical form to
be used
by subsequent server components. The input/protocol transform engine does not
attempt to parse the actual service requests, but wraps the service requests
in a
standard form to be parsed subsequently by the service request transform
engine in the
service logic components of the application server tier 1020.
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[0081] The input/protocol transform engine supports two transform components:
a
Web Map Server/Web Feature Server (WMS/WFS) adapter and a Java Server Page
(JSP)/Servlet adapter. The WMS/WFS adapter is a Web services front end. In
certain
implementations of the invention, the Web Map Server/Web Feature Server may be
one defined by the Open GIS Consortium, Inc. The JSP/Servlet adapter is a
legacy
server interface used by client software to send server requests wrapped in
XML
request packages.
[0082] The request dispatcher dispatches the incoming request to one of
several
subcomponents within the work flow manager, depending on the client software
and
the actual request being made. The request dispatcher interfaces with a
tracking
system that performs tracking of user requests and system usage reporting.
[0083] An application server tier 1020 is divided into a business logic tier
and a
service logic tier. The business logic tier includes a work flow manager, a
session
manager, an account manager, and content access control components to support
administrative tasks related to servicing the user requests. The
administrative tasks
performed at this tier may also include various e-commerce related
transactions, such
as handling purchase orders, shopping cart management, billing, managing user
profiles, and managing accounts.
[0084] The work flow manager manages the functions that are adjunct to the
services
requested by the client software. The work flow manager performs functions,
such as
checking access control to the data requested by the client, logging, tracking
session
validation, etc. The work flow manager uses the session manager, account
manager,
and content access control components to perform these functions. In
particular, the
work flow manager takes user requests from the client software and then makes
function calls to different components to gather results. After gathering
results, the
work flow manager component aggregates the results, converts the aggregated
results
to a format expected by the client software, and sends the converted results
back to the
Web tier 1010. The Web tier 1010 uses the appropriate protocol (e.g., HTTP or
XML)
to send a response (which includes the results generated by the work flow
manager) to
the client software request.
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[0085] An optional content usage monitor component may be included in the
business
logic tier to monitor contents and resources used and provide the necessary
data for
billing and resource planning. The content usage monitor component parses
requests
coming from a user via client software and logs parsed information to monitor
how
different contents or resources hosted by the server system are used. Contents
in this
context are application services and data made available to the users by the
server
system. Resources refer to system resources such as memory, file storage
space, CPU
utilization etc.
[0086] The service logic tier includes a service request transform engine, a
service
aggregator, data provider adapters, access filters (e.g., system, user or
client), map
assembler, feature assembler, metadata server, and business rules components
to
support various service logic.
[0087] In certain implementations, the following ftmctions are supported by
the
service logic tier: image generation using mapping logic, spatial query
analysis, report
generation, and thematic report generation (i.e., generating a report based on
a theme).
For example, enterprise data and spatially referenced data may be combined to
show
different colors on a map to show different sales information based on
different
counties.
[0088] The service request transform engine consists of a collection of
parsers and
response message builders. The service request transform engine understands
the
grammar used by the client software to request services from the server system
and
receive responses bacle from the server system. In certain implementations,
there is
one parser/response message builder for each type of client application. In
particular,
the service request transform engine standardizes client requests into a
standard
format for the service aggregator.
[0089] The service aggregator coordinates the activities of one or more data
provider
adapters, which retrieve data based on client requests and convert the data to
a form
requested by the client software, and includes one or more data providers. A
data
provider adapter may be viewed as an intermediary that translates requests
made by
the service aggregator to a form that the actual data provider understands.
This allows
the service aggregator to interact with the data adapters in a common
language/syntax.
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The data provider adapter performs the appropriate translation to pass the
request on
to the data provider in a possibly different language/syntax expected by the
data
provider.
[0090] A single client request may require more than one data provider to
service the
request. For example, the data provider required to render a vector layer may
be a
data provider called the Map Server. The client request may ask for more than
one
vector layer to be rendered. The service aggregator may instantiate more than
one
Map Server and coordinate the activities of these data providers to generate
the
response for the client request. Examples of service aggregators are: map
assembler,
feature assembler, and metadata server. The service aggregator understands
requests
from the client software and makes specific function calls to obtain requested
data
layers or analysis results.
[0091] Data provider adapters are plug-in points for back-end data service
providers
that are aggregated into services that are offered by implementations of the
invention.
The data provider adapters decouple the protocol and grammar used by a data
service
provider form the protocol and grammar used by the service aggregator.
Examples of
data provider adapters are: a Map Server, ArcIMSTM (a service access protocol
available from ESRI), Oracle~ Spatial Query Engine (a data access protocol
available
from Oracle Corporation), or ArcSDETM (a data access protocol available from
ESRI).
[0092] The access filters are run-time embodiments of data access rules that
are set up
using metadata. Access filters are applied to all data accesses, irrespective
of the data
provider used to access the data. In particular, the access filters receive
business rules
as input and use the business rules to filter data that may be accessed.
Access filters
may be specified at a system level, at a per user level or by the client
software.
System filters are applied to all data access requests irrespective of the
user accessing
the data. User filters are filters that are customized for specific users. So,
for example,
user filters may be set up such that the users from a particular sales
territory will see
only data for their own sales territory. Client filters are filtering rules
requested by
client software (e.g., client applications) based on user input.
[0093] The data provider tier 1030 includes a map server, a raster server, a
report
engine, a query engine, and a geocode server. The map server converts vector
data to
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viewable images. The raster server converts raster data to viewable images.
The
report engine generates reports requested by clients from data. In certain
implementations, the report engine uses Style Reports (which is available from
InetSoft Technology Corp.). In certain implementations, the spatial data store
engine
(e.g., Oracle~ Spatial Query Engine) in the data store tier 1040 interfaces
with the
report engine and data. The query engine provides spatial and non-spatial
query
access to data. The geocoder provides services to geocode requests from client
software. In certain implementations, the geocoder may comprise software
available
from Sagent.
[0094] The data store tier 1040 includes a spatial data store engine and
production
tabular/vector data and raster data catalog. At this level, data access
related functions
are provided.
[0095] The data integration tier 1050 includes an extraction, transformation,
and
loading (ETL) component, a spatial data preparation engine, and a data
manager. The
ETL component is used to perform ETL functions for real-time and batch
oriented
data processing for hosted data. In certain implementations, the ETL component
comprises DT/StudioTM software available from Embarcadero Technologies, Inc.
The
spatial data preparation engine is used for spatial manipulation of hosted
data. In
certain implementations, the spatial data preparation engine comprises a
Feature
Management Engine, which is available for purchase from Safe Software, Inc.
The
spatial manipulation involves cleansing spatial geometries, merging geometries
to
make the data rendering faster, re-sampling to create vector pyramid layers,
etc. The
data manager is used to create and deploy metadata for the hosted data. The
data
manager is also used to transport and deploy the hosted spatial and non-
spatial data.
[0096] A Storage Area Network (SAN) connects data and components to other
components. Also, there exist network (e.g., Wide Area Network (WAN), Local
Area
Network (LAN), Internet, etc.) connections to access enterprise data that
reside
outside of the server system 1000.
[0097] FIG. 1 lA illustrates a software and Web services architecture 1100 in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention. A data store is
accessed
via a data store access control layer. The next outer layer includes data
provider
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adapters, such as a map server, an OracleC~ Spatial Query Engine, an ETL, and
a
spatial data preparation component. The ETL interfaces with a third party data
source. The spatial data preparation component accesses a third party data
store. The
ETL and spatial data preparation components are used to store data in the data
store.
The access to data provider adapters and the data they work with are
controlled using
metadata about the data providers and the data. Thus, metadata acts as another
software layer around the data providers and the data that the data providers
work
with.
[0098] The next outer layer includes all the functions and services offered by
implementations of the invention to client software (e.g., client
applications). These
functions and services include, for example, account/session management (e.g.,
managing access control), a spatial application service (which provides
functions,
such as spatial queries, rendering of spatial images etc.), a rendering
service, a
metadata service (which retrieves and returns metadata about data layers
available in
the server system), a data manager, a geocode service, and a report service
(for
creating and generating various reports). The next outer layer includes access
control,
which controls access to the functions and services at the layer beneath it.
The access
control layer interfaces with an authentication module. The authentication
modules
controls security functions such as logging in/logging out. Above the
authentication
module, resides the Web front end, which includes a portal, Web services/SOAP,
and
JSP/Servlets. Above the Web front end, are systems to which data and results
may be
delivered.
[0099] FIG. 11E illustrates an alternative software and Web services
architecture
1110 in accordance with certain implementations of the invention. A data store
is
accessed via a data store access control layer. The next outer layer includes
data
provider adapters, such as a map server, an Oracle~ Spatial Query Engine, an
ETL,
and a spatial data preparation component (for preparing data by, for example,
geocoding the data). The data provider adapters interface with metadata. The
next
outer layer includes account/session management, a spatial application
service, a
rendering service, a metadata service, a data manager, a geocode service, and
a report
service. The next outer layer includes access control.
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[0100] The next outer layer includes functions, such as, login/logout, open
projects,
ping, GetFeatures/Save/LTpdateFeatures, Getlmage, GetServiceInfo, and
GetGeocode.
GetFeatureslSave/LJpdateFeatures retrieves, saves and updates spatial data in
spatial
data sets. GetImage generates a viewable image of spatial data. GetServiceInfo
retrieves metadata about data sets. GetGeocode retrieves location information
such as
latitude and longitude from business data such as an address, intersection,
name of
place, landmark etc.
C. Inte~ratin~t with enterprise data
[0101] Currently, many enterprise customers use business support systems
(BSS),
such as CRM, ERP, and SCM to improve revenue growth, customer satisfaction,
and
employee productivity. Although BSS solutions are very beneficial to
businesses,
there are many limitations as well, such as when customers want to visually
analyze
BSS data that they have stored in their data stores. In the past, there has
been no
convenient way for companies to integrate their private BSS data with other
data and
to display the results on specific maps. If a user organization were to
integrate its BSS
data with other data (e.g., geographic information), it would require
substantial capital
for purchasing computer hardware, big storage devices, spatial management
software,
and relevant geographic data as well as the need to constantly update
geographic data
on storage devices.
[0102] By using geospatial information, individuals can work more efficiently
because they can view and easily analyze certain situations if a lot of
discrepancies
exist based on geographic locations. Implementations of the invention are
designed to
integrate third party organization/enterprise data and spatially referenced
data. With
reference to FIGS. 9A-9E, third party data and enterprise data may be
integrated for
use in generating spatially referenced data layers.
[0103] For example, the invention systems allow one government user to login
from a
browser that is hosted by, say, the manager of the invention system to access
spatial
data. At the same time, this government user can access the data from said
user's own
data store hosted by its govermnent agency. However, because of access
restrictions
provided by the system manager, this user cannot access other third party data
from
different third parties. Furthermore, when users are accessing their
organization's data
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using implementations of the invention, the data is secure and hackers cannot
tamper
with the data.
[0104] FIG. 12 illustrates processing for integrating third party data a.nd
enterprise
data in accordance with certain implementations of the invention. Control
begins at
block 1210 with retrieval of third party data. In block 1212, enterprise data
is
retrieved. In block 1214, spatially referenced data layers are created using
the
retrieved third party data and enterprise data.
D. Dynamic Generation Dis~lay and Manipulation of Multiple Data Layers of
~atially Referenced Data
[0105] Implementations of the invention provide a technique to generate and
display
composite images made of multiple data layers. In particular, a server system
generates individual spatially referenced images for each data layer, which
may be
referred to as "image layers". A spatially referenced image or image layer is
a type of
data layer. The server system sends each individual image layer to client
software.
The client software overlays the image layers to display them as a single
composite
image.
[0106] FIG. 13 illustrates multiple data layering in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention. Certain implementations of the invention may
be
implemented in a large distributed computing environment. The computing
environment may include, for example, client software 1310, a server system
1320, a
data store 1330, and a rendering system 1340. In certain implementations, as
illustrated in FIG. 13, the rendering system 1340 is separate from the server
system
1320, however, in other implementations, the rendering system 1340 may be part
of
the server system 1320. A user utilizes the client software 1310 on a computer
that is
connected via a network 1315 to the server system 1320 to make a request for
data.
An example of the user's request is a request for a view of customer
information and
locations in a specific sales territory. The request is sent to the server
system 1320,
and appropriate data within a data store 1330 is accessed (e.g., raw data,
tabular, raster
data, vector data, etc.). The data in this example may include customer
information
1332, roads information 1331, and/or sales territory boundaries 1333.
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[0107] Each data set of the retrieved data is processed by a rendering system
1340 to
be transformed into a spatially referenced image (e.g., bitmap, JPEG, TIFF,
Graphics
Interchange Format (GIF), Portable Network Graphics (PNG), etc.). As part of
this
transformation, the coordinates of the data and a description of how data is
to be
displayed are embedded into each image layer. The results of the
transformation are
individual image layers, each of which contains a graphical and text
representation of
each data set. That is, each data set in the data store corresponds to an
image layer.
Again, in this example, the image layers consist of a roads image layer 1351,
a
customer information image layer 1352, and a sales territory image layer 1353.
[0108] The individual image layers are sent, via a network 1315, to the client
software
1310 at the user's computer. The client software 1310 caches each individual
image
layer in local memory, and then uses image overlaying techniques known in the
art to
display the requested image layers to the user. The image layers, in this
example, the
roads image layer 1351, the customer information image layer 1352, and the
sales
territory image layer 1353, are individually cached into memory and overlaid
and
displayed to the user.
[0109] FIG. 14 illustrates logic for multiple data layering in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention. Users may view and analyze data spatially in
a
client-server environment using client software. In particular, image layers
are
presented to users in the client software UI screen as data layers. The user
may
choose to view one or more data layers among the data layers available by
"turning
on" one or more desired data layers in the UI screen. The user may choose not
to view
a data layer by "turning off' the data layer in the UI screen.
[0110] In FIG. 14, control begins in block 1410 with receipt of a user
request, which
was submitted via a UI screen displayed by client software. The client
software
allows users to control the viewing of different data layers by providing a
Layer
Control window in the UI screen that allows the user to turn on and off
different data
layers ((e.g., using a check box for each data layer on the UI screen) . When
a user
wants to turn off a data layer, the client software does not need to go to a
server
system to request a new raster or vector data file if the client software
already has that
data layer in storage (e.g., in memory or on a connected storage device) on a
client
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system. In certain implementations, images layers for data layers are created
such that
the empty areas in the spatially referenced image are transparent. This allows
different data layers to be overlaid on top of each other without affecting
the display
of the data layers that are below. If a user wants to reorder the way in which
data
layers are displayed, this can be done, via the user interface, without
gathering new
raster or vector image files from the server system. When a user changes the
order of
layers by using the Layer Control window, the client software simply reorders
the data
layers and redisplays them.
[0111] In certain implementations, the client software supports the multiple
data
layering mechanism by using Dynamic Hyper-Text Markup Language (DHTML).
Web browsers support the ability to dynamically display images by inserting
what is
commonly referred to in the art as image tags into a window in the browser's
viewing
area. DHTML is used to insert image tags into a viewing window. In certain
implementations of the invention, this viewing window is called the Map
Control
window. The client software running on the user's machine (e.g., a client
system)
keeps track of the data layers it is manipulating in a memory structure called
a layer
object. Each layer object has information on where to find the locally cached
image
for that data layer. The data layers currently being viewed by the user are
represented
in a list of layer objects. Although examples herein refer to "list" of layer
objects, any
structure may be used without departing from the scope of the invention. In
certain
implementations of the invention, the client software inserts one image tag
into the
Map Control window for each layer object in the list of layer objects. This
prompts
the browser to fetch the image for that data layer from cache and display it
in the Map
Control window. When more than one image tag is inserted into the Map Control
window, the browser overlays the image in the order in which the image tags
are
inserted.
[0112] That is, the client software manages the spatially referenced images
for each
data layer independently. The individual spatially referenced images are
cached in
local memory by the client software. The individual spatially referenced
images are
combined (e.g., overlaid using well-known overlaying techniques) by the client
software based on user input to create a composite image for viewing by a
user.
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Examples of overlaying techniques used by the client software include DHTML in
a
browser and data overlaying techniques supported by computer programming
languages such as Java, C/C++ and C#.
[0113] In block 1412, it is determined whether the request is to remove a data
layer
from the displayed view. If so, processing continues to block 1440, otherwise,
processing continues to block 1414. In block 1440, the data layer is removed
from the
list of data layers being viewed (i.e., the "image" list) by removing the
layer object for
the data layer from the list of layer objects. In block 1444, the spatially
referenced
images in the updated list of data layers being viewed are overlaid and
displayed (e.g.,
by clearing the Map Control window and inserting new image tags for all the
layer
objects left in the list of layer objects). That is, when the user "turns off'
a data layer,
the client updates the list of layer objects to exclude this data layer from
an image list.
Although examples herein refer to image "list", any structure may be used
without
departing from the scope of the invention. Then, the client software overlays
the data
layers in the list of data layers being viewed and displays the resulting
overlaid
composite image. The client software is able to perform this processing
without
communicating with the server system.
[0114] In block 1414, it is determined whether the request is to reorder data
layers. If
so, processing continues to block 1442, otherwise, processing continues to
block
1416. In block 1442, the display order of the spatially referenced images
associated
with the data layers are set to match the user's request. The client software
does this
by reordering the layer objects in the list of layer objects for spatially
referenced
images being viewed. Then, processing continues to block 1444, and the
spatially
referenced images in the reordered image list are overlaid and displayed. This
is
accomplished by clearing the Map Control window and reinserting image tags
into the
Map Control window following the new order of image layers. That is, when the
user
changes the order in which the image layers are viewed or overlaid, the client
software
reorders the image list and overlays the spatially referenced images in the
new order
for display without communicating with the server system.
[0115] In block 1416, it is determined whether the request is to pan, zoom or
refresh.
If so, processing continues to block 1418, otherwise, processing continues to
block
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1426. In block 1418, the client software requests the server system to
generate
spatially referenced images for each data layer being viewed by the user for
which
there are no spatially referenced images in cache. In block 1420, the server
system
generates an individual spatially referenced images for each data layer and
returns
these as individual spatially referenced images to the client software. In
block 1422,
the client software caches the spatially referenced images in memory. The
image list
is updated in block 1424 with the new spatially referenced images returned
from the
server system. The client software does this by updating the layer objects in
the list of
layer objects. The client software reorders the image list in block 1442, if
needed,
based on the order in which the user wishes to view the data layers. Then, in
block
1444, the client software overlays the spatially referenced images in the
desired order
and displays the resulting overlaid image to the user by clearing the Map
Control
window and reinserting image tags for the images represented in the list of
layer
objects.
[0116] In block 1426, it is determined whether the request is to view a new
data layer.
If so, processing continues to block 1428, otherwise, processing is complete.
When
the user "turns on" a data layer, the client software in block 1428 will
deterniine
whether the spatially referenced image for the data layer is cached locally in
memory
at the client system. If so, processing continues to block 1436, otherwise,
processing
continues to block 1430.
(0117] If the spatially referenced image for the data layer is present and
cached in
local memory, the client software in block 1436 retrieves the spatially
referenced
image from local memory. Then, in block 1438, the client software updates the
image list of images being viewed to include the cached spatially referenced
image
that has been requested by the user. The client software accomplishes this by
adding
the layer object for the new image layer to the list of layer objects
representing the
spatially referenced images being viewed. The client software reorders the
image list
in block 1442, if needed, and overlays the spatially referenced images in the
image list
and displays the overlaid image to the user (block 1444) by clearing the Map
Control
window and reinserting image tags for each of the layer objects in the layer
objects
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list. The client software is able to perform this processing without
communicating
with the server system.
[0118] At block 1428, if it was determined that the spatially referenced image
for the
data layer the user "turned on" is not cached in local memory, the client
software
sends a request to the server system in block 1430 to generate the spatially
referenced
image for that particular data layer. In block 1432, the server system
generates and
returns the spatially referenced image. When the client software receives the
spatially
referenced image for the data layer, the client software caches the spatially
referenced
image to local memory in block 1434. They the client software updates the
image list
to include the newly "turned on" data layer in block 1438 by adding the layer
object
for the new image layer to the list of layer objects. The client software
reorders the
image list in block 1442, if needed. Next, the spatially referenced images in
the image
list are overlaid and displayed to the user in block 1444 by clearing the Map
Control
window and reinserting image tags for each of the layer objects in the layer
objects
list.
[0119] When the user performs other actions, such as annotation or spatial
analysis
functions that result in additional spatially referenced images, the
additional spatially
referenced images are added to the image list in block 1438 as new spatially
referenced images, the image list is reordered if needed in block 1442, and a
new
overlaid image is generated and displayed by the client software in block
1444.
[0120] In summary, implementations of the invention provide an efficient
technique
for updating spatially referenced images seen by the user of client software
in a client
server environment. Moreover, the time it takes to update the image layer seen
by the
user of the client software is minimized when the user updates the data layers
currently being viewed, since the client software is able to perform the
update in local
memory at the client system. Also, an efficient technique for updating the
spatially
referenced images seen by the user of client software is provided, without the
need for
complex image generation software logic in the client software.
[0121] When the user of the client software updates the data layers being
viewed the
client software performs the update locally at the client system. This
minimizes
server system data processing load. Additionally, the server system generates
new
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spatially referenced images only for data layers for which a spatially
referenced image
was not previously created. This also reduces server system data processing
load.
E. Accessing and Processing'Data Available in Real Time
[0122] Implementations of the invention automatically process data (e.g.,
vector,
raster, and tabular data) and automatically enable the processed data in a
server system
to be viewed spatially by client software. Vector and raster data are updated
to allow
efficient access to the data in a client/server enviromnent. Location
information in
tabular data is used to dynamically generate and link spatial coordinate
information,
such as X/Y or Latitude/hongitude coordinates, to the tabular data. This
allows the
tabular data to be viewed spatially using the client software. Metadata is
dynamically
generated based on business rules or instructions that define how the data
should be
presented in using the client software. Additional metadata is created based
on access
rules that restrict access to the data.
[0123] Conventional systems are unable to provide a real time automated manner
in
which data can be acquired into a client server environment and make it
viewable as
spatially referenced data.
[0124] The process of making non-spatially and spatially referenced data
available to
a client for viewing in a spatial context includes, for example, automated
data
processing and automated activation of data for use by client software, in
real time
and without terminating client systems logged in to the server system.
Automated
data preparation is the process of taking data and automatically transforming
the data
and/or adding to the data so that the data may be viewed spatially by a client
system.
Automated activation of the data is the process of automatically, at the
server system,
making the newly prepared data available to the client system. The data
prepared by
implementations of the invention is immediately available for the client
software to
use, without the need to restart any server applications or client sof~vare.
[0125] FIG. 15 illustrates a distributed computing environment 1500 in
accordance
with certain implementations of the invention. The lines connecting
components/blocks in FIG. 15 represent a particular flow to assist with
understanding
of the invention, but it is to be understood that data/communications may flow
in any
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direction (e.g., the client software 1590 sends a request for data to the
server system
1530). The distributed computing environment includes a retrieval system 1520,
a
transformation system 1540, a loading system 1550, a data store 1560, a
metadata
store 1570, and a server system 1530. The transformation system 1540 includes
a
cleansing server 1542, a geocoding service 1544, metadata generation 1546, and
rendering specification generation 1548.
[0126] Implementations of the invention allow users at client systems to view
both
data stored in data stores in the distributed computing environment 1500
(i.e., a type
of enterprise spatial system) as well as data stored in a customer's
environment (e.g.,
their own server infrastructure). Examples of data stored in a data store at
the
distributed computing environment 1500 include a data store table that
contains data
for roads in the country. The distributed computing environment 1500 also
makes
data that is obtained from external applications available to its client
systems. One
such example of this type of data is customer data for a company obtained from
a
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system located in the customer's
environment.
[0127] Implementations of the invention make new data 1512 available to a
client
system through data preparation and use of metadata. Data preparation refers
to
preparing the data for viewing spatially. The data preparation process
involves one or
more of the following sub-processes: data retrieval 1520, data cleansing 1542,
geocoding 1544, metadata generation 1546, rendering specification generation
1548,
and data uploading 1550. In certain implementations, some of the sub-processes
involved in data preparation may not need to be performed when new data is
processed by the system. For example, if the data being made available to the
clients
is already spatially referenced, then geocoding 1544 is not performed on the
data.
Another example is the case in which the data being made available to the
client is
retrieved by the server system in real time when the client requests the data.
In this
scenario, the loading system 1550 is not needed. Unlike conventional systems,
all the
sub-processes for the data preparation process are performed automatically
and, if
needed, in real-time.
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[0128] Data retrieval 1520 is the process of gathering the data that needs to
be
presented to the client system. Data retrieval 1520 gathers data from sources
of data
1512 on a local system or from remote systems across a network 1580. Data
retrieval
1520 works with files, data stores, applications (e.g., CRM systems), and
client
software 1590 (e.g., browsers and standalone client software). An example of
data
retrieved from a file is a company's inventory data in a file in Comma
Separated
Values (CSV) format. The same information can also be retrieved from a data
store
across a network 1580. An example of data retrieved from an application may be
a
company's customer information retrieved from a CRM system by interfacing with
the
APIs exposed by the CRM system. Data retrieval 1520 works with client systems
that
allow users to enter data through client software 1590. For example, when a
report of
a fire is called in to a dispatch center for a fire deparhnent, personnel at
the dispatch
center may enter the location of the fire in real time using a web page. The
data
retrieval 1520 gathers the real time data and then automatically loads the
data in real
time into the data store (e.g.,1160) used by the server system 1530. Then,
after data
preparation is done, with implementations of the invention, client software
1590 is
able to show the location of the fire in real time to the fire department so
that they can
respond to the fire immediately.
[0129] Address cleansing 1542 and geocoding 1544 may also be performed in real
time on the data, depending on the format in which the data is entered using
the web
page. Address cleansing 1542 is the process of updating the address
information
associated with the data elements to correct inconsistencies in the data in
order to
accurately assign spatial coordinates to the data to be viewed spatially. For
example,
address cleansing 1542 corrects a misspelled name of a city in an address.
Geocoding
1544 is the process of generating spatial coordinates (e.g., latitude and
longitude) that
pinpoint a point on earth from location information and associate the point
with data.
Examples of location information include an address, cross streets, a landmark
name
(such as The White House), etc. For example, the process of geocoding 1544
will add
spatial coordinates such as (X,Y) coordinates for each entry in a data set
1545.
[0130] With metadata generation 1546, the metadata about the data that is
being
prepared is generated and stored in the metadata store 1570. When client
software
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1590 requests the server system 1530 to view data 1512, the server system 1530
uses
metadata stored in a metadata store 1570 to locate, retrieve, and render the
data for the
client software 1590. For example, if the data is stored in a table in a data
store, the
metadata includes information, such as the name of the data layer as it will
be
presented in the client software 1590, the name of the data table in which
data is
stored, the location of the data store in which the table is located, security
credentials
required to access the table, information on how to render the data, etc. It
would be
apparent to those skilled in the art that the metadata mentioned above could
alternatively be provided along with the data to be processed and presented to
the user
spatially, utilizing XML or other message or content descriptive formats.
[0131] The rendering specification generation 1548 generates a rendering
specification, which describes how data should be presented to the client
software
1590. For example, the rendering specification for customer data for a company
may
specify: "Point size=12, Point color=red". The server system 1530 uses the
rendering
specification to display a point that is red in color and 12 pixels wide on
the display
screen of the client system at each point at which a customer is located. The
rendering
specification may be stored in the metadata store 1570.
[0132] Each set of data in the data store 1560 may be associated 1572 with one
or
more rendering specifications in the metadata store 1570. Thus,
implementations of
the invention show the same data in different forms to different client
software,
without creating multiple versions of the same data and storing the multiple
versions.
[0133] The loading system 1550 loads prepared data into a data store (e.g.,
1560) to
be used by the server system 1530. In certain implementations, data is passed
through
the server system 1530 to the client software, without loading the data into
data store
1560, via line 1525. For example, if a government or corporate entity does not
want
their data stored in data store 1560, the data could be retrieved 1520 and
passed to
server system 1530 for transmission to client software 1590. Implementations
of the
invention retrieve and display data residing on a customer location across a
network
1580 in real time, and, in this scenario, the loading system 1550 may not be
needed.
[0134] FIGS. 16A and 16B illustrate data preparation in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention. Unlike conventional systems, implementations
of
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the invention automate the data preparation process. FIGS. 16A and 16B
describe
some of the metadata elements created during automated data preparation.
Implementations of the invention automate the data preparation process by
using
another set of metadata (not shown in FIGS. 16A or 16B) stored in the metadata
store
1570 that describes the data preparation process for each individual set of
data.
[0135] When the requested data is displayed to the client software 1600, the
requested
data is not retrieved from a static table. Instead, the client software's 1600
view is a
representation of the information that is being displayed from multiple data
sources
dynamically. These individual and multiple data sources include, but are not
limited
to, business data 1613b and spatial coordinates 1645b from separate tables
within the
spatial data store 1660, as well as, rendering specifications derived from
business
rules stored in metadata store 1670. Metadata is used to link these multiple
tables
together dynamically.
[0136] In certain implementations, specific software modules perform sub-
processes
for the data preparation process, and a master software process coordinates
the actions
of these individual software modules by using metadata in metadata store 1670
to
decide which software modules are to be activated to perform the data
preparation.
For example, the metadata may indicate whether the data includes coordinates,
and,
therefore, gcocoding is not necessary.
[0137] The metadata also provides information needed by the individual
software
modules. For example, a piece of information that the loading system 1550
needs is
the name of the table into which the data should be loaded, and this data is
provided
by the metadata 1673. The metadata also has elements that describe the status
and
results of each one of the sub-processes of the data preparation process that
are
performed. The metadata also has data validation procedures that are performed
for
each sub-process for the data preparation process. The master software process
initiates the validation as specified in the metadata.
[0138] In FIG. 16A, customer data (e.g., 1613a) is uploaded 1620 and stored in
spatial
data store 1660 as business data 1613b. The data is cleansed 1642 and geocoded
1644. The geocoding adds coordinates to data elements (e.g., records) as
illustrated
by spatial coordinate table 1645a, and coordinates 1645b are stored in the
spatial data
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store 1660. The business data 1613b and coordinates 1645b are used to create a
spatially referenced data layer view 1690. Metadata is created 1646 and stored
in
metadata store 1670. A rendering specification is generated based on business
rules
1648. For example, the rendering specification for customer data for a company
may
specify a business rule of "Point size=12, Point color=red" 1672a. In FIG.
16B, this
metadata 1672b is used by client software 1600 to display data. With reference
to
FIG. 16A, metadata and spatial tables are dynamically linked 1680. Next, the
layer
view may be transmitted over a network to client software 1600 and displayed
by
client software 1600 in FIG. 16B. FIG. 16 B illustrates that client software
1600
receives data sent via, for example, from spatial data store 1660 and metadata
store
1670. Data 1613b, 1645b, and 1672b each represent one or more data layers.
[0139] FIG. 17 illustrates logic for data preparation and activation in
accordance with
certain implementations of the invention. For one line of logic, control
begins at
block 1710 with the server system creating data processing automation
instructions in
the metadata store 1670. Data processing automation instructions are specific
directives that a component in the data preparation system understands, and
each
directive contains all the information that the component needs to perform a
specific
data preparation process. An example of a data processing automation
instruction is
an instruction to generate latitudes/longitudes for each data record in a data
set from
address information in a specific field in the data records. In block 1712,
the server
system retrieves the data processing automation instructions from the metadata
store
1670.
[0140] Blocks 1714-1754 represent processing performed automatically based on
the
data processing automation instructions executed by, for example, a master
software
process, without user or administrator intervention. In block 1714, an
automated
process determines the source locations of source data (e.g., application
datasets) from
the data processing automation instructions. In block 1716, the automated
process
determines whether the source data is to be stored at the server system based
on the
data processing automation instructions. If so, processing continues to block
1718,
otherwise, processing continues to block 1740. That is, if the source data is
to reside
on the server system, then the data is retrieved from the current data source
(block
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1718) for processing and storage in the server system data store as described
by blocks
1720 through 1738.
[0141] In block 1720, it is determined whether the data is spatially
referenced. If so,
processing continues to block 1736, otherwise, processing continues to block
1722.
In block 1722, it is determined whether the data needs geocoding. If so,
processing
continues to block 1724, otherwise, processing continues to block 1736. In
block
1724, it is determined whether the data needs address cleansing. If so,
processing
continues to block 1732, otherwise, processing continues to block 1726. In
block
1732, address cleansing is performed, and in block 1734, the metadata store
1270 is
updated with an address cleansing result status.
[0142] In block 1726, geocoding is performed. In block 1728, spatial
coordinates
created by the geocoding process are stored in the server system data store.
In block
1730, the metadata store 1270 is updated with a geocoding result status.
[0143] In block 1736, data is loaded into a data store, if needed. In block
1738, the
metadata store 1270 is updated with a load result status.
[0144] At this point, data layer metadata may need to be updated to reflect
the results
of the cleansing, geocoding, and data store processes. In block 1740, it is
determined
whether the data layer metadata needs to be created or updated. If so,
processing
continues to block 1744, otherwise, processing continues to block 1752. In
block
1744, metadata is generated for data to be used by the server system provided
by
implementations of the invention at run time. In block 1746, rendering
specification
metadata is generated from business rules or data processing automation
instructions.
In block 1748, access control metadata is created based on business rules. In
block
1750, access is granted to users. In particular, as will be discussed in
further detail
below, a data layer definition metadata table and a users metadata table are
maintained, and access is granted by associating a data layer definition
metadata table
entry with a users metadata table entry.
[0145] In block 1752, it is determined whether client software at one or more
client
systems should be notified about new data. If so, processing continues to
block 1754,
otherwise, processing ends. In block 1754, client software at one or more
client
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systems are notified about new data and, optionally, decisions made by the
automated
process.
[0146] Implementations of the invention also provide automated activation of
new
data. In particular, each set of related data in the server system, such as
client
locations, roads, rivers etc., is presented as data layers in the client
software. Each
new set of data prepared by implementations of the invention is made available
to the
client software as a new data layer. Each data layer seen by the client
software has a
corresponding data layer representation in the metadata store 1270 in the
server
system. The metadata associates each data layer representation with a set of
roles or
users who can view the data in the data layer. When a user connects to the
server
system, the client software is notified by the server system which data layers
the user
can view based on the data layer representation associations in the metadata.
Based
on user actions, the client software can request spatial views of any or all
of these data
layers. The client software will not view and hence cannot request any data
from a
server data layer representation that is not associated with the user.
[0147] Referring now to FIG. 17, blocks 1744-1748, at the completion of the
automated data preparation process for data (i.e., a new data set), all
metadata has
been created in the metadata store. At this point, the data has a data layer
representation in the metadata. However, none of the current users can view
the data
since the data layer representation for the data is not associated with any of
the users
of the system. The users can be associated with the data layer representation
in one
of two ways. First, a software process can be run that takes a predefined user
access
list, such as a file with user names, and associates each one of these users
with the
data layer representation in the metadata. Second, an interactive application
(e.g., a
server based application or client software, such as a browser application)
may be
used to associate the data layer representation with one or more users.
[0148] When a user logs in to the server system, the server system will
automatically
look for all metadata data layer representations that are associated with the
user and
make them available for viewing by the user. Once the actions in block 1750
have
been done, the server system will find the new data layer representation
associated
with one or more users who are allowed to see that data layer representation,
and the
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data layer representation will automatically be available to the user. Unlike
conventional systems, there is no need to restart the server system.
[0149] For another line of logic, control begins at block 1742 and data is
entered by a
user in client software or real time data is automatically generated. The data
being
spatially viewed may be updated real-time in a batch process or based on input
from a
user entering data into client software, by a client software generating data
as part of
its processing, by a sensor device (such as a smoke detector) generating data
or by a
location sensing device (such as a GPS enabled device) generating data.
[0150] When new data has been introduced to the system, the new data is made
available to the user immediately, while the user is accessing andlor already
using the
system. In certain implementations, the server system will have a special
software
flag that will indicate whether there is new data in the server system. This
software
flag is turned on when there is new data. When a client software request
reaches the
server system, this flag is checked and, if the flag is turned on, the client
software is
told that there is new data available. The client software can then retrieve
the data and
view the data without having to restart the client session. If the client
system is
already connected to the server system using a communication protocol that
allows the
server system to initiate interactions with the client system, the server
system will
notify the client system that there is new data available.
[0151] Thus, unlike conventional systems, implementations of the invention
allow
real time update of data sets already being used by client systems. New data
can be
added to or deleted from the data set. The client systems will automatically
view
changes to the data sets when they refresh their displayed data view, if they
have
access rights to the data.
[0152] In summary, original data is left intact while being associated with
spatial
coordinate information to enable the data to be visualized spatially. Thus,
the original
data may still be processed by existing software. Moreover, the data may be
visualized spatially, while allowing existing software currently using the
original data
to continue to operate correctly. Also, the data may be visualized spatially,
while
keeping the data and the associated coordinate information in separate data
sets, and,
if needed, in separate data stores. A server system is able to retrieve and
present data
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residing in a remote location to client software that views spatial data as
though the
data is residing in a local data store.
[0153] Non-spatially referenced data may be associated with pre-existing
spatially
referenced data to allow new spatial data presentations to the same data set.
Additionally, this association is performed dynamically, and the data need not
be
moved or transferred from its original locations.
[0154] Client software may perform spatial analysis and malee business
decisions by
using spatial presentation of currently existing non-spatially referenced data
in an
automated manner. The process of retrieving, cleansing, geocoding, loading and
making the data available to client software in a client server environment is
automated.
[0155] Data being spatially viewed by client software in a client server
environment
may be updated real-time without any interruptions to the server and client
software.
In this context, the data being spatially viewed may be updated real-time in a
batch
process or based on input from a user entering data into a software user
interface, by
software generating data as part of its processing, by a sensor device (such
as a smoke
detector) generating data or by a location sensing device (such as a GPS
enabled
device) generating data.
[0156] A software abstraction level is created that allows data sets to be
represented as
abstract entities to client software. The term software abstraction level
refers to
making the data set look like a simple data layer with all the data residing
in a local
data store, while in fact the data may be acquired real time from some other
location
(i.e., other than the local data store). In this context, the software
abstraction level is
used to allow the server system to acquire and process data present in
different
formats and in different locations without changing the client software and
without
changing the core server application.
F. Hierarchical Access Control to Spatially Referenced Data Stored in a
Conventional Data Store
[0157] It is a difficult task to provide security and different access
controls to data and
applications to different employees. For example, user organizations may want
to
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only give certain employees special access rights to BSS data and geographic
information because there might be confidential data. However, this can be
complicated by the fact that user organizations may want everyone in the
organization
to have a basic level of access to non-confidential geographic information to
improve
individual productivity.
[0158] Implementations of the invention provide access to spatially referenced
data at
a data set level or at an individual data element level within the data set.
Users can be
granted access to (e.g., visually see) or be denied access to entire sets of
data. Access
can be further restricted to allow users to view only particular subsets of
data within a
data set. This is done through metadata definitions that are independent of
the
technology used to store the spatially referenced data.
[0159] FIG. 18 illustrates metadata stored in metadata store 1570 (FIG. 15)
for use in
controlling access to data in accordance with certain implementations of the
invention.
Metadata is stored in metadata store 1570 for all resources managed and made
available to client systems. The resources include, for example, data and
application
functions. Data is seen by the client software 1590 as data layers in the UI
screen.
Each data layer presented to the client software 1590 has a corresponding
metadata
definition in a table, labeled layer definition table 1872 in metadata store
1570. Each
application function presented to the user through the client software 1590
has a
metadata definition in another metadata table labeled application definition
table
1874. The invention system also maintains information about the users, such as
login
name, first name, last name, etc., in yet another table, labeled user table
1876.
[0160] When client software 1590 requests access to a resource (e.g., data or
an
application function), the server system 1530 accesses this resource using the
appropriate metadata table. For example, when the client software 1590 wants
to
view the data for a data layer (e.g., by selecting the data layer for viewing
via a UI
screen), the server system 1530 finds the metadata definition for this data
layer in the
layer definition table 1872. In particular, if the resource is a data layer,
the data layer
has a layer identifier ("Layer ID"), such as 20, and the server system uses
the layer
identifier to find the entry associated with the requested data layer.
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[0161] Then, the server system 1530 uses the information contained in the
metadata
definition for the data layer to access the data store 1560 (using the data
store user
name), retrieve the data 1520, transform the data 1540, and present the data
to the
client software 1590. Implementations of the invention do not allow resources
to be
accessed if the resources are not represented in the appropriate metadata
tables.
[0162] Implementations of the invention also maintain access control lists
(commonly
referred to as ACLs) for each of the resources represented in the metadata
tables. The
access control list for a given resource is a list of users who can access the
resource.
Each resource is associated with a list of users, and this association is
maintained in a
new table, labeled resource ACL table 1878.
[0163] Whenever client software 1590 requests access to a resource, the server
system
1530 first checks whether the resource is associated with the user by
searching the
resource ACL Table 1878. If the server system 1530 finds the association, the
server
system 1530 allows access to the resource. Otherwise, the server system 1530
rejects
the request from the client software 1590.
[0164] Implementations of the invention also associate data filters with each
entry in
the layer definition table 1872. A data filter is an assertion that should be
valid for all
data that is retrieved using that metadata definition. The client software
1590 is
allowed to access only data for which the assertion is valid. Take for example
data
that contains customer information for a company. The data filter associated
with the
metadata entry for such data may be "Region=West Coast" 1873. The term
"Region"
in this filter refers to a data element, such as a column name in the data.
The term
"West Coast" in this filter is the desired column value. Then, the server
system 1530
retrieves a subset of the data that has the value "West Coast" in the region
column.
Even though the data contains customer information for all regions, the user
who
accesses this data will only view the west coast region data, since the data
is restricted
by the data filter associated with the metadata.
[0165] Additional metadata entries may be created in the layer definition
table 1872
for the same data set. Thus, multiple metadata entries can be created for the
same
data, each with a different data filter. Then, by granting access to the
different
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metadata entries to different users, different users can be privileged or
restricted to
view different subsets of the same data.
[0166] Each user has a unique metadata entry in the user table 1876. The
metadata
entry contains properties of the user. For example, a user can have a property
called
"sales territory," and an associated value for the property. This property can
then be
used in a data filter to allow the user to view only subsets of the data. For
example,
for a data set that contains customer data, the data filter may be of the form
"region=user.sales territory". This filter indicates that only data for which
the value in
the region column matches the user's sales territory property value should be
retrieved
for access by the user. Assuming that user A's sales terntory property value
is "West
Coast," and user B's sales territory property value is "Midwest", when user A
views
the customer data using the client software 1590, only the west coast data is
shown to
user A, and when user B accesses the same data, only the Midwest customer data
is
shown to user B.
[0167] Associated with each entry in the layer definition table 1872 is a set
of
credentials used to access the data within the data store 1560, which may be
referred
to as "access credentials." The access credentials are used to access the
data. If the
data is stored in a data store 1560, the access credentials may include, for
example, the
user name and password.
(0168] A data set (e.g., a customer data table) in the data store 1560 may be
associated
with more than one metadata entry in the layer definition table 1872. For
example,
there may be two entries in the layer definition table 1872 for the customer
data table.
The first entry may be associated with data store user name DB USER A for
client A,
and the second entry may be associated with data store user name DB USER B for
client B. The data store user names are used to access the data store 1560 in
which
data, such as the customer data table, resides. Then, the access rules
enforced by the
data store technology itself may be used to view different data elements
within the
same data set (e.g., customer data table). For example, client A would be
granted
access to the first entry in the layer definition table 1872, and client B
would be
granted access to the second entry in the layer definition table for the
customer data
table. Client A and client B will access different sets of data, since the
server system
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1530 will access the back end data store 1560 with data store user name DBUSER
A
for client A and data store user name DBUSER B for client B. This allows
implementations of the invention to leverage the access control functionality
provided
by the data store (i.e., the data store user names) and use data store access
credentials
(i.e., the data store user names) that are different from the access
credentials supported
by implementations of the invention.
[0169] Implementations of the invention may use any combination of the
above-mentioned techniques for access control at the same time to retrieve
subsets of
the data for a particular client.
[0170] FIG. 19 illustrates logic when a client request to view information as
data
arrives at the server system in accordance with certain implementations of the
invention. Control begins at block 1910 with receipt of a request from client
software
for data at the server system. The request references a data layer that
contains desired
data. In block 1912, the server system accesses the metadata store and finds
an entry
in a layer definition table 1872 (FIG. 18) for the requested data layer, which
is referred
to as a "layer definition table entry." In block 1914, the server system
accesses the
metadata store and finds an entry in a user table 1876 (FIG. 18) (a "user
table entry")
associated with the current user who submitted the request for data via the
client
software.
[0171] In block 1916, the server system accesses the resource ACL table 1878
(FIG.
18) in the metadata store and performs a query to determine whether the
current user
has access to the requested data layer. If the current user should not have
access to the
requested data layer, then processing continues to block 1932, otherwise,
processing
continues to block 1918. In block 1932, the server system notifies the client
software
that the data request will not be fulfilled and the process ends.
[0172] In block 1918, the server system retrieves the data store user name
from the
layer definition table entry associated with the requested data layer and
connects to the
data store using the data store user name (block 1920). In block 1922, the
server
system determines whether the layer definition table entry has a data filter
(i.e.,
whether the layer definition table includes an entry in the data filter
column). If so,
processing continues to block 1936, otherwise, processing continues to block
1924.
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In block 1924, data is read from the data store using a data store query. If
there is a
data filter, the data filter is retrieved from the layer definition table
entry (block 1936),
and data is read from the data store using a data store query, with the data
filter being
applied to the data store query to retrieve the requested data layer block
1938.
[0173] In block 1926, the rendering specification is retrieved from the layer
definition
table entry. The data is rendered using the rendering specification (block
1928), and
the rendered data is sent to the client software (blocks 1930).
[0174] Providing secure access controls to data is important for companies
because
without this security and access controls, companies cannot integrate and use
their
enterprise data with geospatial information from the data center.
Implementations of
the invention provide various administration tools for users to create
different
organizations, roles and access rights for each data layer and defined area.
Each layer
or defined area has an associated resource identification value. This resource
identification value is associated with a role (e.g., a role in a company,
such as
manager or administrator).
[0175] FIG. 20 illustrates a user hierarchy in accordance with certain
implementations
of the invention. A user hierarchy is used to administer user access to data,
application functions, and other resources. The information in FIG. 20 is used
to
show the relationship between the various entities in a company and their
relationships.
[0176] For example, the system (e.g., the enterprise spatial system) 2002 is
at the
highest level of the user hierarchy. The system 2002 has one or more companies
2004. Each company has one or more users 2006. Each user has one or more roles
2008. Users may be specified using the user's name and associated demographic
information. For example, one user may be specified with: Joe Brown, 13834
Sunshine Drive. Then, each user is assigned a role 2008 that exists within the
company 2004. Roles include, for example, manager, administrator, advisor, or
technician.
[0177] Each role has access to one or more application services 2010 and one
or more
data layers 2014. Each application service is a collection of distinct
features 2012 that
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perform particular functions. For example, geocoding is a feature that
performs the
function of translating an address to a latitude/longitude pair.
[0178] Data layers 2014 have subsets of data 2018 and areas of interest (i.e.,
viewable
extents) 2016, which are subsets of data based on a particular area being
viewed. The
data layers 2014 form a category of data that is resident in a system 2002
data store.
For example, data layers 2014 may include census 2000 data. An area of
interest
2016 may be, for example, a regional area of the globe (e.g., United States
North
West, United States South West, etc.). A subset of data 2018 represents a
subset of a
data layer 2014 (i.e., data layers 2014 may be broken into subsets using
filtering
techniques). The subsets of data are given identifiers (e.g., names) so that
access can
be assigned to roles and users.
[0179] In summary, implementations of the invention allow users to view
spatially
only those data sets to which they have been granted access. Users may be
grouped
into groups and then further sub-grouped under roles within the groups: In
this
context, users are granted different access rights based on the group to which
they
belong and the role that they are assigned within the group. Access to data is
granted
to users based on metadata that is independent of the data store technology
used to
store data. Access to data and applications is controlled in a manner in which
the
access control mechanism is independent of the data store location storage
format
used by the data store and storage technology used to implement the data
store.
[0180] A software abstraction level is created using metadata for the data and
the
application functions that work with this data. Access is granted to data and
applications by granting access to the abstract entities in metadata.
Therefore, data
and applications can be accessed by the server system for the client software
when the
user has been granted access to the abstract entities for these in metadata.
Moreover,
data filters are attached to the abstract metadata entities to filter out
subsets of the data
accessed by the server system using that particular abstract entity. More than
one
abstract entity may be created in metadata for the same data set in the data
store,
without creating multiple copies of the data set. Then, different data filters
may be
attached to the different abstract entities to allow different users to view
different
subsets of the data based on which abstraction entity they use to access the
data.
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[0181] Different data store access credentials may be associated with
different abstract
metadata entities for the same data set, and, thus, the data seen by the user
may be
filtered using the data filtering abilities supported by the data store
technology. The
data accessed by users may be filtered on a per user basis based on the
properties of
the user. The data filtering techniques provided by implementations of the
invention
may be used one at a time or simultaneously in any combinations of data
filters.
[0182] The access credentials used by the user to access the spatial server
system may
be detached from the access credentials used to access the data store. The
spatial
server system may use different access credentials to access different data
sets on
behalf of the same user. The spatial server system may use the same access
credentials to access a data set on behalf of different users.
G. Automating the Process of Choosing and Dis~layin~ Data from Pyramided
~atial~ Referenced Data
[0183] Implementations of the invention display spatially referenced data
(e.g.,
images) to client software, by automatically choosing one of several data sets
containing spatially referenced data corresponding to the scale at which the
user
requests to view the spatially referenced data. The data sets contain
spatially
referenced data, at varying scales and varying levels of detail for the same
viewing
area of interest.
[0184] Implementations of the invention provide an application server tier
that
includes access control and map content configuration management components to
handle customized secure access to data. In particular, when a user logs in to
the
server system, the server system obtains user information to generate a list
of different
data layers and regions that a user may access based on the user's role
information and
access controls. Then, the server system returns this list to the client
software.
[0185] Using the data layer information provided by the server system, the
client
software creates layer control options and different data layer
representations for a
user. When a user tries to use panning features to expand the area of certain
layers, a
user's actions are limited by the access controls. Each user has a pre-defined
viewing
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area (commonly referred to in the art as an "extent") and the enterprise
spatial system
confines the user to stay within this viewing area while viewing the data.
[0186] FIG. 21 illustrates a single data layer presentation that is provided
for a single
pyramided spatially referenced data set in accordance with certain
implementations of
the invention. A user selects a single data layer (block 2112) to view via,
for example,
a UI screen provided by client software 2110. A request for the data layer is
sent to
the server system 2120 via a network. The appropriate data table to use for
the
request is automatically determined (block 2132) using metadata logic and
metadata
2140. Then, the data store 2150 is accessed, data layers (e.g., image layers)
are
generated, and the data layers (e.g., image layers) are returned to the client
software
2110 (block 2134). The spatial data store 2150 and metadata logic and metadata
store
2140 are part of a data store system 2130.
[0187] FIG. 22 illustrates a metadata store 2217, a spatial data store 2218, a
business
data store 2219, and relationships among the data stores 2217, 2218, 2219 in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention. FIG. 22 illustrates
some
tables, although the data stores 2217, 2218, 2219 may store many tables. For
ease of
understanding, only a subset of the columns in the tables are shown.
[0188] A software abstraction level separates the data layers, as the data
layers are
presented to the user with the client software, from the data set or data sets
that
contain the data. The software abstraction level is created using metadata
stored in a
set of data store tables. In particular, for each data layer viewed by the
client software,
there is a corresponding entry in a layer definition table 2225. For each data
set stored
in the data store, there is a corresponding entry in a layer pyramid table
2226. The
layer pyramid table 2226 contains the name of the data table that contains
data, along
with the minimum and maximum zoom scales at which the user is allowed to view
the
data. In certain implementations, there is one layer pyramid table for each
entry in the
layer definition table. The layer definition table 2225 also may have entries
for
business tables 2230 and 2231. These tables may also have an entry in the
layer
pyramid table, even though the business data may not be stored as a pyramid in
the
data store. The layer pyramid table entries for business tables 2230 and 2231
are not
shown in the layer pyramid table 2226.
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[0189] Each entry in the layer definition table 2225 is associated with one or
more
entries in the layer pyramid table. For example, the "Roads" data layer
represented in
the layer definition table 2225 is associated with three entries in the layer
pyramid
table 2226. In certain implementations, the layer definition table 2225 and
the layer
pyramid table 2226 each have a layer identifier ("Layer ID") column for use in
creating the associations. The three entries in the layer pyramid table in
turn point at
the three tables 2227, 2228, 2229, respectively, that contain the spatially
referenced
data for the "Roads" data layer. The layer pyramid table 2226 also contains
MinScale
and MaxScale colmnns. The MinScale column indicates the minimum zoom level at
which the data corresponding to this entry in the pyramid table can be viewed.
The
MaxScale column indicates the maximum zoom level which the data corresponding
this entry in the pyramid table can be viewed. In the example shown in the
layer
pyramid table 2226, the first entry in the layer pyramid table 2226 can be
viewed from
zoom scale levels 100 to 10,000; the second entry can be viewed from zoom
scales
10,001 to 100,000; and, the third entry can be viewed from zoom scales of
100,001 to
10,000,000,000. Since all these entries in the layer pyramid table 2226 are
linked
together by the value 10 in the Layer ll~ column, these three entries
represent a
pyramid with three levels for Layer ID 10. The Layer ID of 10 corresponds to
the
"Roads" entry in the layer definition table 2225. Thus, the three entries in
the layer
pyramid table represent a layer pyramid with three levels that is actually
seen as a
single data layer (e.g., the roads data layer) by the client software.
[0190] FIG. 22 illustrates a pyramid in which data is stored in data store
tables in a
single spatial data store 2218. The use of metadata allows the creation of
pyramids
with any form of data store, including pyramids in which the data for some
levels in
the pyramid is provided by an application external to the enterprise spatial
system.
With implementations of the invention, pyramids may be made of different data
sets,
and the data sets may be physically located in different locations and in
different data
formats.
[0191] The user is presented with one data layer via the UI screen for a
pyramided
data layer. For the example shown in FIG. 22, the user would be presented with
one
"Roads" data layer in the UI screen. When the user requests to view the
"Roads" data
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layer at a particular zoom scale, the server system uses the layer definition
table 2225
and the layer pyramid table 2226 to automatically determine which data store
table
among the three for the "Roads" data should be used to satisfy the zoom
request. The
logic performed by the server system to automatically choose the data set from
a
pyramid is described below with reference to FIGs. 23 and 24.
[0192] Additionally, each entry in the layer pyramid table 2226 may be
associated
with rendering specifications. This allows for different presentations for the
data at
different levels in the pyramid to be automatically created. Moreover, each
entry in
the layer pyramid table 2226 can also be associated with a data filter. The
data filter is
applied to all data retrieved at that pyramid level to filter out subsets of
the data in the
data set.
(0193] FIG. 23 illustrates logic for processing a client request to view data
in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention. Control begins at
block
2310 with the server system receiving a request from client software to view
particular
information (e.g., an image of roads). In block 2312, the server system
determines
whether the request is for an image. If so, processing continues to block
2314,
otherwise, this processing is complete and other processing occurs. In block
2314, the
server system processes the request and sends the request to a service
aggregator. In
block 2316, a layer identifier is retrieved from the request. The layer
identifier may be
used to access data in the layer definition table 2225 and the layer pyramid
table 2226.
[0194] At this point, the server system determines the viewing extent of the
requested
image based on information received from the client software in the request
(block
2318). Then, in block 2320, the server system calculates the zoom scale at
which to
display the image. The layer identifier and the zoom scale are used to access
an entry
in the layer pyramid table 2226, then, the appropriate data store table
associated with
the accessed entry is retrieved from the spatial data store 2218 (block 2322).
As an
example, when the user requests to view the roads data layer, the server
system
automatically determines whether to use LD Roads_1 table 2228, LD Roads 2
table
2229 or LD Roads 3 table 2227 to generate the image for the client request.
Once
the appropriate data store table is determined, that data store table name and
image
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viewing extent are sent to an image generator component of a map server to
create the
image (blocle 2324). Then, the server system returns the image to the client
software
for display (block 2326).
[0195] FIG. 24 illustrates logic performed by the service aggregator for the
interaction
of metadata tables to identify the information to be sent in response to a
request for a
data layer. Control begins at block 2410 with a determination of whether the
layer
identifier is present in the layer definition table. If so, processing
continues to block
2412, otherwise, this processing terminates. That is, when the request from
the client
software is being processed, an attempt is made to locate the layer identifier
within the
layer definition table 2225 in metadata store 2217. In block 2412, it is
deteirnined
whether the zoom scale is between minimum and maximum zoom scales that have
been defined for the requested data layer based on the information extracted
from the
client software request. In particular, the determination of the zoom scale is
made by
locating the minimum and maximum zoom scales for the layer identifier in the
layer
definition table 2225.
[0196] In block 2414, by matching the layer identifier values ( in the Layer
ID
columns in tables 2225 and 2226 of FIG.22) between the layer definition table
2225
and the layer pyramid table 2226, a first entry is retrieved from the layer
pyramid table
2226 for the requested data layer. In block 2416, it is determined whether an
entry
was found in the layer pyramid table 2226. If so, processing continues to
block 2418,
otherwise, processing terminates. In block 2418, it is determined whether the
zoom
scale requested by the client software request is between the minimum and
maximum
zoom scales found in the retrieved layer pyramid table 2226 entry. If so,
processing
continues to block 2422, otherwise, processing continues to block 2420 to
retrieve
another entry from the layer pyramid table 2226 associated with the requested
data
layer.
[0197] In block 2422, if the entry in the layer pyramid table 2226 has the
requested
zoom scale, the data set name and data store location of data are retrieved
from the
entry. For example, based on the determined scale, an associated data store
table
name is identified, which in turn determines which Roads table 2227, 2228, or
2229
to use from the spatial data store 2218 (e.g., highways only or highways and
streets).
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In block 2424, the data set name and data store location information are
retrieved from
the layer pyramid table 2226.
[0198] In summary, a single data layer representation is provided in the
client user
interface for a pyramided spatially referenced data set that is stored in the
server as a
pyramid with different data sets at different levels in the pyramid. The
server system
automatically deternzines the appropriate level in the pyramid to use to
respond to a
client software request to view a data layer. Once the appropriate pyramid
level is
determined, the server system automatically fords the data set in the data
store and
retrieves the data to be viewed spatially.
[0199] Pyramids for any spatially referenced data format are created, rather
than just
raster data as is usually done in conventional systems. Pyramids can be
created in
which the data for the different levels in the pyramid is located in
physically different
locations. Pyramids can be created in which the data for different levels in
the
pyramid may be in different formats.
H. Printing Multiple Data Layers
[0200] Implementations of the invention allow for multiple data layers to be
printed.
FIG. 25 illustrates logic for printing multiple data layers in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention. Control begins at block 2510 with the client
software receiving a user request to print a composite image that is formed by
overlaying multiple data layers. In particular, when a user clicks on a Print
menu to
print different data layers that are displayed on a Map Control window, the
client
software receives the print request. In block 2512, the client software sends
the print
request to the server system. In block 2514, the server system receives and
processes
the print request by gathering all of the requested data layers and combining
the
multiple data layers as one printable file. Then, in block 2516, the server
system
sends the combined printable file to the client software to print. In block
2518, the
client software receives and prints the printable file.
[0201] In certain implementations, for handling a Print Preview menu selection
by a
user, the client software and the server system perform logic similar to the
logic used
for processing a Print menu selection, but lower resolution data may be used
to
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achieve faster performance, and rather than printing a printable file, the
client
software displays the printable file.
[0202] In sununary, for printing multiple data layers, the client software and
the server
system support printing multiple data layers as one printable file.
I. Fulfillment
[0203] FIG. 26 illustrates logic for order fulfillment in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention. The logic illustrated in FIG. 26 will be
described
with reference to FIG. 7. In FIG. 26, control begins at block 2610 with the
fulfillment
center 730 receiving an order for data, such as a map or satellite image. A
catalog of
previous versions of GIS data is maintained at the data center 720, and users
are given
the option to choose among the various versions listed in the catalog when
requesting
data from the fulfillment center.
[0204] In block 2612, the fulfillment center 730 prepares the requested data
(e.g.,
creates or collects the appropriate data layers. In block 2614, the
fulfillment center
730 delivers the prepared data to a requested location. In particular, orders
can be
delivered in many different forms, such as tape, CD-ROM, or using File
Transfer
Protocol (FTP).
[0205] Orders that cannot be processed directly by the data center 720 will be
sent to
the fulfillment center 730. Typically, orders that require special GIS
processing at the
GIS processing center 714 or those that require the transfer of large amounts
of data
are sent from the data center 720 to the fulfillment center 730. Since a
master archive
tape library 723 contains all versions of the GIS data, the order fulfillment
process is
used to retrieve and fulfill the order for an earlier version of GIS data
(e.g., original
source data).
E-Commerce
[0206] Managing spatially referenced data effectively is expensive in terms of
Information Technology (IT) infrastructure, personnel, data maintenance, and
custom
application development. Typically, specialized IT departments are charged
with
maintaining spatially referenced information systems and providing data and
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applications to internal users. New information is acquired primarily through
large,
data-development projects that are outsourced to subcontractors such as aerial
survey
and engineering firms, SIM services companies, and environmental consultants.
[0207] As with other IT systems, SIM managers face substantial challenges in
delivering solutions to users while keeping costs under control.
Implementations of
the invention provide a solution in which business managers can subscribe to
geospatial information services on a monthly basis and deliver data and
applications
directly to their users over the Internet. Users gain access to high quality,
up-to-date
geospatial information and business solutions designed specifically to solve
problems
in their industry. Thus, users can spend more time focusing on solving
problems and
making decisions, rather than on learning SIM software and importing and
formatting
data. IT managers can reduce infrastructure and application development costs,
and
IT managers can budget more predictably for the information resources needed
to
support corporate and agency decisions.
[0208] The need for well-timed and enhanced decisions require innovative
techniques
to access relevant and current information, as well as better tools to portray
information in practical and valuable ways. The solutions provided and
services
permitted by implementations of the invention are designed to help executive
decision
makers, SIM analysts, and government agencies acquire, manage, and utilize
spatially
referenced information (e.g., imagery), thus, placing decision making power in
the
hands of those who need it. The solutions provided and services permitted by
implementations of the invention reflect a new generation of enterprise
decision
support services that leverage and integrate the global TT enterprise
computing
investment, ubiquitous computing capability, and SIM. 'Thus, by providing a
comprehensive view of the enterprise and processes in different formats (e.g.,
vector
format, raster format, tabular format, etc.), solutions provided by
implementations of
the invention generate actionable knowledge, which is knowledge that will
enable
decision makers within a wide array of public and private entities to explain
events,
share knowledge, predict outcomes, plan strategies, and make more informed
decisions. The unique approach disclosed and claimed herein provides an easy
to use,
one-stop solution, built on data (e.g., integrated GIS imagery) and tools
coupled with
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interactive easy-to-use mapping applications and up to and including 24/7
service
delivery, and offers greater productivity and efficiencies than ever before.
Furthermore, implementations of the invention provide the freedom to
collaborate and
share information in a secure online environment.
[0209] The services provided via the server system may be accessed by users
who
have an account at the server system. The services include, for example,
access to
data layers generated with enterprise data and/or third party data that is in
the form of
raster data, vector data, or tabular data. Additionally, one of the services
provided is
the ability to purchase data through the fulfillment order process.
[0210] FIG. 27 illustrates logic for e-commerce processing in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention. Control begins at block 2710 with an
individual
user or a representative of a company creating an account with payment
information in
the enterprise spatial system. In particular, a user or representative of a
company at a
client system uses a UI screen provided by client software to log onto a
website
supported by the server system. The client system may be connected to the
server
system, via, for example, a network, such as the Internet. To create the
account,
information, such as first name, last name, and billing information, may be
provided.
The billing information may include, for example, a credit card type and
number (e.g.,
for an individual) or a billing address to which invoices should be sent
(e.g., for a
company). Additional information provided would indicate the number of uses
who
would use the account. The number of users may impact the cost of using the
services
provided via the server system. For example, if a company wants to give 100
users
access to the services provided via the server system, the cost may be less
than if the
company wanted to give 1000 user access to the services. Also, the account
would
specify whether charges should be based on individual accesses (e.g., a charge
per
access to the server system), based on an hourly rate for accesses, or based
on a
monthly, unlimited use charge. Also, a password may be set up for the account
to be
used by the server system to provide login verification.
[0211] In block 2712, once the account has been set up, a user may access the
website
supported by the server system and log into the server system, and the server
system
performs login verification procedures to ensure that the user may log in
(e.g., by
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requesting a password from the user). In certain implementations, just after a
user has
created a new account, the user is automatically logged into the server
system. Then,
the user may use the services provided by the server system, including viewing
data
and purchasing data. A "shopping cart" feature is available to enable user's
to store
data that is to be purchased while "shopping" for additional data or using
other
seances.
[0212] The server system responds to the user's requests for services and
tracks usage
(block 2714). While tracking usage, the server system may collect information
about
a particular user that may be stored in a user profile for the user, along
with
demographic (e.g., address) and other information.
[0213] Once the server system receives an indication that the user has logged
out, if
needed, the server system calculates charges for the usage (block 2716). For
example,
if the account indicates that users are to be charged based on an hourly rate,
the
charges would be calculated based on how long the user accessed the services.
If the
account has a monthly, unlimited use charge, then the calculations are not
needed.
Then, the account may be updated with the charges, and the customer is billed
via one
or more selected payment techniques (block 2718). For example, the charges may
be
billed for each usage or periodically (e.g., monthly), or some combination of
these
depending on the services used.
[0214] In surmnary, users may subscribe to enterprise spatial system
information
services (e.g., on a monthly basis or per usage or per hour) and receive data
and/or
applications via, for example, the Internet. Additionally, various e-commerce
related
transactions are supported by the server system, such as purchase order
handling,
shopping cart management, billing, user profile and account management.
K. Handoff and HandBaclc with a Third Party System
[0215] Implementations of the invention allow the dynamic interaction and
integration
of spatial data with a third party system. In particular, a technique is
provided to
handoff spatial data and commands to a third party system. Additionally,
information
may be received back from the third party system for interacting with client
software
and updating spatial data. Also, a technique is provided for receiving spatial
and
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tabular updates from a handoff to a third party system using an interface
technique,
such as Web Services (which is a standard, flexible connection technique to
allow
communication between disparate computer systems using Internet or similar
network
connection to transfer information and may be used to send XML messages).
Moreover, the enterprise spatial system may provide a spatial editor for
modifying
editable data elements (e.g., graphical objects or tabular data, etc.), while
the third
party system may implement business rules for validating the editable data
elements.
[0216] Although the enterprise spatial system of the invention may operate
without
any interaction with a third party system, in certain implementations, the
enterprise
spatial system may be used with a third party system to allow the third party
system to
benefit from the spatial processing provided by the enterprise spatial system.
The
third party system may interact with and be an extension to the client
software. This
in effect is an extension mechanism that allows the client software and
enterprise
spatial system to be extended to incorporate an unlimited number of customer
specific
functions without making changes to the client software or the enterprise
spatial
system. The interaction with a third party system is performed by a client
software
"handoff' during operations supported by the third party system. The term
"handoff'
refers to an information packet that contains a command and various additional
parameters and information, along with a description of a technique for
returning
control back to the client software. The handoff may be performed using a
secure
communications mode (e.g., HTTPS, SSL, or other secure communications) between
the third party system and the client system to protect the information and
integrity of
both the third party system and the client system.
[0217] FIG. 28 illustrates an enterprise spatial system 2850 interfacing with
a third
party system 2820 in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
Client software 2805 at a client system connects to enterprise spatial system
2850
through a network 2810 (e.g., the Internet). An optional front-end portal 2845
may be
used for authentication, access control, and other system services. In certain
implementations, the enterprise spatial system 2850 includes Web server 2855,
application server 2860, map server 2865, and LDAP server 2870. During client
handoff of data (e.g., a message), the client software 2805 redirects data to
the third
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party system 2820 through the network 2810. In certain implementations, the
third
party system 2820 includes Web server 2825, application server 2830, and data
store
server 2835.
[0218] If third party system 2820 wishes to update spatial and tabular
information
using a Web services connection or other backend systems communication, then
the
third party system 2820 sends updates using APIs along Web services connection
2840 to Web services of Web server 2855. Although Web Services is shown in
FIG.
28, any other API or protocol that supports communication between two computer
systems across the network may be used. The network may be an Internet or
intranet.
Moreover, client software 2805 may be used to edit data (e.g., an image or
tabular
data). Then, the edited data may be passed to the third party system 2820 from
the
client software 2805 for validation of data, further edits, etc. The third
party system
2820 can perform functions on the data, and return the data (possibly
modified) to the
client software 2805.
[0219] One example of how a handoff can work will be described with reference
to a
spatial editor provided by implementations of the invention. The spatial
editor allows
a user to quickly and easily edit complicated editable data elements from a
server
system at the enterprise spatial system using client software (e.g., browser,
software
application, etc). Further details of the processing performed by the spatial
editor will
be discussed below.
[0220] In some cases, the shape of an editable data element represents real
world
objects, such as the boundary of a piece of land. Changes to the editable data
element
may have business implications and rules to be addressed. Therefore, rather
than
directly updating the server system in the enterprise spatial system with
spatial data,
the spatial editor may send the edited spatial data to the third party system.
[0221] The third party system may perform calculations or checks based upon
the
editable data element and what the editable data element represents in the
third party
system. Calculations include, for example, updating the area of a polygon
editable
data element in acres or square feet and valuation or quantity estimates based
upon the
new editable data element and any necessary and appropriate calculations.
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[0222] The third party system may make modifications to the editable data
element to
meet certain rules. For example, two or more shapes may be modified so that at
least
one shape overlaps at least another shape (i.e., the shapes overlap) and other
editable
data element boundaries may be modified (e.g., stretched). Limits on certain
spatial
features, such as width of roads or offsets from certain boundaries, may also
be
applied.
[0223] The third party system, once it receives the handoff, may send other
pages
(e.g., pages indicating that information input into fields in a previous page
on the
display screen are incorrect) to the client software to display to the user or
may send
status (e.g., a requested operation is not allowed or to request additional
information)
to a user. Additionally, different functionality may be performed at the third
party
system (e.g., the third party system calculates data based on tabular data
stored at the
third party system) that generates additional data. The third party system may
return
the generated data to the client software for display to the user. Since the
user is not
aware that processing is performed by the third party system, rather than the
client
software, the functionality of the third party system appears to be integrated
with the
client software at the client system.
[0224] After verifying that one or more rules have been satisfied, the third
party
system may update the spatial data through a backend interface (e.g., using
various
protocols, such as Web Services) at the enterprise spatial system. After the
updated
data is stored at the spatial data store of the enterprise spatial system, the
third party
system may send a handback to the client software indicating that the client
software
should refresh data. The client software may then refresh data from the
updated
spatial data store.
[0225] The third party system may maintain proprietary data that is associated
with
spatial data in the third party system and deliver this to users through the
client
software at the client system, without having to host the proprietary data in
an outside
environment (e.g., the enterprise spatial system). In particular, the third
party system
may maintain additional information about each editable data element stored in
the
enterprise spatial system data store. The objects in the enterprise spatial
system data
store and the corresponding objects in the third party system data store may
be
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correlated using an identifying key called Alternate Key ID (AKID). The use of
AKID allows the related data in the two data stores to be synchronized. The
use of
AKID allows third party systems to maintain proprietary information that can
interact
with the spatial data stored at the enterprise spatial system and be provided
to the user
without submitting this information to the enterprise spatial system.
[0226] The third party system can also apply secret and proprietary processes
to
spatial data or the tabular data associated with spatial data, without
revealing the
processes or hosting them in an outside environment (e.g., the enterprise
spatial
system), while the proprietary operations and processes appear to happen
seamlessly,
and the user does not know that there are two environments.
[0227] Implementations of the invention, enable client software andlor an
enterprise
spatial system to accept back changes to a set of spatial references and
modify the
display or other spatial parameters. That is, after the client handof~ there
may be a
client handback that returns control from the third party system to the client
software.
Embedded in the original handoff is a return location so that the client
software can
handoff to physically or logically different platforms and still receive the
handback.
The third party system uses the return location, like a return address used in
mail, to
return control back through the handback mechanism. The handback contains, for
example, status information, editable data element changes or creations,
and/or other
information. This allows a third party system to implement editable data
element
changes without having to build a backend interface to the enterprise spatial
system.
That is, the third party system may modify the spatial data stored in a data
store at the
enterprise spatial system through updated information in the handback to the
client
software or directly by interacting with the server system at the enterprise
spatial
system through Web Services.
[0228] Implementations of the invention provide the ability to provide
commands
(e.g., the handoff may include commands, such as merge data) to a third party
system
with references to the associated spatial data. Also, implementations of the
invention
provide the ability to provide spatial editable data element information and
spatial
change information to a third party system. The client software may arrive at
a set of
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spatial references to pass to the third party system by performing spatial
queries to the
server system at the enterprise spatial system before the handoff is
performed.
[0229] A third party system may perform additional queries or qualifications
off of a
data set (e.g., spatial, tabular or both) passed to it in a handoff from the
client
software . The third party system may use additional data sets already
residing at the
third party system while performing such additional queries or qualifications
of the
data. The third party system may send the qualified data back to the client
software
through the handback, allowing the client software to update the view of the
data seen
by the user.
[0230] Also, the enterprise spatial system is able to accept commands to
change
spatial data sets, such as Insert, Update and Delete through a backend system
interface
(e.g., Web Services), allowing the third party system to submit these changes.
The
enterprise spatial system performs the command and stores updated data in the
data
store. Moreover, data (e.g., a map image) may be updated based upon the
Insert,
Update and Delete commands received through the backend system interface. In
certain implementations, the update may occur in real time. Then, the client
software
may receive a handback from the third party system indicating that the client
software
should refresh its data from the data store at the enterprise spatial system.
[0231] The third party system may apply business rules, processes, editable
data
element validations, and editable data element changes seamlessly with the
client
software at the client system and have the changes reflected immediately on
the
display screen at the client computer and in the data store of the enterprise
spatial
system.
[0232] Also, implementations of the invention provide the ability to notify
client
software at different client systems of changes to spatial data or associated
data made
by client software at another client system. In certain implementations, the
notifications occur automatically, and, in certain other implementations,
client
software at different client systems would have to register with the
enterprise spatial
system to receive notifications of changes to spatial data or associated data.
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L. Editin~patiall~Referenced Data
[0233] Implementations of the invention provide advanced editing features in a
client
software based spatial editor that interfaces to a server system at the
enterprise spatial
system. The spatially referenced data may include, for example, vector data,
raster
data, and tabular data, such as, customer information, sales data, and
marketing data.
Although in certain implementations of the invention, the spatial editor may
operate
as a standalone spatial editor, the spatial editor has the ability to
interface to a third
party system during any operation. This allows a third party system to
seamlessly
modify the user prompts, insert additional display screens and functions,
apply
business specific logic or tailor the editable data element updates from the
spatial
editor. linplementations of the invention also provide integration with third
party
systems using a client software handoff interface and, for example, a Web
Services
interface.
[0234] Implementations of the invention provide a spatial editor (which, in
certain
implementations, is part of client software) to allow a user to quickly and
easily edit
complicated editable data elements from a server system using client software
(e.g.,
browser, software application, etc). When used with an optional third party
system,
additional business logic, editable data element manipulations, and
proprietary
processes may also be applied.
[0235] A composite image is separated into data layers that can be selectively
turned
on and off through a selectable data layer list. When a data layer is selected
for
editing, the spatially referenced data associated with that data layer is
turned off and
the editable data elements (e.g., graphical objects that may be edited) are
represented
by wire frame outlines. The layer selected for editing is referred to as an
"edit layer."
The user can turn the edit layer back ~n to enhance the view of changes and
relationships to the original editable data elements while editing.
[0236] When a data layer has been selected or editable data elements on a data
layer
are selected for editing, the client software sends a request for information
to the
server system based upon the image of the data layer. The server system
determines
spatially which editable data elements were selected from that data layer and
retrieves
from the data store all of the attributes of the object, such as vertices,
that define the
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viewable shape of the object. Other relevant information for the data layer
may also
be retrieved. The server system sends this information to the client software.
The
client software represents the editable data elements as associated points on
a display
screen. This technique allows the user to select editable items off of a
multiple layer
image, without having to request from the server system all of the editable
information about each data layer residing at the client system.
[0237] Selected editable data elements may have vertices moved or deleted.
Additional vertices or editable data elements may be added. In certain
implementations, with spatially referenced data sets, objects (i.e., a type of
editable
data element) are one of three types: point, line or polygon, and a single
data layer
contains one of the three types. For example, this restriction prevents
copying lines to
polygon data layers and copying polygons to line data layers. In
implementations of
the invention, the user is prevented from creating an invalid editable data
element
object for a particular data layer or from modifying a valid editable data
element
object to create an invalid one.
[0238] Editable data elements have associated tabular data. Implementations of
the
invention support the viewing and editing of the associated tabular data. The
tabular
data has certain defined data types, and the spatial editor will enforce
proper
validation on entries to ensure that the defined data type restrictions are
enforced.
Examples of the data types are number, text, number of characters, value
limits, etc.
[0239] In the spatial editor, a temporary editing buffer is available that
allows other
editable data elements from different spatial data layers to be added in an
editable
form. The client software may perform a spatial query against other data
layers to
retrieve the editable information about those specific editable data elements.
If the
editable data element type (such as point or line) of a particular object in
the
temporary buffer matches that of the current edit layer, then the editable
data element
can be copied from the temporary editing buffer onto the current edit data
layer and
further modified if desired. The temporary editing buffer is also available to
copy
portions of editable data elements for attachment to other editable data
elements on
the editable layer.
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[0240] The spatial editor is able to copy portions of another line or polygon
and
append those vertices to the currently selected line or polygon. This copy
feature
eliminates the need for a snap to function, often used in other spatial
editors to match
new vertices to existing vertices. The snap to function in conventional
systems
becomes cumbersome while editing complicated editable data elements since
there
may be hundreds of vertices and the snap to function must be applied to each
vertex
one at a time. By eliminating the snap to function, implementations of the
invention
provide a more efficient editing technique to make an object being edited
conform to a
pre-existing shape of another object.
[0241] For the spatial editor, provided by implementations of the invention,
to copy a
portion of a line or polygon, two adjacent locations (e.g., vertices) are
selected on the
initial editable data element (to which data is to be copied), and three
locations (e.g.,
points) are selected on the editable data element from which a portion is to
be copied.
The three locations indicate the starting location, the direction (used for
polygons
since clockwise or counter clockwise directions are both valid and optionally
used for
lines), and the ending location. After these five locations have been
selected, the
client software adds the selected portion of the object from which points are
to be
copied to the initial editable data element. This processing may be done
against
editable data elements in the temporary edit buffer. This editing allows
portions of a
line to be used as part of a polygon and portions of a polygon to be used as
part of a
line. Although a portion of a line may be combined with a portion of a
polygon, the
restriction preventing copying lines of editable data elements to polygon data
layers
and copying polygons to line data layers is enforced, so that, for example, a
portion of
a line may not be, by itself, added as a standalone object to a polygon data
layer.
[0242] For example, for a plot of land bounded by a river, rather than
snapping to
each vertex that represents the river (possibly hundreds of vertices), the
line of the
river (i.e., a editable data element) may be copied into the temporary buffer,
and a
portion of the line of the river to be attached to the polygon representing
the plot of
land may be copied to the polygon. The plot of land now has a boundary that
matches
the river, without having to manually match hundreds of vertices. This
eliminates a
common problem of conventional GIS tools that is the creation of "sliver"
polygons.
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"Sliver" polygons are the many small polygons unintentionally created, often
caused
by inaccuracies in matching vertices, when trying to match complicated
boundaries
with hundreds of vertices.
[0243] With conventional spatial editors, if a large group of vertices needs
to be
deleted, they can either be deleted individually or deleted by defining a
deletion
window. With complicated, irregular editable data elements that are adjacent
to each
other, it is difficult to define an appropriate window that selects only the
desired
vertices to delete. On the other hand, with the spatial editor, provided by
implementations of the invention, a group of vertices can be deleted by
selecting a
start location, direction, and ending location on a line or polygon, and then
having all
of the vertices between the starting and ending locations deleted with a
single
operation.
[0244] Depending on the level of zoom, the complexity of editable data
elements and
the number of selected editable data elements, there may be more selected
vertices
than can be quickly and easily converted and sent to the client software for
editing.
Also, when there are thousands of vertices visible, it is usually not possible
to edit the
vertices because the density of vertices prevents distinguishing one from
another. One
solution is to limit the level of zoom, preventing editing above a certain
predefined
fixed level, but this solution restricts editing in sparse areas and has slow
response in
dense areas. Rather than limit the level of zoom, with implementations of the
invention, the server system does a quick calculation of the total number of
vertices
for all of the selected editable data elements and prevents editing if this
exceeds a
threshold. In certain implementations, the threshold is determined to be the
maximum
number of vertices that may be edited while maintaining good performance and
ease
of editing. If the threshold is exceeded, the user is notified to zoom in or
select
specific editable data elements, until the spatial editor allows the editing
based upon
the number of vertices.
[0245] Typically, with client software, the user often attempts an action
before the
client software indicates that the action is not appropriate. There may be
many
different editing features that are available, depending on the editable data
element,
mode of operation, and other spatial features. With implementations of this
invention,
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rather than having the user read various messages, the spatial editor's cursor
dynamically modifies itself depending on the mode of operation and which
editable
data element that the cursor is over to indicate allowed operations and
information
about the underlying editable data element. The dynanucally modifying cursor
provides a very quick and intuitive interface for the user.
[0246] For instance, when appending a portion of an existing line segment to
an
editable data element, the user may wish to use an existing vertex on that
line or
generate a new one. The dynamically modifying cursor will change when the
dynamically modifying cursor is over an existing vertex to indicate to the
user that an
existing vertex will be used, as opposed to creating a new one. In a similar
manner,
colors and highlighting of editable data elements are used to help the user
with
operations. For complex polygons, the interior polygon has a special dashed
line
outline to indicate the difference between a different polygon and one that is
the
interior of a complex polygon. Once an operation has begun, the dynamically
modifying cursor will inform the user when the user is over the editable data
elements) that the user is allowed to select or operate on, and the
dynamically
modifying cursor indicates that no action is possible when over other editable
data
elements.
[0247] In conventional client software, complicated editing operations are
often sent
back to the server system for processing to prevent having to put complicated
code in
the client software. That is, in conventional systems, editing requests are
sent from
the client system to the server system, the server system performs the
editing, and the
server system returns a composite image to the client system. In some systems,
this
can slow the response to the user and increase the support needed by the
server
system. With the spatial editor, provided by implementations of the invention,
multiple operations to a single editable data element can be performed until
the user is
ready to save the editable data element to the server system, thus enhancing
the
performance of the system and the interaction with the user. When each
editable data
element is ready to be saved, the editable data element may optionally be
handed off
to a third party system for the application of business rules and for validity
or other
checking before completing the editing request.
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(0248] In summary, implementations of the invention, the spatial editor
provides the
ability to turn off and on the image of the edit layer, while maintaining all
of the other
layer images for reference. Additionally, the ability to turn off and on
various other
images to provide relative position and bacleground during editing is
provided. While
editing and maintaining the editing context, the spatial editor allows panning
and
zooming. The spatial editor provides the ability to load all of the spatial
data about
the images of a layer from a server based system to support the manipulation
of
editable data elements. Additionally, the spatial editor provides the ability
to perform
a spatial query against an image to select single or multiple items to be
edited, thereby
limiting the time to load data from the server system (e.g., there could be
thousands of
shapes, and the user may wish to modify three shapes, so only data for the
three
shapes would be loaded from the server system) and the complexity of the user
display.
[0249] The spatial editor provides the ability to load editable data elements
from
various layers into a temporary area for usage on the edit layer, either in
whole or in
part including mixing of data layer types. The spatial editor provides the
ability to
copy portions of line segments or polygons directly and to append the portions
to
existing editable data elements. The spatial editor provides the ability to
mark
multiple vertices on complicated editable data elements and erase them in a
single
operation. The spatial editor provides the ability to push the execution of
complicated
spatial updates (e.g., merging four shapes or other manipulations) to the
server system
or to a dedicated third party system specializing in such operations using the
handoff
technique described earlier, instead of executing these on the client
software. The
complicated spatial manipulations can take advantage of server system based
processing power and techniques, while using the spatial data store to take
into
account interaction with other editable data elements.
[0250] The spatial editor also provides the ability to limit the enabling of
editing to
editable data elements or groups of editable data elements with less than a
certain
number of visible vertices to enhance performance without needing a fixed zoom
level
restriction. Moreover, the spatial editor provides a dynamically modifying
cursor to
indicate allowed operations and information about the underlying points and
editable
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data elements during editable data element manipulations. The spatial editor
provides
the ability to detect the editable data element type for the current layer and
modify the
tools to use that object type. The spatial editor allows multiple editing
operations
locally without the need of server system access. Furthermore, the spatial
editor
allows the editing of tabular data associated with the spatial object. The
spatial editor
also supports handing off data to a third party system for application of
business rules
and logic to editing requests.
[0251] FIG. 29 illustrates an editing example in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention. The spatial editor combines editable data
element
2910 with a selected portion of editable data element 2920 to form editable
data
element 2980. In certain implementations, a user selects editable data element
2910
to receive a portion of another editable data element by, for example,
selecting a copy
segment command 2915 from a spatial editor UI screen. Next, one of the
vertices on
the initial editable data element 2910 is selected as the starting location to
receive the
new segment.
[0252] The first location 2940 on the editable data element that contains the
desired
segment to be copied from editable data element 2920 is selected. In certain
implementations, after the first location 2940 has been selected, the next
location
selected also resides on the editable data element 2920. The next location
2950
indicates which direction to go between the first and last location selected
on editable
data element 2920. If editable data element 2920 is a polygon or if a portion
of the
editable data element 2920 is not displayed on a display screen of the client
system,
then, without an indication of direction, it may be ambiguous as to whether to
select
the segment that is clockwise or counterclockwise between locations 2940 and
2960.
Location 2960 represents the third location selected on editable data element
2920.
[0253] Locations 2940 and 2960 may be existing vertices of editable data
element
2920 or, if the location selected is not an existing vertex, a new vertex is
created. The
last location selected 2970 is the ending location on the initial editable
data element
2910. When this location 2970 is selected, the spatial editor connects
locations 2930
to 2940, connects all of the locations (e.g., vertices) between locations 2940
and 2960,
and then connects locations 2960 to 2970. This creates the new editable data
element
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2980 with a matching boundary between editable data elements 2910 and 2920 at
the
desired locations.
(0254] FIGs. 30A-30C illustrate editing in accordance with certain
implementations
of the invention. In FIG. 30A, a composite image displayed by client software
is
composed of many images 3005 combined 3010 to form the final composite image
3015.
[0255] In FIG. 30B, when a particular image 3020 is selected for editing
(i.e., the "edit
layer"), a background 3030 for editing is generated by combining 3025 all of
the
remaining images. The edit layer 3045 is requested from the server system in
an
editable layer format 3050 by the client software. The term "editable layer
format"
refers to providing a wire frame outline of each editable data element with
the vertex
position information available, as is illustrated by edit layer 3055. The edit
layer 3055
and the background 3030 are combined 3035 and 3060 to form a combined
background with an editable layer format 3040 that is displayed to a user,
while
editing.
[0256] In FIG. 30C, changes can be made to the layer 3040, resulting in a
combined
background with edit layer changed 3065. If a user wishes to view the changes
in the
edit layer 3080 relative to the original image of that edit layer 3080, then
the edit layer
3080 can be turned on (e.g., via a command in a UI screen), and layers 3065
and 3080
are combined 3070 and 3080 to generate a combined background with changed
editable layer and original edit layer for reference 3075.
[0257] FIGs. 31A-3B illustrate logic for editing in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention. Control begins at block 3110 in FIG. 31A
with
generation of spatially referenced data layers for data layers. In particular,
the client
software builds a set of spatially referenced data layers and combines them
into a
composite image (i.e., a viewable image). For example, within the client
software, the
viewing of the desired background layers and, optionally, the edit layer are
enabled,
which sets the viewing context for editing. In block 3112, it is determined
whether
existing items (e.g., editable data elements or tabular data) are to be
edited. If so,
processing continues to block 3114, otherwise, processing continues to block
3118
(e.g., to create a new editable data element).
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[0258] In block 3114, items to be edited are selected by, for example a user.
The
selection may be by spatial query (e.g., submitting a query searching for an
address of
a plot of land), viewable extent (i.e., a subset of data based on a particular
area being
viewed, such as a portion of a map that is visible on the display screen),
direct
selection (e.g., point at a editable data element with a pointing device
(e.g., a mouse)
and select with the pointing device), etc. In particular, if certain editable
data
elements need editing, then these may be selected through selection tools, and
the
client software sends a request to the server system for the data for the
editable data
elements in an editable format. If all of the objects on a particular layer
are desired,
then the layer is selected for editing, and the client software sends a
request to the
server system for the data in editable form for all the editable data elements
visible in
the edit layer.
[0259] In block 3116, information is retrieved from the server system about
the
selected items. The information may include, for example, coordinate reference
information, a unique identifier (e.g., an AMID), and optional tabular
information.
The server system processes the request for editable data elements, creates a
package
containing the editable data elements, and transmit the package to the client
software.
In block 3118, edit commands are performed by the client software. Creation of
a
new object is one type of edit command. For example, a copy command followed
by
a save command may be performed.
[0260] In block 3120, it is determined whether tabular information is to be
edited. If
so, processing continues to block 3122, otherwise, processing continues to
block
3126. In block 3122, additional tabular information is retrieved from the
server
system. In block 3124, the tabular data is edited.
[0261] In block 3126, it is determined whether editing should be validated by
a third
party system. If so, processing continues to block 3128, otherwise, processing
continues to block 3138. In block 3128, edit results are packaged for handoff.
The
handoff includes, for example, information and changes to the editable data
elements,
as well as, session and other system information. In block 3130, the package
is
handed off to the third party system through, for example, a network or other
connection. In block 3132, processing is performed in the third party system.
For
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example, the third party system performs any desired business rule checks and
validations on the received command, information, and editable data elements.
The
third party system may also perform spatial modifications to the editable data
element.
[0262] In block 3134, it is determined whether there is to be an update by
handback
(i.e., because the third party system performed spatial modifications). If so,
processing continues to block 3136, otherwise, processing continues to block
3140.
In block 3136, a package (e.g., with spatial modifications or validation
results) is
prepared for handback, and the package is sent to the client software (block
3138).
The client software sends status or update information to the server system,
as needed.
In block 3140, the update is performed by a Web Services interface, and data
(e.g.,
status or updated data, such as updated editable data elements or updated
tabular data)
is stored at the server system (block 3142). That is, the third party system
can
communicate status information or spatial modifications directly back to the
server
system through a backend connection such as Web Services.
[0263] In block 3144, it is determined whether notification to the client
software is
enabled. In particular, it is determined whether the updated information or
status have
been configured for notification. If so, processing continues to block 3146,
otherwise,
processing ends. In block 3146, any client software at one or more client
systems that
requested a notification is notified of the updated information or status.
M. Collaborating and Sharing Data
[0264] Implementations of the invention allow a user to save all
customizations done
to the view of the data layers in the client software during a session,
including the
results of spatial analysis, as a project on the server system.
Implementations of the
invention allow the same user to open the same saved project at a later time
from the
client software, and the user session is recreated to the state, as it was
when the project
was saved.
[0265] Implementations of the invention allow a user or a group to share the
saved
projects with other users or groups, by granting specific access privileges.
When a
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shared user opens the project, that user's user session is set to the state in
which the
original user session was when the project was saved.
[0266] Implementations of the invention enable collaboration among shared
users of a
project by selectively granting the rights to some of the users to modify the
project and
make the modifications available to all shared users of the project.
[0267] Implementations of the invention allow real-time collaboration among
shared
users of a project by making changes made to the project by one user
immediately
available to other shared users.
[0268] Implementations of the invention ensure that the sharing of customized
views
of data through shared projects does not circumvent the basic data set level
access
controls defined in the server system. In other words, a shared project does
not
automatically allow a user to view data sets stored on the server system that
they are
not normally granted access to view or modify.
[0269] Implementations of the invention not only enable sharing and
collaboration of .
information among users, but also provide confidentiality, security, and
integrity of
that information.
[0270] FIGS. 32 and 32 illustrate examples of collaboration in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention. In FIG. 32, collaboration is illustrated in
a large
distributed computer enviromnent, which includes, for example, a client
application
3210, server system 3220, data store 3230, and a rendering system 3240. In
FIG. 32, a
demonstrate of how a user will access, retrieve, and view data from the
enterprise
spatial system is provided.
[0271] A user (e.g., a sales director 3202) is working on a specific new
customer
acquisition project. The sales director 3202 at a client system uses client
software
3210. The client software 3210 and server system 3220 communicate via a
network
3215. The sales director 3202, using the client software 3210, accesses the
server
system 3220, the data store 3230, and the rendering system 3240 to retrieve
and view
roads 3231, customers 3232, and sales territory 3233 data, within the region.
The
sales director 3202 retrieves a composite image that may consist of three data
layers: a
roads data layer 3251, a customer info data layer 3252, and a sales territory
data layer
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3253. These data layers 3251, 3252, and 3253 are sent to the client software
3210 and
displayed to the sales director 3202.
[0272] FIG. 33 is used to continue the example of FIG. 32. In FIG. 33,
processing
that happens after the data layers have been retrieved by the user is
illustrated. In
particular, for this example, FIG. 33 is used to demonstrate how a sales
director 3202
will modify the composite image, assign access privileges, and share a project
with
others.
[0273] In this example, the sales director 3202 may change the order in which
the data
layers are viewed; add annotations to the composite image, identifying
customers of
interests 3362; and, perform some analysis and highlight a sales territory
3363.
[0274] The sales director 3202 uploads the results of the analysis and the
annotations
as a saved "project" to the server system 3320 and data store 3230. At this
point, only
the sales director 3202 may have access to the newly modified project
information
within the data store 3230. Now the sales director 3202 decides to share this
project
with team members and seek their input in order to "collaborate". The sales
director
3202 will access the enterprise spatial system to assign specific access
privileges to
team members for this new project. To begin with, the sales director 3202
makes this
new "project" accessible to only members of his organization, and no one else
within
the company. The sales director 3202 grants "view" access to all team members
to the
project information 3371, and to no other user. The sales director grants
"view"
access to everyone in the sales group to the customer information 3372. The
sales
director grants "view & modify" access to the project to team member "B" 3304
to the
sales territory data layer 3373, and to no other user.
[0275] Now only sales organization members (e.g., 3302) can access the
enterprise
spatial system and collaborate on this project in varied capacities, but no
one else will
have such privilege. Sales members have view access to the project layers 3381
and
3382. The sales director 3202 and user "B" 3304 have higher access to the
project
layers33 81, 3382, 3383, as they can modify the project by changing the way
the data
is viewed on the client software 3210 and by saving the changes in the server
system
3220. When they make changes, all other users who have access to the project
will
irninediately be able to access (e.g., see) any changes.
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[0276] FIG. 34 illustrates metadata tables in a metadata store that are used
to enable
collaboration in accordance with certain implementations of the invention. The
enterprise spatial system maintains metadata information in a metadata store
3470 for
all resources managed and made available to the client software. The resources
include data and application functions. Data is seen by the client software as
data
layers in the user interface. Each data layer presented to the client software
has a
corresponding metadata definition in metadata store 3470 called a layer
definition
table 3472. The enterprise spatial system also maintains information about the
users,
such as login name, user's first name, last name, etc. in yet another table
called the
user table 3476.
[0277] When client software requests access to a resource, be it data or
application or
project function, the server system accesses this resource using the
appropriate
metadata table. For example, when the client software wants to view the data
for a
data layer, the server system goes to the layer definition table 3472 and
fords the
metadata definition for this data layer. Then, the server system 3472 uses the
information contained therein to access the data store, retrieve the data,
render the
data, and present the data to the client software. In certain implementations,
resources
cannot be accessed by the enterprise spatial system if they are not
represented in the
appropriate metadata table.
[0278] The enterprise spatial system maintains information about projects in
the
project definition table 3474. Each record of data in the project definition
table 3473
represents a project that a user can see. The project definition table 3473
contains
information, such as the name of the project, owner of the project, and
ProjectSpec,
which is a detailed description of everything the client software needs to
recreate the
project for another user.
[0279] The project definition table 3474 is associated with a project layer
table 3480.
Each row in the project layer table 3480 associates a particular project with
a data
layer in the layer definition table 3472. For example, the first row in
project layer
table 3480, links ProjectId 100, which represents a project called Sales
Analysis, in
the project definition table 3474, with LayerID 10. LayerID 10 is a data
layer, called
Customer Data in the layer definition table 3420. This indicates that when a
user
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opens this particular project, the user should be presented with the Customer
Data
layer as one of the layers that the user can view.
[0280] The project layer table 3480 contains information on, how the
associated data
layer should be displayed. The Rendering Spec column identifies how the data
in the
data layer should be rendered. The Layer Order column indicates the order in
which
the layers should be shown in the client software. Visibility indicates
whether the data
layer is automatically made visible when a user opens the project.
[0281] The project annotation table 3482 is another table associated with the
project
definition table 3474. The project annotation table 3482 table contains all
information
on annotations done by the client software before the annotations are saved as
part of
the project. The Annotation Spec column in the project annotation table 3482
table
contains complete instructions for redrawing the annotation when the project
is
opened.
[0282] The enterprise spatial system maintains access control lists (commonly
referred
to as ACLs) for each of the projects represented in the project definition
table 3480.
In certain implementations, the access control list for a given project is a
list of users
who can access the project. In the enterprise spatial system, this is done by
associating each project with a list of users and maintaining this association
in a new
table called the project ACL table 3478.
[0283] Whenever client software requests access to a project, the server
system first
makes a check to determine whether the project is associated with the user by
searching the project ACL table 3478. If the server system fords the
association, the
server system allows access to the project. Otherwise, the server system
rejects the
client software request.
[0284] Each user of the enterprise spatial system has a unique metadata entry
in the
user table 3476. The metadata entry also contains properties of the user. The
entries
in the user table are used to associate users with other entities, such as
projects in the
enterprise spatial system.
[0285] FIG. 35 illustrates logic for enabling collaboration in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention. In particular, the logic describes the
process of
creating and saving a new "project", with access privileges, to the enterprise
spatial
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system by the client software. Before the logic of FIG. 35 begins, a user has
already
accessed a composite image containing possible multiple layers, via the client
software, and customized the data view by performing actions, such as
highlighting
objects, adding annotations, etc. The user then wishes to create and save the
current
customized view as a project onto the enterprise spatial system.
[0286] Control begins at block 3510 with the user requesting to save a project
on the
server system. In particular, the enterprise spatial system allows a user of
the client
software to request to save a project onto the server system. In block 3512,
the client
software collects information about the data being viewed by user, including,
for
example, layers being viewed, the order in which the layers are viewed,
annotations
added by the user, view elements that are highlighted by the user, etc. In
block 3514,
the client software sends the data (i.e., the collected information) to the
server system.
In block 3516, the server system saves the data in the project definition
table, project
layer table, and project annotation table within the metadata store.
[0287] The server system will then return a list of users in the current
company to the
client software (block 3518). In block 3520, the client software presents to
the
original user, this list of other users in the company, with whom the project
may be
shared. In block 3522, the user chooses in which other users in the company
should
see the newly saved project. The user grants access rights to others (e.g.,
read-only or
read-write, etc. access to the project).
[0288] Project sharing information chosen by the user is sent to the server
computer
(block 3524) so that the access information may be saved. In block 3526, the
server
system updates the project ACL table within the metadata store based on the
user
choices.
[0289] FIGS. 36 and 37 illustrate logic for collaboration in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention. The logic of FIGs. 36 and 37 describes the
process
of accessing, retrieving, opening, editing, and re-saving an already existing
"project"
in the enterprise spatial system by the client software. Control begins at
block 3610
with a user via the client software requesting a list of projects that are
available from
the server system. In block 3612, the server system queries the project ACL
table
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within the metadata store and, in block 3612. In block 3614, if projects have
been
found, processing continues to block 3618, otherwise, processing ends.
[0290] In block 3618, the server system retrieves all saved project details
based on the
user's access rights, for the next project in the project list, from the
project definition
table, project layer table, and project annotation table within the metadata
store. In
block 3620, the server system adds the project details to the response being
built for
the client software. In block 3622, if more projects are found, processing
continues to
block 3618, otherwise, processing continues to block 3626.
[0291] In block 3626, the server system returns the retrieved project details
to the
client software. In block 3628, the client software presents a list of
projects to the
user. In block 3630, the user chooses a project to open from the list of
projects.
[0292] Once a choice has been made by the user as to which project to open,
the client
software requests the server system to generate images for data layers that
are part of
the project per the project details (block 3632). In block 3634, server system
ensures
that the user has access rights to the data layers being requested, before the
images are
generated. The server system will not generate images for data layers for
which the
user does not have access. The access control mechanism for data sets
described in an
earlier section is enforced to ensure that the user does not view a data layer
that the
user is not normally allowed to view.
[0293] In block 3636, the server system returns the generated images to the
client
software. In block 3638, from the images returned from the server system and
the
project details retrieved earlier, the client software recreates a composite
view for the
user session as seen by the original user who saved the project. In certain
implementations, the recreation of the user session is exactly the session
seen by the
original user. In block 3640, if the user wants to make any modifications to
the
project, processing continues to block 3644, otherwise, processing ends.
[0294] In block 3644, the user makes changes to the composite image view using
the
client software. In block 3646, if the user has readlwrite access to the
project,
processing continues to block 3650, otherwise, processing continues to block
3660.
In block 3650, the user is given the option to save the project and requests
that the
project be saved. In block 3652, the updated projected information is sent to
the
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server system, for example, when the user selects to save the project (e.g.,
by clicking
a Save button of a user interface). In block 3654, the server system ensures
that the
user has read/write access to the project before saving the project.
[0295] In bloclc 3660, the user is given the option to save the project as a
"new"
project and requests that the project be saved. In block 3662, the project
information
is sent to the server system when the user selects the option to save the
project as a
"new project. In block 3665, the server system saves the project as a "new"
project.
[0296] That is, if the user does have proper access privileges to save the
project, the
project will be sent back to the server system to be overwritten and saved. If
the user
does not have overwrite access privileges, the user will be presented the
option to save
the modification as a "new" project, rather than overwriting the existing one.
N. Enterprise Spatial System User Interfaces
N.1 Overview
[0297] The enterprise spatial system provides application services offering
access to
geographic information and industry specific business solutions over a
network, such
as the Internet. A suite of custom, browser-based tools allows customers
(i.e., a type
of user) to access a mufti-terabyte data warehouse containing, for example,
high
quality aerial photography, satellite imagery, and information on
demographics,
environmental change, infrastructure and land use patterns. Proprietary aerial
imagery
is acquired by an advanced airborne scanning system that provides high
resolution and
up-to-date mufti-purpose images. Aerial imagery is combined with value-added
data
layers to create "image-data bundles" to support industry-specific solutions.
FIG. 38
illustrates a UI screen 3810 provided by the enterprise spatial system for
online
knowledge mapping in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
[0298] Using business solutions provided by the enterprise spatial system,
users can
conduct industry-specific analyses, create reports, produce map products, and
download information for use in other desktop mapping applications. Customers
can
use information and solutions provided by the enterprise spatial system for
various
functions, including, for example, facility siting, environmental analysis and
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monitoring, tracking changes in resources and markets, risk assessment, and
asset
management.
[0299] The enterprise spatial system provides GIS solutions to many levels of
users -
from administrative assistants to specialized consultants. As a result, the
enterprise
spatial system is designed so that the core functionality is available in a
manner that is
intuitive to a novice computerlInternet user, balanced with the need to
provide the
more sophisticated user with a means of accessing advanced features offered by
the
enterprise spatial system.
[0300] The enterprise spatial system accommodates subscription and transaction
based pricing. That is, customers may pay to use services provided by the
enterprise
spatial system either on a subscription or transaction basis. Both the
enterprise spatial
system software and the back end architecture support these pricing models. In
addition, the processes involved (e.g., the registration process for
subscription
customers and the purchasing process for transactional customers) are
straightforward
and quick, so that neither of these processes becomes a possible barrier to
entry for the
adoption of this service.
[0301] The enterprise spatial system is customizable for customers and
partners (i.e., a
type of user). The enterprise spatial system provides GIS solutions to
customers in
various industries with varying needs. To best tailor the service offering to
each of
these unique customers, the enterprise spatial system software allows for some
level
of customizations to be incorporated for each customer. In addition, the
enterprise
spatial system software contemplates the integration of co-branding elements
for
either customers or partners.
[0302] In certain implementations of the invention, the enterprise spatial
system does
not rely upon plugins or a client download. That is, in certain
implementations, the
enterprise spatial system provides a web application that minimizes reliance
upon any
software that a customer would need to download, in order to remove another
possible
barrier to a customer's acceptance of the services offered by the enterprise
spatial
system.
[0303] The enterprise spatial system provides a level of performance that is
acceptable
to the customer. That is, the enterprise spatial system provides an offering
that is data
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and graphics intensive (e.g., for a web application). Levels of the enterprise
spatial
system software design consider its impact on the overall performance of the
services
offered, in order to ensure that the final deliverable is considered
acceptable in
performance by the customer.
[0304] The enterprise spatial system provides for registration of subscribers.
Prior to
using the enterprise spatial system services, each customer first registers
for the
service, whether the customer is a subscription user or a one-time,
transaction-based
customer. The registration process is quick and simple, so as not to serve as
a barrier
to entry for new customers. The registration process obtains, for example, a
user's
email address (e.g., for communications) and assigns or requests a user name
and
password for the customer (e.g., for usage tracking and billing).
[0305] A login and logoff process is integrated in the enterprise spatial
system,
providing the enterprise spatial system software with account information for
the user
who is logging in. This allows the enterprise spatial system software to offer
business
tools and data layers to the customer that the particular customer has
subscribed to. ,
This account level identification also allows for user profiles/preferences to
be
established.
[0306] The enterprise spatial system allows a user to create a map that is
custom
suited to their needs by defining, for example, the following attributes of
the map: the
area covered by the map ("viewable extent" or "area of interest"), the type of
image to
be used for the map, and the resolution of the map.
[0307] As for defining the area covered by the map, a user can define the
location of
the map in one of several ways. The first option is for the user to type in
any
information that defines the location, including, for example, the address,
city, county,
state, and country, for example, into a field of a UI screen. Alternately, the
user can
visually select the area from a selection map, where the user can "click and
drag" on a
map (e.g., a national map) to define the location. After the user clicks and
drags, the
visual selection map will zoom to include only the area that the user
selected. At this
point, the user can click and drag again to refine the selection. Finally, the
user can
define the AOI using longitude and latitude values, selecting a United States
Geological Survey (LTSGS) map name, or specifying the name of a place. In
addition,
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after specifying the AOI, the user can fine tune the map location using the
tools
provided with a map preview function, which is discussed in further detail
below.
[0308] As for defining a type of image to be used for the map, once the user
has
selected the area covered by the map, the user is presented with choices for
the type of
image to use for the map. The types of images available for creating a map
will vary
depending upon the map area that the user has defined, but may include, for
example,
color aerial imagery, color infrared, satellite imagery, USGS topographic
maps, and
others.
[0309] As for defining the resolution of the map, the resolutions available to
the user
are dependent upon the map area and type of image that the user has selected.
[0310] A map preview function is available at any time that a customer is
working on
a map-related task. In certain implementations of the invention, the map
preview
function displays the custom map on the right hand side of the UI screen.
While the
term "preview" is sometimes used for a view-only function, the map preview
functionality within enterprise spatial system also allows the user to make
basic
changes to the map by providing a basic set of tools that allow for user
manipulation
of the map. These tools include, for example, zoom in, zoom out, zoom box, and
pan.
[0311] By selecting the zoom in tool and clicking on the map, the map area
will zoom
in by 50%, centered at the click point. By selecting the zoom out tool and
clicking on
the map, the map area will zoom out by 50%, centered at the click point. By
clicking
and dragging a rectangular box (a zoom box) on the map, the map area will zoom
to
the extents of the box. Once the panning tool is selected, the user can "grab"
the map
and move it, changing the center point of the map. The zoom level remains the
same
when the pan tool is used, therefore using the panning tool ultimately changes
the
boundaries that define the area of the map.
[0312] The enterprise spatial system allows data to be overlaid onto a map.
Once the
basic map information has been provided, the user can then select from various
"data
overlays". These data overlays provide geographic data in a visual manner that
can be
overlaid and matched up with the map. The categories of data that can be
overlaid
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include, for example, environmental, political boundaries, infrastructure, and
demographic data, and more.
[0313] For subscription users, various industry-specific data layers may be
available
(e.g., electric line right of ways). The data available to overlay on the base
map is
determined by the services that the customer has subscribed to.
[0314] The enterprise spatial system provides analysis tools that offer
numerous
powerful capabilities, including, for example, the following: point'n view,
point n'
attribute, measure linear distances, measure user defined areas, and buffering
tools.
After selecting the point n' view tool, the user is able to click on any data
element
overlaid on the current map, and a pop up dialog box containing a description
of that
element appears. The data presented varies based upon the type of data element
that
the user has selected. The point n' attribute tool allows a user to click on
any object
on the current map, type in various categories of information that describes
the object,
and then automatically save out these associated descriptions as a data store
record
attached to that object. As for measuring linear distances, tools are provided
that
allow the user to draw lines or complex "polylines" that the enterprise
spatial system
analysis engine can then use to calculate distances and provide other summary
information, as well as detailed reports. As for measuring user defined areas,
similar
to the linear distance capabilities, numerous tools are provided that allow
the customer
to draw various custom shapes, which the enterprise spatial system analysis
engine
can then use to calculate distances and provide other summary information, as
well as
detailed reports. A wide variety of buffering tools are provided by the
enterprise
spatial system to allow the user to quickly create offsets from points, lines,
areas,
editable data elements and more.
[0315] The enterprise spatial system provides annotation tools. Once the user
has
defined the base map and selected any appropriate data layers, annotation
tools are
provided that allow the user to add custom information to the map. These tools
include, for example, text and shape overlay, which allow users to type in
text to be
overlaid on the map or draw basic shapes such as squares, circles, lines, and
polygons
that are layered on top of the map.
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[0316] For customers who have added data onto their base map, the enterprise
spatial
system offers reports that provide detailed breakdowns of that data within the
location
boundaries defined by the user. The breakdown of information is unique for
each type
of data.
[0317] The enterprise spatial system supports transaction-based purchases
(e.g., for
non-subscribers). For those customers who are not subscribers, the enterprise
spatial
system integrates an e-commerce backend shopping solution to support purchases
on a
transaction-by-transaction basis, allowing users to pay for an "a la carte"
item with, for
example, a credit card.
[0318] For customers interested in hard copies of their custom maps, the
enterprise
spatial system provides functionality that allows users to print out a copy of
the map,
or save the map for later use. If the user chooses to print out a hard copy of
the map,
the enterprise spatial system allows the user to define various attributes
that define the
layout of the printout. In certain implementations, the enterprise spatial
system will
require payment for maps before the maps are printed or saved.
[0319] In order to provide the most personalized user experience to all
customers, the
enterprise spatial system allows customers to create unique profiles that
describe, for
example, which data layers should be available to the customer, how various
preference settings should be setup, and more. In addition, this function
allows
subscription customers to edit their registration and payment information.
[0320] The enterprise spatial system provides browser support. In particular,
the
enterprise spatial system software is a web-based application service provider
(ASP)
that supports, for example, the following browsers: Microsoft~ Internet
Explorer~
version 4.x and above and Netscape~ S.x and above.
[0321] In certain implementations, the enterprise spatial system software is
run
without client downloads in order to address, for example, corporations and
government entities who do not allow for outside software to be installed on
employee
systems. This also allows users to access projects while on the road or at
another
workstation. However, in certain implementations, the enterprise spatial
system
offers client downloads for functionality that would benefit from a client
download.
The benefit could come in the form of improved performance, more robust
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functionality, etc. The user decides whether or not to accept a client
download in
order to gain the benefits that can be derived from the download.
[0322] To accommodate this, the enterprise spatial system is designed in a way
that
supports a "0 to fat" client download, where a "fat" client download is
defined as
augmenting approximately 75% or more of the functionality through some level
of
download. This approach allows users the flexibility to download various
client
downloads or not, depending upon what is most important to them (e.g.,
performance
vs flexibility). Specifically, with this approach, when a specific function is
called, it is
determined whether the client download is stored locally at the client system.
If a
client download is present at the client system, the download is used to
perform the
functionality. If the client download is not present at the client system, the
enterprise
spatial system goes to the server system to perform the functionality. Thus,
each
function that is performed with a client download may also be performed using
server
system transactions, so, if the user opts not to download a client piece, the
functionality is still available at the server system.
N.2 User Interface Guidelines and Standards
[0323] This section describes user interface guidelines standards for use in
laying out
and implementing the various UI screens that comprise the enterprise spatial
system in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention. The user interface
guidelines and standards may be modified without departing from the scope of
the
invention. Detailed attribute characteristics are provided for the various
user interface
elements that are used across the UI screens.
[0324] As for UI screen layout, standards for UI screen design are provided so
that UI
screens have a consistent look and feel across the enterprise spatial system.
[0325] As for alignment positions, when defining the locations where the
various UI
elements should be laid out, "approximate" pixel distances are used.
Approximate
distances are used as it is difficult in the web environment to layout to an
exact pixel.
However, elements that are defined with a similar location are aligned. For
example,
a group of UI elements that are described as being "left justified,
approximately 5
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pixels from the left edge" may not be in actuality 5 pixels from the edge.
However, in
this example all of the controls are left aligned with each other.
[0326] As for enterprise spatial system software dimensional constraints, in
designing
the user interface for the enterprise spatial system software, in certain
implementations, certain assumptions are made, some of which place constraints
on
the user interface, and therefore are considered in order to understand the
design. The
assumptions that impact the workspace available to the enterprise spatial
system UI
include, for example: (1) the enterprise spatial system software is designed
to support
800 x 600 resolutions in a manner that does not require any horizontal
scrolling to
access the enterprise spatial system software functionality; (2) the
enterprise spatial
system software does not require a software or plugin download by the user
(i.e., the
enterprise spatial system software is browser-based); and, (3) Microsoft~
Internet
Explorer~ is the primary browser in use when customers interact with the
enterprise
spatial system. In certain implementations, the following browser elements are
the
typical elements that are in "view" to the user: standard toolbars (e.g., set
to display in
large icon mode), address bar, status bar. After the first two assumptions,
the
remaining assumptions drive the limitations that the enterprise spatial system
encounters with respect to the vertical dimensions available for the
enterprise spatial
system workspace. Since vertical scrolling is acceptable, these assumptions
need not
be correct for every customer using the enterprise spatial system software,
rather the
intent of the assumptions is to provide a targeted dimension of available
vertical
workspace.
[0327] Based on the assumptions listed above, FIG. 39 illustrates in UI screen
3910
constraints in workspace faced by the enterprise spatial system software in
accordance
with certain implementations of the invention. Specifically, for the
boundaries of the
usable area available to the enterprise spatial system, the vertical dimension
available
for the enterprise spatial system workspace is 460 pixels in height and this
dimension
has the opportunity to provide a larger workspace, in that vertical scrolling
is allowed
(although certain implementations minimize vertical scrolling). The horizontal
dimension that is available for the enterprise spatial system workspace
varies,
depending upon whether or not a vertical scroll bar is required on the UI
screen at the
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time. If a vertical scroll bar is not required on a UI screen, the available
UI screen
width is 796 pixels (which is a maximum distance, and, in certain
implementations,
horizontal scrolling is not required in the 800 x 600 mode), and if a vertical
scroll is
required on a UI screen, the available UI screen width is 780 pixels (which is
a
maximum distance, and, in certain implementations, horizontal scrolling is not
required in the 800 x 600 mode).
[0328] FIGS. 40A - 40E illustrate UI screens in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention. The UI screens within the enterprise spatial
system
software leverage certain common UI screen components. These shared components
simplify the development effort and provide a consistent user experience
throughout
the enterprise spatial system software. FIG. 40A illustrates common elements
in UI
screen 4010 in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
[0329] FIG. 40B illustrates a title bar 4020. The name of the project file
that is
opened is displayed within the title bar. If the project does not yet have a
name, then
the text "New Project" appears: The standard title bar text attributes apply.
[0330] FIG. 40C illustrates a logoff button 4030 in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention. This button is a graphic image that resides
on the
right side of the logo banner. The size of this banner may be approximately 50
pixels
wide by approximately 25 pixels high. Justification of the banner is as
follows: the left
edge of the logoff graphic is approximately 10 pixels from the right edge of
the UI
screen and the graphic is centered horizontally within the banner area. Upon a
mouse-over (i.e., a mouse or other input devices is moved so that the cursor
is over a
certain area), the cursor indicates that the area is selectable by the user.
Upon
selection of the logo, the logoff process begins.
[0331] FIG. 40D illustrates menu selections 4040 in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention. Drop down menu selections are available from
all
"full screen" pages within the enterprise spatial system software. The details
defining
the functionality contained within these menus are provided later in the
document.
Common attributes of controls include: menu buttons and pull downs. The menu
buttons include menu selections, which include, for example, File, Layer,
Drawing,
Analysis, Business Solutions, Preferences and Help menu selections. Also,
individual
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selections include, for example: within the File Menu: New, Open, Save, Print
Map,
Email Map, Save Map, Data Buy, and Close; within the Layer Menu: Change Order,
Edit Favorites List, Zoom to a Single Layer, and Zoom to All Layers; within
the
Drawing Menu: Text tool, Line tool, Polyline tool, Rectangle tool, Ellipse
tool, and
Polygon; within the Analysis Menu: Select Point, Select Line Region, Select
Rectangle, Select Ellipse, Select Polygon, Buffer Selection, Custom Query, and
Clear
Query; within the Preferences Menu: User Name, Password, System Settings, and
tool
Defaults; and, within the Help Menu: About, Contents, and Index. Also, upon
selection of any of the menu buttons, the corresponding pull down menu appear.
[0332] FIG. 40E illustrates a secure connection indicator 4050 in accordance
with
certain implementations of the invention. Once the user gets to the login
page, the
secure connection indicator appeals. This indicator is shown on every UI
screen
where a secure connection is maintained.
(0333] The enterprise spatial system software uses common controls that may be
found on many Application Service Provider (ASP) model applications available
on
the Internet. Using common controls helps to make the enterprise spatial
system
intuitive for the user, and provides standardization for the enterprise
spatial system
software. The standards to be applied to these common controls are described
in
detail in the following section.
[0334] FIG. 41 illustrates a section title 4110 in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention. On some UI screens, the controls may be
grouped
for organizational purposes. For example, a section title is used to divide
the work
area into the multiple sections and to provide the user with an understanding
of the
function of a particular section.
[0335] FIG. 42 illustrates a control prompt 4210 in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention. Typically, each control that is used in the
application will have text prompting the user what to do for the given
control.
[0336] FIG. 43 illustrates an Edit box 4310 and a Drop Down list box 4312 in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention. When an Edit box
4310 or
Drop Down list box 4312 is called out, certain standards are attributed to
these
controls based upon industry standards that define such controls. The edit
boxes and
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drop down list boxes used within the enterprise spatial system software adhere
to
industry standards. In addition, certain standards that are specific to the
needs of the
enterprise spatial system UI are followed as well.
[0337] FIG. 44 illustrates Radio button controls 4410 and Check Box controls
4412 in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention. Radio button
controls
4410 used within the enterprise spatial system software adhere to industry
standards,
but also consistently adhere to several placement standards that are unique to
the
enterprise spatial system.
[0338] FIG. 45 illustrates a sample Grid Display 4510 in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention. In some cases, a Grid Display 4510 is
required to
display multiple items, either for viewing purposes only, or to allow the user
to take
action of some sort. FIG. 45 illustrates a UI screen that integrates a grid
that
demonstrates all of the elements that may be required for a given UI screen. A
grid
consists of multiple columns, separated by lines, with each column having an
optional
text header. Also, a grid will also contain multiple rows, having embedded
edit boxes
and embedded check box and radio button controls. The use of embedded edit
boxes
may also be used in grids, for example, to allow the user to change the
quantity of a
purchase order. These embedded controls have the same characteristics as
standard
edit boxes, with the exception that these controls are sized to fit within the
column in
which they are used. In some grids, check box controls and/or radio controls
may be
embedded. The check box controls allow the user to "select" items, in order
that some
action may be undertaken on that item. For example, a user may select an item
from
the purchase list to be removed from the purchase list. This control has all
of the
same characteristics of a standard check box control, except that it is
embedded within
the grid.
[0339] FIG. 46 illustrates a table display 4610 in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention. The table display is similar to the grid
display, but
the table display is typically used to display shopping cart-related
information. FIG.
46 illustrates a UI screen that integrates a table used in the shopping cart
portion of the
enterprise spatial system software. Since there are many similarities with
grid
displays, table display standards are defined assuming all of the
characteristics of the
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grid display, then defining the differences between the two. Table displays
have a
summary row, which is an additional box frame located immediately below the
main
display, with a height sufficient to contain the summary information.
[0340] FIG. 47 illustrates a control frame 4710 in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention. Control frames are used to help organize UI
screens.
[0341] In creating user interface standards for the enterprise spatial system
software,
the types of buttons that will be used in the design are divided into two
categories,
command buttons and hyperlink buttons (hyperlinks). FIG. 48 illustrates
command
buttons 4810 in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
Command
buttons refer to those buttons, which, when selected, execute a command of
some sort
and thus perform an action. Examples of command buttons are shown in FIG. 48.
Other examples of command buttons include, for example, print, refresh map,
and
login. FIG. 49 illustrates hyperlinks 4910 in accordance with certain
implementations
of the invention. Hyperlinlcs refer to those buttons, which, when selected,
links the
user to another UI screen. (e.g., either within the enterprise spatial system
software or
on the enterprise spatial system marketing website). Hyperlinks function
according to
standard conventions within the enterprise spatial system software. The
detailed
attributes are driven by the user's settings in their browser's preference
settings.
(0342] FIG. 50 illustrates a pop up dialog box 5010 (which is a type of UI
screen) in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention. In certain
implementations, pop up dialog boxes are used infrequently in the enterprise
spatial
system. pop up dialog boxes are used whenever the user is the middle of a
workflow,
and some additional information is required from the user in order to proceed.
FIG.
51 illustrates a small pop up dialog box 5110 in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention. FIG. 52 illustrates a large pop up dialog
box 5210
in accordance with certain implementations of the invention. FIG. 53
illustrates a
color picker 5310 in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
The
color picker is a pop up dialog box that allows the user to change the color
of any of
several object types, including font color, shape colors, line colors, data
layer
coloring, etc.
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[0343] There are various types of messages that may be communicated to users
of the
enterprise spatial system. As a result, the enterprise spatial system utilizes
several
different message handling user interfaces, each appropriate for meeting
different
needs. Specifically, messages are handled using three (3) different UI
formats:
message UI screens, message pushing, and pop up message boxes. FIG. 54
illustrates
a Message UI screen 5410 in accordance with certain implementations of the
invention. Message UI screens are full UI screen messages that populate the
entire
enterprise spatial system work area. This form of message handling is
typically used
for confirmation of the completion of tasks, as shown in Message UI screen
5410.
[0344] As for message pushing, the means in which error conditions are handled
are
important to the overall user experience. By providing consistent messaging
with
straightforward resolutions, error handling can improve the user's overall
approval of
the enterprise spatial system. Many of the error messages within the
enterprise spatial
system software are handled by "pushing" the error message to the top of the
UI
screen, thus, pushing all other data down the UI screen by the appropriate
amount.
The error messages themselves vary depending upon the error, and are described
further below. Certain UI standards are applied to these error messages,
regardless of
the error specifics. In particular, FIG. 55 illustrates a UI screen 5510
before an error
has occurred in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
After an
error has occurred, an error message will be "pushed" to the top of the UI
screen, and
all other UI screen elements shifted downward as shown below. In this case, a
user
selected a user naive that is not available. FIG. 56 illustrates UI screen
5610 in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention: In FIG. 56, the user
remains on the same UI screen as in FIG. 55, but an error message now appears
at the
top of UI screen 5610. In certain implementations, a scroll bar is available,
and the
user uses the scroll down in order to access the command buttons.
[0345] As for pop up error messages, pop up error messaging is used throughout
the
enterprise spatial system software. Since the user is likely come across
multiple error
messages during the course of usage, standards are established to provide
consistency
in these messages. FIG. 57 illustrates a pop up error message 5710 in
accordance with
certain implementations of the invention.
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[0346] The enterprise spatial system provides a registration wizard. Prior to
using the
enterprise spatial system service, every customer first registers with the
enterprise
spatial system, whether the customer is a subscription user or a one-time,
transaction-based customer. In the case of the subscription user with a site
license
account, an enterprise spatial system representative may register the customer
using
the enterprise spatial system admin tool. For transaction-based customers,
registration
may be handled using a short registration wizard.
[0347] The registration wizard process is quick and simplified, so as not to
serve as a
barrier to entry for new customers. The main registration process obtains the
user's
email address (e.g., for communications) and assigns or allows the user to
choose a
user name and password (e.g., for usage tracking and credit card storage). The
registration process is designed to be a one-time experience for the customer.
Once
the customer has completed the registration process, the customer will have a
username and password, and will be able to login to the enterprise spatial
system
service in the future.
[0348] FIG. 58 illustrates logic for the registration process for transaction-
based users
in accordance with certain implementations of the invention. Control begins at
block
5810 with a Welcome UI screen being displayed to the user. In block 5812, if a
continue button is selected, processing continues to block 5814, otherwise, if
a cancel
button has been selected, processing continues to block 5830. In block 5814,
user
login information is collected via a registration UI screen. In block 5816, if
a
continue button was selected, processing continues to block 5818, otherwise,
if a
cancel button has been selected, processing continues to bloclc 5843. In block
5818, it
is determined whether there is an error. If so, processing continues to block
5853 and
an error message is pushed, otherwise, processing continues to block 5820. In
block
5820, the user name is checked against a data store. In block 5822, it is
determined
whether the user name is unique. If so, processing continues to block 5824,
otherwise, processing continues to block 5852 and an error message is pushed.
In
block 5824, data is saved. In block 5826, the user is congratulated for
registering via
a UI screen. In block 5828, the enterprise spatial system software is
available for use.
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(0349] In block 5830, a cancel registration UI screen is displayed. In block
5832, if a
yes button is selected, processing continues to block 5836, otherwise,
processing
returns to block 5810. In block 5836, a cancellation confirmation UI screen is
displayed. In block 5838, if the button selected is home, processing continues
to
block 5840 and the user is returned to a home page, otherwise, processing
returns to
block 5810.
[0350] In block 5843, a cancel registration UI screen is displayed. In block
5844, if a
yes button is selected, processing continues to block 5846, otherwise,
processing
returns to block 5814. In block 5846, a cancellation confirmation UI screen is
displayed. In block 5838, if the button selected is home, processing continues
to
block 5850 and the user is returned to a home page, otherwise, processing
returns to
block 5814.
[0351] FIG. 59 illustrates common registration wizard 5910 elements in
accordance
with certain implementations of the invention. The registration work window is
the
area that contains all dynamic information during the registration process. In
this
window, all of the controls appear on the various UI screens that provide the
functionality of the registration wizard.
[0352] FIG. 60 illustrates a registration UI screen 6010 requesting user login
information in accordance with certain implementations of the invention. A
password
edit box supports alphanumeric values, supports special characters (e.g., _,
%, &, *, #,
', @), is not case sensitive, masks input text, does not cache password that
is input, is
a required field, and is always available to the user. A repeat password edit
box
supports special characters (e.g., , %, &, *, #, ', ~a ), is not case
sensitive, masks input
text, does not cache repeat password that is input, is a required field, is
always
available to the user. The secret question drop down box contains, for
example, the
following questions for selection by the user: "What city were you born in?",
"What
is your favorite food?", "What is your pet's name?", "When is your
anniversary?", and
"Mother's maiden name?".
[0353] From the UI screen 6010, if the user selects the back button, the user
is taken
to the Registration UI screen 760, which is a Welcome UI screen. If the user
selects
the finish button, it is checked that the user has input data into all of the
required
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fields on this UI screen. If not, an error message is pushed to the top of the
UI screen,
with text reading, "The following information must be provided in order to
complete
registration with the enterprise spatial system: <cr> <insert names of all
fields for
which data must be provided (and was not provided), in order based upon UI
screen
location from top to bottom with a <cr> between each field.". Also, the
minimum
number of required characters for each field is checked. If any of the fields
have
fewer characters than the required minimum, an error message will be pushed to
the
top of the UI screen, with text reading "The <insert field name> requires at
least
<insert minimum number of characte~s> characters. Please provide a <insert
field
name> with at least <insert minimum number of characters> characters. If
multiple
fields have failed the minimum character check, then this message appears for
each
failure, separated by a <cr> and in the same order as their respective fields
on the UI
screen.
[0354] If the User Name edit box has been filled in, a check is made on the
server
system to make sure that the user has provided a unique User Name. If the User
Name provided is not unique, a message is pushed to the top of the UI screen,
with
text reading, "The User Name <insert User Name> is already in use. Please
enter
another user name.". The User Name edit box cleared. If the User Name edit box
has
been filled in, a check is made to determine whether the user name begins with
a
space. If a space appears at the beginning of the user name, a message is
pushed to
the top of the UI screen, with text reading, "The User Name that you have
provided is
invalid, since a User Name cannot begin with a space. Please enter another
user
name.". The User Name edit box is cleared.
[0355] If the Repeat Password edit box has been filled in, a check is made to
determine whether the character string matches exactly to the character string
provided in the Password edit box. If the two fields do not match, an error
message is
pushed to the top of the UI screen, with text reading, "The Repeat Password
did not
match the original password that you provided. Please re-enter the Password
and the
Repeat Password." The Password edit box is cleared. The Repeat Password edit
box
is cleared.
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[0356] If all of the required conditions are met, then the user information is
stored.
The user name is reserved for use by this customer, and the user is advanced
to the
next UI screen of the wizard, a Registration UI screen - Congratulations.
[0357] FIGS. 61 and 62 illustrate cancel registration and cancellation
confirmation UI
screens, respectively, in accordance with certain implementations of the
invention. If
the user selects the cancel button in UI screen 6010, the user is taken to the
registration UI screen 6110 to cancel registration. In UI screen 6110, if the
user
selects the yes button, registration information gathered up until this point
is discarded
and the user name is made available to others. The user is linked to the
enterprise
spatial system homepage. If the user selects the no button, the registration
information gathered up until this point is kept. Th user is returned to the
registration
UI screen 6010 from which the user originally selected the cancel button. The
UI
screen 6210 is used to confirm cancellation. ff the user selects the Home
button in UI
screen 6210, the user is taken to the enterprise spatial system home page
Uniform
Resource Locator (URL). If the user selects the Register button, the user is
taken to
registration UI screen 6010.
[0358] In certain implementations, an enterprise spatial system representative
is
responsible for undertaking the registration process on behalf of a
subscription
customer. The enterprise spatial system representative registers the customer
using an
enterprise spatial system admin tool.
[0359] As for login, as supporting an e-commerce site, the enterprise spatial
system
handles various types of information that are of a sensitive nature to the
user,
including personal contact information and billing/credit card information.
The
enterprise spatial system protects this sensitive information. As a protection
to the
customer, a secure login procedure is required to ensure that only authorized
individuals have access to a given account. Once the secure login has been
completed, the connection remains secure until the point that the user has
logged off
of the enterprise spatial system. During the entire period that the user is
logged on,
each UI screen within the application shows the secure connection indicator.
[0360] In addition to protecting sensitive customer information, utilizing a
login
process will allow the enterprise spatial system to collect invaluable
information
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regarding customer usage. For example, the enterprise spatial system
determines
whether certain low-volume users are responsible for placing a disproportional
load
on the server system at the enterprise spatial system. The option will also
exist to
track the usage of customers in order to send personalized communications to
the
customers based upon their usage. For example, for heavy volume users, a
trigger can
be set to make sure that a regular phone call is made proactively to make sure
that the
customer is happy, get feedback for new features, or gauge if there is an
interesting
public relations (PR) opportunity for the enterprise spatial system. As
another
example, transactional users who do certain tasks on a regular enough basis so
that it
makes sense for them to move to a subscription service plan may be tracked and
contacted.
[0361] Finally, the login process identifies the user and enables the
enterprise spatial
system to assign profiles to various users that can be used to customize the
user
experience once the user has successfully logged into the system. The login
process
serves as the entry point for users accessing the enterprise spatial system.
The process
is straightforward, and involves retrieving verifying the validity of the user
name and
password provided by the person attempting to login to the enterprise spatial
system
software.
[0362] Although the login process consists of three different UI screens, a
significant
amount of logic and error handling is required. FIG. 63 illustrates logic for
login in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention. Control begins at
block
6310, with display of a main login UI screen. In block, 6312, if a cancel
button was
selected, processing continues to block 6370; if a login button was selected,
processing continues to block 6374; if a register now button was selected,
processing
continues to block 6372; and, if a forgot password button was selected,
processing
continues to block 6314.
[0363] In block 6314, a user id UI screen is displayed. In block 6316, if a
cancel
button is displayed, processing continues to block 6315, otherwise, processing
continues to block 6317. In block 6315, a cancel login UI screen is displayed.
In
block 6317, if there is an error, processing continues to block 6318 and an
error
message is pushed, otherwise, processing continues to block 6320. In block
6320, the
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enterprise spatial system attempts to get a shared secret from a data store.
In block
6322, if a shared secret was retrieved, processing continues to block 6330,
otherwise,
processing continues to block 6324. In block 6324, if there have been less
than three
attempts to login, processing continues to block 6326 and an error message is
pushed,
otherwise, processing continues to block 6328 and a lockout message is pushed.
From blocks 6326 and 6328, processing continues to block 6314.
[0364] In block 6330, a shared secret UI screen is displayed. In block 6332,
if a
continue button is selected, processing continues to block 6334, otherwise, if
a cancel
button is selected, processing continues to block 6338 and a cancel login UI
screen is
displayed. In block 63334, if there is an error, processing continues to block
6336 and
an error message is pushed, otherwise, processing continues to block 6340. In
block
6340, a shared secret received from the user via the shared secret UI screen
is checked
against the data store. In block 6342, if the shared secret is correct,
processing
continues to block 6350, otherwise, processing continues to block 6344.
[0365] In block 6344, if there have been less than three attempts to enter a
shared
secret by the user, processing continues to block 6346 and an error message is
pushed,
otherwise, processing continues to block 6348, and a lockout message is
pushed.
From blocks 6346 and 6348, processing continues to block 6330.
[0366] In block 6350, if the session file is present, processing continues to
block
6352, otherwise, processing continues to block 6356. In block 6352, session
data is
loaded. In block 6354, the enterprise spatial system software is made
available for
use.
[0367] In block 6356, if the user is a subscriber, processing continues to
block 6358,
otherwise processing continues to block 6364. In block 6358, if this is a
first time
login, processing continues to block 6360, otherwise, processing continues to
block
6364. In block 6360, a change password UI screen is displayed, allowing the
user to
change the login password. In block 6362, the changed password (if any) is
saved. In
block 6365, profile information is retrieved. In block 6366, the enterprise
spatial
system software is customized based on the profile information. Then,
processing
continues to block 6354.
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[0368] As discussed with respect to FIG. 63, there are five UI screens that
make up
the user experience for the login process. While each of these UI screens is
responsible for delivering different functionality to the user, these UI
screens still
share numerous UI elements. These commonalities warrant an understanding prior
to
considering the unique details of each UI screen. FIG. 64 illustrates common
login UI
screen 6410 elements in accordance with certain implementations of the
invention.
[0369] The common UI elements for the login process are identical to the
common
elements in the registration wizard, with a minor change. Specifically, the
text title
reads "CUSTOMER LOGIN".
[0370] FIG. 65 illustrates a main login UI screen 6510 in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention. A User Name edit box includes, for example,
the
following attributes: text that reads "User Name:' ; display length of the
edit box is 25
characters; a maximum length of customer input is 50 characters; a minimum
length
of customer input is 2 characters; supports alphanumeric values; supports
special
characters, including "@", "_", ".' ; is not case sensitive; is a required
field; is always
available to the user; and, has initial focus when the UI screen is first
presented to the
user.
[0371] The Password edit box includes, for example, the following attributes:
text
reads "Password:"; display length of the edit box is 25 characters; maximum
length of
customer input is 25 characters; minimum length of customer input is 6
characters;
supports alphanumeric values; supports special characters " , %, &, *, #, ',
@' ; is not
case sensitive; text that is input is masked; password that is input is not
cached; is a
required field; and, is always available to the user.
[0372] The Login button includes, for example, the following attributes:
standard
control button attributes and button text reads, "login".
[0373] "I forgot" hyperlink includes, for example, the following attributes:
standard
hyperlink attributes; text is located below all of the fields, left justified
and located
above the Registration hyperlink; text reads, "If you have forgotten your User
Name or
Password, click here."; and, the word "here" is a hyperlink.
[0374] The Registration hyperlink includes, for example, the following
attributes:
standard hyperlink attributes; text is located below all of the fields, left
and bottom
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justified; the text reads, "If you are a new user, you can register in just
minutes."; and,
the word "register" is hyperlink.
[0375] In FIG. 65, if the user selects the login button, a check is made to
determine
whether the user has input data into both the User Name and Password edit
boxes. If
not, an error message is pushed to the top of the UI screen, with text
reading, "The
following information must be provided in order to login to the enterprise
spatial
system: <cr> <insert names of all fields for which data must be provided (and
was not
provided), in order based upon UI screen location from top to bottom with a
<cr>
between each field.". A check is made that the minimum number of required
characters for each field. If any of the fields have fewer characters than the
required
minimum: An error message will be pushed to the top of the UI screen, with
text
reading "The <insert field name> requires at least <insert minimum number of
characters> characters. Please provide a <insert field name> with at least
<insert
minimum number of characters> characters. If multiple fields have filed the
minimum
character check, then this message shall appear for each failure, separated by
a <cr>
and in the same order as their respective fields on the UI screen. A check is
made to
determine whether the User Name and password provided in the Main Login UI
screen are valid.
[0376] The User Name and Password are considered valid if both of the
following
conditions are met: the User Name exists in the enterprise spatial system data
store
(case insensitive) and the password that the user provided matches exactly
(although
case-insensitive) to the password associated with the account defined by the
User
Name above. If the check reveals that the User Name and Password are not
valid, the
"number of login attempts" counter is incremented by one. A check is made to
determine whether the number of login attempts is three (3) or more. If the
number of
login attempts is not three (3) or more, then an error message is pushed to
the top of
the UI screen, with text reading, "The User Name and/or Password that you
provided
is invalid. Please enter this information again." Both fields are cleared. If
the
number of login attempts is three (3) or more, then a user lockout will occur.
This
will lock the user out from further login attempts for a 24 hour period and
pushes the
lockout error message "Due to too many login attempt errors, this account
cannot be
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accessed at this time. For security purposes, the account will be locked out
for a 24
hour period. To remove this hold prior to the 24 hour period, call the
enterprise
spatial system customer support at <insert phone #>". This lock out will also
trigger
that an email be sent to the account owner notifying the owner of the
situation.
[0377] Also, a check is performed to make sure that a temporary session file
is not
present on the user's local system. If a temporary session file is present,
then the
enterprise spatial system software reads the information from the file, and
uses this
information to set "number of login attempts" counter to one, launch the
software to
the UI screen that the user was on at the time of interruption, and load all
of the data
that the user had provided on various UI screens during the previous session.
[0378] If the above conditions are met, then "number of login attempts"
counter is set
to one. If the user is a subscription customer and it is the user's first time
logging into
the enterprise spatial system, the user is advanced to the change password UI
screen
(FIG. 68). If the user is not a subscription customer who is logging on for
the first
time, the user profile is retrieved from the server system. The enterprise
spatial
system software is built based upon the user profile information. The user is
logged
into the enterprise spatial system, and advanced to the Welcome UI screen.
[0379] FIG. 66 illustrates a login UI screen 6610 in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention. If the user selects the I forgot hyperlink,
the user is
taken to the login UI screen 6610. If the user selects the Registration
hyperlink, the
user is taken to the Registration UI screen.
[0380] In FIG. 66, the email Address edit box includes, for example, the
following
attributes: text reads "email Address: *"; display length of the edit box is
25 characters;
maximum length of customer input is 40 characters; minimum length of customer
input is 5 characters; supports alphanumeric values; supports special
characters,
including "@", " ", "."; is not case sensitive; is a required field; and is
always
available to the user.
[0381] The Continue button includes, for example, the following attributes:
standard
control button attributes; button text reads, "continue"; button has a graphic
arrow
pointing to the right. The Cancel button includes, for example, the following
attributes: standard control button attributes and button text reads,
"cancel".
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[0382] In FIG. 66, if the user selects the continue button, a check is made to
determine
whether the user has input data into either the User Name or the email edit
boxes. If
not, an error message is pushed to the top of the UI screen, with text
reading, "You
must provide either your User Name or email address in order to continue the
login
process with the enterprise spatial system." A check is made to determine
whether the
minimum number of required characters for the field that the user has elected
to fill in.
If the field has fewer characters than the required minimum number of
characters, an
error message is pushed to the top of the UI screen, with text reading "The
<insert
field name> requires at least <insert minimum number of characters>
characters.
Please provide a <insert field name> with at least <insert minimum number of
characters> characters.". The field is cleared.
[0383] A checlc is made to determine whether the User Name or email address
that the
user has provided is in the enterprise spatial system user data store. If the
check
reveals that the User Name or email is not in the data store, the "number of
get shared
secret attempts" counter is incremented by one. A check is made to determine
whether the number of get shared secret attempts is three (3) or more. If the
number
of get shared secret attempts is not three (3) or more, then an error message
is pushed
to the top of the UI screen, with text reading, "The User Name or email
address that
you provided is invalid. Please enter this information again." The field is
cleared.
[0384] If the number of login attempts is three (3) or more, then a user
lockout will
occur. This will lock the user out from further login attempts for a 24 hour
period and
push the lockout error message "Due to too many login attempt errors, this
account
cannot be accessed at this time. For security purposes, the account will be
locked out
for a 24 hour period. To remove this hold prior to the 24 hour period, call
the
enterprise spatial system customer support at <insert phone #>"." This lock
out will
also trigger that an email be sent to the account owner notifying the owner of
the
situation.
[0385] If the check reveals that the User Name or email is in the data store,
the "get
shared secrets" counter is set to one. The shared secret question is obtained
for the
user, based upon the ID provided by either the User Name or the email address.
The
user is advanced to the shared secret UI screen 6710, which is illustrated
FIG. 67 in
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accordance with certain implementations of the invention. If the user selects
the
cancel button, the user is taken to the cancel login UI screen.
[0386] With reference to FIG. 67, the introductory text for the shared secret
UI screen
reads: "During registration, you provided a response to the Security Question
below.
Enter the same response in the space provided.". Th shared secret prompt is a
dynamic text display area, in which the shared secret for the user is
displayed. The
secret is obtained from the server system at the enterprise spatial system,
based upon
the user ID information provided on the user ID UI screen. The Response edit
box
includes, for example, the following attributes: text reads "Response: *";
display
length of the edit box shall be 25 characters; maximum length of customer
input is 25
characters; minimum length of customer input is one character; supports
alphanumeric
values; is not case sensitive; is a required field; is always available to the
user; and,
has an initial focus when the shared secret UI screen is first presented to
the user.
[0387] The Continue button includes, for example, the following attributes:
standard
control button attributes; button text reads, "continue' ; and, button has a
graphic
arrow pointing to the right.
[0388] The Cancel button includes, for example, the following attributes:
standard
control button attributes and button text reads, "cancel".
[0389] In FIG. 67, if the user selects the continue button, a check is made to
determine
whether the user has input data into the Response edit field. If not, an error
message
is pushed to the top of the UI screen, with text reading, "You must provide a
response
to your Security Question in order to login to the enterprise spatial system.
Provide
your response and select "continue". If the Response edit box has been filled
in, a
check is made on the server system to make sure that the user has provided the
correct
response to the Security Question.
[0390] If the Response is not correct, the "number of answer shared secret
attempts"
counter is incremented by one. A checlc is made to determine whether the
number of
answer shared secret attempts is three (3) or more. If the number of answer
shared
secret attempts is not three (3) or more, then an error message is pushed to
the top of
the UI screen, with text reading, "The Response that you provided is
incorrect. ~ Please
try again.". The Response edit box is cleared. If the number of login attempts
is three
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(3) or more, then a user lockout will occur. This will lock the user out from
further
login attempts for a 24 hour period and push the loclcout error message "Due
to too
many login attempt errors, this account cannot be accessed at this time. For
security
purposes, the account will be locked out for a 24 hour period. To remove this
hold
prior to the 24 hour period, call the enterprise spatial system customer
support at
<insert phone #>". This lock out will also trigger that an email be sent to
the account
owner notifying the owner of the situation. If the response is correct, the
"answer
shared secrets" counter is set to one.
[0391] If the user is a subscription customer and it is the user's first time
ever logging
into the enterprise spatial system, the user is advanced to the change
password UI
screen 6810, which is illustrated in FIG. 68 in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention. If the user is not a subscription customer
who is
logging on for the first time, the user is logged into the enterprise spatial
system, and
advanced to the Welcome UI screen. If the user selects the cancel button, The
user is
taken to the cancel login UI screen.
(0392] The change password UI screen 6810 is designed to require subscription
customers to change their password at first login. The reason to enforce this
is for
security purposes, since an enterprise spatial system representative created
the user's
original password.
[0393] In FIG. 68, the Password edit box includes, for example, the following
attributes: text reads "Password:"; display length of the edit box shall be 25
characters; maximum length of customer input is 25 characters; minimum length
of
customer input is 6 characters; supports alphanumeric values; supports special
characters " , %, &, *, #, ', @"; is not case sensitive; text that is input is
masked; the
password that is input is not cached; is a required field; is always available
to the user;
and, has an initial focus when the UI screen is first presented to the user.
(0394] The Repeat Password edit box includes, for example, the following
attributes:
text reads "Repeat Password:"; display length of the edit box shall be 25
characters;
maximum length of customer input is 25 characters; minimum length of customer
input is 6 characters; supports alphanumeric values; supports special
characters " , %,
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&, *, #, ', @"; is not case sensitive; text that is input is masked; the
repeat password
that is input is not cached; is a required field; and, is always available to
the user.
[0395] The Continue button includes, for example, the following attributes:
standard
control button attributes; button text reads, "continue' ; and, the button has
a graphic
arrow pointing to the right.
[0396] The Cancel button includes, for example, the following attributes:
standard
control button attributes and button text reads, "cancel".
(0397] In FIG. 68, if the user selects the continue button, a check is made to
determine
whether the user has input data into all both of the required password edit
boxes on
the change password UI screen 6810. If not, an error message is pushed to the
top of
the UI screen, with text reading, "The following information is provided in
order to
complete registration with the enterprise spatial system: <cr> <insert names
of all
fields for which data is provided (and was not provided), in order based upon
UI
screen location from top to bottom with a <cr> between each field.".
[0398] A check is made to determine whether the minimum number of required
characters for each field. If any of the fields have fewer characters than the
required
minimum, an error message is pushed to the top of the UI screen, with text
reading
"The <insert field name> requires at least <insert minimum number of
characters>
characters. Please provide a <insert field name> with at least <insert minimum
number of characters> characters. If multiple fields have filed the minimum
character
check, then this message shall appear for each failure, separated by a <cr>
and in the
same order as their respective fields on the UI screen. The field is cleared.
[0399] If the Repeat Password edit box has been filled in, a check is made to
determine whether its' character string matches exactly to the character
string provided
in the Password edit box. If the two fields do not match, an error message is
pushed to
the top of the UI screen, with text reading, "The Repeat Password did not
match the
original password that you provided. Please re-enter the Password and the
Repeat
Password." The Password edit box is cleared. The Repeat Password edit box is
cleared. If all of the required conditions are met, then the user's password
is updated
on the server system at the enterprise spatial system. The user profile is
retrieved
from the server. The enterprise spatial system software is built based upon
the user
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profile information. The user is logged into the enterprise spatial system,
and
advanced to the Welcome UI screen. If the user selects the cancel button, the
user is
taken to the cancel login UI screen.
[0400] The enterprise spatial system supports high level navigation. At a high
level,
the user interface of the enterprise spatial system is designed to put most of
the power
of the service into a "Main UI screen" that can branch off to complimentary UI
screens when needed. More specifically, the Main UI screen covers the
fi~nctionality
that is common to all of the major task workflows within the application,
including
defining the AOI, selecting base imagery, selecting vector data layers, and
more.
Once a user indicates the specific workflow that is being undertaken, the
application
will branch off into UI screens that apply to that workflow.
[0401] FIG. 69 illustrates conceptual logic for the main UI screen in
accordance with
certain implementations of the invention. That is, FIG. 69 provides a logical
overview
of the high level navigation structure of the enterprise spatial system
software. A
Welcome UI screen (Portal) 6910 is displayed. From there, a user may navigate
to a
main UI screen 6912. From the main UI screen 6912, a user may select various
functionality, such as data buy 6914, create map 6916, analysis reports 6918,
or other
functionality. From create map 6916, a user may select map preview 6920, and
from
map preview 6920, a user may select print map 6922, email map 6924, or save
map
6926.
[0402] In terms of the Welcome UI screen (Portal), the enterprise spatial
system
provides the ability to be able to customize the enterprise spatial system
experience to
different customers. There are two components to this customization. The first
is
being able to create a unique portal that users of a company will pass through
on their
way to accessing the enterprise spatial system service and tools. The second
is to
ensure that the enterprise spatial system tools are configurable so that their
look and
feel can be changed depending on the user, and therefore the company, that is
using
the enterprise spatial system tools.
[0403] In terms of understanding the portal, a portal is a series of HTML
pages that
users first go through in order to access the enterprise spatial system
service. Under
the enterprise spatial system design, the portal displays different HTML pages
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depending on who the user is. This determination is made at the login stage,
when the
user first logs into the service. The portals are hosted by enterprise spatial
system.
The portal is built upon a number of frames, which are fluid and dynamic to
account
for changes in layout and content.
[0404] That is, the portal content is fluid and dynamic, so some content could
change
daily, some could change monthly. The portal content is customized to
companies.
FIG. 70 illustrates sample portal content 7010 in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
[0405] In FIG. 70, the portal is composed of a munber of frames, some single
column,
some multi-column. Each frame has information that can be served may be served
by
the enterprise spatial system, the company itself, or a third party, such as
Reuters.
[0406] The portal may include a banner. The header is the top frame, which
displays
the company branding, in this case the enterprise spatial system logo, as well
as, the
ability to log off. In most cases this frame should reflect the design of the
enterprise
spatial system software itself.
[0407] The header is a frame that contains a dynamic tag that displays the
user's full
name. The header also has options for customizing the layout of the portal.
The user
is able to control what the user sees.
[0408] Enterprise spatial system news may be a section of the portal that
contains
information that is enterprise spatial system specific, such as new product
updates,
bug information, or up sell opportunities. This section may even be "empty" if
there
is no enterprise spatial system news, and may appear when needed. Under such a
scenario, the layout engine is able to "show and hide" enterprise spatial
system news,
and adjust the layout of existing content where necessary.
[0409] The Tip of the I?ay is a common feature among many sites where tips are
displayed to users helping them use both the product and the service. The tip
of the
day is generated by the enterprise spatial system, and a new tip is displayed
each time
the use refreshes the browser.
[0410] Industry News is an area on the page where news and events particular
to the
industry that the user and company operate in are displayed. In certain
implementations, industry content is served via third parties tied to the
portal vendor.
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For example, news information from Reuters about the Oil and Gas industry may
be
displayed.
[0411] Company News is an area set aside for the company to be able to
communicate
directly to staff. In certain implementations, the company is responsible for
this
content, but this may also require additional help on the enterprise spatial
system
services side. Each company assigns someone to author the content that appears
in
the company news area and that enterprise spatial system simply points to
their URL
from within the portal. This makes all management and review of the content
the
company's responsibility.
[0412] The Document Files section allows the enterprise spatial system to
present to
the user all the existing projects that the user has been working on, as well
as any
template/map service files. For most users, this is the fastest way to open a
project
and to begin working in the enterprise spatial system. By default this section
is
hidden from view. If the user wishes to always see these files, then the user
can select
to show the files by choosing the appropriate option under the "Customize My
Page"
section.
[0413] For the Launch buttons, one of the frames within the portal layout
contains the
buttons which access the enterprise spatial system service. The size, layout,
and type
of buttons will vary depending on customers. Also, buttons may be added or
removed
depending on user feedback and relevancy. For example, a button could say,
"Click
Here to Create Your First Map", or Cliclc Here to Buy Data etc.
O. User Interface
[0414] Some of the functionality of the enterprise spatial system software is
provided
via a main UI screen. The main UI screen is the starting point for any task
that the
user may wish to undertake, providing the user with the core capabilities
required in
undertaking any process supported by the application, including: selecting an
Area of
Interest (AOI); previewing an Area of Interest; selecting base imagery;
selecting data
layers; and accessing summary information. In addition, the main UI screen
provides
access to the functionality through various tools in a toolbar, through the
drop down
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menus, and through links to other UI screens. FIG. 71 illustrates a main UI
screen
7110 in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
[0415] Given the breadth of the functionality on the main UI screen, the
specifications
for the main UI screen are discussed one "section" of the main UI screen at a
time.
Additionally, some of the pop up dialog boxes that compliment the main UI
screen
will be described herein. Also, there are many menu commands available on the
main
UI screen.
[0416] FIG. 72A illustrates a find location portion 7210 of the UI screen in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention. In FIG. 72A, the
Search by
drop down box contains a list of Search Categories that are supported by the
enterprise spatial system, presented to the user, and including, for example:
Address,
City, County, State, ZIP Code, Longitude / Latitude, USGS Map, Name of Place,
and
Previously Saved Area. Selection of one of the drop down list items is
required, the
drop down box is always available to the user, and the control has the initial
focus
when the user goes to the main UI screen.
(0417] The second control (or group of controls) in the find location portion
of the
main UI screen appear dynamically (and may be referred to as dynamic
controls),
based upon the user selection in the Search by drop down box. The dynamic
controls) appear in a dynamic control window, and are updated each time that a
user
makes a selection from the Search by drop down box.
[0418] FIG. 72B illustrates a dynamic control window 7212 in accordance with
certain implementations of the invention: The dynamic control window is where
various controls are populated based upon the user's selection in the Search
by drop
down. This control is not visible to the user. The window is located directly
below
the Search by drop down. The size of the window is sufficient to accommodate
all of
the dynamic controls described herein.
[0419] FIG. 72C illustrates address controls 7214 in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention. The address controls 7214 include, for
example,
the following attributes: the text reads "Street, City:" and the address
controls 7214
consist of two separate controls, with the first control being an edit box and
the
second control being a drop down control. The second control includes, for
example,
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the following attributes: text reads "State:' ; display length of the edit box
is 2
characters; the drop down list contains a full list of abbreviates for states;
and, this
field is available to the user only when the user has selected "State" from
the Search
by drop down box. When the drop down list is available, selection of one of
the state
abbreviations is required. This field is available to the user only when the
user has
selected "Longitude/Latitude" from the Search by dxop down box.
[0420] FIG. 72D illustrates a city edit box 7215 in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention. This field is available to the user only
when the
user has selected "City" from the Search by drop down box. When this field is
available, this field is a required field. The city edit box 7215 Is used in
conjunction
with a Go button.
[0421] FIG. 72E illustrates a county edit box 7216 in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention. This field is available to the user only
when the
user has selected "County" from the Search by drop down box. When this field
is
available, this field is a required field. The county edit box 7216 Is used in
conjunction with the Go button.
[0422] FIG. 72F illustrates a state drop down box 7218 in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention. This field is available to the user only
when the
user has selected "State" from the Search by drop down box. When this drop
down is
available, selection of one of the state abbreviations is required.
[0423] FIG. 72G illustrates ZIP code edit boxes 7220 in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention. The Zip code edit boxes consist of 2
separate edit
boxes. The first edit box has, for example, the following attributes: this
field is
available to the user only when the user has selected "ZIP Code" from the
Search by
drop down box and when this field is available, this field is a required
field. The
second edit box has, for example, the following attributes: this field is
available to the
user only when the user has selected "ZIP Code" from the Search by drop down
box
and this field is not a required field.
[0424] FIG. 72H illustrates longitude / latitude edit boxes 7222 in accordance
with
certain implementations of the invention. The longitudellatitude edit boxes
consist of
2 separate edit boxes. The first edit box has, for example, the following
attributes:
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this field is available to the user only when the user has selected
"Longitude/Latitude"
from the Search by drop down box and, whm this field is available, this field
is a
required field. The second edit box has, for example, the following
attributes: when
this field is available, this field is a required field. In between the first
and second edit
boxes, "Lat:" is displayed. These controls are used in conjunction with the Go
button.
[0425] FIG. 72I illustrates a USGS drop down 7224 in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention. The USGS drop down 7224 includes, for
example,
the following attributes: text reads "USGS Map:*"; display length of the drop
box is
25 characters; the drop down list contains the complete list of USGS Maps that
are
available; this field is available to the user only when the user has selected
"USGS
Map" from the Search by drop down box; when this drop down control is
available,
selection of one of the maps is required.
[0426] FIG. 72J illustrates a name of place edit box 7226 in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention. The name of place edit box 7226 includes,
for
example, the following attributes: this field is available to the user only
when the user
has selected "Name of Place" from the Search by drop down box; when this field
is
available, this field is a required field; this field is used in conjunction
with the Go
button.
[0427] FIG. 72K illustrates a previously saved area edit box 7228 in
accordance with
certain implementations of the invention. The previously saved edit box
includes, for
example, the following attributes: this field is available to the user only
when the user
has selected "Name of Place" fibm the Search by drop down box; when this field
is
available, this field is a required field; and the field can be completed by
typing in a
path and file name, or by browsing to select the file.
[0428] The Go button's attributes are standard for control buttons, except
that the
width of the Go button is 38 pixels. The button text reads, "Go »". As for the
Browse button, all of the Go button's attributes are standard for control
buttons,
except that the width of the Browse button is 57 pixels. The button text
reads,
"Browse.. . ".
[0429] If the user selects "Address" from the Search by drop down box, the
address
controls are presented. If a selection is made from the Address controls drop
down
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box, a check is made to determine whether any value was entered into the
Street and
City edit box. If yes, the format is checked to ensure that the entry is in
the form
"street address, city". If yes, processing continues. If no, a pop up message
appears
with the message, "The address has been entered in an invalid format. The
address
needs to appear in the format 'Street Address, City'. " Upon closing the pop
up
message, the Street Address and City field is cleared.
[0430] If all of the required conditions are met, then, the Area of Interest
that the user
is attempting to define is determined by checking for a match to the address
location
provided. If a single match is found, then the center point of the AOI is the
street
address location. The AOI is defined by the smallest square that envelops a 2
mile
buffered area around the street address. If no exact matches are found, but
multiple
possible matches have been found, then the Ambiguous Location pop up dialog
box is
displayed. FIG. 73 illustrates an Ambiguous Location pop up dialog box 7310
without a scroll bar and FIG. 74 illustrates an Ambiguous Location pop up
dialog box
7410 with a scroll bar in accordance with certain implementations of the
invention. If
no possible matches are found, the Area of Interest location is defined by the
state
provided, with the minimum size required to envelop the entire state. A pop up
error
message appears, with text reading, "The location entered could not be found.
The
map has been centered on the state provided.".
[0431] If a location is determined, the map for the specified location is
retrieved. If
not, then the Area of Interest location is defined by the state provided, with
the
minimum size required to envelop the entire state. The Map window is refreshed
with
the map.
[0432] If the user selects "City" from the Search by drop down box, the City
edit box
is presented and the Go button is made available. If the user selects the Go
button, a
check is made to determine whether input has been provided into the City edit
box. If
yes, processing continues. If no, a pop up message appears with the message,
"You
must enter the name of the city before the search can begin." A check is made
to
determine whether a sufficient number of characters have been provided. If
yes,
processing continues. If no, a pop up error message appears, with text reading
"The
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city name requires the input of at least 2 characters. Please provide the city
name
again." Then, the field is cleared.
[0433] If all of the required conditions are met, then, the Area of Interest
that the user
is attempting to define is determined by checking for a match to the city
location
provided. If a single match is found, then the AOI is defined by the smallest
square
that envelops the entire city. If no exact matches are found, but multiple
possible
matches have been found, then the Ambiguous Location pop up dialog box is
displayed. If no possible matches are found, a pop up error message appears,
with text
reading, "The location entered could not be found with the information
provided.
Please try again.". If a location is determined, the map for the specified
location is
retrieved. The Map window is refreshed with the map.
(0434] If the user selects "County" from the Search by drop down box, the
County edit
box is presented. The Go button is made available. If the user selects the Go
button,
a check is made to determine whether input has been provided into the County
edit
box. If yes, processing continues. If no, a pop up message appears with the
message,
"You must enter the name of the county before the search can begin.".
[0435] A check is made to determine whether a sufficient number of characters
have
been provided. If yes, processing continues. If no, a pop up error message
appears,
with text reading "The county name requires the input of at least 2
characters. Please
provide the county name again.". The field is cleared.
[0436] If all of the required conditions are met, then, the Area of Interest
that the user
is attempting to define is determined by checking for a match to the county
location
provided. If a single match is found, then the AOI is defined by the smallest
square
that envelops the entire county. If no exact matches are found, but multiple
possible
matches have been found, then the Ambiguous Location pop up dialog box is
displayed. If no possible matches are found, a pop up error message appears,
with text
reading, "The location entered could not be found with the information
provided.
Please try again.".
[0437] If a location is determined, the map for the specified location is
retrieved. The
Map window is refreshed with the map.
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[0438] If the user selects "State" from the Search by drop down box, the State
drop
down is presented. If the user selects a state from the drop down list, the
AOI is
defined by the smallest square that envelops the entire state selected by the
user. The
Map window is refreshed with the map.
[0439] If the user selects "ZIP Code" from the Search by drop down box, the
ZIP
Code edit boxes are presented. The Go button is made available. If the user
selects
the Go button, a check is made to determine whether input has been provided
into the
first ZIP Code edit box. If yes, processing continues. If no, a pop up message
appears
with the message, "You must enter the 5 digit ZIP code before the search can
begin."
[0440] A checlc is made to determine whether exactly 5 characters have been
provided
in the first edit box. If yes, processing continues. If no, a pop up error
message
appears, with text reading "The ZIP Code search requires that you provide the
first 5
digits of the ZIP Code. Please provide the ZIP Code information again." The
field is
cleared.
[0441] A check is made to determine whether the ZIP 5 entry is on the list of
valid
ZIP codes. If yes, processing continues. If no, a pop up error message
appears, with
text reading, "The ZIP Code entered could not be found. Please try again.".
[0442] If all of the above conditions are met, then the AOI can be defined by
the
smallest square that envelops the entire ZIP Code (ZIP 5). However, if the
user
provides a valid +4 to the ZIP, the AOI is refined even further. A check is
made if the
user has provided any input into the second ZIP Code edit box (i.e. the +4
field). If
yes, it is determined if this is a valid +4 for the ZIP Code provided. If yes,
the AOI
can be defined by the smallest square that envelops the entire ZIP Code (ZIP +
4). If
no, the AOI for the ZIP 5 is used and an error message is not shown to the
user. The
map for the specified AOI is retrieved. The Map window is refreshed with the
map.
[0443] If the user selects "Longitude / Latitude" from the Search by drop down
box,
the Longitude / Latitude edit boxes are presented. The Go button is made
available. If
the user selects the Go button, a check is made to determine whether input has
been
provided into both edit boxes. If yes, processing continues. If no, a pop up
message
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appears with the message, "You must enter both the Longitude and the Latitude
before
the search can begin."
[0444] A check is made to determine whether the format of both the Longitude
and
the Latitude that the user input is correct. A check is made to determine
whether the
first character in both edit boxes is either a numeric value, a "-" sign, or a
"+" sign. A
check is made to determine whether exactly one "." character appears within
the input
in both edit boxes. A check is made to determine whether exactly 4 numeric
values
appear after the "." chaxacter. A check is made to determine whether at least
7
characters have been entered. A check is made to determine whether a maximum
of 9
characters have been entered. A check is made to determine whether both
entries are
within the valid range of Longitude and latitude entries. If all of these
checks hold
true, then processing continues. If the input does not pass any of these
checks, a pop
up message appears with the message, "The format of the Longitude and Latitude
must be in the format'+/- degrees, minutes, seconds'. For example, +33.5458
and
-117.7027. For Longitude, East is positive. For Latitude, North is positive.
Please
enter the Longitude and Latitude in this format."
[0445] If the previous checks hold true, then the AOI is deterniined. The
center point
of the AOI is the Longitude and Latitude location that the user has provided.
The AOI
is defined by the smallest square that envelops a 5 mile buffered area around
this
center point. The map for the specified AOI is retrieved. The Map window is
refreshed with the map.
[0446] If the user selects "USGS Map" from the Search by drop down box, the
USGS
Map drop down is presented. If the user selects a map from the drop down list,
the
AOI is that of the USGS map. The Map window is refreshed with the map.
[0447] If the user selects "Name of Place " from the Search by drop down box,
the
Name of Place edit box is presented. The Go button is made available. If the
user
selects the Go button, a check is made to determine whether input has been
provided
into the Name of Place edit box. If yes, processing continues. If no, a pop up
message
appears with the message, "You must enter the name of the place before the
search
can begin."
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[0448] A check is made to determine whether a sufficient number of characters
have
been provided. If yes, processing continues. If no, a pop up error message
appears,
with text reading "The place name requires the input of at least 2 characters.
Please
provide the name of the place again. The field is cleared.
[0449] If all of the required conditions are met, then, the Area of Interest
that the user
is attempting to define is determined by checking for a match to the name of
the place
provided. If a single match is found, then the center point of the AOI is the
location
of the place that the user has provided. The AOI is defined by the smallest
square that
envelops a 5 mile buffered area around this center point. If no exact matches
are
found, but multiple possible matches have been found, then the Ambiguous
Location
pop up dialog box is displayed. If no possible matches are found, a pop up
error
message appears, with text reading, "The location entered could not be found
with the
information provided. Please try again.".
[0450] If a location is determined, the map for the specified location is
retrieved. The
Map window is refreshed with the map.
[0451] If the user selects "previously saved AOI" from the Search by drop down
box,
the Previously Saved Area edit box is presented. The Browse button is
presented, to
the right of the Previously Saved Area edit box. The right edge of the Browse
button
is right aligned with the right edge of the Search by drop down. If the cursor
is the in
the Previously Saved Area edit box and the user selects the enter key (i.e.
indicating
that the user has entered the file name), a check is made to determine whether
a valid
file name (for an enterprise spatial system AOI file) have been entered. If
yes, the
AOI file is opened, and the Map window is refreshed with the new AOI. If no, a
pop
up message appears with the message, "A valid Area of Interest was not
entered. <cr>
You must enter a valid Area of Interest (AOI) file to search for an area in
this manner.
Either type in a valid AOI file, select the browse button to select the file,
or select
another way to search for the desired Area of Interest." If the Browse button
is
selected, the Open AOI dialog box appears.
[0452] In any of these cases where the AOI is going to be updated, a check is
made
whether or not the updated AOI has support for the base image that is
currently
selected. If the base image is not available for the new AOI, then the AOI -
Base
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Image Conflict pop up appears. FIG. 75 illustrates a Base Image Conflict pop
up
dialog box 7510 in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
If the
user selects to change the AOI, then the Map window is refreshed with the new
AOI
and reversion to "none" as the Base Image selection is done. If the user
chooses to
keep the Base Image, the AOI is not updated. If the Base Image is available,
the Map
window is refreshed with the new AOI.
[0453] The Ambiguous Location pop up dialog box 7310 is used when multiple
possible location matches are found using the information that the user has
input into
the Find Location by Address, Find Location by City, or Find Location by
County
controls. This UI screen allows the user to select from the list of possible
location,
providing the enterprise spatial system with the user's intended Area of
Interest.
[0454] The Ambiguous Location pop up dialog box 7310 meets the standard
guidelines for the use of pop up dialog boxes. The pop up is a large pop up
dialog
box. The pop up appears centered in the work area of the main enterprise
spatial
system software. For the Title, text reads, "Ambiguous Location" and font is
bold.
The introductory text for this pop up dialog box is: "The location provided
has the
following close matches. Please select one."
[0455] The Grid Control has standard grid control attributes. The Grid Control
is left
aligned with both the section title and the introductory text, is located
immediately
following the introductory text display, consists of two columns (a select
column and
a location column), and has grid rows. For the Select Column, the column
header
reads, "Select"; the column width is sufficient to fit the text "Select" with
a blank
space before and after the text; and, the column contains radio button
controls,
allowing the user to select only one of the locations that are presented in
the grid
display. If the user selects a second radio button, then the first radio
button that was
selected becomes deselected.
[0456] For the Location Column, the header for this column reads, "Location";
the
width of this column is approximately 385 pixels; and, the cells within this
column is
populated with the various possible location matches that the enterprise
spatial system
found. In the case in which the user has entered an address, the cell contains
the street
address, city, and state for the possible match. In the case in which the user
has
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entered a city, the cell displays the city, county and state for the possible
match. In the
case in which the user has entered a county, the cell will display the county
and state
for the possible match. In the case in which the user has entered a place, the
cell will
display the place name, the county and state for the possible match.
[0457] As for Grid Rows, there are as many rows included in the grid display
as
potential location matches that were found; the row height is determined by
the
number of lines of data that are displayed in a given row; and, if the number
of rows
exceeds the number that can be displayed within the work area of the pop up
dialog
box, then a scroll bar will allow for scrolling of the grid control as shown
in FIG. 74.
[0458] In FIG. 74, if the user selects the OK button, a check is made to
determine
whether the user has selected one of the radio buttons from within the grid
control. If a
radio button was not selected, an error message is pushed to the top of the
pop up,
with text reading, "You need to provide the best fit location for your area of
Interest
(AOI). If none of the selections below match your location, select the cancel
button
and try again." If a radio button was selected, the user's selected location
choice is
determined by finding the radio button that was selected, and then finding the
location
associated with that radio button. The selected location is used to define the
Area of
Interest. If the ambiguous location is an address, the center point of the AOI
is the
street address location. The AOI is defined by the smallest square that
envelops a 2
mile buffered area around the street address. If the ambiguous location is a
city, the
AOI is defined by the smallest square that envelops the entire city. If the
ambiguous
location is a county, the AOI is defined by the smallest square that envelops
the entire
county. If the ambiguous location is a place, then the center point of the AOI
is the
location of the place that the user has provided. The AOI is defined by the
smallest
square that envelops a 5 mile buffered area around this center point. The pop
up
dialog box is closed. The Map window is refreshed with the new AOI on the UI
screen from which the Ambiguous Location pop up was launched.
[0459] If the user selects the cancel button, the pop up dialog box is closed.
If the
ambiguous location is an address, the Area of Interest location is defined by
the state
provided, with the minimum size required to envelop the entire state. A pop up
error
message appears, with text reading, "An address was not selected. The map has
been
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centered on the state provided." The Map window is refreshed with the new AOI.
If
the ambiguous location is a city, county, or place, the Area of Interest
cannot be
determined. A pop up error message appears, with text reading, "The location
entered could not be found with the information provided. Please try again.".
[0460] The Base Image Conflict pop up dialog box 7510 illustrated in FIG. 75
is used
whenever the user has indicated a desire to change the AOI, but the new AOI
does not
support the Base Image. This dialog box allows the user to decide whether to
change
the AOI (and lose the Base Image) or keep the Base Image (and lose the changes
to
the AOI).
[0461] In FIG. 75, the pop up dialog box meets the standard guidelines for the
use of
pop up dialog boxes. The pop up is a small Pop up dialog box. The pop up
appeaxs
centered in the work area of the main enterprise spatial system software.
[0462] Radio buttons present the user with options on how to proceed, given
the
conflict. The radio buttons are standard in functionality. The list of button
choices
includes, for example: Yes, change the AOI; and, No, do not change the AOI.
The
default selection is Yes, change the AOI. The text descriptions are located
below the
radio button graphic. The Ok button has standard control button attributes and
the
button text reads, "Ok".
[0463] In FIG. 75, if the user selects the help button, the help page that
provides
online help pertaining to this UI screen appears in a pop up format. If the
user selects
the OK button, if the "Yes, change the AOI" radio button is selected, the pop
up is
closed. The AOI is updated according to the command that originally invoked
this
dialog box. The Map window is refreshed. Reversion to "none" as the Base Image
type is performed. If the "No, do not change the AOI" radio button is
selected, the
pop up is closed and the AOI is not updated in the manner that invoked this
dialog
box.
[0464] FIG. 76 illustrates an Open AOI File dialog box 7610 in accordance with
certain implementations of the invention. The pop up dialog box meets the
standard
guidelines for the use of pop up dialog boxes. The pop up is custom sized. The
width
is 760 pixels The height is 440 pixels. The pop up appears centered in the
work area
of the main enterprise spatial system software.
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[0465] The Open File Control Frame uses standard control frame properties. The
frame header reads "Open Area of Interest File". The introductory text reads
"Please
select the area of Interest (AOI) file that you would like to use for your
search from
the list below."
[0466] The Document Grid Control consists of 4 columns. For Column 1, the
column
header reads: "AOI Name", and this column displays the hyperlinked name of
existing
Areas of Interest that are available to the user. For Column 2, the column
header
reads "Author" and this column displays the full name of the author of the
project.
For Column 3, the column header reads "Description" and this column displays
any
annotated description of the project. For Column 4, the column header reads
"Modified Date" and this column displays the date when the document was last
modified. This grid is scrollable. There is a Back button at the bottom left
of the UI
screen.
[0467] In FIG. 76, when this UI screen is called, the name and details of for
each
available AOI are dynamically displayed. Each name is hyperlinked to
respective
AOI details. If the user clicks the AOI Name, the documents are sorted by AOI
Name. If the user clicks the Author title, the projects are sorted by Author.
If the user
clicks the Description title, the projects are sorted by description. If the
user clicks the
Modified Date title, the projects are sorted by Mbdified Date. If the user
clicks the
name of an AOI, the AOI becomes the selected one. If the user clicks the close
button, the pop up window is closed.
[0468] FIG. 77 illustrates a Select Base Image portion 7710 of the main UI
screen in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention. This portion of the
Main
UI screen allows users to select the base map to be used. The base image
coverage
offered by the enterprise spatial system varies depending upon the AOI, so the
Base
Image controls are linked to the AOI provided by the user. Based upon the Area
of
Interest provided by the user, the enterprise spatial system software
determines which
base maps are available for the specified AOI, and only those images are
available as
options for selection. Before the user ever selects a base image from the base
image
drop down control, a default map graphic is displayed within the Map window.
This
is a type of map that the enterprise spatial system has nationwide access to
and will
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provide the user with context as the user navigates to the desired AOI,
without
forcing the user to select a base image (i.e., some users will not want a base
image, for
example if the users are downloading data).
[0469] As for the Base Map drop down, the listing within the drop down is
dynamic,
and is directly impacted by the Area of Interest that the customer has
selected on
Online Mapping UI screens. All of the base maps that are available for the
user's
entire AOI are available as selections. Those base maps that are not available
for the
user's entire AOI are not available as selections. "None" is an available
selection and
is the default selection. Selection of the "None" option leaves a vector based
map
representation as the base layer. This field is always available to the user.
Selection of
one of the Base Image maps is not required.
[0470] In FIG. 77, upon selection of the down arrow on the drop down box, the
enterprise spatial system software checks for which base images are available
for the
current AOI. A list of these base images appear in the drop down list. If the
user
selects one of the available options from the Base Image drop down box, the
desired
base map as indicated by the user's selection is retrieved. The portion of the
base map
that is defined by the location of the user's Area of Interest is displayed
within the
Map window.
[0471] FIG. 78 illustrates a Data Layers UI screen 7810 in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention. The Data Layers UI screen 7810 allows users
to
select one or more data layers to layer on top of the base map. Based upon the
Area of
Interest and the base map selected by the user, the enterprise spatial system
software
will determine which layers are available for overlay. Only those data layers
are
available as options within this control.
[0472] In terms of customer data, depending upon who the enterprise spatial
system
customer (e.g., partner) is, the customer may be allowed to add corporate GIS
data
into the enterprise spatial system. For users who wish to integrate their own
data into
the enterprise spatial system software, the enterprise spatial system
provides, in
certain implementations, a technique by which the data may be brought into the
back
end. In certain implementations, data is input into the enterprise spatial
system using
other techniques. In certain implementations, a user interface that automates
the
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process of integrating enterprise data and that allows the user to upload data
from
their system directly into the enterprise spatial system back end is provided.
Additionally, the enterprise spatial system provides secure access to the
enterprise
data. The data that corporations will provide is often highly sensitive, and
the
enterprise spatial system ensures that only those who should have access to
the data
get access to it. The enterprise spatial system also integrates the selection
of the
enterprise data layers into the enterprise spatial system user interface.
Enterprise data
layers appear in the same area as enterprise spatial system data layers.
However,
when enterprise data layers are present, an additional tab category will exist
that
contains the enterprise data. This is the enterprise data category, and is
located
immediately to the right of the show all categories tab. In addition, within
an "all
categories" tab, the enterprise data is the first section of data to be
displayed. FIG. 79
illustrates custom tab navigation control 7910 in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention. The custom tab navigation control is part of
the
Data Layers UI screen 7810.
[0473] The Data Layers section of the Main UI screen provides the user with a
selection of available data layers for selection. Since there may be many data
layers to
choose from within the enterprise spatial system software, and limited space
to display
these layers to the user, the layers may be organized into smaller categories.
Custom
tab controls are used to allow the user to view the data layers one category
at a time,
in order to minimize scrolling to see the layers.
[0474] A Show all categories tab is the first tab available, is selected by
default, and
has a title area with "Tab Selection: Show All Data Layers". The tool tip for
this tab
reads: "All Data Categories".
[0475] A Enterprise data tab (not shown in FIG. 79) is available if the
corporate
customer has arranged with the enterprise spatial system to integrate their
own data
with the enterprise spatial system's data. When available, this tab appears
immediately to the right of the Show all categories tab. The title to appear
in this tab's
title area is "Tab Selection: <insert title provided by corporation>". The
tool tip for
this tab reads, "<insert tip provided by the partner>"..
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[0476] For a Transportation tab, the location of this tab depends upon whether
or not a
enterprise data tab is present. If a enterprise data tab is present, then this
tab appears
immediately to the right of the enterprise data tab. If a enterprise data tab
is not
present, then this tab appears immediately to the right of the Show all
categories tab.
The title to appear in this tab's title area is "Tab Selection:
Transportation". The tool
tip for this tab reads, "Transportation".
[0477] A Landmarks tab appears immediately to the right of the Transportation
tab.
The title to appear in this tab's title area is "Tab Selection: Landmarks".
The tool tip
for this tab reads, "Landmarks".
[0478] A Boundaries tab appears immediately to the right of the Landmarks tab.
The
title to appear in this tab's title area is "Tab Selection: Boundaries". The
tool tip for
this tab reads, "Boundaries".
[0479] A Demographics tab appears immediately to the right of the Boundaries
tab.
The title to appear in this tab's title area is "Tab Selection: Demographics".
The tool
tip for this tab reads, "Demographics".
[0480] A Water tab appears immediately to the right of the Demographics tab.
The
title to appear in this tab's title area is "Tab Selection: Water Data". The
tool tip for
this tab reads, "Water Data".
[0481] An Infrastructure tab appears immediately to the right of the Water
tab. The
title to appear in this tab's title area is "Tab Selection: Infrastructure".
The tool tip for
this tab reads, "Infrastructure".
[0482] An Environmental tab appears immediately to the right of the
Infrastructure
tab. The title to appear in this tab's title area is "Tab Selection:
Environmental". The
tool tip for this tab reads, "Environmental".
[0483] A Favorites tab appears immediately to the right of the Environmental
tab. The
title to appear in this tab's title area is "Tab Selection: Favorites". The
tool tip for this
tab.reads, "Favorites".
[0484] An Edit Favorites hyperlink has standard hyperlinlc attributes. The
hyperlink is
located to the right of the title within the Favorites tab, and button text
reads, "Edit
Favorites".
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[0485] A View Selected Layers hyperlinlc has standard hyperlink attributes,
and
button text reads, "View Selected Layers".
[0486] A Data Layer check boxes control group consists of multiple check box
controls. Each check box control corresponds to a data layer that is available
for
selection by the user. These check boxes are standard in functionality. The
listing of
the check boxes is dynamic, and is directly impacted by the Area of Interest
that the
customer has selected and the base map that the user has selected. The data
layers
shall consist of vector-based graphics. All of the data layers that are
available for the
user's entire AOI and for the selected base map are available as check box
selections.
Those data layers that are not available for the user's entire AOI are not
available as
check boxes and are grayed out. Those data layers that are not available for
the user's
base map are not available as check boxes and are grayed out.
[0487] The check boxes are organized on the UI screen as follows: the check
box
controls are organized into main categories of data layer types. These
categories are
provided below. Each category has a one-to-one correspondence with a tab in
the
custom tab control. All categories of data layers are displayed within the All
Layers
tab. Within each tab, the check boxes are arranged into a single column. The
location
of the column is as follows: left justified and indented approximately 5
pixels from
the left edge of the tab control window. In the "All Layers" tab, check box
controls
begin immediately beneath the appropriate functional area title text. In all
other tabs,
check box controls appear such that the top edge of the first check box is
approximately 5 pixels from the top of the custom tab window. Standard spacing
is
provided between each check box. The text prompt for each check box control
fits
within the limited column space provided. Abbreviations are used, if
necessary.
[0488] If the number of data layers available are such that they cannot all be
displayed
within the tab window at the same time, then a custom scroll bar control is
available
to the user. This scroll bar allows the user to scroll only the check box
control area,
leaving all other controls stationary. If the resolution of the UI screen is
higher than
800x600, the Custom Tab window will size to provide a greater amount of
vertical
space in order to display the maximum number of data layers at one time. None
of the
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check boxes are selected by default. Each check box has a graphic next to it
that
displays the legend symbol for the data layer.
[0489] In FIG. 78 or 79, if the user selects the View Selected Layers
hyperlink, the
user is taken to the Change Layer Order pop up dialog box, where the user can
view
the data layers that have been selected and change the order in which the
layers is
displayed. If the user selects the Show all categories tab, the tab becomes
active, the
tab title is displayed, and the tab window is filled with the check box
controls for all
of the data layers that are available within the enterprise spatial system
software,
grouped into the same categories as the data layer tabs. Those data layers
that are not
available for the user's AOI will not be available as check boxes and are
grayed out.
The check boxes are displayed grouped into their categories, in the order that
the
category tabs are displayed. The beginning of a new category grouping is
designated
as follows: the title of the category appears, the font is bold, and dash
marks appears
after the title to continue all of the way to the rightmost edge of the Custom
Tab
window. The check boxes appear after their respective category title. A new
category
display appears immediately after the end of the previous one.
[0490] FIG. 80 illustrates a UI screen 8010 after the Show all categories tab
has been
selected in accordance with certain implementations of the invention. In FIG.
80, if
the user selects the Transportation tab: this tab becomes active, the tab
title is
displayed, and the tab window is filled with the check box controls for all of
the data
layers that are available within the Transportation category, such as:
Geocoded
Interstate, US and state highways, arterial roads, light duty roads, alleys,
unpaved
roads, railroads that allow address searches and routing requests; and,
airports,
railroad and bus stations, highway interchanges, and ferry terminals. Those
data
layers that are not available for the user's AOI will not be available as
check boxes and
are grayed out.
[0491] If the user selects the Landmarks tab: this tab becomes active. the tab
title is
displayed, and the tab window is filled with the check box controls for all of
the data
layers that are available within the Landmark category, such as: National,
state,
regional and local parks; and, airports, railroad and bus stations, highway
interchanges, ferry terminals, major buildings, town centers, city halls,
public
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libraries, convention centers, observatories, colleges, universities,
monuments,
memorials, shopping centers, golf courses, amusement parks, fairgrounds, ski
resorts,
horse and auto racetracks, stadiums, museums, halls, auditoriums, zoos,
aquariums,
and city centers. Those data layers that are not available for the user's AOI
will not be
available as check boxes and are grayed out.
[0492] If the user selects the Boundaries tab: this tab becomes active, the
tab title is
displayed, and the tab window is filled with the check box controls for all of
the data
layers that are available within the Boundaries category, such as: boundaries
of
counties in conterminous US, county and state codes, county names and area;
boundaries of metropolitan areas with area and population; 104th, 105th and
106th
Congressional District boundaries; and Zip + 4 boundaries for conterminous US.
Those data layers that are not available for the user's AOI will not be
available as
check boxes and are grayed out.
[0493] If the user selects the Demographics tab: this tab becomes active, the
tab title is
displayed, and the tab window is filled with the check box controls for all of
the data
layers that are available within the Demographics category, such as: 1990 and
2000
US Census data including demographic information and census tract boundaries;
and,
boundaries of metropolitan areas with area and population. Those data layers
that are
not available for the user's AOI will not be available as check boxes and are
grayed
out.
[0494] If the user selects the Water tab: this tab becomes active, the tab
title is
displayed, the tab window is filled with the check box controls for all of the
data
layers that are available within the Water category, such as: navigable
waterways of
the conterminous US; major dams and associated lakes; wetland boundaries and
classifications; vector representations of rivers and streams; 100 yr and
SOO~yr flood
plain boundaries; and, hydrologic units for major rivers and tributaries.
Those data
layers that are not available for the user's AOI will not be available as
check boxes and
are grayed out.
[0495] If the user selects the Infrastructure tab: this tab becomes active,
the tab title is
displayed, and the tab window is filled with the check box controls for all of
the data
layers that are available within the Infrastructure category, such as: major
pipelines,
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transmission lines and facilities; and, major dams and associated lakes. Those
data
layers that are not available for the user's AOI will not be available as
check boxes and
are grayed out.
[0496] If the user selects the Environmental tab: this tab becomes active, the
tab title
is displayed, and the tab window is filled with the check box controls for all
of the
data layers that are available within the Environmental category, such as:
large and
small scale soil classification data; small scale geologic classification
data; and, vector
representations of landscape topography. Those data layers that are not
available for
the user's AOI will not be available as checle boxes and are grayed out.
[0497] If the user selects the Favorites tab: this tab becomes active, the tab
title is
displayed, and a check is made to determine whether the user has added any
data
layers to the "Favorite" data layers. If yes, then the tab window is filled
with the
check box controls for the data layers that the user has added to the
"Favorites" list.
Those data layers that are not available for the user's AOI will not be
available as
check boxes and are grayed out. If the user has not added any data layers to
the
"Favorites" list, then the Custom Tab window has the following message
displayed
within it, which reads, "You do not currently have any data layers in your
"Favorites"
list. To create a Favorites list, select the Edit Favorites link above". The
message is
center justified within the entire tab window.
[0498] If the user selects a check box control (within any tab), and, if the
checkbox
was previously unselected, the checkbox becomes selected, and the data layer
becomes part of the user's map. The data layer associated with the check box
is
layered into the map. A check is made to see whether the selected check box is
for a
"change detection" type of layer, and, if so, additional information is
required of the
user. If so, a Change Detection pop up appears. The information provided in
this pop
up is used to determine the appropriate change detection map to use.
[0499] After the check, the Map window is refreshed, so that the Map window
displays the selected data layer in addition to the other elements that were
previously
present. The order of display, or "layer order" takes into consideration two
rules for
the layering of data. First, the layering of data in general is in the
following order:
Imagery, Polygons, Lines, and Points. Second, if another element already
exists in the
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map for the group to which the data layer belongs, this data layer is placed
immediately on top of the top most layer currently in that group.
[0500] If the user selects a check box control (within any tab), and if the
checkbox
was previously in the selected state, the checlcbox becomes deselected, and
the data
layer is removed as part of the user's map. The data layer associated with the
check
box is removed from the map. The Map window is refreshed, which removes the
display of the deselected data layer, while retaining all of the other
elements that were
previously present.
[0501] As for editing legend items, the user has the ability to edit the
legend
representation for the data overlaid within the enterprise spatial system,
whether it be
point, line, or polygon data.
[0502] As for editing point data legends, when the mouse is passed over the
legend
representation of the point data, the cursor changes to indicate that the
legend item can
be clicked upon. Upon selection of a point data legend, a modified version of
the
Color Picker pop up is launched. This pop up is referred to as the Symbol
Picker, and
has some attributes that differ from the Color Picker. FIG. 81 illustrates a
symbol
picker UI screen 8110 in accordance with certain implementations of the
invention.
[0503] As for editing line type data legends, when the mouse is passed over
the legend
representation of the line data, the cursor changes to indicate that the
legend item can
be clicked upon. Upon selection of a line data legend, the enterprise spatial
system
classifies the line into one of two categories, either a single line or a
double line (with
a lined border around it). If the line is a single line, the line Color Picker
pop dialog
box is launched. FIG. 82A illustrates a line Color Picker pop dialog box 8210
in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention. If the line is a
double line,
a modified version of the line Color Picker pop dialog box is launched. FIG.
82B
illustrates a modified line Color Picker pop dialog box 8212 in accordance
with
certain implementations of the invention. In FIG. 82B, the introductory text
reads,
"Choose an inside and outside line color from the selection below". In
addition to the
72 standard color blocks, another group of color blocks is present to allow
the user to
select the color for the outside line. This group of color blocks includes,
for example,
36 blocks, and the colors are defined by the 216 web safe color palette.
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[0504] In FIG. 82B, immediately above the standard color block, the text
"Inside line"
is displayed. Immediately above the new color block, the text "Outside line"
is
displayed. The selected color in the first block defines the color of the
inside line data.
The selected color in the second block defines the color of the outside line
data. All
other Color Picker attributes and functionality apply.
[0505] As for editing polygon type data legends, when the mouse is passed over
the
legend representation of the polygon data, the cursor changes to indicate that
the
legend item can be clicked upon. Upon selection of a polygon data legend, a
modified
version of the line Color Picker pop dialog box is launched. FIG. 82C
illustrates a
modified version of the line Color Picker pop dialog box 8214 in accordance
with
certain implementations of the invention. In FIG. 82C, the introductory text
reads,
"Select a color and fill pattern from the options below.". In addition to the
72
standard color blocks, another group of color blocks is present to allow the
user to
select a pattern fill. The selected color in the first block defines the fill
color for the
polygon. The selected pattern in the second block defines the fill pattern for
the
polygon. All other Color Picker attributes and functionality apply.
[0506] FIG. 83 illustrates a Change Data Layer Order pop dialog box 8310 in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention. The Change Data
Layer
Order pop up dialog box 8310 is used whenever a user has indicated a desire to
rearrange the order of the data layers. The purpose of this dialog box 8310 is
twofold:
to provide an interface that allows the user to quickly see which data layers
have been
selected and to allow the user to define in what order the data layers are
displayed.
[0507] The Change Data Layer Order pop up dialog box 8310 meets the standard
guidelines for the use of pop up dialog boxes and is a small Pop up dialog
box. The
pop up appears centered in the work area of the main enterprise spatial system
software.
[0508] The Data Layer list box control 8312 consists of three elements,
including a
list box and two buttons. The Data Layer list box control 8312 displays all of
the data
layers that are currently active. The order that the data layers are displayed
within the
Data Layer list box control 8312 is as follows: the lowest data layer is
displayed at the
bottom of the list, the highest data layer is displayed at the top of the
list, and those
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data layers in between shall continue in order from lowest display to highest
display
level. The list box control allows for the selection of one item (e.g., the
control and
shift functionality for selection is disabled). The first item in the list is
selected by
default.
[0509] In FIG. 83, as for the Up Arrow button, all of the Up Arrow button's
attributes
are standard for control buttons, except for the following: the image width
for the Up
button is 31 pixels wide and the button shall not have text, rather it has a
graphic of an
arrow pointed upward.
[0510] In FIG. 83, as for the Down Arrow button, all of the Down Arrow
button's
attributes are standard for control buttons, except for the following: the
image width
for the Down button is 31 pixels wide and the button shall not have text,
rather it has a
graphic of an arrow pointed downward.
[0511] In FIG. 83, if the user selects an item from the list box, the item
shall show a
visual indication (e.g., highlight) designating that it is the item currently
selected. The
item that was previously selected becomes deselected. The selected data layer
can
now be used with the up arrow, the down arrow, and with click-and-drag
functionality.
[0512] If the user selects the up arrow button for a selected data layer, and
if the
selected data layer is not currently the top item in the display order, the
selected item
will move one level up in the list, the selected data layer will move one
level up in the
display order (although the refresh will not occur until the pop up window is
closed),
and the selected item will remain selected. If the selected data layer is
currently the
top item in the display order, selection of the up arrow button has no effect
on the
display order.
[0513] If the user selects the down arrow button for a selected data layer,
and if the
selected data layer is not currently the bottom item in the display order, the
selected
item will move one level down in the list, the selected data layer will move
one level
down in the display order (although the refresh will not occur until the pop
up window
is closed), and the selected item will remain selected. If the selected data
layer is
currently the bottom item in the display order, selection of the down button
has no
effect on the display order.
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[0514] If the user "clicks-and-drags" the highlighted data layer selection,
the
highlighted selected will move up or down the list to the point where the user
releases
the mouse. The selected item will move up or down in the display order
accordingly
(although the refresh will not occur until the pop up window is closed).
[0515] If the user selects the Ok button, the pop up dialog box is closed. The
Map
window display is refreshed, with the display of the data layers changed in
accordance
with the selections made by the user.
[0516] If the user selects the cancel button, the pop up dialog box is closed,
without
affecting the order of the data layers.
[0517] FIG. 84 illustrates an Edit Favorites pop up dialog box 8410 in
accordance
with certain implementations of the invention. The Edit Favorites pop up
dialog box
8410 is used whenever a user wants to edit a data layer favorites list to
appear within
the Favorites tab. The Edit Favorites pop up dialog box 8410 provides the
interface
required to create the Favorites list.
[0518] The Edit Favorites pop up dialog box 8410 meets the standard guidelines
for
the use of pop up dialog boxes and is a small pop up dialog box. The pop up
appears
centered in the work area of the main enterprise spatial system software.
[0519] In FIG. 84, Data Layer check box controls 8412 form a control group
that
consists of multiple check box controls. Each check box control corresponds to
a data
layer that is available for selection by the user. These check boxes are
standard in
functionality. The check boxes are displayed grouped into categories. Each
category
has a one-to-one correspondence with a tab in the custom tab control. The
begirming
of a new category grouping is designated as follows: the title of the category
appears;
the font is bold; and, dash marks appears after the title to continue all of
the way to the
rightmost edge of the Custom Tab window. The check boxes appear after their
respective category title. A new category display appears immediately after
the end of
the previous one. The text prompt for each check box control fits within the
limited
column space provided. Abbreviations are used, if necessary. A scroll bar
allows for
the scrolling of the check box controls, and other elements do not scroll.
[0520] In FIG. 84, if the user selects a check box control, and if the
checkbox was
previously unselected, the checkbox becomes selected, and the data layer
associated
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with the check box becomes part of the user's Favorite List. This will add the
data
layer to the display of available data layers for selection within the
Favorites tab. The
selected data layer appears in alphabetical order on the Favorites list.
[0521] If the user selects a check box control, and if the checkbox was
previously in
the selected state, the checkbox becomes deselected, and the data layer is
removed
from the Favorites list.
[0522] If the user selects the help button, the help page that provides online
help
pertaining to this UI screen 8410 appears in a pop up format. If the user
selects the
Ok button, the pop up dialog box is closed, and the Favorites list is updated.
If the
user selects the cancel button, the pop up dialog box is closed, without
affecting the
Favorites list.
[0523] FIG. 85 illustrates a Change Detection pop up dialog box 8510 in
accordance
with certain implementations of the invention. This Change Detection pop up
dialog
box 8510 is used whenever a user selects a change detection type of data
layer. The
purpose of this UI screen 8510 is to determine the date range over which the
user
would like the change detection to be applied.
[0524] The pop up dialog box 8510 meets the standard guidelines for the use of
pop
up dialog boxes and is a small pop up dialog box. The pop up dialog box 8510
appears centered in the work area of the main enterprise spatial system
software. For
Date Range Drop down controls 8512, a prompt reads "Show changes:".
[0525] In FIG. 85, if the user selects the Help button, the help page that
provides
online help pertaining to this UI screen appears in a pop up format. If the
user selects
the Ok button, if either of the date range drop downs have not been selected,
an error
message is pushed to the top of the pop up work area, with text reading "You
must
select both a starting and ending year to use the selected data set. Select
the date
range and try again, or select cancel to cancel the data set.". If the OK
button is
selected and the user has selected the date range, a data layer is retrieved
based upon
the date range given and the pop up dialog box is closed. The Map widow is
refreshed, displaying the selected data layer in addition to the other
elements that were
previously present. The order of display, or "layer order" takes into
consideration two
rules for the layering of data: first, the layering of data in general is in
the following
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order: Imagery, Polygons, Lines, and Points; and, second, if another element
already
exists in the map for the group to which the data layer belongs, this data
layer is
placed immediately on top of the top most layer currently in that group.
[0526] If the user selects the cancel button, the pop up dialog box is closed.
A pop up
error message appears, "The <insert data layer name> data layer will not be
added".
The check box control that initiated the Change Detection pop up is
deselected.
[0527] FIG. 86 illustrates a Mapping and Analysis portion 8610 of the main UI
screen
in accordance with certain implementations of the invention. FIG. 87
illustrates a
Map window 8710 in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
[0528] As for functionality, the Map window is a custom control whose function
is
twofold: display map graphics within the window and scale the map
appropriately to
fit in the window, without distorting any of the proportions. In particular,
the map is
cropped appropriately to fit in the window, without distorting any of the
proportions.
The graphic formats that are supported for display within the Map window
include,
for example, GIF and JPEG. Before the user ever selects a base image from the
base
image drop down control, a default map graphic is displayed within the Map
window.
This is a type of map that the enterprise spatial system has nationwide access
to and
provides the user with context as the user navigates to the desired AOI,
without
forcing the user to select a base image (some users will not want a base
image, for
example if they are downloading data).
[0529] Tools from the enterprise spatial system toolbox are active when the
user
positions the cursor within the bounds of the Map window. The details of these
toolbar behaviors are described in further detail below.
[0530] The Map window is located immediately within the map frame. The
location
of the Map window is fixed - the user has no ability to move the window.
Whenever
a map image is being loaded into the Map window: the previous image shall
remain
displayed until the new image is ready; and, an animated GIF will indicate to
the user
that the map is loading. This file is centered within the Map window. The GIF
file is
provided to development. The user will not be able to undertake any other
actions
while the map is loading. If the user attempts to undertake another task while
a map is
loading, a pop up message appears reading, "You will need to wait for the
requested
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map to load before you can begin another taslc. Please wait for the map to
load and try
again".
[0531] FIG. 88 illustrates a map frame 8810 in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention. The enterprise spatial system supports pan
functionality to allow the user to re-define the AOI for the current map. The
pan
functionality is provided in the double arrows on all sides and corners of the
map
frame. Upon a mouse-over of any of the double arrows, the cursor shall
indicate that
the area is selectable by the user.
[0532] When the arrows on the left side of the frame are selected, the map
will pan to
the left in the amount of 50% of the width of the map. When the arrows on the
top
side of the frame are selected, the map will pan to the top in the amount of
50% of the
height of the map. When the arrows on the left side of the frame are selected,
the map
will pan to the left in the amount of 50% of the width of the map. When the
arrows
on the bottom side of the frame are selected, the map will pan to the bottom
in the
amount of 50% of the height of the map. When the arrows on the upper left
corner of
the frame are selected, the map will pan to the left in the amount of 50% of
the width
of the map and will pan to the top in the amount of 50% of the height of the
frame.
When the arrows on the upper right corner of the frame are selected, the map
will pan
to the right in the amount of 50% of the width of the map and will pan to the
top in
the amount of 50% of the height of the frame. When the arrows on the lower
left
corner of the frame are selected, the map will pan to the left in the amount
of 50% of
the width of the map and will pan to the bottom in the amount of 50% of the
height of
the frame. When the arrows on the lower right corner of the frame are
selected, the
map will pan to the right in the amount of 50% of the width of the map and
will pan to
the bottom in the amount of 50% of the height of the frame.
[0533] Before refreshing the map with the panned AOI, a check is made to
determine
whether or not the updated AOI has support for the base image that is
currently
selected. If the base image is not available for the new AOI, then the AOI -
Base
Image Conflict pop up appears. If the user selects to change the AOI, then the
Map
window is refreshed with the new AOI and reversion to "none" as the Base Image
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selection is performed. If the user chooses to keep the Base Image, the AOI
shall not
be updated. If the Base Image is available, processing continues.
[0534]The Map window refreshes, painting the map for the newly defined AOI.
The
arrow tools are available to the user at all times.
[0535] As for information display, the bottom side of the frame is wider in
order that
it can provide area to display information pertaining to the map currently
within the
frame. Two areas shall exist to display information: one area is to the left
of the pan
down arrows and another area is to the right of the of the pan down areas. In
FIG. 88,
the scale and resolution information is displayed within these areas. The
information
that can be displayed within these area includes, for example: Scale,
Coordinates, and
Resolution. The user can select up to 2 of these types of information to
display in
Preferences.
[0536] The docking bar is located immediately above the map frame and the
reference
map. This docking bar is where various elements within the enterprise spatial
system
software are docked. FIG. 89 illustrates a docking bar 8910 in accordance with
certain implementations of the invention. The UI elements that are docked in
the
docking bar include, for example: the toolbar, the attribute bar, and the
prompt bar.
The toolbar is the primary element doclced in the docking bar, and is
therefore located
to the far left of the docking bar. The attribute bar contains controls that
allow the
user to define the attributes and settings for various tools within the
enterprise spatial
system software. The attribute bar is not always present, but when it is, it
is located
immediately to the right of the toolbax. The prompt bar contains a prompt for
the tool
that is currently selected on the toolbar. If the attribute bar is present,
the prompt bar
appears immediately to the right of the attribute bar. If the attribute bar is
not present,
the prompt bar appeaxs immediately to the right of the toolbar. FIG. 90
illustrates a
docking bar 9010 with a toolbar, attributes bar, and prompt bar in accordance
with
certain implementations of the invention.
[0537] Depending upon the resolution that the enterprise spatial system
software is
run in, there may be insufficient space for all of the appropriate bars to be
displayed in
their entirety. In this case, the docking bar shall utilize an expansion
docking bar. A
down arrow button indicates to the user that more information can be displayed
within
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the expansion docking bar. Selection of the down arrow button will expose the
expansion docking bar, with the appropriate elements docked. FIG. 91
illustrates
expansion docking 9110 in accordance with certain implementations of the
invention.
[0538] FIG. 92A illustrates a Toolbar 9210 in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention. All of the tools that are used within the
enterprise
spatial system software are located within the "Toolbar". In the case of co-
branded
enterprise spatial system software, additional tools may need to be added to
the
toolbar. Each tool is represented by a unique icon, which has several states.
FIGS.
92B-92E illustrate some states of an icon in accordance with certain
implementations
of the invention. In the standard state 9212, the tool is a flat, 2D icon. In
the rollover
state 9214, the tool is beveled. In the hover state 9216, if the mouse hovers
for two
seconds over the icon, a tool tip appears. In the selected state, the tool is
indented.
[0539] FIG. 92F illustrates expanded tool selection 9220 in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention. There are more tools available to the user
on the
Main UI screen than can fit on the toolbar. The expanded tool selection 9220
allows
numerous tools to be available to the user without taking an inordinate amount
of
space. Special icons are present on the toolbar when an expanded tool
selection is
available. An expanded tool selection appears when the user selects one of the
arrow
icons. All other characteristics of the expanded tool selection are the same
as the
standard toolbar.
[0540] FIG. 92G illustrates an Attributes Bar 9222 in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention. For tools that have attribute settings, the
attributes
bar contains all of the controls required to define the appropriate tool.
Every attribute
bar is therefore associated with a specific tool and works in conjunction with
that tool.
The attribute bar is not available for all tools.
[0541] FIG. 92H illustrates a Prompt Bar 9224 in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention. The prompt bar contains text messages that
will
guide the user through the use of each of the tools. Every prompt bar is
therefore
associated with a specific tool. Located within the docking bar, if an
attribute bar is
present for the selected tool, then the prompt bar is located immediately to
the right of
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the attribute bar. If an attribute bar is not present for the selected tool,
then the
prompt bar is located immediately to the right of the toolbar. A text window
appears
within the prompt bar.
[0542] A Zoom In tool 2230 allows the user to redefine the AOI for the current
map.
The tool tip for this tool reads, "Zoom In". The text prompt for this tool
reads, "Click
on the map or click and drag a specific area to zoom to". There is no
attribute bar
associated with this tool. When this tool is selected, and when the cursor is
passed
over the Map window, the cursor is displayed as a magnifying glass with a plus
sign
in the middle (same graphic as is used in the icon). When the cursor is
displayed as,a
magnifying glass, the user can click on any point on the map. Upon clicking
the map,
the AOI is updated as follows: the center point of the AOI is the spot in
which the user
clicked on the map, and the map scale is zoomed in by 50%. When the cursor is
displayed as a magnifying glass, the cursor can be used to "click and drag" a
rectangular subsection of the Map window. When a user selects a rectangular
subsection, this is used to define an updated Area of Interest (AOI) for the
map. The
map AOI is defined as the smallest square that encompasses the entire
rectangle
selected by the user.
[0543] A check is made to determine whether or not the updated AOI has support
for
the base image that is currently selected. If the base image is not available
for the
new AOI, then the AOI - Base Image Conflict pop up appears. If the user
selects to
change the AOI, then the Map window is refreshed with the new AOI and
reversion to
"none" as the Base Image selection is performed. If the user chooses to keep
the Base
Image, the AOI shall not be updated. If the Base Image is available, the Map
window
is refreshed with the new AOI. This is the default tool that is selected. The
tool
remains available until another tool is selected, or until the user moves to
another UI
screen.
[0544] A Zoom Out tool 9230 allows the user to redefine the AOI for the
current map.
The tool tip for this tool reads, "Zoom Out". The text prompt for this tool
reads,
"Click on the map to zoom out". There is no attribute bar associated with this
tool.
When this tool is selected, and when the cursor is passed over the Map window,
the
cursor is displayed as a magnifying glass with a minus sign in the middle
(same
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graphic as is used in the icon). When the cursor is displayed as a magnifying
glass, the
user can click on any point on the map. Upon clicking the map, the AOI is
updated as
follows: the center point of the AOI is the spot in which the user clicked on
the map
and the map scale is zoomed out by 50%.
[0545] A check is made to determine whether or not the updated AOI has support
for
the base image that is currently selected. If the base image is not available
for the new
AOI, then the AOI - Base Image Conflict pop up appears. If the user selects to
change
the AOI, then the Map window is refreshed with the new AOI and reversion to
"none"
as the Base Image selection is performed. If the user chooses to keep the Base
Image,
the AOI shall not be updated.
[0546] A check is made to determine whether the zooming out would cause the
user
to zoom out beyond the maximum geographical extent for that user. If so, the
zoom
is to the geographical extent only. A pop up message appears reading, "You
have
zoomed out to the full extent of the geographical area that you have been
granted
access to. If you feel that you should have access to geographical areas
outside of the
current extent, please speak with your enterprise spatial system
administrator".
[0547] If the Base Image is available, the Map window is refreshed with the
new AOI.
The tool remains available until another tool is selected, or until the user
moves to
another UI screen.
[0548] A Pan tool 9232 allows the user to redefine the AOI for the current
map. The
tool tip for this tool reads, "Pan". The text prompt for this tool reads,
"Click and drag
to pan the current map". There is no attribute bar associated with this tool.
When this
tool is selected, and when the cursor is passed over the Map window, the
cursor is
displayed as a hand (same graphic as is used in the icon). When the cursor is
displayed as a hand, the user can click on any point on the map to "grab" the
map at
what becomes the "handle point". While lceeping the left mouse button held
down,
the user can "drag" the map. The user can drag the handle point to any
location within
the Map window. Upon releasing the handle point, the AOI is updated as
follows: the
handle point of the map is located at the point where the user released it,
the scale of
the map AOI will remain at the same scale as it was before the pan action was
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initiated, the bounds of the AOI are defined by the bounds of the Map window
at the
time that the user releases the handle point.
[0549] A check is made to determine whether or not the updated AOI has support
for
the base image that is currently selected. If the base image is not available
for the new
AOI, then the AOI - Base Image Conflict pop up appears. If the user selects to
change
the AOI, then the Map window is refreshed with the new AOI and reversion to
"none"
as the Base Image selection is performed. If the user chooses to keep the Base
Image,
the AOI shall not be updated. If the Base Image is available, the Map window
is
refreshed with the new AOI.
[0550] A check is made to determine whether the panning would cause the move
beyond the maximum geographical extent for that user. If so, the map is moved
to the
geographical extent only. A pop up message appears reading, "You have
attempted to
move beyond the geographical area that you have been granted access to. 1f you
feel
that you should have access to additional geographical areas, please speak
with your
enterprise spatial system administrator". The tool remains available until
another tool
is selected, or until the user moves to another UI screen.
[0551] A Previous Extent tool 9234 is only available after the user has
redefined the
map's AOI is any manner, causing a refresh of the Map window. The tool tip for
this
tool reads, "Previous Map Extent". The text prompt for this tool reads, "Click
to view
the previous map view". There is no attribute bar associated with this tool.
When this
tool is selected, the previous map that was displayed within the Map window
becomes
the current map and the AOI becomes the AOI associated with the previous map.
[0552] A check is made to determine whether or not the updated AOI has support
for
the base image that is currently selected. If the base image is not available
for the
new AOI, then the AOI - Base Image Conflict pop up appears. If the user
selects to
change the AOI, then the Map window is refreshed with the new AOI and
reversion to
"none" as the Base Image selection is performed. If the user chooses to keep
the Base
Image, the AOI shall not be updated. If the Base Image is available, the Map
window
immediately refreshes, painting the map for the newly defined AOI.
[0553] This tool can be used to go back to 20 previous extents. Unlike other
tools,
this tool does not remain active. If the user wants to use it again, the user
has to select
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the tool again. Since this tool does not remain active, the tool that was
selected
previous to its use is the selected tool.
[0554] A Next Extent tool 9236 is only available after the user has used the
previous
extent tool. The tool tip for this tool reads, "Next Map Extent". The text
prompt for
this tool reads, "Click to view the next map view". There is no attribute bar
associated
with this tool. When this tool is selected, the next map that was displayed
within the
Map window becomes the current map and the AOI becomes the AOI associated with
the next map in the order. A check is made to determine whether or not the
updated
AOI has support for the base image that is currently selected. If the base
image is not
available for the new AOI, then the AOI - Base Image Conflict pop up appears.
If the
user selects to change the AOI, then the Map window is refreshed with the new
AOI
and reversion to "none" as the Base Image selection is performed. If the user
chooses
to keep the Base Image, the AOI shall not be updated. If the Base Image is
available,
the Map window immediately refreshes, painting the map for the newly defined
AOI.
If the user uses any means to redefine the AOI other than the next extent
tool, the next
extent tool will no longer be available. Unlike other tools, this tool does
not remain
active. If the user wants to use it again, the user has to select it again.
Since this tool
does not remain active, the tool that was selected previous to its use is the
selected
tool.
[0555] A Selection/Move tool 9238 allows the user to select objects for
various
purposes, including: moving an object, deleting an object, and bringing up
details on a
Point n' Attribute record. The tool tip for this tool reads, "Select Object".
The text
prompt for this tool reads, "Use this tool to move or select objects". There
is no
attribute bar associated with this tool. When this tool is selected, and when
the cursor
is passed over the Map window, the cursor is displayed as a selection arrow
(the
selection arrow is different in appearance than the standard cursor arrow).
[0556] When the cursor is moved over the Map window, the user can click on any
object that has been previously created with the spatial software drawing
tools,
measurement tool, or Point n' Attribute tool. Upon selecting an object, the
object
becomes highlighted. At this point, the user has the ability to: elect the
delete key to
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delete the object or click and drag to move the object anywhere inside of the
Map
window.
[0557] When the cursor is moved over the Map window, the user also has the
option
to "click and drag" to define a rectangular area of selection. Every drawing
object
within the selected rectangle area is considered selected, and will therefore
be
highlighted and can be moved or deleted.
[0558] When the cursor is moved over the Map window, the user also has the
option
to use the <cntrl> key to select multiple drawing objects. The user first
holds down the
<cntrl> key. While holding down the <cntrl> key, the user can select multiple
objects
by clicking on each of them. When finished, the <cntrl> key is released. Every
drawing object within the selected rectangle area is considered selected, and
will
therefore be highlighted and can be moved or deleted.
[0559] When the cursor is moved over the Map window, the user also has the
option
to double-click on any Point n' Attribute record marker (indicated with a
graphic of a
push pin). Upon a double-click on a push pin marker, the Point n' Attribute
pop up
appears. The data for the selected record is pre-populated in the Point n'
Attribute pop
up. The user can edit any of the data in the record. The tool remains
available until
another tool is selected, or until the user moves to another UI screen.
[0560] A Measure tool 9240 allows users to measure linear or poly-linear
distances
within the Map window. Specifically, the linear distance can cover a simple
line (e.g.,
point-to-point) or can cover a polyline (e.g., point-to-point-to-point...).
The tool tip
for this tool reads, "Measure Tool". The text prompt for this tool reads,
"Define line
segments) for measurement; double-click to end the line". When this tool is
selected,
the Measure attribute bar is associated with this tool, and appears within the
docking
bar immediately to the right of the toolbar. When this tool is selected, and
when the
cursor is passed over the Map window, the cursor is displayed as a crosshair.
[0561] When the cursor is displayed as a crosshair, the user can click on any
point on
the map. Upon clicking the map, the starting point of the line is established.
A
crosshair remains on the Map, indicating the starting point. As the user moves
the
mouse, a line segment shall follow the cursor, starting at the previous
segment point
and ending with the ever-changing location of the mouse cursor. The line is
black.
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The line is 4 pixels in width. The user can define the ending point of the
line segment
to be measured by clicking the mouse again. A line segment appears, with
another
crosshair indicating the placement of the segment end point. Upon completion
of the
line segment, the linear distance of the line segment is displayed near the
segment end
point, in a tool tip like window as shown in the graphic below. The background
behind the text is white, with a one pixel wide black border. The units of
measurement for the display is as set in the attributes bar associated with
the
measurement tool. The user can continue to select the end points of addition
segments as much as the user likes. Each of these segment ends is marked with
a
crosshair, and is added to the polyline. Upon completion of each additional
line
segment, the linear distance of the polyline is updated within a tool tip like
window.
The user can define whether the distance is displayed at every segment end
point, or
only at the last one. To finish the creation of the polyline, the user needs
to
double-cliclc. The point of the double-click will mark the end point of the
polyline. If
the user moves the cursor in the area of one of the segment endpoints (within
the area
displayed as a crosshair), the cursor display shall change to a selection
arrow. The
user can then click-and-drag the endpoint to move the endpoint to another
location.
The linear distance of the polyline is updated. The polyline stays within the
bounds of
the Map window. This is ensured by the fact that the cursor is not available
as a
crosshair once the mouse leaves the Map window area. The measurement tool
remains
available until another tool is selected, or until the user moves to another
UI screen.
FIG. 93 illustrates an example of measure tool use in UI screen 9310 in
accordance
with certain implementations of the invention.
[0562] FIGS. 94A-94R illustrate various tools in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention. A Point n' View tool 9410 allows the user to
view
information that is associated with any point on the current map. The tool tip
for this
tool reads, "Point n' View". The text prompt for this tool reads, "Click on
any data
element in the selected layer to view info". When this tool is selected, the
Active
Layer attribute bar is associated with this tool, and appears within the
docking bar
immediately to the right of the toolbar.
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[0563] When this tool is selected, and when the cursor is passed over the Map
window, the cursor is displayed as a selection arrow (the selection arrow is
different in
appearance than the standard cursor arrow). This tool requires that a display
window
be available on the UI screen where the tool is used. When the cursor is moved
over
the Map window, the user can click on any point on the map for which the user
would
like additional information. Upon clicking the map, the information available
at that
location for the active data layer only is displayed within the Point n' View
pop up. If
no data underlies the point that the user selected, a pop up error message
appears,
stating "There is no data for the selected point. Please try again.".
[0564] This tool is the default selection within the Information Tools
Expansion
Toolbar. The tool remains available until another tool is selected, or until
the user
moves to another UI screen.
[0565] A Global Point n' View tool 9412 allows the user to view information
that is
associated with any point on the current map. The tool tip for this tool
reads, "Global
Point n' View". The text prompt for this tool reads, "Click on any data
element in any
visible layer to view info". There is no attribute bar associated with this
tool. When
this tool is selected, the cursor behave in the following manner, and when the
cursor is
passed over the Map window, the cursor is displayed as a selection arrow (the
selection arrow is different in appearance than the standard cursor arrow).
[0566] This tool requires that a display window be available on the UI screen
where
the tool is used. When the cursor is moved over the Map window, the user can
click
on any point on the map for which the user would like additional information.
Upon
clicking the map, the information available at that location across all of the
selected
data layers is displayed within the Point n' View pop up. If no data underlies
the point
that the user selected, a pop up error message appears, stating "There is no
data for the
selected point. Please try again.". The tool remains available until another
tool is
selected, or until the user moves to another UI screen.
[0567] A Point n' Attribute tool 9414 allows the user to input information
that is
associated with any point on the current map. In the form of a record added to
a
"Point n' Attribute data store" that is associated with the current project.
The tool tip
for this tool reads, "Point n' Attribute". The text prompt for this tool
reads, "Click on
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the map to add data store attributes". There is no attribute bar associated
with this
tool. When this tool is selected, and when the cursor is passed over the Map
window,
the cursor is displayed as a selection arrow (the selection arrow is different
in
appearance than the standard cursor arrow).
[0568] When the cursor is moved over the Map window, the user can click on any
point on the map for which the user would like additional information. Upon
clicking
the map, the enterprise spatial system will save the exact coordinate location
of where
the user clicked (longitude/latitude). The Point n' Attribute pop up appears.
The tool
remains available until another tool is selected, or until the user moves to
another UI
screen. Point n' Attribute records can be re-opened, moved, or deleted using
the
selection tool.
[0569] A Text Drawing tool 9415 allows users to add text messages on top of
their
maps. The tool tip for this tool reads, "Add Text". The text prompt for this
tool
reads, "Click on the map, enter text, and select center>". When this tool is
selected,
the Text attribute bar is associated with this tool, and appears within the
docking bar
immediately to the right of the toolbar. When this tool is selected, and when
the cursor
is passed over the Map window, the cursor is displayed as an I-beam.
[0570] When the cursor is displayed as an I-beam, the user can click on any
point on
the map. Upon clicking the map, a flashing cursor appears at the spot where
the user
clicked on the map. At this point, the user can begin typing in text, and it
appears on
top of the map as the user types it in. The attributes of the text are the
attributes set as
the defaults for the text tool. These attributes can be changed after the text
has been
added using the Change Object Attributes tool. The default settings for the
text
attributes can be changed using the Change Object Attributes tool. The user
indicates
the completion of the text by selecting the <enter> key. The text stays within
the
bounds of the Map window, so the text will automatically wrap if it will
otherwise
extend beyond the right side boundary. Another text object can be added by
clicking
the I-beam cursor on another location on the map. Once a piece of text has
been
added, it can be moved using the Selection~lVlove tool This tool is the
default selection
within the Drawing Tools Expansion Toolbar. The tool remains available until
another tool is selected, or until the user moves to another UI screen.
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[0571] A Line Drawing tool 9416 allows users to add lines and arrow
annotations on
top of their maps. The tool tip for this tool reads, "Draw Line". The text
prompt for
this tool reads, "Click on the map to define the line's endpoints". When this
tool is
selected, the Line attribute bar is associated with this tool, and appears
within the
docking bar immediately to the right of the toolbar. When this tool is
selected, and
when the cursor is passed over the Map window, the cursor is displayed as a
crosshair.
[0572] When the cursor is displayed as a crosshair, the user can click on any
point on
the map. Upon clicking the map, the starting point of the line is established.
As the
user moves the mouse, a line segment shall follow the cursor, starting at the
previous
segment point and ending with the ever-changing location of the mouse cursor.
The
user can define the ending point of the line segment by clicking the mouse
again. The
line segment appears, with two endpoints. The attributes of the line are the
attributes
set as the defaults for the line tool. These attributes can be changed after
the line has
been added using the Change Object Attributes tool. The default settings for
the line
attributes can be changed using the Change Object Attributes tool. The user is
allowed to draw a line that extends beyond the bounds of the currently
displayed AOI.
If the user tries to draw a line beyond the bounds of a map (as indicated by
dragging
the line segment beyond one of the sides of the Map window), the enterprise
spatial
system software pans in the direction that the user has moved the cursor to
and
continue extending the line. For example, the user may want to trace a street
that is
10 miles in length. However, in order to see the street with sufficient
clarity to trace
it, the user zooms in to a level where the user can only see 6 miles of the
road. The
user begins tracing the street, then moves the cursor to where the street
meets the edge
of the Map window. The map should pan is this direction, allowing the user to
continue tracing the street section that was previously out of view with a
continuous
line segment. Another line object can be added by clicking the crosshair
cursor on
another location on the map. Once a line has been added, it can be moved or
deleted
using the Selection~lVIove tool. The tool remains available until another tool
is
selected, or until the user moves to another UI screen.
[0573] A Polyline tool 9418, which is similar to the line tool, allows users
to add lines
on top of their maps. However, in the case of polylines, the line can consist
of
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multiple segments. The tool tip for this tool reads, "Draw Polyline". The text
prompt
for this tool reads, "Double-click to end the line segments.". When this tool
is
selected, the Line attribute bar is associated with this tool, and appears
within the
docking bar immediately to the right of the toolbar. When this tool is
selected, and
when the cursor is passed over the Map window, the cursor is displayed as a
crosshair.
[0574] When the cursor is displayed as a crosshair, the user can click on any
point on
the map. Upon clicking the map, the starting point of the polyline is
established. As
the user moves the mouse, a line segment shall follow the cursor, starting at
the
previous segment point and ending with the ever-changing location of the mouse
cursor. The user can define the ending point of the line segment by clicking
the
mouse again. The line segment appears, with two endpoints. The user can
continue
to select the end points of addition segments as much as the user likes. To
finish the
creation of the polyline, the user needs to double-click. The attributes of
the polyline
are the attributes set as the defaults for the line tool. These attributes can
be changed
after the polyline has been added using the Change Object Attributes tool. The
default
settings for the polyline attributes can be changed using the Change Object
Attributes
tool. The user is allowed to draw a polyline that extends beyond the bounds of
the
currently displayed AOI. This should function in the same manner as described
in the
line drawing tool. Once a line has been added, it can be moved using the
Selection~lVlove Tool The tool remains available until another tool is
selected, or until
the user moves to another UI screen.
[0575] A Rectangle Drawing tool 9420 allows users to add squares and
rectangles on
top of their maps. The tool tip for this tool reads, "Draw Rectangle". The
text prompt
for this tool reads, "Click and drag the rectangular area". When this tool is
selected,
the Shape attribute bar is associated with this tool, and appears within the
docking bar
immediately to the right of the toolbar. When this tool is selected, and when
the cursor
is passed over the Map window, the cursor is displayed as a crosshair.
[0576] When the cursor is displayed as a crosshair, it can be used to "click
and drag" a
rectangular area within the Map window. This rectangular area defines the area
of the
rectangle object. A preview of the rectangular area is provided as the user is
moving
the mouse. To create a perfect square object, the <shift> key has
functionality when
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the rectangle tool is active. If the user holds down the shift key while
creating a
rectangle as described above, the proportions is constrained so that only
squares can
be created. The lesser of the x or y distances that the user has dragged the
cursor will
define the length of the sides of the square. The attributes of the rectangle
object are
the attributes set as the defaults for the shape objects. These attributes can
be changed
after the rectangle has been added using the Change Object Attributes tool.
The
default settings for the rectangle attributes can be changed using the Change
Object
Attributes Tool and changing the defaults for all shape objects. The rectangle
stays
within the bounds of the Map window. This is ensured by the fact that the
cursor is
not available as a crosshair once the mouse leaves the Map window area. Once a
rectangle has been added, it can be moved using the Selection~lVlove tool. The
tool
remains available until another tool is selected, or until the user moves to
another UI
screen.
[0577] An Ellipse Drawing tool 9422 allows users to add circles and ellipses
on top
of their maps. The tool tip for this tool reads, "Draw Ellipse". The text
prompt for
this tool reads, "Click and drag the elliptical area". When this tool is
selected, the
Shape attribute bar is associated with this tool, and appears within the
docking bar
immediately to the right of the toolbar. When this tool is selected, and when
the cursor
is passed over the Map window, the cursor is displayed as a crosshair.
[0578] When the cursor is displayed as a crosshair, it can be used to "click
and drag"
an elliptical area within the Map window. This elliptical area defines the
area of the
ellipse object. A preview of the elliptical area is provided as the user is
moving the
mouse. To create a circular object, the <shift> key has functionality when the
ellipse
tool is active. If the user holds down the shift key while creating a ellipse
as described
above, the proportions is constrained so that only circles can be created. The
lesser of
the x or y distances that the user has dragged the cursor will define the
diameter of the
circle. The attributes of the ellipse object are the attributes set as the
defaults for the
shape objects. These attributes can be changed after the ellipse has been
added using
the Change Object Attributes tool. The default settings for the ellipse
attributes can be
changed using the Change Object Attributes Tool and changing the defaults for
all
shape objects. The ellipse stays within the bounds of the Map window. This is
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ensured by the fact that the cursor is not available as a crosshair once the
mouse
leaves the Map window area. Once an ellipse has been added, it can be moved
using
the Selection\Move tool. The tool remains available until another tool is
selected, or
until the user moves to another UI screen.
[0579] A Polygon Shape Drawing tool 9424 is similar to the polyline tool,
except that
upon completion, the points of the line will close to form polygon. The tool
tip for this
tool reads, "Draw Polygon". The text prompt for this tool reads, "Click to add
polygon
points; double-click to end". When this tool is selected, the Shape attribute
bar is
associated with this tool, and appears within the docking bar immediately to
the right
of the toolbar. When this tool is selected, and when the cursor is passed over
the Map
window, the cursor is displayed as a crosshair.
[0580] When the cursor is displayed as a crosshair, the user can click on any
point on
the map. Upon clicking the map, the starting point of the polyline is
established. As
the user moves the mouse, a line segment shall follow the cursor, starting at
the
previous segment point and ending with the ever-changing location of the mouse
cursor. The user can define the ending point of the line segment by clicking
the
mouse again. The line segment appears, with two endpoints. The user can
continue
to select the end points of addition segments as much as the user likes. To
finish the
creation of the polygon, the user needs to double-click. Upon the user double-
click,
the polygon will close at the segment endpoint that is closest to the position
of the
double-click. The attributes of the polygon are the attributes set as the
defaults for the
shape objects. These attributes can be changed after the polygon has been
added using
the Change Object Attributes tool. The default settings for the polygon
attributes can
be changed using the Change Object Attributes tool. The polygon stays within
the
bounds of the Map window. This is ensured by the fact that the cursor is not
available
as a crosshair once the mouse leaves the Map window area. Once a polygon has
been
added, it can be moved using the Selection\Move tool. The tool remains
available
until another tool is selected, or until the user moves to another UI screen.
[0581] A Point Selection tool 9426 allows users to select an area defined by a
point,
so that the data behind the point (for the active layer) is available for:
information
analysis, visual analysis, buffering analysis, and Boolean query analysis. As
for
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information analysis, display of basic information within the Summary window
and
display of all of the tabular data in the Full Report UI screen is supported.
As for
visual analysis, upon selection of the point, the data elements (within the
active layer)
that touch that point are highlighted. As for buffering analysis, after
selecting a point,
the user can buffer a radial distance off of that point. As for Boolean query
analysis,
users are able to undertake a Boolean query consisting of up to two Boolean
statements.
[0582] The tool tip for the Point Selection tool 9426 reads, "Select a Point".
The text
prompt for this tool reads, "Click on a data element in the selected layer".
When this
tool is selected, the Active Layer attribute bar is associated with this tool,
and appears
within the docking bar immediately to the right of the toolbar. When this tool
is
selected, and when the cursor is passed over the Map window, the cursor is
displayed
as an arrow.
[0583] When the cursor is displayed as an arrow, the user can click on any
point on
the map. Upon clicking the map, the point is established. After selecting the
point, if
an Active Layer has been selected, any data element within the active layer
that
touches the point is highlighted in yellow on the map. The summary information
available for that point is displayed within the Summary window. The detailed
tabular information on all data elements within the active layer that touch
the point is
available to the user if the user selects the Full Report button.
[0584] If an Active Layer has not been selected, a pop up error message
appears,
reading ""You must first select an Active Layer before you can select data
elements
with this tool. The Active Layer defines which layer the enterprise spatial
system
will search on when you malce a selection. <cr> Please select an Active Layer
and try
again.". The user can begin selecting additional points anytime after the
original point
is completed. These points is highlighted in yellow as well, and will invoke
the same
functionality as the original point. The original point will remain on the map
until the
user chooses to delete it using the Selection Tool or clear it using the clear
button.
Once a point has been added, it can be moved elsewhere on the map using the
Selection tool. The result is the same as if the user deleted the original
point and
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created a new one in the destination location. The tool remains available
until another
tool is selected, or until the user moves to another UI screen.
[0585] A Line Selection tool 9428 allows users to select an area defined by a
polyline,
so that the data behind the polyline (for the active layer) is available for:
information
analysis, visual analysis, buffering analysis, and Boolean query analysis. As
for
information analysis, display of basic information within the Summary window
and
display of all of the tabular data in the Full Report UI screen is supported.
As for
visual analysis, upon selection of the point, the data elements (within the
active layer)
that touch that point are highlighted. As for buffering analysis, after
selecting a point,
the user can buffer a radial distance off of that point. As for Boolean query
analysis,
users are able to undertake a Boolean query consisting of up to two Boolean
statements. This is useful to determine the attributes for a custom segment of
a street,
river, etc. As a polyline, the line can consist of one or multiple segments.
[0586] The tool tip for this tool reads, "Select a Linear Path". The text
prompt for this
tool reads, "Select data elements by dragging a line". When this tool is
selected, the
Active Layer attribute bar is associated with this tool, and appears within
the docking
bar immediately to the right of the toolbar. When this tool is selected, and
when the
cursor is passed over the Map window, the cursor is displayed as a crosshair.
[0587] The user first "selects" the polyline area. When the cursor is
displayed as a
crosshair, the user can click on any point on the map. Upon clicking the map,
the
starting point of the polyline is established. As the user moves the mouse, a
line
segment shall follow the cursor, starting at the previous segment point and
ending
with the ever-changing location of the mouse cursor. The user can define the
ending
point of the line segment by clicking the mouse again. The line segment
appears, with
two endpoints. The user can continue to select the end points of addition
segments as
much as the user likes. To finish the creation of the polyline, the user needs
to
double-click. After selecting the polyline area, the polyline is highlighted
in yellow.
[0588] If an Active Layer has been selected, any data element within the
active layer
that touches the polyline is highlighted in yellow on the map. The summary
information available for that area is displayed within the Summary window.
The
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detailed tabular information on all data elements within the active layer that
touch the
polyline is available to the user if the user selects the Full Report button.
[0589] If an Active Layer has not been selected, pop up error message appears,
reading ""You must first select an Active Layer before you can select data
elements
with this tool. The Active Layer defines which layer the enterprise spatial
system will
search on when you make a selection. <cr> Please select an Active Layer and
try
again.". The user can begin selecting additional polyline areas anytime after
the
original polyline is completed. These lines is highlighted in yellow as well,
and will
involve the same functionality as the original polyline. The original polyline
will
remain on the map until the user chooses to delete it using the Selection Tool
or clear
it using the clear button. Once a line has been added, it can be moved
elsewhere on
the map using the Selection tool. The result is the same as if the user
deleted the
original polyline and created a new one in the destination location. The tool
remains
available until another tool is selected, or until the user moves to another
UI screen.
[0590] A Rectangle Selection tool 9430 allows users to select an area defined
by a
rectangle, so that the data behind the rectangle (for the active layer) is
available for:
information analysis, visual analysis, buffering analysis, and Boolean query
analysis.
As for information analysis, display of basic information within the Summary
window
and display of all of the tabular data in the Full Report UI screen is
supported. As for
visual analysis, upon selection of the point, the data elements (within the
active layer)
that touch that point are highlighted. As for buffering analysis, after
selecting a point,
the user can buffer a radial distance off of that point. As for Boolean query
analysis,
users are able to undertake a Boolean query consisting of up to two Boolean
statements.
[0591] The tool tip for this tool reads, "Select a Rectangular Area". The text
prompt
for this tool reads, "Drag a rectangular area to select data elements in the
selected
layer". When this tool is selected, the Active Layer attribute bar is
associated with this
tool, and appears within the docking bar immediately to the right of the
toolbar.
When the cursor is displayed as a crosshair, it can be used to "click and
drag" a
rectangular area within the Map window. This rectangular area defines the area
of
selection for analysis. A preview of the rectangular area is provided as the
user is
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moving the mouse. To create a perfect square object, the <shift> key has
functionality
when the select rectangle tool is active. If the user holds down the shift key
while
creating a rectangular area as described above, the proportions is constrained
so that
only squares can be created. The lesser of the x or y distances that the user
has
dragged the cursor will define the length of the sides of the square.
(0592] After selecting the rectangular area, the rectangle is highlighted in
yellow. If
an Active Layer has been selected, any data element within the active layer
that
touches the rectangle is highlighted in yellow on the map. The summary
information
available for that area is displayed within the Summary window. The detailed
tabular
information on all data elements within the active layer that touch the
rectangle is
available to the user if the user selects the Full Report button.
[0593] If an Active Layer has not been selected, a pop up error message
appears,
reading ""You must first select an Active Layer before you can select data
elements
with this tool. The Active Layer defines which layer the enterprise spatial
system will
search on when you make a selection. <cr> Please select an Active Layer and
try
again.".
[0594] The user can begin selecting additional rectangular areas anytime after
the
original rectangle is completed. These rectangles is highlighted in yellow as
well, and
will invoke the same functionality as the original rectangle. The original
rectangle will
remain on the map until the user chooses to delete it using the Selection Tool
or clear
it using the clear button. Once a rectangle has been added, it can be moved
elsewhere
on the map using the Selection tool. The result is the same as if the user
deleted the
original rectangle anal created a new one in the destination location.
(0595] This tool is the default selection within the Analysis Tools Expansion
Toolbar.
The tool remains available until another tool is selected, or until the user
moves to
another UI screen.
[0596] An Ellipse Selection tool 9432 allows users to select an area defined
by an
ellipse, so that the data behind the ellipse (for the active layer) is
available for:
information analysis, visual analysis, buffering analysis, and Boolean query
analysis.
As for information analysis, display of basic information within the Summary
window
and display of all of the tabular data in the Full Report UI screen is
supported. As for
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visual analysis, upon selection of the point, the data elements (within the
active layer)
that touch that point are highlighted. As for buffering analysis, after
selecting a point,
the user can buffer a radial distance off of that point. As for Boolean query
analysis,
users are able to undertake a Boolean query consisting of up to two Boolean
statements.
[0597] The tool tip for this tool reads, "Select an Elliptical Area". The text
prompt for
this tool reads, "Drag an elliptical area to select data elements in the
selected layer".
When this tool is selected, the Active Layer attribute bar is associated with
this tool,
and appears within the docking bar immediately to the right of the toolbar.
[0598] When the cursor is displayed as a crosshair, it can be used to "click
and drag"
an elliptical area within the Map window. This elliptical area defines the
area of
selection for analysis. A preview of the elliptical area is provided as the
user is
moving the mouse. To create a round object, the <shift> lcey has functionality
when
the select ellipse tool is active. If the user holds down the shift key while
creating a
elliptical area as described above, the proportions is constrained so that
only circles
can be created. The lesser of the x or y distances that the user has dragged
the cursor
will define the height and width of the circle.
[0599] After selecting the elliptical area, if an Active Layer has been
selected, any
data element within the active layer that touches the elliptical area is
highlighted in
yellow on the map. The summary information available for that area is
displayed
within the Summary window. The detailed tabular information on all data
elements
within the active layer that touch the elliptical area is available to the
user if the user
selects the Full Report button. If an Active Layer has not been selected, a
pop up error
message appears, reading ""You must first select an Active Layer before you
can
select data elements with this tool. The Active Layer defines which layer the
enterprise spatial system will search on when you make a selection. <cr>
Please
select an Active Layer and try again.".
[0600] The user can begin selecting additional elliptical areas anytime after
the
original ellipse is completed. These ellipses is highlighted in yellow as
well, and will
invoke the same functionality as the original ellipse. The original ellipse
will remain
on the map until the user chooses to delete it using the Selection Tool or
clear it using
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the clear button. Once an ellipse has been added, it can be moved elsewhere on
the
map using the Selection tool. The result is the same as if the user deleted
the original
ellipse and created a new one in the destination location. The tool remains
available
until another tool is selected, or until the user moves to another UI screen.
[0601] A Polygon Selection tool 9434 allows users to select an area defined by
a
polygon, so that the data behind the polygon (for the active layer) is
available for:
information analysis, visual analysis, buffering analysis, and Boolean query
analysis.
As for information analysis, display of basic information within the Summary
window
and display of all of the tabular data in the Full Report UI screen is
supported. As for
visual analysis, upon selection of the point, the data elements (within the
active layer)
that touch that point are highlighted. As for buffering analysis, after
selecting a point,
the user can buffer a radial distance off of that point. As for Boolean query
analysis,
users are able to undertake a Boolean query consisting of up to two Boolean
statements.
[0602] The tool tip for this tool reads, "Select a Polygon Area". The text
prompt for
this tool reads, "Define the polygon area that will select data elements in
the selected
layer". When this tool is selected, the Active Layer attribute bar is
associated with this
tool, and appears within the docking bar immediately to the right of the
toolbar.
[0603] The user first "selects" the polygon area. When the cursor is displayed
as a
crosshair, the user can click on any point on the map. Upon clicking the map,
the
starting point of the polygon is established. As the user moves the mouse, a
line
segment shall follow the cursor, starting at the previous segment point and
ending
with the ever-changing location of the mouse cursor. The user can define the
ending
point of the line segment by clicking the mouse again. The line segment
appears, with
two endpoints. The user can continue to select the end points of addition
segments as
much as the user likes. To finish the creation of the polygon, the user needs
to
double-click. Upon the user double-click, the polygon will close at the
segment
endpoint that is closest to the position of the double-click.
[0604] After selecting the polygon area, the polygon is highlighted in yellow.
If an
Active Layer has been selected, any data element within the active layer that
touches
the polygon is highlighted in yellow on the map. The summary information
available
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for that area is displayed within the Summary window. The detailed tabular
information on all data elements witlun the active layer that touch the
polygon is
available to the user if the user selects the Full Report button. If an Active
Layer has
not been selected, a pop up error message appears, reading ""You must first
select an
Active Layer before you can select data elements with this tool. The Active
Layer
defines which layer the enterprise spatial system will search on when you make
a
selection. <cr> Please select an Active Layer and try again.".
[0605] The user can begin selecting additional polygon areas anytime after the
original polygon is completed. These polygon is highlighted in yellow as well,
and
will invoke the same functionality as the original polygon. The original
polygon will
remain on the map until the user chooses to delete it using the Selection Tool
or clear
it using the clear button. Once a polygon has been added, it can be moved
elsewhere
on the map using the Selection tool. The result is the same as if the user
deleted the
original polygon and created a new one in the destination location. The tool
remains
available until another tool is selected, or until the user moves to another
UI screen.
[0606] A Select by Copy tool 9436 allows the user to copy a data element from
one
layer to another, at which point the shape of the copied data element becomes
the
selection area. The tool tip for this tool reads, "Select by Copying an
Object". The
text prompt for this tool reads, "Use this tool to select data elements by
copying a
shape from anther layer". When this tool is selected, the Active Layer
attribute bar is
associated with this tool, and appears within the docking bar immediately to
the right
of the toolbar. When this tool is selected, and, when the cursor is passed
over the Map
window, the cursor is displayed as a selection arrow (the selection arrow is
different in
appearance than the standard cursor arrow).
[0607] When the cursor is moved over the Map window, the user can click on any
point on the active data layer. If an Active Layer has been selected prior to
the
selection of a point, the Copy Object pop up appears, allowing the user to
input a layer
to copy the object to. Upon closing the pop up, the shape outline (i.e. point,
line, or
polygon shape file) of the selected editable data element is copied to the
layer that the
use indicated in the Copy Object pop up. The Active Layer then switched to the
"copy
to" layer. The outline shape appears, and functions as if the user had used
any of the
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analysis selection tools to create that shape file (i.e. it defines the area
selected for
analysis). The user can use the selection tool to select this point, line, or
polygon and
the result is the selection of the associated area for analysis.
[0608] If an Active Layer has not been selected prior to the selection of a
point, a pop
up error message appears, reading ""You must first select an Active Layer
before you
can select data elements with this tool. The Active Layer defines which layer
the
enterprise spatial system will search on when you make a selection. <cr>
Please
select an Active Layer and try again.".
[0609] The tool remains available until another tool is selected, or until the
user
moves to another UI screen.
[0610] A Buffer tool 9438 allows users to "buffer", or create an offset, from
a data
element that exists on the active data layer. The tool tip for this tool
reads, "Buffer".
There is no text prompt for this tool, in that it merely launches a pop up
dialog box".
There is no attribute bar associated with this tool.
(0611] Before selecting this tool, the user first select one or more data
elements. When
the user selects the buffer tool, the enterprise spatial system checks that at
least one
data element within the visible layers has been selected using one of the
analysis
selection tools. If no data element within the visible layers has been
selected, an error
message appears within a pop up reading, "One or more data elements must be
selected before the buffer tool can be used. Please use one of the selection
tools to
select the data elements that you would like to buffer, and try again." If at
least one
data element within the visible layers has been selected, the Buffering pop up
dialog
box appears. This dialog box allows the user to input a linear buffering
offset
distance.
[0612] Once the user has provided the buffering information, the buffering is
applied
to the map. The buffer area that the user has defined is overlaid on the map
as a new
polygon, displayed in the color that the user selected in the buffering pop
up. If the
user chose to use the buffer to select data elements on a specific layer, the
enterprise
spatial system will look for data elements touching anywhere within the
buffered
region and on the selected layer. Any such data elements are selected (e.g.,
highlighted
in yellow). The analysis attributes become available to the customer in the
Analysis
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Summary window. The Full Report button becomes available. The full report is
available by selecting the full report button. The buffered area remains
displayed until
the user selects another area for analysis.
[0613] Since the buffer tool primarily is used only to launch a pop up, it
does not
remain selected after its use. Instead, the tool that was selected previous to
its use is
the selected tool. Each time that the user wants to use this tool, the user
selects the
tool.
[0614] A Query tool 9440 allows the user to define a Boolean query for an
active layer
and highlight the data within the Map window. The tool tip for this tool
reads,
"Query". There is no text prompt for this tool, in that it merely launches a
pop up
dialog box. There is no attribute bar associated with this tool.
[0615] When this tool is selected, it immediately launches the Boolean Query
pop up
dialog box. If the user successfully defines a query in this dialog box, then
the results
are highlighted in the Map window. The Full Report button is available. Upon
selection, the full report will launch the detailed attribute data for the
data that meets
the Boolean criteria.
[0616] Since the query tool primarily is used only to launch a pop up, it does
not
remain selected after its use. Instead, the tool that was selected previous to
its use is
the selected tool. Each time that the user wants to use this tool, the user
selects the
tool.
[0617] A Clear tool 9442 allows the user to clear the analysis or buffer that
is
currently active and highlighted within the Map window. This tool shall only
become
available when one or more data elements are currently selected (e.g.,
highlighted).
Otherwise, the tool is grayed out and unavailable. The tool tip for this tool
reads,
"Clear Analysis". There is no text prompt for this tool, in that it's action
takes effect
immediately. There is no attribute bar associated with this tool.
[0618] When this tool is selected, it immediately clears any active analysis.
Highlighted items on the map is cleared. Information in the Analysis Summary
window is cleared. The Full Report button will no longer be available. Since
the clear
analysis tool primarily is used only to launch a pop up, it does not remain
selected
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after its use. Instead, the tool that was selected previous to its use is the
selected tool.
Each time that the user wants to use this tool, the user selects the tool.
(0619] As for tool icon grouping, the icons for the various tools are grouped
together
according to functionality, in order to help users fmd "like functionality".
Two forms
of grouping exist. The first is to separate groups into various "sections".
The sections
are separated with a beveled line. FIG. 95A illustrates section separators
(e.g., 9510)
in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
[0620] The second form of grouping is to group icons together into an
"expanded tool
view". This is used when the tools are very similar in functionality, in order
to save
space or o reduce the amount of clutter on the toolbar. This control uses a
selection
arrow to open an expanded toolbar area. The expansion is located inside of the
main
toolbar, top aligned with the top of the arrow button fro that expansion
toolbar. The
expansion toolbars display two columns of tools. Standard Rollover effects are
used.
When a user selects an icon from the expansion, the expanded toolbar closes.
The
selected icon is now the primary icon for that expansion and is visible on the
main
toolbar. The icon is shown as selected on the main toolbar. When the expansion
toolbar is used, there is a default icon available from the main toolbar. FIG.
95B
illustrates grouping of tools into expansion toolbars 9512 in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention. As shown in FIG. 95B, the Text tool is the
default
tool for the Drawing tools Expansion Toolbar.
[0621] In the information expansion tools, the default tool is the Point n'
View. In the
analysis expansion tools, the default tool is the select rectangle tool. FIG.
95C
illustrates sections 9514, 9516, 9518, 9520, 9522 within a toolbar in
accordance with
certain implementations of the invention. The expansion toolbars available
within the
enterprise spatial system software include an Information Tools Expansion
Toolbar, a
Drawing Tools Expansion Toolbar, and an Analysis Tool Expansion Toolbar. FIG.
95D illustrates an Information Tools Expansion Toolbar 9530 in accordance with
certain implementations of the invention. FIG. 95E illustrates a Drawing Tools
Expansion Toolbar 9540 in accordance with certain implementations of the
invention.
FIG. 95E illustrates an Analysis Tools Expansion Toolbar 9550 in accordance
with
certain implementations of the invention.
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[0622] FIG. 96 illustrates a table 9610 in which tools described herein may be
grouped in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
[0623] FIG. 97A illustrates a Measure attribute bar 9710 in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention. The Measurement attribute bar is available
whenever the user has selected the measurement tool and gives the user various
options for use with the measurement tool, including the ability to define the
unit of
measurement, show measurements only at the endpoint or at each segment of the
polyline, and determine whether the measurement will automatically be cleared
when
the user starts a new task. The attribute bar meets the standard guidelines
for the use
of attribute bars. The attribute bar pop up appears immediately to the right
of the
toolbar within the docking bar.
[0624] A Measurement Unit drop down list contains the full list of available
units of
measurement, to include, for example, miles, yards, feet, kilometers, and
meters. A
Display Location drop down list contains "endpoint only" and "all segments"
options.
[0625] In FIG. 97A, if the user makes a selection from the measurement unit
drop
down list, the unit of display is changed for the next measurement action. If
the user
makes a selection from the display location drop down list, and if the user
selects
"endpoint only", the distance measurement is displayed at the last segment
endpoint of
the polyline for future measurement actions. Every time that a new segment is
added
to the polyline, the display is updated so that the distance is displayed only
at the new
endpoint. If the user selects "all segments", the distance measurement is
displayed at
every line segment endpoint in the polyline. Every time that a new segment is
added
to the polyline, the display is updated so that the distance is also displayed
at this new
segment endpoint.
[0626] If the user selects the Clear measurement checkbox, the line segments)
and
measurement display are cleared at the user's next action within the
enterprise spatial
system software (i.e. upon the user selecting another control within the
enterprise
spatial system software). If the user deselects the Clear measurement
checkbox, the
line segments) and measurement display will not be cleared at the user's next
action
within the enterprise spatial system software. This is useful if the user
wants to create
a map that includes, for example, the measurement information.
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[0627] The user has to use the selection tool to select the measurement
"line", and
chose the delete lcey to remove the measurement from display. A pop up message
appears, stating "You have chosen to leave the measurement display on the map
until
you chose to delete it. To delete the measurement display, chose the Select
Tool
<insert graphic of tool>, use the cursor to select the measurement display,
then select
the delete key". The user's selections) in these areas shall remain in effect
until: the
user changes the selection or the measurement tool is no longer active.
[0628] FIG. 97B illustrates an Active Layer attribute bar 9712 in accordance
with
certain implementations of the invention. This attribute bar is used whenever
any
analysis tool is selected that requires the selection of an active layer. The
attribute bar
meets the standard guidelines for the use of attribute bars. The attribute bar
pop up
appears immediately to the right of the toolbar within the docking bar.
[0629] An Active Layer drop down list contains the full list of data layers
that are
currently set as visible. The current active layer, if there is one, is
displayed. Selection
of a new font from the drop down is optional. This drop down box is always
available
to the user. This control has the initial focus.
[0630] In FIG. 97B, if the user makes a selection from the Active Layer drop
down
list, then the active layer is updated to the selected layer.
[0631] FIG. 97C illustrates a Line attribute bar 9714 in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention. This attribute bar is used whenever a user
wishes to
change the one or more of the attribute settings for a line that has been or
is draw on
the map.
[0632] FIG. 97D illustrates a shape attribute bar 9716 in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention. This attribute bar is used whenever a user
wishes to
change the one or more of the attribute settings for a rectangle, ellipse, or
polygon
shape that has been or is draw on the map.
[0633] FIG. 98A illustrates a Point n' View pop up dialog box 9810 in
accordance
with certain implementations of the invention. A Point n' View pop up dialog
box is
used whenever a user wishes to determine the underlying attribute data for a
specific
data element on the active layer. For each data layer available from the
enterprise
spatial system, the top attribute elements (e.g., up to six per) are marked
for inclusion
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in the Point n' View summary. Dynamic display is supported. With the Dynamic
Field Name Display: the field name is dynamically inserted; this text appears
irninediately below the introductory text; this text is indented approximately
10 pixels;
the font is Arial; the point size of the font is 11; the font to be used is
normal; the text
color is black; and, there is no abasing of the text. With the Dynamic
Attribute Text:
the attribute information for the associated field is inserted; this text is
to the right of
the field name; the font is Arial; the point size of the font is 11; the style
of the font is
italic; the text color is black; and, there is no abasing of the text.
[0634] If the user selects the Full Report button, the pop up is closed. The
Full Report
pop up is launched for the data element that was displayed within the Point n'
View
pop up.
[0635] FIG. 98B illustrates a Global Point n' View pop up dialog box 9812 in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention. This pop up dialog
box is
very similar to the Point n' View pop up dialog box, except that it is used
whenever a
user wishes to determine the underlying attribute data for a specific data
element on
all visible data layers. The differences between this pop up and the Point n'
View are
as follows: the pop up area is scrollable and the dynamic data for each layer
is
presented to the user; each layer is separated with a label, reading "Data
Layer: <insert
data layer name"; and, the Full Report button will launch the full report for
all of the
data layers.
[0636] FIG. 99 illustrates a Change Drawing Object Order pop up dialog box
9910 in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention. This pop up dialog
box is
used whenever a user has indicated a desire to rearrange the order of the
various
drawing objects created by the user. The purpose of this UI screen is to
provide an
interface that allows the user to define in what order the drawing objects is
displayed.
Drawing objects as a group, are displayed on top of all other map layers. A
Data
Layer List Box control consists of three elements, including a list box and
two
buttons.
[0637] FIG. 100 illustrates a Point n' Attribute pop up dialog box 10010 in
accordance
with certain implementations of the invention. Every project has an associated
data
store that is reserved for the user to provide input to. The Point n'
Attribute
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functionality allows the user to add data to this data store, and more
specifically, add
data that gets tied to an exact spatial location. The data can then be
exported for use
in any number of different sofl:ware (e.g., applications)s.
[0638] This pop up dialog box 10010 provides the Point n' Attribute
functionality and
is accessed when the user selects the Point n' Attribute tool from the toolbar
on the
main UI screen. As for longitude dynamic text, the longitudinal position that
the user
clicked upon with the Point n' Attribute tool active is dynamically inserted
in degrees,
minutes, and seconds. As for latitude dynamic text, the latitudinal position
that the
user clicked upon with the Point n' Attribute tool active is dynamically
inserted in
degrees, minutes, and seconds. As for address dynamic text, a check is made to
determine whether an address can be found from the latitude and longitude
values. If
yes, then the address 1 and address 2 lines of the address are dynamically
inserted in
the following location: the text is to the right of the static prompt, and the
text is
aligned with all of the field controls in this pop up dialog box.
[0639] Before the Point n' Attribute pop up dialog box is launched, a check is
made to
determine whether this is this first time that the Point n' Attribute data
store has been
accessed for this project. If yes (if it is the first time), then the Setup
Point n' Attribute
pop up dialog box is launched and successfully completed before this pop up
dialog
box appears to the user. If no (i.e. if the data store has already been
setup), then the
Point n' Attribute pop up dialog box becomes available to the user.
[0640] When the pop up dialog box is first launched, data for the dynamic
displays is
retrieved. For example, the longitudinal position that the user clicked upon
with the
Point n' Attribute tool (in degrees, minutes, and seconds) is retrieved and
inserted into
the Longitude Dynamic Text control. Also, the latitudinal position that the
user
clicked upon with the Point n' Attribute tool (in degrees, minutes, and
seconds) is
retrieved and inserted into the Latitude Dynamic Text control. A check is made
to
determine whether an address can be found for the longitude and latitude that
the user
clicked upon with the Point n' Attribute tool. If yes, then the address 1 and
address 2
lines of the address are dynamically inserted into the dynamic address text.
[0641] If the user selects the OK button, then the following actions are
performed: a
new record is added to the Point n' Attribute data store for the current
project; all of
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the data entries provided by the user is stored in the data store in their
appropriate
fields; the longitude is stored in a longitude field that is automatically
created for the
record; the latitude is stored in a longitude field that is automatically
created for the
record; the address, if found, is stored in an address field that is
automatically created
for the record; the date of input is stored in a date field that is
automatically created
for the record; the data store record is saved; a graphic of a "push pin" is
placed on the
map on the spot where the user clicked with the Point n' Attribute tool. FIG.
101
illustrates a push pin 10110 in accordance with certain implementations of the
invention. The push pin is an indication that the user has associated a data
store
record with that location. The user can click on the push pin with the
selection tool.
This will launch the Point n' Attribute pop up dialog box, pre-filled with the
data that
exists for that record. The user can edit or view the data.
[0642] FIG. 102 illustrates a Setup Point n' Attribute pop up dialog box 10210
in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention. This pop up dialog
box
appears when a user selects the Point n' Attribute tool for the first time in
a given
project to allow the user to custom define the field names for the Point n'
Attribute
data store file to be associated with this record.
[0643] FIG. 103 illustrates a Buffering pop up dialog box 10310 in accordance
with
certain implementations of the invention. This pop up dialog box is used
whenever a
user wishes to buffer a linear distance off of a selected data element or data
elements.
This pop up dialog box is accessed when the user has selected the buffer tool
from the
toolbar on the main UI screen.
[0644] FIG. 104 illustrates a Boolean Query pop up dialog box 10410 in
accordance
with certain implementations of the invention. This pop up dialog box is used
when
the user wants to run a Boolean query against the active data layer. This pop
up
dialog box is launched when the user selects the Query Tool from the toolbar.
[0645] FIG. 105 illustrates a reference map 10510 in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention. The map display within the reference window
is
the default imagery used in the enterprise spatial system software,
independent of the
imagery selection made by the user. The Map window is a custom control whose
function is twofold. First, a "reference" map is displayed within the window
to
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provide a frame of reference as to where the Area of Interest (as displayed in
the Main
Map window) is with respect to the greater geographical area. A red square
outline is
overlaid on the map representing the area of the AOI. As the user zooms in,
zooms
out, or pans, the square shall move and size appropriately to represent the
size and
location of the AOI.
[0646] Second, the area of the map contained within the reference Map window
is
determined as follows: initially, the area of the reference Map is the
"geographic
constraint" area for the user (i.e. each user is set up so that they can only
work within a
certain geographic area - the starting reference map is this area); when a
user zooms in
closely with the AOI to the point where the red square would get smaller than
5 pixels
by 5 pixels in size, the reference map is zoomed in such that the AOI is 1/z
the height
of the new reference map and'/z the width of the new reference map; and, when
a user
zooms out beyond the extent of the reference map, the reference map shall zoom
out
by an equal amount (although it does not zoom out beyond the geographical
constraint
setup for the user).
[0647] The reference map allows the user to pan the AOI. When the cursor is
passed
over the red rectangle, the cursor is displayed as a hand (same graphic as is
used in the
pan icon). When the cursor is displayed as a hand, the user can click on any
point on
the map to "grab" the map at what becomes the "handle point". While keeping
the left
mouse butt~n held down, the user can "drag" the red rectangular area anywhere
within
the reference map area. Upon releasing the handle point, the AOI is updated to
the
AOI enclosed within the moved rectangular region. A check is made to determine
whether or not the updated AOI has support for the base image that is
currently
selected. If the base image is not available for the new AOI, then the AOI -
Base
Image Conflict pop up dialog box appears. If the user selects to change the
AOI,
then the Map window is refreshed with the new AOI and reversion to "none" as
the
Base Image selection is performed. If the user chooses to keep the Base Image,
the
AOI shall not be updated. If the Base Image is available, the Map window is
refreshed with the new AOI.
[0648] As for the reference map window location, the reference map is located
immediately to the right of the map frame. The reference map is top aligned
with the
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map frame. The location of the Map window is fixed - the user has no ability
to move
the window.
[0649] As for the reference map border, a border separates the Map window from
the
map frame.
[0650] FIG. 106 illustrates a Map Summary window 10610 in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention. The purpose of this portion of the main UI
screen
is to allow users to view basic information about the Area of Interest that
has been
defined. It is a display area that is updated every time that the user update
the AOI
The detailed characteristics are as follows. As for longitude dynamic text,
the
Longitude of the center point of the AOI is dynamically inserted, and the
value is
presented to the user in the format dd.mmss D, where: "dd" is the degrees,
"mm" is
the minutes, "ss" is the seconds, and D is the one letter representation for
direction
(E=east, W=west). As for location dynamic text, the largest location enclosed
within
the AOI is dynamically inserted.
[0651] FIG. 107 illustrates an Analysis Summary window 10710 in accordance
with
certain implementations of the invention. The purpose of this portion of the
main UI
screen is to provide summary information about the data in the Active Layer
and
within a user-defined area. It is a display area that is updated every time
that the user
changes the analysis selection area.
[0652] As for layer specific dynamic text, this area of the UI screen displays
information about the data within the Active Data Layer. Each data layer has
different
information about it that is most important, and as a result has different
information
that is displayed within the final 3 lines of display remaining within the
Analysis
Summary window. This control, therefore, is flexible enough to support a
variety of
information types that will vary from data layer to data layer. The dynamic
text
consists of two components: a dynamic prompt and dynamic information. The
dynamic prompt is the field name for the information displayed. The dynamic
information is the cumulative information for the corresponding field for all
data
elements within the analysis area.
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[0653] FIG. 108 illustrates Command buttons 10810 in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention'. These various buttons provide functionality
that is
described in the specific areas that they address.
[0654] FIG. 109 illustrates scaling the main UI screen 10910 to a different
resolution
UI screen 10912 in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
The
following sections of the main UI screen resize automatically when the
customer is at
resolutions that are higher than 800 x 600: Data Layers Custom Tab window, Map
window, and Analysis Summary Display.
[0655] In certain implementations, the Map window is the only control on the
enterprise spatial system UI screen that automatically resizes when the
customer is at
resolutions that are higher than 800 x 600. The Map window resizes to the
maximum
size that the UI screen will allow. The scaling is proportional, and skewing
of the
proportions does not occur. If the user is at a higher resolution than 800 x
600, then
downward resizing of the browser window will scale the Map window down
accordingly. In this event, the Map window is not scaled to a size smaller
than the
default Map window size of 325 x 325 pixels. If the user is in either 800 x
600
resolution or 640 x 480 resolution, then downward resizing of the browser
window
does not scale the Map window down accordingly. The Map window remains at the
default size of 325 x 325 pixels, and scroll bars are used to access all of
the map
elements. The user can not choose to scale the window by "clicking and
dragging" on
the map frame. FIG. 110 illustrates table 11010 that identifies the size of
the Map
window at some resolutions in accordance with certain implementations of the
invention.
P. Creating a Map
[0656] Once the user has defined the elements of a map on the main UI screen
(e.g.,
defined the AOI, data layers, base image, and cartographic elements), the
enterprise
spatial system software allows users to "create" a map. Creating a map entails
defining the various layout attributes for the map, and then printing,
emailing, or
saving the map.
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[0657] FIG. 111 illustrates logic 11100 for creating a map in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention. From a main UI screen, if a user selects a
map
button, the user is taken to a map layout UI screen. From there, the user can
select a
continue button to go to a preview UI screen. The user can then save a map,
send the
map to the printer, email the map, or download the map to a file.
[0658] FIG. 112 illustrates a map layout window 11210 in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention. Within the File Menu, the available menu
commands on this UI screen include, for example: New Project, Open Project,
Save
Project, and Close. Within the Preferences Menu, the available menu commands
on
this UI screen include, for example: User Name, Password, System Settings, and
Change Default AOI. Within the Help Menu, The available menu commands on this
UI screen include, for example: About, Contents, and Index. All other commands
are
visible to the user, but grayed out.
[0659] FIG. 113 illustrates a Map Preview UI screen 11310 in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention. This UI screen provides the user with a
preview of
the map, and gives the user the option to print, email, or save the map. The
preview
display window occupies the majority of the UI screen's area, and is where the
preview of the map will actually be displayed. The background graphic is the
main
component that is displayed within the display window. The background visually
represents the paper background for the map.
[0660] The preview elements include, for example: the map that the user has
created
is shown in the preview; the map will still be covered with the enterprise
spatial
system watermark in order to prevent the user from saving the file from the UI
screen
display; and, all of the elements that the user selected from the Map Output
UI screen
is represented in the preview.
[0661] If the user selects the download button, the map file is delivered to
the user.
The standard browser download dialog box is presented to the user, allowing
the user
to determine how the file is handled in accordance with standard web download
protocols. FIG. 114 illustrates an example of a download dialog box 11410 used
for
the Microsoft~ Internet Explorer~ in accordance with certain implementations
of the
invention. The file types to save out to include, for example: JPG, WMF, and
PDF.
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The file type defaults to JPEG in certain implementations. FIG. 115
illustrates a save
file UI screen 11510 in accordance with certain implementations of the
invention.
[0662] Once the user has defined the Area of Interest on the main UI screen,
the
enterprise spatial system software allows users to "go shopping'° for
the raw data that
the enterprise spatial system has for the selected area. The user can purchase
any
combination of raster and vector data for the designated area, provide the
file
formatting options, and then continue through a checleout process.
[0663] FIG. 116 illustrates logic 11600 for purchasing data in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention. From the main UI screen, if the data buy
button is
selected, a firs data buy options UI screen is displayed. From here, if the
continue
button is selected, a second data buy UI screen is displayed, and, from here,
if the
continue button is selected, a third data buy order summary UI screen is
displayed.
From here, a user may preview an image, change shipping information, change
billing
information or select a continue button to process and order. When the order
is
processed, a confirmation number is given to the user, and a fourth data buy
confirmation screen is displayed.
[0664] FIG. 117 illustrates a first data buy UI screen 11710 in accordance
with certain
implementations of the invention. In this UI screen 11710, a user may select
imagery
and data layers to create a map. In particular, the UI screen 11710 includes a
list that
contains all of the base imagery and data layers available for the Area of
Interest that a
user has chosen.
[0665] FIG. 11 ~ illustrates an example imagery pop up dialog box 11 ~ 10 in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention. This pop up dialog
box is
used to give users an understanding of the quality levels of the various types
of
imagery that is available through the enterprise spatial system by providing
sample
images. The sample images are in not tied to any settings, including the AOI
that the
user has selected for the current proj ect. Instead, the sample images are
simply image
samples.
[0666] FIG. 119 illustrates a second data buy UI screen 11910 providing data
options
in accordance with certain implementations of the invention. This UI screen
shows a
list of data options a user can choose. FIG. 120 illustrates a third data buy
UI screen
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12010 with a purchase summary in accordance with certain implementations of
the
invention. From this point forward in the data buy process, the focus is on
shopping
cart functionality.
[0667] FIG. 121 illustrates a change shipping information pop up dialog box
12110 in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention. This pop up dialog
box
appears when a user is undertaking the process of purchasing data, and has
indicated a
desire to change shipping information by selecting the "change Shipping Info"
link on
the third data buy UI screen. The purpose of this UI screen is to provide an
interface
that allows the user to change the shipping information for an account. Once
the
changes have been made, the changes will apply for all future shipments of
data until
the user elects to change the shipping information once again.
[0668] FIG. 122 illustrates a change billing information pop up dialog box
12210 in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention. This pop up dialog
box is
used when a user is undertaking the process of purchasing data, and has
indicated a
desire to change their billing information by selecting the "Change Billing
Info" link
on the third data buy UI screen. The purpose of this pop up dialog box is to
allow the
user to change the billing information associated with an account. Once the
changes
have been made, the changes will apply for all future shipments of data,
unless the
billing information is changed again.
[0669] Because the enterprise spatial system maintains control over the
billing
information, this pop up dialog box is available to the enterprise spatial
system
administrators. If a company would like to change the billing information
associated
with their account, the company would send an updated purchase order that
shows the
change in billing information. It is after this purchase order is received
that the
enterprise spatial system administrator will change the billing information
for the
account.
[0670] Once the user has highlighted one or more data elements on the main UI
screen
(e.g., with a data selection tool, buffer tool, or query tool), the user can
access the
underlying attribute data for the elements) by selecting a "full report"
button, located
near the bottom right portion of the UI screen. Selection of this button
launches the
Full Report pop up dialog box. This dialog box provides a large grid display
that
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contains all of the data contained within the active data layer and located
within the
boundaries defined by the user's polygon. This UI screen displays attribute
data,
allows the user to export or print data, and allows the user to run a query in
order to
see only a subset of the attribute data.
[0671] FIG. 123 illustrates a Full Report pop up dialog box12310 in accordance
with
certain implementations of the invention. If the user selects the Query
Hyperlink, the
UI screen is refreshed with the Full Report pop up dialog box with Boolean
Query UI
screen. If the user selects the Export button, a .csv (comma separated values)
format
text file is downloaded to the user's system. The standard browser download
dialog
box is presented to the user, allowing the user to determine how the file is
handled in
accordance with standard web download protocols. FIG. 124 illustrates a
download
dialog box 12410 used for the Microsoft~ Internet Explorer~ in accordance with
certain implementations of the invention.
[0672] FIG. 125 illustrates a Full Report pop up dialog box 12510 with Boolean
query
in accordance with certain implementations of the invention. This UI screen is
a
derivation of the Full Report pop up dialog box, and is used when the user
wants to
run a Boolean query against the tabular attribute data. Most of the attributes
and
functionality of this UI screen are the same as with the Full Report pop up
dialog box,
with a few exception. If the user runs a query, the rows of the data elements
that meet
the query criteria are highlighted. FIG. 126 illustrates highlighting (e.g.,
12610) in a
Full Report pop up dialog box 12510 with Boolean query in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention.
[0673] Document collaboration is a useful aspect of the enterprise spatial
system as it
provides users with the ability to save their work for future use as well as
share their
work with others. Central to document collaboration is the ability to be able
to notify
members when a document has been saved, or placed on the enterprise spatial
system,
and who should have access to this document. Some documents may be files, such
as
map image files, while others are records, such as a project or AOI. When
working
with documents, there are three basic operations that a user can perform, New,
Open
and Save, each of which is describe in greater detail below. FIG. 127
illustrates a file
menu 12710 in accordance with certain implementations of the invention. In
certain
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implementations, documents are saved on the enterprise spatial system server
and are
not saved locally.
[0674] In terms of a New operation, under the enterprise spatial system
design, a user
can create a new project based on existing settings or on an existing template
/ map
service. Each time the enterprise spatial system is run, a default project is
opened
which is based on the default AOI. When opening, the enterprise spatial system
server
creates a new temporary record to avoid accidentally overwriting the original
AOI
project. Once open, the user can change the AOI and begin work on a project.
[0675] In terms of an Open operation, when performing an Open operation, users
will
be able to open existing projects as well as previously saved map images. In
certain
implementations, as their work is saved on the server, users have folder
management
capabilities, such as being able to add, edit and delete folders.
[0676] In terms of Save operations, there are several save operations that a
user can
perform, including, for example: saving a project, a project template, an AOI,
and
saving a map image to file. To save a project, when a user is ready to save
work, the
user chooses the File: Save or File Save As command. If the project has not
yet been
saved, e.g., it is a temporary project, then the Save UI screen appears. If
the project
has been already saved and the user chooses the File: Save command, then the
existing project is immediately updated. If the user chooses the File: Save As
command, the Save UI screen is always displayed, irrespective of whether the
project
has been previously saved. On the Save UI screen, the user is able to choose
whether
or not to save the project as a project file or a project template. However,
the save to
project template option may be available if the user has the appropriate
administration
privileges. If not, then the user is saving to a project by default.
[0677] Apart form being able to save projects, the enterprise spatial system
will also
allow users to save project templates. Project templates are basically
projects with
predefined and pre-selected data layers. For example, company A, a forestry
company,
only wants field representatives to be able to see data layers specific to
conducting
financial stand analysis. While the AOI may consist of over 30 layers, only 5
are
specific to financial stand analysis. By using a project template, the field
representatives will only see the data layers relevant to them, therefore
improving the
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user experience and usability by removing redundant data layers that can
easily
confuse.
[0678] In terms of creating project templates, the enterprise spatial system
provides
the ability to determine who within an organization has the privileges to
create them,
and conversely, who is able to see and use them.
[0679] With the enterprise spatial system, users are able to save the current
Area of
Interest (AOIJ. This has the same function as changing the default AOI via the
Preferences: Change Default AOI command. This option provides greater
flexibility
for users, and helps them easily change their default so that it always opens
to a
specific area that interests them, for example, Los Angeles, rather than the
entire US.
This ability to define the AOI also allows a company and/or supervisor to set
the area
of interest that they have subscribed to. This avoids showing unnecessary
information
to a user if it is determined that they do not have rights to that particular
area. Based
on the above requirement, the enterprise spatial system ties an AOI to both a
company
and user.
[0680] There are times when a user will want to be able to save the map that
they are
currently working on to an image file. This could be because they want to
place the
image in a document or use it in a presentation, or perhaps to keep a record
of their
work. A user could always right-click on the image and use the browser's right
"Save
Picture As" command, but this may not be such an obvious feature to the novice
user.
Therefore the enterprise spatial system make provides this functionality at
the Save UI
screen where users can easily see their options.
[0681] When creating a new project, users have the choice to either select a
project
which is based on their existing settings, or a project based on an existing
template l
Map Service. If choosing a template/map service, they are prompted to first
select the
appropriate project before continuing. FIG. 128 illustrates processing 12800
for a
New operation in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
[0682] When the user clicks the New Project command, the New Project UI screen
is
displayed, and a check is made to identify any existing projects and/or
project
templates. FIG. 129 illustrates aNew Project UI screen 12910 in accordance
with
certain implementations of the invention.
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(0683] FIG. 130 illustrates a Select Template UI screen 13010 in accordance
with
certain implementations of the invention. When this UI screen is called,
display the
name and details of the project template are dynamically displayed within the
4
column template grid.
[0684] The Open operation allows the user to open a server-side project,
template or
map image. In all cases the process is the same, except when opening a map
image. In
this instance the map image will display in a separate Preview pop-up window.
FIG.
131 illustrates processing 13100 for an Open operation in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention.
[0685] FIG. 132 illustrates an Open Project UI screen 13210 in accordance with
certain implementations of the invention. A user can open different types of
files.
[0686] The Save operation allows the user to save on the enterprise spatial
system
server a project, template, AOI or map image. In all cases the process is the
same,
except when saving a map image. In this instance the map image will first go
to the
layout and previews UI screens and then back to the save options. During the
save
operation, the user is able to notify members of the document as well as
restrict access
to the document. FIG. 133 illustrates logic 13300 for processing a Save
operation in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
[0687] Files can be saved as one of the following types: project - saves a
project to a
new name including AOI and all edits; template - saves a project as a map
service
template (in certain implementations, only available to administrators); AOI -
saves
current Area of Interest (AOI), without edits; or map image - saves project as
a map
image. FIG. 134 illustrates a Save Project UI screen 13410 in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention.
[0688] An Email Form UI screen is used to notify other people via email. FIG.
135
illustrates an Email Form UI screen 13510 in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention.
[0689] The enterprise spatial system provides support for transactional
customers.
Customers may purchase enterprise spatial system services on a transaction by
transaction basis. In order to accommodate these "transactional" customers,
the
enterprise spatial system software is modified in order to ensure that the
customer can
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not get any significant value (e.g., email a map image) from the enterprise
spatial
system services until payment has been received.
[0690] The following section describes the requirements for supporting
transactional
customers by describing those requirements that differ from subscription
customers.
FIG. 136 illustrates logic 13600 for supporting transactional customers in
accordance
with certain implementations of the invention. From the main UI screen, a user
may
create a map, perform analysis, or buy data.
[0691] The main UI screen is modified for the transaction user, so that the
analysis
tools are not immediately available to the user. Instead, an "Analysis" button
at the
bottom of the UI screen will provide the transactional user with the path to
accessing
this functionality.
[0692] In any of the 3 major task areas (map creation, analysis, and data
buy), the user
has to go through some shopping cart functionality before they get anything of
value
from the enterprise spatial system. For each task, however, the specifics of
the
shopping cart functionality vary somewhat.
[0693] FIG. 137 illustrates a main UI screen 13710 for supporting
transactional
customers in accordance with certain implementations of the invention. The
transactional user is presented with a modified version of the main UI screen
(that a
subscription customer would see) when the user first enters the enterprise
spatial
system software. For example, the Analysis tools are not available to the user
by
default. The user goes through the shopping cart and agree to pay for the
analysis
tools before they can become available. Also, the enterprise spatial system
watermark is displayed on top of the map that is displayed within the Map
window.
The goal behind the display of the watermark is to prevent users from saving a
usable
version of the map graphic using a print UI screen utility. The watermark
extends over
as much of the graphic as possible. To reduce the distraction of the watermark
to the
user, the watermark is barely visible. A treatment such as the following is
used: the
font is large and bold; the font is black in color; and, the text is displayed
at 25%
opacity. This watemlark is displayed on top of any representation of a map
that can
be downloaded from the browser, including on the map preview UI screen.
Moreover,
the buttons at the bottom of the UI screen have changed to allow the user to
indicate
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which major task is undertaken. This is needed because each task has slightly
different shopping cart experiences. The buttons will therefore include, for
example,
"Create Map", "Analysis", and "Data Buy".
[0694] FIG. 138 illustrates a first Shopping UI screen with an Order Summary
13810
in accordance with certain implementations of the invention. This UI screen
always
marks the beginning of the shopping cart process for the user.
[0695] FIG. 139 illustrates a second Shopping UI screen with Contact
Information
13910 in accordance with certain implementations of the invention. This UI
screen
may be pre-populated with information that the user provided in an earlier
session
with the enterprise spatial system, if at that time, the user selected a
Future Purchases
checkbox.
[0696] FIG. 140 illustrates a third Shopping UI screen with Payment
Information
14010 in accordance with certain implementations of the invention. This UI
screen is
used to gather payment information from customers. This UI screen may be
pre-populated with information that the user provided in an earlier session
with the
enterprise spatial system, if at that time, the user selected the Future
Purchases
checkbox.
[0697] FIG. 141 illustrates a fourth Shopping UI screen with Purchase Summary
14110 in accordance with certain implementations of the invention. If the user
selects
the purchase button, the order is processed. The user's credit card is run. A
confirmation email is sent to the user. The item is delivered according to the
means
specified by the user.
[0698] FIG. 142 illustrates a fifth Shopping UI screen with Acknowledgment
14210 in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention. Once the purchase
transaction has been completed, the Acknowledgment UI screen appears. This UI
screen provides the user with formal acknowledgment that the purchase has been
completed, and provides a printable version of the information contained on
the
fourth Shopping UI screen with Purchase Summary. In addition, if a download
was
involved in the process, this UI screen allows the user to download the file
again in
the event of a download error.
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[0699] If the user enters the shopping cart from the "Create Map"
functionality, the
shopping cart will exhibit some differences from the generic shopping cart
described
above. FIG. 143 illustrates logic 14300 for entering the shopping cart from
the create
map functionality in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
When
creating a map, the shopping cart functionality begins immediately after the
preview
UI screen.
[0700] FIG. 144 illustrates a first Map Shopping UI screen with Order Summary
14410 in accordance with certain implementations of the invention. This UI
screen
represents a shopping order summary. If the user selects the Create another
map
button, the current map is saved to the shopping cart. If the user selects the
Buy map's
GIS data button, the current map is saved to the shopping cart.
[0701] FIG. 145 illustrates a second Map Shopping UI screen with Purchase
Summary
14510 in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
[0702] If the user enters the shopping cart by selecting "Analysis" from the
main UI
screen, the shopping cart will exhibit some differences from the generic
shopping cart
described above. FIG. 146 illustrates logic 14600 for entering the shopping
cart by
selecting analysis form the main UI screen in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention. When used for the payment of analysis
functionality, the shopping cart functionality begins immediately after the
main UI
screen.
[0703] If the user enters the shopping cart from the data purchase UI screens,
the
shopping cart will exhibit some differences from the generic shopping cart
described
above. FIG. 147 illustrates logic 14700 for shopping cart functionality when
the user
enters the shopping cart from the data purchase UI screens in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention. When used for the data buy, the shopping
cart
functionality begins immediately after the data purchase details UI screens.
[0704] From a Data Buy Shopping UI screen with Order Summary, if the user
selects
the checlcout button, the user is advanced to the next UI screen of the
shopping cart
experience to unlock the analysis tools. ff the user chose to fulfill the data
by CD
ROM delivery, the next UI screen is Analysis Shopping UI screen with Contact
Information. If, in an earlier session with the enterprise spatial system, the
user chose
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to save contact information, this information is pre-populated into this UI
screen. If
the user chose to download the data, the next UI screen is Analysis Shopping
UI
screen with Payment Information. A Data Buy Shopping UI screen with Purchase
Summary provides a purchase summary for customers.
[0705] The File drop down menu (e.g., 12710 of FIG. 127) provides various
types of
functionality that are related to file management and use issues. Among other
things,
this menu provides functionality to open, save, print, and email files.
[0706] The New menu item provides access to the new file functionality. The
Open
menu item provides access to the open file functionality. The Save menu item
provides access to the save file functionality. The Print Map menu item allows
the
user to branch off to the map printing portion of the enterprise spatial
system software.
The Email Map menu item allows the user to branch off to the portion of the
enterprise spatial system software that allows the user to email a map. The
Save Map
menu item allows the user to branch off to the map saving portion of the
enterprise
spatial system software. The Data Buy menu item allows the user to branch off
to the
data buy portion of the enterprise spatial system software.
[0707] The Export Pn'A Data function exports the Point n' Attribute data store
to a
comma delimited text file on the user's hard drive. This function makes use of
standard browser functionality. Upon selection of this menu item, a .csv
format text
file is downloaded to the user's system. The standard browser download dialog
box is
presented to the user, allowing the user to determine how the file is handled
in
accordance with standard web download protocols. FIG. 148 illustrates a
download
dialog box 14810 used for the Microsoft~ Internet Explorer~ in accordance with
certain implementations of the invention. Selection of the "Open..." option
will load
the txt file into the enterprise spatial system software that the user has
setup to handle
text files. Selection of the Save..." option will launch the browser's Save As
dialog
box.
[0708] The Layer menu allows the user to access functionality that
specifically applies
to the data layers (vector data) within the enterprise spatial system
software.
Specifically, this menu provides functionality that defines the user's
favorite layers
(for use in the Favorites tab), defines the layer order, and perform various
zoom to
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layer extent functionality. Within the Layer menu, the commands include, for
example: Change Order, Edit Favorites, Zoom to Layer Extent, and a Zoom to All
Layers' Extents menu item.
[0709] The purpose of the Change Order menu item is to allow the user to
define the
order in which the visible data layers are displayed within the Map window.
The
purpose of the Edit Favorites List menu item is to allow the user to define
the layers
that appear for selection within the "Favorites" tab in the data layers
portion of the
main UI screen.
[0710] The purpose of the Zoom to layer extent menu item is to allow the user
to
zoom to the extent of a single layer. Upon selection of this drop down menu
item, the
enterprise spatial system software shall determine the number of layers that
are
currently set as visible. If more than one date layer is visible, then
selection of this
drop down menu item shall launch the Zoom layer pop up dialog box. If one data
layer is set to visible, the enterprise spatial system software shall
determine the
smallest AOI that bounds the extents of all of the specific data layer that
the user has
made visible. Then, a check is made to determine whether or not the updated
AOI has
support for the base image that is currently selected. If the base image is
not available
for the new AOI, then the AOI - Base Image Conflict pop up dialog box appears.
If
the user selects to change the AOI, then the Map window is refreshed with the
new
AOI and reversion to "none" as the Base Image selection is performed. If the
user
chooses to keep the Base Image, the AOI shall not be updated to reflect the
Zoom to
All command. If the Base Image is available, the Map window is refreshed with
the
new AOI that reflects the zoom to the extent of all layers. If no data layers
are
currently set as visible, a pop up dialog box error message appears, reading,
"You
must have at least one data layer visible before you can use this command".
[0711] FIG. 149 illustrates a Zoom layer pop up dialog box 14910 in accordance
with
certain implementations of the invention. This pop up dialog box is used
whenever a
user selects to zoom to the extent of a single data layer by selecting the
"Zoom to layer
extent command" from the Layers drop down. The purpose of this UI screen is to
allow the user to define the layer whose extent the user would like to zoom
to. The
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user will only be able to select from those layers that are set as visible at
the time that
the pop up dialog box is invoked.
[0712] The purpose of the Zoom to all Layers' Extents menu item is to allow
the user
to zoom to the extent of all layers that are visible at the time that the user
selects this
menu item. Upon selection of this menu item, the enterprise spatial system
software
determines the smallest AOI that bounds the extents of all of the data layers
that the
user has made visible. A check is made to determine whether or not the updated
AOI
has support for the base image that is currently selected. If the base image
is not
available for the new AOI, then the AOI - Base Image Conflict pop up dialog
box
appears. If the user selects to change the AOI, then the Map window is
refreshed with
the new AOI and reversion to "none" as the Base Image selection is performed.
If the
user chooses to keep the Base Image, the AOI shall not be updated to reflect
the Zoom
to All command. If the Base Image is available, the Map window is refreshed
with
the new AOI that reflects the zoom to the extent of all layers.
[0713] The purpose of the Drawing menu is to provide the user with access to
functionality related to the area of cartography. Specifically, this menu
provides
options to access toolbar ftmctionality in an alternative manner, and also
gives the
user a mechanism to quickly turn all drawing objects off and on (i.e. make
them
visible and invisible). Within the Drawing menu, commands include, for
example:
Text Tool, Line Tool, Polyline Tool, Rectangle Tool, Ellipse Tool, Polygon
Tool, and
View/Hide Drawing Objects.
(0714] The purpose of the Text Tool menu item is to provide an alternate means
by
which the user can access the Text Drawing Tool functionality. The purpose of
the
Line Tool menu item is to provide an alternate means by which the user can
access the
Line Drawing Tool ftmctionality. The purpose of the Polyline Tool menu item is
to
provide an alternate means by which the user can access the Polyline Drawing
Tool
functionality. The purpose of the Rectangle Tool menu item is to provide an
alternate
means by which the user can access the Rectangle Drawing Tool ftmctionality.
The
purpose of the Ellipse Tool menu item is to provide an alternate means by
which the
user can access the Ellipse Drawing Tool functionality. The purpose of the
Polygon
Tool menu item is to provide an alternate means by which the user can access
the
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Polygon Drawing Tool functionality. As for the ViewlHide Drawing Objects menu
item, all of the drawing objects that are created within a specific project
are stored on
a single layer. The View/Hide Drawing Objects command is a toggle function
that
turns this drawing object layer on and off (i.e., makes the layer visible or
invisible).
[0715] The Analysis menu is designed to provide an alternate means by which
the
user can access functionality that exists within the toolbar on the main UI
screen.
Within the Analysis menu, the commands include, for example: Select Point,
Select
Line Region, Select Ellipse, Select Polygon, Buffer Selection, and Boolean
Query.
[0716] The purpose of the Select Point menu item is to provide an alternate
means by
which the user can access the Select Point Tool functionality. The purpose of
the
Select Line Region menu item is to provide an alternate means by which the
user can
access the Select Line Tool functionality. The purpose of the Select Rectangle
menu
item is to provide an alternate means by which the user can access the Select
Rectangle Tool functionality. The purpose of the Select Ellipse menu item is
to
provide an alternate means by which the user can access the Select Ellipse
Tool
functionality. The purpose of the Select Polygon menu item is to provide an
alternate
means by which the user can access the Select Polygon Tool functionality. The
purpose of the Buffer Selection menu item is to provide an alternative way to
access
the Buffering functionality within the enterprise spatial system. °The
purpose of the
Boolean Query menu item is to provide an alternative way to access the Boolean
Query functionality that is offered from both the toolbar and the full report.
[0717] The user can access a Preferences UI screen at any time by selecting
the
Preferences menu from the Main menu selections. FIG. 150 illustrates selection
of
the Preferences menu 15010 in accordance with certain implementations of the
invention. Preferences are set using a series of UI screens, all of which have
the same
functionality for all users, regardless of whether the user is a transactional
or
subscription based user.
[0718] The customer is granted limited ability to customize the enterprise
spatial
system software. There are several functions that a user is allowed to
undertake. For
example, the user is allowed to change his/her user name as many times as
he/she
likes. However, each time that the user changes the name, the change to a new
user
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name is contingent upon the availability of that user name, as every user name
that is
established within the enterprise spatial system is unique.
[0719] Similarly; the user is allowed to change his/her password as often as
he/she
would like. Since the user has to log in with the correct password to even see
the User
Profile UI screen, the password can be changed without requiring the user to
enter the
current password. By default, the enterprise spatial system will automatically
log a
user off the enterprise spatial system after 30 minutes of non-activity, and
the user
may change this default auto-logoff setting.
[0720] The user may also select the UI screen to first appear after login.
When the
user first logs into the enterprise spatial system, the first UI screen that
appears is the
Welcome UI screen, which provides helpful information. However, some users may
want to bypass this UI screen and go straight to the Online Map and Analysis
wizard,
for example. This user profile function allows the user to define their
starting point
within the enterprise spatial system. The user may select the default AOI.
This is the
AOI that appears when the user first logs in, or starts a new project. This
will also be
the AOI for the reference map.
(0721] The user preferences are set using multiple Pop up dialog boxes, each
responsible for defining specific preferences.
[0722] FIG. 151 illustrates logic 15100 for processing a logoff in accordance
with
certain implementations of the invention. The logoff process is the process by
which
a user terminates the enterprise spatial system session that was initiated at
login.
Once the user has logged off from the enterprise spatial system, none of the
functionality of the service is available to the user until the user
successfully
completes the login process. The user can access the logoff UI screen at any
time by
selecting the "Logoff' button in the upper right portion of the UI screen.
[0723] FIG. 152 illustrates common Logoff UI screen 15210 elements in
accordance
with certain implementations of the invention. During the logoff process, the
pull
down menus are not available to the user. The menus will still appear to the
user, but
they are grayed out and unavailable for selection.
[0724] FIG. 153 illustrates a first Logoff UI screen 153 10 in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention. FIG. 154 illustrates a Logoff Confirmation
UI
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screen 15410 in accordance with certain implementations of the invention. This
UI
screen serves as a termination point, and relies upon the customer using the
web
browser to navigate to whatever task the user is interested in after
completing the
enterprise spatial system taslc.
[0725] Once a user has successfully logged in to the enterprise spatial
system, a
unique "session" is begun. A session is closed at the time when the user logs
off of
the enterprise spatial system. Whenever a user is within a session, there are
several
requirements that apply to the saving of information that the user has
provided on
various UI screens throughout the enterprise spatial system software.
[0726] Once the user is within a login session, there are two areas of session
information that are supported: UI screen caching and the remembering of a
task
progress. The enterprise spatial system has the ability to take advantage of
the
browser's caching abilities to handle the storing of information in certain
circumstances. The specific situation of concern is when an enterprise spatial
system
customer is working within one of the "mini-wizards" within the enterprise
spatial
system software. In the enterprise spatial system, the "< Back" and "Continue
>"
buttons are the equivalent in functionality to the browser's "< Back" and
"Forward >"
buttons. As a result, the caching that the user experiences is similar to the
experience
that the user would expect when navigating with a standard browser.
Specifically, if a
user progresses forward within a wizard from UI screen "x" to UI screen "y"
(as
shown with arrow 1 of FIG. 155), the information that the user provided in UI
screen
x is cached even though the user is now on UI screen y. This way, when the
user
selects the "< Back" button on UI screen y, UI screen x appears and is
populated with
the information that the user had previously provided. FIG. 155 illustrates
navigation
using the Back button 15510 and using the continue button 15512 in accordance
with
certain implementations of the invention.
[0727] Similarly, after using the "< Back" button to navigate to previous UI
screens,
when the user selects the "Continue >" button to move forward, any information
that
the user had previously provided appears in the appropriate UI screens.
[0728] The wizard UI screens are cached as long as the user is actively
working within
the wizard. A user is considered active within the wizard from the time in
which any
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information is entered on the first UI screen of the wizard, until any one of
the
following occurs: the user cancels the wizard, the wizard has been
successfully
completed by the user or the user elects to logoff from the enterprise spatial
system.
[0729] In some cases, a login session is disrupted by a dropped connection.
The
saving of session information is important when a user's progress within an
active task
is interrupted to a loss of connection to the enterprise spatial system
servers. FIG. 156
illustrates processing when there is a dropped connection 15610 in accordance
with
certain implementations of the invention. In this example, the user is in the
process
of printing an online map, and is on the layout UI screen of the print map
wizard. At
this point, the user loses connection, for any reason (e.g., the user's
Internet connection
went down, the enterprise spatial system went down, the user's computer
crashed,
etc.). This is represented by arrow 1 of FIG. 156. The desired experience is
that when
the user re-establishes a connection with the enterprise spatial system (arrow
2), and
successfully logs into the enterprise spatial system, then the user will
immediately
resume at the point in the task where he/she left off (arrow 3).
[0730] To accomplish this, the enterprise spatial system software constantly
saves
information to a temporary file on the user's local system. This file contains
all of the
information for the current session and all of the tasks in progress. The file
is
periodically updated upon each selection of a continue or back button. This
session
file is deleted upon successful logoff.
[0731] At login, the enterprise spatial system software checks for the
presence of the
temporary session file (if a file is present, the enterprise spatial system
software knows
that the user was unable to successfully logoff from the enterprise spatial
system). If a
temporary session file is not present, then the user logs in as normal, and
the default
UI screen is launched. If a temporary session file is present, then the
enterprise spatial
system software reads the information from the file, and uses this information
to
launch the enterprise spatial system software to the UI screen that the user
was on at
the time of interruption and load all of the data that the user had provided
on various
UI screens during the previous session.
[0732] The e-commerce related transactions touch upon all areas that are
related to the
billing and fulfillment relationship with the customer, and therefore cover
numerous
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areas throughout the enterprise spatial system software. Specifically, the e-
commerce
related transactions provide: support for the enterprise spatial system
subscription
Pricing Plans; subscription-based billing; transaction-based billing;
evaluation modes
(i.e. non billing mode); tracking specific usage information; and, a back end
interface
to the fulfillment system. The enterprise spatial system provides a flexible
e-commerce system.
[0733] The enterprise spatial system derives revenue from customers who have
agreed
to pay for the enterprise spatial system service on a recurring basis. As a
result, the
e-commerce system supports a subscription-based pricing model. The pricing
model
is very flexible. In certain implementations, the specific pricing that is
offered is
tailored from customer to customer, based upon a number of variables that come
into
play. The specific variable areas that effect the pricing include, for
example, the
following: the number of users that a given customer has; the "type" of each
user (i.e.
the role assigned to these users); the amount of storage space that the
customer
requires on the enterprise spatial system servers; functionality subscribed
to; whether
or not the customer wishes to use premium data, and if so the quantity,
quality, and
type of data; whether or not the company has purchased premium support; and,
when
support for the upload of customer data is available, whether or not the user
uses this
service will affect the price.
[0734] Within each of these variable areas, a number of predefined options are
available for the sales force to offer to the customer. Also, pricing plans
may be
tailored to fit the service to the specific needs of an organization, but
still remain
within a structured pricing plan. FIG. 157 illustrates a structure 15710 that
shows
variables that are involved in the pricing structure in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention. In addition to defining the variables the
come into
play in the pricing model, the structure 15710 shows which variables are
considered
part of the base subscription, and which fall within the realm of the premium
level
offerings. The base features are common across all customers so all customers
have
the same access to these same features. These based features is priced based
upon the
number of users. The variation comes into play when a customer decides upon
the
mix of premium additions. As implied by the naming convention, when a customer
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includes, for example, components from the "Premium Additions" category, the
customer is charged an additional amount beyond the base subscription fee.
[0735] A basic variable that affects the pricing structure is the number of
users who
have access to the enterprise spatial system. In addition, each licensed user
aan be
classified into one of several "roles", which define the type of user. In
certain
implementations, the roles available for subscription-based users will
include, for
example, the "power user" and the "viewer". The power user has access to all
of the
enterprise spatial system functionality. The viewer user will not have access
to certain
functionality. Support for the number of users can be provided in a manner
that does
not significantly impact the architecture of the enterprise spatial system
software, but
instead is handled via internal enterprise spatial system processes.
[0736] In certain implementations, the process for setting up the licensed
users is as
follows. A sales person reaches an agreement with a customer that includes;
for
example, x number of "role A" users and y number of "role B" users. The
customer
will provide the enterprise spatial system with a list of the employee names
and their
corresponding role. The subscriber accounts are setup by a the enterprise
spatial
system employee (or an outsourced employee) using the enterprise spatial
system
Admin tool. When an individual is setup, a unique user name is assigned to
that user,
along with a temporary password. The enterprise spatial system can control the
number of users by controlling the number of unique user name that are given
to the
customer. In essence, when a customer buys a license for "n" users, that
company is
given "n" user names tied to those users that allow the users to access the
enterprise
spatial system. Thus, there are no requirements on the enterprise spatial
system to
accomplish the goals of supporting a variable number of users covered in the
license
agreement
[0737] As a user is added with the Admin Tool, the enterprise spatial system
employee is able to assign a role to the user, by selecting from a list of
available roles.
Upon login, the user's role is ascertained, and the enterprise spatial system
software
offers functionality appropriately based upon that user's role (i.e. certain
functions of
the software may not be available to some users). Roles can define whether or
not the
user can: access certain business solution, save data, upload customer data,
have
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access to an unlimited geographic area, or if geographical constraints are in
place for
the user, request data fulfillment, or access premium data (or more granular
data).
[0738] Every customer is provided a base amount of storage space on the
enterprise
spatial system servers as part of their subscription. This storage can be used
to save
maps, upload data (e.g., at a later time), etc. The amount of base storage
that is
allocated to a customer is flexible, so that this variable can be tied to a
subscription
level, number of users, or any other variable. The pricing plan is setup up so
that the
customer is not supposed to exceed this storage amount. The enterprise spatial
system
provides reports that show the amount of storage being used by a customer,
broken
down by user. A process is put into place where the Account Manager will
conduct a
quarterly review, and if the customer is exceeding the agreed upon amount,
then the
contract is modified to compensate the enterprise spatial system accordingly.
In
certain implementations, the enterprise spatial system does not begin
compiling
charges to the customer once the base amount of storage has been exceeded.
Instead,
the enterprise spatial system automatically generates reports that indicate
whether or
not a customer has exceeded the agreed to amount.
[0739] Business Solutions provide additional functionality and value-add that
is
targeted at specific vertical markets. These solutions provide analytical
tools, and
may also be bundled with premium data. In certain implementations, the
Business
Solutions suite consists of multiple Business Solutions, each with its own
discreet
functionality and separate UI elements. The enterprise spatial system needs to
be
designed so that access to each Business Solution can be turned on or off for
a given
customer, independent of all other Business Solutions. In other words, if the
enterprise spatial system has three Business Solutions available (A, B, and
C), then
the enterprise spatial system allows for any combination of these Business
Solutions
to be available to a customer (i.e., No Business Solutions, A only, B only, C
only, A &
B,A&C,B&C,A&B&C).
[0740] The availability of Business Solutions is tied to user roles, so that
within a
company, some users may have access to Business Solutions while others do not.
Also, different users may have access to different subsets of Business
Solutions.
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[0741] The next "Premium Addition" variable that is considered as part of the
pricing
support relates to the customer's use of premium data. Premium data will
include, for
example, ADS-40 imagery, but rnay also include, for example, other data that
the
enterprise spatial system has to pay a "per use" license on. Therefore,
support for
premium data assumes that any type of data can be charged to the user as
premium
data.
[0742] As a Premium Addition, the customer is charged more based upon the use
of
Premium Data. Specifically, the service charges to the customer is based upon:
the
quantity of data (e.g., square miles), the quality of data, and the type of
data. A
pricing grid that shows quality of data on one axis and type of data on the
other may
be used to determine price. The pricing in the grid is per square mile, so
multiplying
this number by the square miles of that data will yield the price. In some
cases,
Premium Data is bundled with Business Solutions. As a result, a customer may
choose not to pay for any Premium Data, but still access certain types of
Premium
Data by subscribing to Business Solutions.
[0743] In certain implementations, determining the price for the premium data
is
automated. In certain implementations, sales individuals of the enterprise
spatial
environment discuss the data needs with the customer upfront, and decide upon
the
total amount of Premium Data that the customer anticipates using on a monthly
basis,
and this is built into that customer's monthly charges. In certain
implementations, the
enterprise spatial system tracks all usage of premium data, tied to the user
name, so
that at the end of each month, analyses can be conducted to determine whether
the
total amount of Premium Data that the customer actually uses is more than
anticipated. If so, sales individuals are responsible to adjust the monthly
fee for
Premium Data.
[0744] The enterprise spatial system is able to modify the service fee paid by
a
customer after the account has been established, with a line item in the
billing labeled
"Premium Data costs". Whenever the enterprise spatial system introduces new
data to
its offerings, a "quality" level os associated to the data, along with a
"type" tag.
[0745] The Premium Data used by a custom is tracked in detail, allowing for
the
generation of a report that includes, for example, the following fields: Date,
User
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Name, Customer Account. Name of the data, the quantity of data used (e.g., in
square
miles), the quality of the data, the data type, and Output (e.g., map,
download,
analysis).
[0746] Restrictions prevent certain users from accessing premium data. In
certain
implementations, in addition to giving every user a role, every user is given
a "yeslno"
classification with respect to accessing Premium Data.
[0747] The enterprise spatial system provides extensive reporting, allowing
for
flexible reports to be generated on the various types of information that are
being
tracked.
[0748] In certain implementations, the enterprise spatial system e-commerce
system
may to interface with an accounting system outside of the enterprise spatial
system
environment. The data tracked and stored in the a commerce system can be
exported
into the accounting system for billing purposes.
[0749] The enterprise spatial system user interface has been designed with the
notion
that the enterprise spatial system may to offer partners or corporate
customers a
co-branded version. Therefore, there are a number of "placeholders" for
various
branding elements in the user interfaces. A partner can select which of these
elements, if any, are appropriate to provide the partner with sufficient co-
branding
value.
[0750] There are several co-branding elements that have been integrated into
the
enterprise spatial system software UI screens.
[0751] As for the Welcome UI screen, the Welcome UI screen is a useful tool in
providing communications with the enterprise spatial system users. Since the
enterprise spatial system software has been designed to pull these
communications
from "non hard-coded" sources, these communications can be provided by the
Partner
to the enterprise spatial system, allowing the Partner's messages to get
directly to the
users of their co-branded offering. FIG. 158 illustrates co-branding for a
welcome UI
screen 15810 in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
[0752] The banner graphic that typically is used is a the enterprise spatial
system
branded graphic, but in the case of a co-branded offering, the Partner has the
option
use this space to integrate it's own graphics, and thus its own branding, into
the
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enterprise spatial system software. The header graphic has the option to have
a
Partner URL link embedded in it, so that if a user clicks on the header
graphic, the
user can be taken to the Partner's site. Upon user selection of the co-branded
header
graphic, a new browser window will automatically be launched. The new window
will
link the user to the partner-designated URL. This URL needs to be flexible, to
allow
for quick changes and the ability to rapidly deploy co-branded versions of the
enterprise spatial system. In certain implementations, the enterprise spatial
system
requires that the enterprise spatial system logo still remain on a co-branded
banner. In
this case, a URL link is required for this logo as well.
[0753] As part of the portal, the enterprise spatial system will allow the
company to
have a company news section on the portal page. Company news is an area set
aside
strictly for the company to be able to communicate directly to their staff. In
certain
implementations, the company is responsible for this content. Each company may
assign someone to author the content that appeals here, and the enterprise
spatial
system may point to their URL from within the portal. This makes all
management
and review of the content the company's responsibility. It is expected that
not all
companies will require this section, particularly if it means utilizing their
own
resources to manage the content.
[0754] The main UI screen offers the greatest amount of co-branding
opportunities to
partners of the enterprise spatial system. FIG. 159 illustrates an example of
a
co-branded version of the main UI screen 15910 in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention. As for the banner graphic, the same details
apply
as on the Welcome UI screen. As for customizable frame graphics, the graphics
that
make up the frame for the various functional areas of the main UI screen can
be
changed out for co-branded version. As a result, the color of the entire frame
and the
styling of the header can be customized for the co-branded experience. As for
customizable menu graphics, the graphical elements that make up the pull down
menus can be customized for every partner. This may mean that in addition to
having
a different look, co-branded menus may have different names.
[0755] As for navigational links to outside software (e.g., application) URLS,
the
enterprise spatial system software supports an architecture that allows the
enterprise
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spatial system to host the main software, but also branch off to other
software that
may be hosted by a partner of the enterprise spatial system. In the example
co-branding UI shown in FIG. 159, the enterprise spatial system links to other
software through a tab control interface. In this example, the partner would
be hosting
the "WebCruiser, Web Reports, and Calculators applications on their sites.
From
these application sites, the partner would provide similar links back to the
co-branded
enterprise spatial system software site.
[0756] As for customer data, depending upon who the Partner is, there may be a
need
to allow the Partner to add corporate GIS data into the enterprise spatial
system
software. For users who wish to integrate their own data into the software,
the
enterprise spatial system provides a means by which the data is brought into
the back
end (e.g., enterprise spatial system employees process data into the
enterprise spatial
system or a user interface that automates the entire process and allows the
user to
upload data from their system directly into the enterprise spatial system back
end may
be used). The enterprise spatial system also provides secure access to this
data. The
data that corporations will provide is often highly sensitive. the enterprise
spatial
system ensures that only those who should have access to the data get access
to it.
The enterprise spatial system integrates the selection of the corporate data
layers
provided by the customer into the enterprise spatial system UI. Corporate data
layers
appear in the same area as the enterprise spatial system data layers. However,
when
corporate data layers are present, an additional tab category will exist that
contains the
corporate data (the title of the tab and it's tool tip are provided by the
partner). This is
the corporate data category, and is located immediately to the right of the
show all
categories tab. In addition, within the "all categories" tab, the corporate
data is the
first section of data to be displayed.
[0757] The enterprise spatial system also provides additional tools. A co-
branded
version of the enterprise spatial system support additional tools on the
toolbar.
[0758] As for other UI screens and pop up dialog box windows, these UI screens
offer
a subset of similar co-branding opportunities to partners of the enterprise
spatial
system. FIGs. 160 and 161 illustrate examples of a pop up dialog box 16010 and
of a
co-branded version of a secondary UI screen 16110 in accordance with certain
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implementations of the invention. In both cases, there are elements that can
be
co-branded on these types of UI screens.
[0759] In FIG. 160, as was the case with the standard the enterprise spatial
system
main UI screen, the standard pop up dialog box has a subtle graphical
background of a
topographical map in a shade of the enterprise spatial system brown. In a co-
branded
offering, the Partner can select from any of the following choices to occupy
the
background graphic window: a Partner provided co-branding graphic, the default
the
enterprise spatial system background graphic or a solid colored background.
[0760] The graphics that make up the frame for the various functional areas of
the
main UI screen can be changed out for co-branded version. As a result, the
color of
the entire frame and the styling of the header can be customized for the co-
branded
experience.
[0761] FIG. 162 illustrates a table 16210 of valid US state codes in
accordance with
certain implementations of the invention. The state codes are valid for use in
drop
down boxes that require customer input of U.S. state information.
[0762] FIG. 163 illustrates a table 16310 of information to display in the
Ambiguous
Address pop up dialog box in accordance with certain implementations of the
invention. Table 16310 provides the types of information that are displayed to
a
customer in the ambiguous pop up dialog box, based upon the types of
information
that the user has provided to the enterprise spatial system. Depending upon
the
information that was provided by the user, the information that is displayed
within
these cells will vary. The types of information that is displayed are all of
those types
of information that the user provided, plus any higher-level information that
the
enterprise spatial system could extrapolate. The specific rules are provided
in the
table 16310.
[0763] FIG. 164 illustrates a table 16410 of map layers of scale dependency in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention. FIG. 165 illustrates
a table
16510 of some raster and vector data to be used in the enterprise spatial
system
software in accordance with certain implementations of the invention. Other
data sets,
such as premium data for oil/gas/electric and public lands survey data, may
also be
available, although not represented in table 16510.
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(0764] FIGS. 166A and 166B illustrate another table 16610 of some raster and
vector
data to be used in the enterprise spatial system software in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention.
Q. Web Center
[0765] The enterprise spatial system provides application services and
integrates and
offers on-demand superior quality geographical imagery, associated industry
specific
data and analysis tools to government, industry and the general public. The
enterprise
spatial system' accurate and continually updated geographical information is
offered
by both one-time use and periodic subscription based models.
[0766] In certain implementations of the invention, the enterprise spatial
system
service is made up of several areas, including, for example: GIS Data Sources
(e.g.,
aerial/satellite geographical imagery and public domain information; an ADS
Processing Center for ADS400 Arial GIS imagery processing prior to delivery to
the
GIS Processing Center; a GIS Processing Center for integration and formatting
of
aerial, satellite and public domain information for delivery to an Operations
Center;
an Operations Center, which provides software development, data validation,
production staging, network operations, fulfillment support and tier-two
customer
service; a Web Center, which is a Web based, ASP model service providing
' on-demand access to geographical imagery data mart and membership data; and
an
Order Fulfillment Center for order processing and customer data request
fulfillment.
[0767] Both the Operations Center and Web Center are housed in facilities
using
infrastructure consistent with running a high availability, global Internet
operation.
The Data Sources that are processed by the Data Center are provided through a
combination of the enterprise spatial system managed and out-sourced
suppliers.
[0768] Aspects of the various centers may be split or merged depending upon,
for
example, the logistical constraints on the locations of GIS and development
personnel
expertise. Provisions to support center functional separation will be
indicated herein.
The following discussion will be directed to the overall service and
operational
functionality to be provided by the Web Center.
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[0769] The functional components required to host the the enterprise spatial
system
on-line service offering in a third party hosted Web Center, include, for
example: all
systems contained within the Web Center that are used to support service
offerings;
all system interface points into, or out of, the center for both normal
operations and
maintenance; and any reliance on external systems supporting Web Center
operations.
[0770] In certain implementations, the enterprise spatial system Web Center is
a
secure, un-staffed, ASP model web hosting facility. The purpose of the Web
Center is
to host the enterprise spatial system on-line service offering that provides
data (e.g.,
current GIS imagery and supporting data) and business analysis tools to its
customer
base. The Web Center receives and hosts integrated datasets from the
Operations
Center, provides the enterprise spatial system customer base access to these
datasets in
an adhoc, on-demand basis, and processes the billing of associated customer
usage
charges and orders. All customer order fulfillment beyond the adhoc image and
data
queries such as bulk data requests shall be forwarded to, and processed by,
the Order
Fulfillment component.
[0771] FIG. 167 illustrates the business process and data flow 16710 supported
by the
enterprise spatial system service and operational facilities in accordance
with certain
implementations of the invention. The Web Center's role in the business
process is as
both an analytical datamart for the on-demand access by enterprise spatial
system
customers and as a catalog of all current and historical data (e.g., imagery
plus
supporting data) available for bulk purchase.
[0772] The enterprise spatial system service offering hosted by the Web Center
can be
grouped into functional service groups, which are illustrated in FIG. 167.
Each of the
services groups is made up of a set of components that provide paxt of, or
support part
of, the overall service offering. As for Web Services, a Web based user
interface
exposes the core business and administrative functionality of the Business
Application
Services to clients (e.g., browser only, thin client, and thick client). As
for application
Services, a stateless, transactional application service exposes business
functions for
access control, content navigation, content delivery, account management and
administration services that can be accessed in either a client/server or
server-to-server
model. As for Content Services, a set of middle tier application components
accessed
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through the business services generate and deliver business content,
including, for
example, Map Servers, Report Servers and email servers. As for E-Commerce
Services, a set of middle tier application components accessed through the
applications services handle account financial, billing, and payment
functions. As for
Data Services, a set of data stores contain live production data uses to
support
continuous operations including a user membership data store, a special image
data
mart, a business rules data store, and a health & welfare data store. As for
Maintenance Services, a set of Web Center administration services used on a
continual/scheduled basis to maintain and monitor the Web Center operations
include,
for example, spatial dataset loaders, health & welfare management servers, and
archival/restore servers. In certain implementations, service components
contained
within the Web center are directly or indirectly related to this focus.
[0773] The Web Services, a Web Server based user interface, is the primary
external
interface to access the Application Services. The Web Services interface
exposes the
core business and administrative functionality of the Application Services to
all Web
Center clients. These clients shall include, for example, both the enterprise
spatial
system customer base and the enterprise spatial system operational staff.
[0774] The Web Service provides a user interface to navigate the Web Center's
site
and execute the Application Services via the access control security layer.
Once
authenticated, the suite of Application Services available to the client shall
be adjusted
based on their access level and granted role. The Web Services access business
related
Data Services via the Application Services. FIG. 168 illustrates Web Services
16810
in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
[0775] The Web service allows client functionality access through different
types of
client interfaces, such as, browser-only client; thin client; and thick
client. The use of
a specific client interface depends upon individual users needs and business
constraints directing their implementation.
[0776] A browser only client is supported to allow clients to access the
system
without requiring a downloaded plug-in or control. This feature requires
almost all
client processing to be accomplished in the middle-tier application layers of
the Web
Center. In certain implementations, not all service functionality is available
to
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browser only clients. Exact limiting features are determined, for example,
based on
architectural feasibility.
[0777] For a thin client, the enterprise spatial system provides a web browser
based
user experience enabled by a thin client downloaded browser plug-in or
control. The
thin client solution is designed to interact, and exchange data between, the
resources
on both the clients local computer and the application middle tier services in
the Web
Center. The downloadable plug-in or control is designed to provide the full
client
functionality feature set with an efficient performance profile over all
client network
connections from a minimum of a 56K modem and higher. Multi-platform support
(including, for example, Internet Explorer~ and Netscape~ browsers (both 4.x
and
higher) on Windows~, Macintosh~, and Linux~ operating systems) is provided for
the thin client user interface. In certain implementations, a Java solution is
used to
satisfy the multi-platform support constraints.
[0778] The thin client solution interfaces with the Web Services via standard
Internet
protocols including HTTP, HTTPS and FTP. Authenticated connections are
supported over, for example, a standard, 128 bit SSL session. The thin client
component to be downloaded is downloadable in a reasonable time period over
the
minimum support network connection speed. A reasonable time period may be, for
exmaple, between 30 seconds and 2 minutes. Thin client design considerations
is
implemented in concert with the Application and Data Services tiers to
maximize the
resource availability and performance characteristics of the intended client
functionality to be supported.
[0779] The thick client interface solution requires no user interface provided
by the
Web Services. In certain implementations, the thick client interface solution
may be
implemented as an additional connector on an alternate web server port exposed
to the
Internet to accept and pass thick client requests through to the Business
Application
Services layer. The thick client application is subject to the same network
connectivity requirements as the thin client solution. The thick client
application
supports, for example, all functionality available to the thin client solution
and may
support additional functions or features. '
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[0780] As for consumer client functionality, the role of the client interface
component
of the enterprise spatial system Web Services is to deliver flexible, on-
demand access
to the comprehensive suite of data (e.g., imagery, vector, and tabular) and
analysis
functionality as both an interactive analysis service and as a catalog for
bulk data
ordering fulfilled through the Order Fulfillment desk. The complete set of
client
functionality includes, for example, both the interactive analysis features
and
additional administrative/account management support required to provide a
comprehensive, consumer business service.
[0781] The enterprise spatial system supports two different customer models:
subscription user and one-time, transaction-based customer. When first
attempting to
access the enterprise spatial system service, every customer registers an
account with
the service regardless of the type of customer. In the case of the
subscription user
with a site license account, an enterprise spatial system representative may
register the
customer using the enterprise spatial system Admin tool. For transaction-based
customers, registration may be handled using a short registration wizard.
[0782] The registration wizard process is very quiclc and simplified, so as
not to serve
as a barrier to entry for these new customers. The main goals of the
registration
process is to get the user's email address (e.g., for communications), and
assign the
user with a user name and password (e.g., for usage tracking and credit card
storage).
Registration information includes, for example, general information about the
customer and billing information. The registration process is designed to be a
one-time experience for the customer. Once the customer has completed the
registration process, the customer will have a username and password and be
able to
login to the enterprise spatial system service.
[0783] As an e-commerce site, The enterprise spatial system will be trusted to
handle
various types of information that are of a sensitive nature to the user,
including
personal contact information and billing/credit card information. All
sensitive
customer information is protected to assure that the trust of the wide
customer
audience is not violated. As a protection to the customer, a secure login
procedure is
used to ensure that only authorized individuals have access to a given
account.
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[0784] In addition to protecting sensitive customer information, utilizing a
login
process allows the collection of invaluable information regarding customer
usage.
The option also tracks and uses customer's usage to tailor personalized
communications to that user.
[0785] The login process serves as the entry point for users accessing the
enterprise
spatial system. The process involves retrieving and verifying the validity of
the user
name and password provided by the person attempting to login to the enterprise
.
spatial system application.
[0786] The "Online Mapping" button is available to transaction-based
customers.
This button provides the user with access the Online Mapping wizard, which
provides
the majority of functionality to the transactional user. The functionality
provided by
the Online Mapping wizard can be broken down into two main sections: map
creation
and map purchasing.
[0787] The first part of the Online Mapping wizard provides several UI screens
that
allow the users to undergo the process for creating a map, including, for
example:
selecting the Area of Interest (AOI); selecting the base map image; selecting
the
various data layer features; and, setting up the look and feel of the map. The
user
views the working map in a viewing window on the right hand side of the UI
screen.
[0788] The user defines the location of the map for example, by National Map
selection or Advanced Location Search. The National Map selection feature
allows
the user to visually select the area from a national map by clicking on the
desired
location. After the user clicks on the desired location, the map window shall
zoom to
include, for example, only the area that the user selected. At this point, the
user can
click fiu-ther to refine the selected map window view. The Advanced Location
Search option allows the user to type in information that defines the
location,
including the address, city, state, and country. The map window shall zoom in
to the
desired location.
[0789] Once the AOI has been selected, the base map image format is selected
to suit
the user's needs by defining several image attributes. For example, the type
of image
to be used for the map is defined. Once the user has selected the area covered
by the
map, the user will be presented with choices for the type of image to use for
the map.
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The types of images available for creating a map will vary depending upon the
map
area that the user has defined, but may include, for example, color aerial
imagery,
color infrared, satellite imagery, LJSGS topographic maps, and others. Also,
the map
resolution is defined. The resolutions available to the user will be dependent
upon the
map area and type of image that the user has selected.
[0790] In certain implementations, throughout the map creation process, the
map
contains an embedded watermark as part of the base image. This watermark is
removed during the map purchase process and is not included in the final image
delivered to the consumer.
[0791] The type of image attributes available to the consumer is based on a
subscription level and associated access rights.
[0792] Once the basic map information has been provided, the user can then
select
from various "data overlay" features. These features provide data (e.g.,
geographic) in
a manner that can be overlaid and matched up with the map. The categories of
features that can be overlaid include, environmental, political boundaries,
infrastructure, and demographic data. The user is able to manipulate the
specific
features and their attributes that are overlaid on the base map image. The
following
modifiable attributes are supported for the data layer overlays: the number
and type of
data layers overlays; the order that data layers are overlaid on the base
image; the text
font, point size and color; and, the line type, color and thickness. The type
of features
available to the consumer is based on subscription level and associated access
rights.
[0793] For subscription users, various industry-specific data layers may be
available
(e.g., electric line right of ways). The data available to overlay on the base
map is
determined by the services that the customer has subscribed to.
[0794] The look and feel of the working map can be adjusted using the various
tools
on the map toolbar. A map toolbar with a set of functions is available at any
time that
a customer is working on a map-related task. For example, a Zoom In tool is
the
default tool. By selecting the zoom in tool and clicking on the map, the map
area will
zoom in by 50 %, centered at the click point. By selecting the Zoom Out tool
and
clicking on the map, the map area will zoom out by 50%, centered at the click
point.
By clicking and dragging a rectangular box (a "Zoom Box") on the map, the map
area
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will zoom to the extents of the box. Once the panning tool is selected, the
user can
"grab" the map and move it, changing the Center point of the map. The zoom
level
remains the same when the pan tool is used, therefore using the panning tool
ultimately changes the boundaries that define the area of the map.
[0795] A Previous Image tool is available after the user has either zoomed or
panned
an image. Selection of this tool followed by a click on the map reloads the
image that
had previously occupied the Map Window. After selecting a Point n' View tool,
the
user is able to click on any data element overlaid on the current map, and a
pop up
dialog box containing a description of that element will appear. The data
presented
will vary based upon the type of data element that the user has selected. The
Point n'
Attribute tool allows a user to click on any object on the current map, type
in various
categories of information that describes the object, and then automatically
save out
these associated descriptions as a data store record attached to that object.
°The Text
Drawing tool allows a user to click on any point on the current map, type in
text
information and then automatically save out these associated as a data store
record
attached to that map point.
[0796] A series of tools will be provided that allow users to type in text to
be overlaid
on the map, or draw basic shapes such as squares, circles, lines, and polygons
that are
layered on top of the map. For example, a Rectangle Drawing tool allows users
to
add squares and rectangles on top of their maps. A Circle Drawing tool allows
a user
to click on any point on the current map, insert a circle, adjust the diameter
and then
automatically save out these associated as a data store record attached to
that map
point. A Line Drawing tool allows a user to click on any point on the current
map to
start a line, click on a second point to end and draw the line, and then
automatically
save out these associated as a data store record attached to the map. A Custom
Shape
Drawing tool allows a user to click on any point on the current map to start a
line,
click on any number of subsequent connected points to draw additional lines,
and the
press escape to end the shape and automatically save it out as an associated
data store
record attached to the map.
[0797] The consumer is provided a set of final formatting options to
facilitate a
printed form of image for presentation. These options shall include, for
example, the
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following attributes: Map Title and Description, Map Size and Layout, and
Other
Display Options.
[0798] After the map has been adjusted to its final form, the user is able to
purchase
the map. The map purchasing functionality is accomplished through the shopping
cart
module in the enterprise spatial system. The purpose of the shopping cart
module is
to provide a means by which the enterprise spatial system can conduct
transactional-based purchases. The shopping cart provides an interface to the
user that
walks the user through the process of approving the transaction and following
it
through completion. The shopping cart process involves multiple steps,
including, for
example gathering various types of information required for the transaction,
such as,
contact information, shipping information, billing information, and more. Once
completed, the shopping cart module presents the user with a summary of the
proposed transaction, for verification by the user prior to executing the
transaction.
Finally, the transaction is conducted with the enterprise spatial system
servers, after
which the user is provided with an acknowledgment of the transaction that can
be
printed and stored as a physical record of the transaction.
[0799] The UI screen design has been designed, so as to allow the enterprise
spatial
system software to easily interface with and utilize various shopping cart
technologies
available on the market.
[0800] For subscriber customers, an advanced user experience is provided to
augment
basic map generation with GIS analysis tools and other functions. To support a
more
complete GIS analysis suite, some sets of tools are provided to the
subscription users
to help them in their analysis. These tools shall include, for example, GIS
buffer
creation, measurement, and annotation tools.
[0801] Creating buffers allows the user to create a buffer area from a data
element,
user defined point, or a segment on the map. The purpose of the buffering tool
is to
ultimately highlight a type of data within that buffer area. The user can
define the
buffer area by clicking on the preview of the map. If the user selects a data
element,
that data element will be highlighted. If the user selects on segment of a
data element
(e.g., a segment of a stream, road, power line right of way, etc.) then that
particular
segment is highlighted. A user can selected multiple elements and segments
using
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standard Windows <shift> and <ctrl> functionality. The user also has the
option of
selecting a point on the map that has no underlying data elements associated
with it.
Once the points) or segments) have been defined, the user can provide a
distance to
define the buffer area. In certain implementations, when working with a
buffer, the
user works with one type of data layer (point, line or polygon) at a time, so
the user
cannot select a "point" and a "line segment" as the foci for a buffering
operation. For
example, the user chooses a line segment from the "roads" layer a point from
the
"houses" layer, but both cannot be done simultaneously.
[0802] Additional advanced tool features provided as part of the enterprise
spatial
system service include, for example, the ability to measure both linear
distances and
user-defined areas.
[0803] The linear distances tool allows users to measure a linear distance
between two
points on the map. After selecting this tool, the user identifies 2 points on
the map
(e.g., in the preview window). The distance between the two points is returned
via an
"info window". The "info window" may be a specified area on the page for tool
responses or a separate small window (e.g., whichever is "cleaner"). An
additional
"tracking log" may be used to store this response for reporting at a later
date. In
certain implementations, the measurement may not be overlaid on the map just
reported to the user in the "info window". The distance can be represented in
any of
several units. Moreover, in certain implementations, the answer is reported
with
multiple units (e.g., in both miles and kilometers, or feet and meters)
depending on
map scale. This additional requirement would support internationalization for
non-US (metric) users.
[0804] Similar to the linear distance tool, the user defined areas tool allows
users to
measure an area enclosed within multiple points. After selecting the measure
area
tool, the user identifies as many points on the map as required to define the
boundaries
of the desired area (e.g., in the preview window). After all points required
to enclose
the area have been defined, the area is calculated and returned via an "info
window".
In certain implementations, the "info window" and/or the "tracking log"
function in
the same manner as described for linear distances. Depending on map scale, the
area
is reported in miles squared (i.e., miz) (km2), acres (hectares) and/or feet
squared (ftz)
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(mz). Area scale thresholds are defined and used to determine which units to
use. For
example, miles (km) and square miles (square kilometers) would be used at
scales less
than 1:50,000 and other units at scales greater than this. Moreover, as with
linear
distances, in certain implementations, the answer is reported with multiple
units (e.g.,
in both miles and kilometers, or feet and meters) depending on map scale. This
additional requirement would support internationalization for non-US (metric)
users.
[0805] The enterprise spatial system service features include, for example,
annotation
tools that operate in a similar manner to the measurement tools. The
annotation tools
include, for example, support for both linear distances and user defined
areas.
[0806] The linear distances tool allows users to annotate a linear distance
between two
points on the map. After selecting this tool, the user identifies 2 points on
the map
(e.g., in the preview window) in the same manner as they measure linear
distances.
Unlike the measurement tool, the 2 points, line and distance are overlaid on
the map.
An additional tracking log may be used to store this response for reporting at
a later
date. The distance can be represented in any of several units. Moreover, in
certain
implementations, the answer is reported with multiple units (e.g., in both
miles and
kilometers, or feet and meters) depending on map scale. This additional
requirement
would support internationalization for non-US (metric) users.
[0807] Similar to the linear distance tool, the user defined areas tool allows
users to
annotate an area on a map indicated by multiple (e.g., three or more) points.
After
selecting the annotate area tool, the user identifies as many points on the
map as
required to define the boundaries of the desired area (e.g., in the preview
window) in
the same manner as they measure user defined areas. Unlike the measurement
tool,
the points, interconnecting lines and area calculation are then overlaid on
the map. In
certain implementations, the "info window" and/or the "tracking log" function
in the
same manner as described for measuring linear distances. Depending on map
scale,
the area is reported in miles squared (i.e., mi2) (km2), acres (hectares)
and/or feet
squared (ftz) (mz). Area scale thresholds is defined and used to determine
which units
to use. Initial expectations are that miles (km) and square miles (sqkm) would
be
used at scales less than 1:50,000 and other units at scales greater than this.
Moreover,
as with linear distances, in certain implementations, calculations may use and
report
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multiple units (e.g., in both miles and kilometers, or feet and meters)
depending on
map scale. This additional requirement would support internationalization for
non-LTS (metric) users.
[0808] For subscription customers who have overlaid industry specific data,
the
enterprise spatial system will offer reports that provide detailed breakdowns
of that
data within the location boundaries defined by the user. The breakdown of
information will be unique for each type of data. A data layer is supported.
This
functionality may additionally be provided to transactional customers.
[0809] For customers interested in hard copies of their custom maps, the
enterprise
spatial system will provide functionality that allows users to print out a
copy of the
map, or save the map for later use. If the user chooses to print out a hard
copy of the
map, the enterprise spatial system allows the user to define various
attributes that
define the layout of the printout. To address the issue of transactional users
obtaining
products without paying for the products, a watermark is overlaid on all
served base
imagery prior to purchase.
[0810] To support bulk data purchases as an additional the enterprise spatial
system
service, the enterprise spatial system provides for the selection and ordering
of a bulk
dataset. A bulk dataset is selected in a similar manner to individual map
images. A
difference between map and bulk data purchases are that no direct image is
rendered
and delivered immediately to the consumer. Also, individual imagery or data
layer
feature datasets may be purchased separately or together, either overlaid or
as separate
datasets. The general user experience differs only in the few areas applicable
to the
preview and delivery differences to support ease of use.
[0811] In order to provide a personalized user experience to all customers,
the
enterprise spatial system allows customers to create unique profiles that
describe
which data layers are available to the customer, how various preference
settings are
setup, and more. In addition, the customer profile function allows
subscription
customers to edit their registration and payment information.
[0812] Similar to the user profile functionality, the change subscription
level feature
allows users to change the subscription plan that they have signed up for. In
certain
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implementations, this feature is broken out from the user profiles feature for
marketing purposes.
[0813] The user can access online help UI screens at any time by selecting the
"Help"
button in the primary navigation bar. The enterprise spatial system Help file
is
intuitive for the user, having a look and feel that is common to online
applications.
[0814] The user interfaces for all Administration functions are implemented as
browser based and hosted by the Web Services. A set of consoles for accessing
the
Admin Tool functions are housed both in the Operations Center and also in the
Web
Center for local administration when personnel are there. The general set of
Admin
functions supported include, for example: Access Control Management, SKU /
Billing
Plan Management, Account Registration Information, Activity History, Order
Status /
History, Billing Status / History, Payment Status / History, Correspondence
History,
and System Maintenance.
[0815] Each of the various Web Center systems have differing functional roles
but all
are centrally managed using the common Administration user interface. Each of
the
systems may support a customized Administration user interface.
[0816] All business application functionality available in the Web Center is
protected
by an Access Control management system. The Access Control system is role
based
with a set of roles both predefined and configurable as different combinations
of
functionality is required. Each business application function available in the
Web
Center is individually controllable as a right granted or revoked from a
specific user
role. All client access, operations or consumers, is controlled using pre-
assigned
roles.
[0817] The Admin Tool allows the operations personnel the ability to: view a
list of
all available roles; view a list of all available business functions; view a
list of all
roles that contain a specific business function; view a list of all business
functions
contained in a specific role; add, remove and/or modify a specific role; add
or remove
a business function to or from a specific role; view a list of all accounts,
both
operations and customers, that have a specific role; and, add, remove and/or
modify
the role assigned to a specific account. All non-registered, transactional
consumers
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are granted access to a limited set of the system's business functions under
an
automatically granted 'Unregistered User' access role.
[0818] The enterprise spatial system provides different billing models,
including:
Transactional charges and Subscription billing. The Admin Tool supports the
management of different datasets, one for each billing model. Transactional
Billing
Accounts configured for transactional billing is billed based on transactional
usage
controlled through the Application Services. All Application Services for
which it is
determined that transactional charges apply are configured with a SKU
comprising
charge details and rules. All charge SKUs are associated with Application
Service
transactions. Transactional charge SKUs contain, for example, the following
infonnation/attributes: SKU ID, SKU Description, SKU Status, and Dash Number
business rule list (with Dash #, rule criteria and amount).
[0819] All SKUs contain one or more specific charge rates. Each charge rate is
uniquely configurable based upon optional business rules to allow for
different billing
rates given different purchasing conditions. Each unique billing rate for a
particular
SKU is uniquely identified by a dash number suffix appended to the SKU Id. All
SKU business rules are configured to resolve to a single SKU dash number under
all
conditions. The Admin Tool allows the operations personnel to: view a list of
all
SKUs in the system; view a list of all dash numbers for a specific SKU; view a
list of
all transactions executed for a specific; SKU; and, add, modify or remove a
SKU or
SKU dash number. Each list report is ordered chronologically in reverse order
(if
applicable) and filtering is allowed using any combination of the criteria
recorded
including a Date Range. The chronological order can optionally be reversed.
[0820] Accounts configured for subscription billing are processed and
submitted on a
periodic (e.g., monthly) basis by an automated Billing System. Each account
configured for subscription billing is assigned a particular billing Rate
Plan. Each
billing Rate Plan is configured with an number of revisions each with charge
details
and rules. Billing Rate Plans contain the following infonnation/attributes:
Rate Plan
ID, Rate Plan Description, Rate Plan Status, Dash Number business rule list
(with
Dash #, rule criteria and amount), and Current Dash Number. All Rate Plans
contain
one or more specific charge rates. The rules and charge amount for each charge
rate is
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uniquely configurable to allow for the revision of an existing rate plan while
grand
fathering all existing users of that rate plan. Each unique Rate Plan is
uniquely
identified by a dash number suffix appended to the Rate Plan ID. All Rate Plan
business rules are configured to resolve to a single Rate Plan dash number
under all
conditions.
(0821] The Admin Tool allows the operations personnel to: view a list of all
Rate
Plans in the system; view a list of all dash numbers for a specific Rate Plan;
view a
list of all transactions executed for a specific Rate Plan; and, add, modify
or remove a
Rate Plan or Rate Plan dash number. Each list report is ordered
chronologically in
reverse order (if applicable) and filtering is allowed using any combination
of the
criteria recorded including a Date Range. The chronological order can
optionally be
reversed.
[0822] All chargeable services provided by the enterprise spatial system
require a
registered account. All operations personnel require an account to access the
system
for administration and maintenance functions. The Admin Tool provides
functionality to manage all types of accounts.
[0823] As for basic account information, the Admin Tool allows operations
personnel
to view a list of all system accounts. The operations personnel are allowed to
filter
the list by various criteria to limit the list of users returned from the
account query.
The operations personnel are able to select any individual account listed in
the system
and view the account information for that particular account. Account
information
includes, for example, the following items as a minimum set of data: Account
ID;
Account Name (e.g., short account name); Account Password (e.g., adheres to
safe
password criteria and is stored encrypted); Account Email Address. Account
Type
(e.g., Transactional, Subscription, Operations); Account Access Role; Account
Status
(e.g., Active, Restricted, Closed); Account Holder Full Name (e.g., First,
Last,
Initials); Mailing Address City, State/Province, Country, Zip/Postal Code;
Phone &
Fax; Demographic data; Billing Method (e.g., Transactional or Subscription);
Billing
Rate Plan (e.g., if Subscription); Payment Method (e.g., Automatic Credit
Card,
Statement, or Bill Parent Account); Payment Tax Status/Rate, Billing Status
(Current,
30 Days, 60 Days, 90 Days, Over 90 Days); Billing Address, City,
State/Province,
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Country, Zip/Postal Code; Credit Card Information (e.g., CC #, Exp. Date,
Batch #,
CC Type, Name on CC); Billing cycle day (e.g., 1-28); Date last payment
received;
Date last statement submitted; Date last CC charge attempted; and, Optional
Child
Account list.
[0824] Some of the data items in the system are optional entry items.
Additional
services to validate Zip/Postal codes, email, and phone/fax numbers are
implemented
to reduce potential customer services calls and improve overall consumer
experience.
[0825] For consumers performing transactional purchases, account information
is
collected at the end of the shopping cart purchase experience. The basic
information
entered as part of the transactional account registration include, for
example, the
minimum amount of information to validate and process the credit card charge.
All
transactions performed under the same session is attributed to the same
account id.
Attempts are made to match credit card information andlor source 1P
information to
link subsequent transaction to an existing un-registered user's account for
historical
analysis.
[0826] For subscription accounts, the enterprise spatial system personnel with
the
ability to create consumer accounts process an account application and
manually
create and manage the consumer's account using the Admin tool. The Admin Tool
provides, for example, the following functions: adding or modifying an account
and
its information; adding a child account to a parent account; and, generating a
notification email to the account holder. All changes to basic account
information
automatically generate and transmit a confirmation email to the account
holders email
address. All changes to child account information additionally generate and
transmit
a carbon copy (CC) email to the parent account holders email addresses.
[0827] For operations accounts, the enterprise spatial system personnel with
the
ability to create operation's accounts manually create and manage the
operations
account using the Admin tool. The Admin Tool provides the ability to add or
modify
an operational account and its information. All operational accounts are
created as
child accounts of the enterprise spatial system master account. All
operational
account changes shall automatically generate and transmit a confirmation email
to the
account holders email address. All changes to and operational account shall
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additionally generate and transmit a carbon copy (CC) email to the master the
enterprise spatial system account email addresses.
[0828] The Admin Tool provides the ability to view a historical list of all
transactions
performed by the Web Center Application Services. Each transaction is recorded
with, for example, the following information/criteria: Account D7 (Un-
registered users
automatically have an account assigned based on session), Transaction ID, Date
and
Time, Transaction Execution Duration, Transaction Type (using SKU where
appropriate), and Transaction Completion Status. The transactional history
report is
ordered chronologically in reverse order and can be filtered by any of the
criteria
recorded, including a Date Range. The chronological order can optionally be
reversed. Transactional history is recorded on all types of business
operations
executed by the Application Services including both operations and consumer
functions.
[0829] Each application service transaction executed by a consumer that
results in a
service order, billable or not, is assigned an Order ID and recorded in an
Order Work
Queue for fulfillment. Orders can be fulfilled automatically or by Customer
Fulfillment. Those orders processed automatically have only one workflow entry
recorded indicating that it was completed automatically. Those orders
processed by
customer fulfillment is entered in the work queue with the status "Pending
Delivery".
These work orders are reviewed continually by customer fulfillment and
executed in
the order by received. When a work order is completed by Customer Fulfillment,
an
additional entry is entered in the work queue log for that work order to
indicate its
completion.
[0830] The Admin Tool allows the operations personnel to view a list of all
work
orders for all accounts. Each work order transaction include, for example, the
following information/criteria: Order 117, Transaction ID, SKU ID, Date and
Time
opened, Date and Time closed (same as opened if automated),Order Status
(Delivered
automatically, Delivered by Order Fulfillment, Pending Delivery),Billing ID,
Billing
Status (Statement Submitted, Automated billing in process, Paid), Operator /
Customer Service User (if not automated), and Notes. The Admin Tool allows the
operations personnel to obtain an order work queue report ordered
chronologically in
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reverse order and filtering is allowed using any combination of the criteria
recorded
including a Date Range. The chronological order can optionally be reversed.
Additional administrative reports are added to draw statistical report to
analyze order
fulfillment processing times to aid in process improvement.
[0831] Each Application Service transaction SKU that is configured with an
associated charge is recorded as a debit in a financial billing log for the
requesting
account. Each charge will then be collected based on the account's billing
mode;
either immediately by automated credit card/bank processing or through a
monthly
billing process. Monthly billings are accomplished by either automated credit
card/bank processing or by mailed/e-mailed statements. Regular mailed billings
may
not be used for non-subscriber accounts. When a billing attempt is
successfully
processed, a credit is recorded on the account's financial billing log. No
charge is
recorded until the Order Status indicates that the order has been delivered.
Payments
made by regular mail is posted to the consumer's account through the Admin
tool.
[0832] The Admin Tool allows the operations personnel to view a list of all
billing
transactions, both debits and credits for all accounts. Each billing
transaction include,
for example, the following infonnation/criteria: Payment ID, Account ID
(un-registered users automatically have an account assigned based on session),
Date
and Time, Credit or Debit, SKU ID, Credit/Debit Amount, Credit/Payment method
(if credit; Automated, Statement, or Accounting Correction), Debit Type (if
credit;
On-line transaction or phone order), Billing Status (Statement Submitted,
Automated
billing in process, Paid), Order Status (Delivered automatically, Delivered by
Order
Fulfillment, Pending Delivery). The Admin Tool allows the operations personnel
to
obtain a billing history report ordered chronologically in reverse order and
filtering is
allowed using any combination of the criteria recorded including a Date Range.
The
chronological order can optionally be reversed.
[0833] Each transactional order or periodic account billing that results in a
charge paid
through the Credit Card/Bank processing system is recorded in a Automated
Payment
Transaction Queue for record status through completion. Payments processed are
entered in the transaction queue with the status "Pending Completion". When
the
payment system completes the transaction with the financial system, the
payment
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transaction queue entry is updated with the completion time and the
appropriate
completion status. It is expected that the SET automatic payment system is
used to
fulfill credit card processing. All SET applicable processing status is
accounted for in
the payment transaction queue status.
[0834] The Admire Tool allows the operations personnel to view a list of all
payment
transactions for all accounts. Each payment transaction include, for example,
the
following infonnation/criteria: Payment ID, Account ID (Un-registered users
automatically have an account assigned based on session), Date and Time
initiated,
Date and Time completed, Charge amount, Billing Status (Charge in process,
Charge
Approved/Paid, Charge Denied), and Notes. The Admire Tool allows the
operations
personnel to obtain an payment queue report ordered chronologically in reverse
order
and filtering is allowed using any combination of the criteria recorded
including a
Date Range. The chronological order can optionally be reversed. Additional
administrative reports is added to draw statistical report to analyze credit
card
payment processing times to aid in process improvement.
[0835] All correspondence with a consumer account holder is recorded in a
correspondence log (a "correspondence history"). Each correspondence entry
includes, for example, the following information: Account 117, Date and Time,
Correspondence Type (E-mail, fax, phone, statement, mailed notice), Received
or
Sent, Text of correspondence, Notes, and Operator / Customer Service User (if
not
automated). The Admire Tool allows the operations personnel to obtain a
correspondence history report ordered chronologically in reverse order and
filtering is
allowed using any combination of the criteria recorded including a Date Range.
The
chronological order can optionally be reversed. An additional function of the
Admire
Tool is to monitor and control the various processes, services and systems
operating in
the Web Center. This user interface is a centralized status and control
monitoring
console that collects data and feeds-back commands to control various system
components. The following functions are supported by on the system management
console: the enabling and disabling of individual servers and software
components
hosted in the Web Center; the shutdown and restarting of individual servers
and
software components hosted in the Web Center; the monitoring of current status
of
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each server and software component hosted in the Web Center; the monitoring of
status of each process in the batch process queue; the monitoring of status of
each task
in a specific processes work queue; and, the modiEcation of all system level
business
rules.
[0836] The system management functions control all components of the Web
Services, Application Services, E-Commerce Services, Content Services, Data
Services, and Maintenance Services. Additional monitoring and control features
are
available for the Health & Welfare, Replication, Archival/Restore, and Billing
Systems.
[0837] In certain implementations, the central component of the Web Center is
the
Application Service that acts as a functionality provisioning system that
binds all
Content and Data Services into a cohesive business suite to service client
requests
posted through the Web Services. The Business Application Services are
implemented as a stateless, transaction system that controls access to, and
use of, all
Web Center services except for the Web Services sub-system. FIG. 169
illustrates an
application services overview 16910 in accordance with certain implementations
of
the invention.
[0838] The Business Application Service supports all the enterprise spatial
system
business functions required by the various client interfaces exposed by the
Web
Services to the Web Center's external interfaces. The Application Services
provides
the interface for both the operations personnel and the enterprise spatial
system'
customer base.
[0839] The Application services shall maintain a session for all client
business
services required. Each session is established upon the initial request
posting from the
Web Services. Each session is held active as long as the transaction is in
process.
The session terminates when the appropriate client response is generated and
forwarded to the Web Services. Each subsequent client request shall open a new
transactional session. Each transaction is logged in an history log to aid in
maintenance and performance/usage analysis.
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[0840) Each client transaction requested is associated with a speck client
account to
derive granted rights and record transactions against. If no account is
identifiable, the
Application system shall create and use a non-registered user account instead.
[0841] The Application Services ensures that each client requesting a
transaction has
been granted the right to access that business function. To determine the
client's
access rights, the Application Services validates that the role assigned to
the client's
account includes, for example, the business function that the client is
attempting to
execute. If the business function has not been granted, the Application
Services
denies the client request and forwards that status as a response to the Web
Services. If
the business function has been granted, then the Application Services executes
the
requested business function and returns the resulting status and any data that
may need
to be returned as part of the business functions completion.
[0842] All functionality exposed by the Application Services to the Web
Services is
segmented into discreet, atomic transactions called business functions. Each
terminal
state of each transaction is deterministic to assure an atomic transaction
model and
that the enterprise spatial system is not left in an indeterminate state at
any time. Any
error condition encountered is gracefully handled to prevent a partially
completed
transaction.
[0843] The business function breaks down the original client request and
utilizes the
components of the Content and E-Commerce Services required to satisfy the
overall
functional request. The business function layer assures that only the desired
system
functionality is provided to the client and done so using a secure, role based
access
control system.
[0844] In certain implementations, business functions can be grouped into
three basic
categories: Content Navigation, Content Delivery and System Maintenance.
[0845) As for content navigation, an aspect of the Web Center's functionality
is a
large, spatially oriented data store. This data store contains large amounts
of detailed
imagery and associated business data. A set of the business functions is
implemented
to support many different techniques for navigating the large content
datasets. To
navigate this large dataset, the spatial data store is organized using layers
of content
directories that cover a broad area and have course accuracy. These content
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directories are used to narrow down queries for data and imagery to a much
smaller
domain before higher granularity data is requested from the more densely
populated
layers of the spatial data store. These higher level, coarsely populated
datasets are the
directories that are used by the Web Services to help expose the overall
offering to the
consumer. This exposure facilitates their navigation of the large volumes of
data in a
logical and business oriented manner, thereby increasing the usability of the
site and
the satisfaction of their requirements for the service. '
[0846] Additionally, horizontal navigation of the datasets is facilitated by
bi-directionally cross-referencing of the tabular and spatial data. This
further
facilitates the ease of consumer movement between the datasets and effectively
provides an alternate method for navigating either types of data by
approaching one
from the other. These business functions require broad search criteria and
return large,
coarsely orient datasets in return. The returned datasets are formatted and
presented
to the consumer for individual item or smaller, windowed selections. These
selections
are then re-requested using the higher granularity business functions designed
for final
form content delivery. In some cases, depending upon need, several layers of
continually granular directory layers could be used. A simpler, varying query
criteria
technique is used to navigate the non-spatially oriented content of the e-
commerce
system. Lilce the spatial data, once a granular list is returned, a specific
element would
be used for detailed content delivery.
[0847] As for content delivery, after using content navigation functions to
drill down
into a very narrow and specific area of data, the Content Delivery business
functions
are used to retrieve final form data for viewing, analysis and other types of
processing.
A specific image or associated data layer retrieved is used as the spatial
focal point for
further client requests for manipulation of that dataset. Alternate business
functions
are available to size, reformat, crop, layer and otherwise process data (e.g.,
GIS
information).
[0848] Other Content Delivery business functions are used to format all
tabular forms
of spatial and non-spatial datasets required to fulfill additional client
features. These
additional client features include, for example, worksheet oriented data view
and other
account related administration functions.
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[0849] The third group of Application Services business functions are system
maintenance functions used by operations to monitor and maintain systems
operations. These business functions are query based results sets and
associated
feed-back controls related to administering system within the Web Center. The
system
maintenance business functions include, for example, transactions used to
navigate,
analyze and adjust consumer data sets of both E-Commerce and Content Services.
Additional Administration business functions are used to monitor and manage
the
various server resource pools and background management functions including
the
Health & Welfare System, Replication System and Archival/Retrieval System.
[0850] In certain implementations the interface model used to access the
Application
Services is a Client/Server model through the Web Services exposed to both the
Intranet and Internet. However, the Application Services interface is
architected to be
client agnostic and allows Server-to-Server interface implementations that can
utilize
the same transactional interface as the Client/Server model.
[0851] The Content Services are comprised of a set of middle tier application
components accessed through the Application Services. The content services
shall
generate and deliver business content including images, reports and ads. Each
of
these services is constructed independently, have direct access to all
necessary spatial
and membership data. FIG. 170 illustrates content services 17010 in accordance
with
certain implementations of the invention.
[0852] There are two main Content services hosted in the Web Center: Map
Servers
to generate geographical imagery combined with data layer overlays; and Report
Servers to generate formatted, non-geographical image oriented content such as
reports and emails. Both Content services prepare data for delivery over
either the
Web or Email. Ad Servers, the third Content service, augment web and email
user
experiences.
[0853] The Web Center Map Servers generate geographical imagery combined with
data layer overlays for client delivery. The Map Servers shall accept Content
generations requests from the Business Application Services containing
coordinate,
resolution and associated data layer requirements. The Map Servers locate,
retrieve,
merge and prepare all required geo-data based on the Business Application
Services
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initial request. The Map Servers navigate the Spatial Datamart to all data
requirements. In certain implementations, the spatial datamart contains all
data
required to service any geo-image request made by the Business Application
Services.
The resulting content generated by the Map Servers is delivered back to the
Business
Application Services for forwarding to the Web Services or attached to an for
delivery.
[0854] The Map Servers support generation of imagery and query datasets in
both
GeoTIFF and Shape file formats. Additionally, the images and query datasets
can be
forwarded through the Business Application Services to the Report Server. The
Report Servers support the conversion of imagery and/or datasets into a PDF
format
file for attachment to an email or delivery on a Web page by the Web Services.
[0855] The Web Center Report Servers format and prepare all non-geographical
oriented content for client delivery. The Report Servers accept Content
generation
requests from the Business Application Services containing raw data, business
rules
and a presentation template reference.
[0856] Unlike the Map Servers, the Report Servers locate and retrieve the
requested
presentation template and then merge all provided raw data provided into the
template. No direct access to the any data service other than the file system
that hosts
the template files is required. The resulting content is delivered back to the
Business
Application Services for forwarding to the Web Services or Email Servers for
delivery.
[0857] The Report Servers support generation of emails in, for example, both
standard
text and HTML formats. Additionally, the Report Server is able to convert the
generated content into, for example, a PDF format file for attachment to an
email or
delivery on a Web page by the Web Services.
[0858] All administrative reports and email content is generated using the
Report
Servers. The Report Servers are used to augment the Web Services content
delivery
when appropriate and in Web experience areas where aspects of format and
layout
may be more fluid than the general user experience. Business rules for content
format and optional PDF passwords may be used.
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[0859] The Web Center supports Ad insertion services to augment the Web
Content.
For example, ad insertion may include static ad graphics integrated as part of
the
standard web experience files. Additionally, dynamic ad content insertion
based on
account demographics is supported. Additions to demographic data may be added
to
support advanced ad servicing decision services and associated business rules.
All ad
content serviced is tracked and recorded for analysis and ad content provider
billing.
[0860] The E-Commerce Service, like the content services, is comprised of a
set of
middle tier application components accessed through the Application Services.
The
E-Commerce Services hosts, manages, and delivers supporting e-commerce
functionality including Account Management, Billing and E-Mail/Fax services.
Each
of these services is constructed independently and have direct access to all
necessary
spatial and membership data. FIG. 171 illustrates e-commerce services 17110 in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
[0861] The overall E-Commerce functionality includes account management and
e-mail aspects, which are integrated with a custom Billing System and accessed
by
custom Application Service transactions.
[0862] The following Account Management functionality categories are provided
by
the E-Commerce Services: Access Control Management, SKU / Billing Plan
Management, Account Registration Information, Activity History, Order Status /
History, Billing Status / History, Payment Status / History, and
Correspondence
History. Each functionality category has a Web Services user interface for
administration and to store/manage its related datasets in the Membership Data
store.
[0863] The enterprise spatial system services include, for example, an
automated
Billing System that can track and prepare customer billing statements on both
an
adhoc and scheduled basis. The Billing System is a one aspect of the overall
e-commerce service leveraging components of the Web Service and the Membership
Data store. If the customer is an unregistered transactional customer, the
Billing
System is triggered to immediately to process the transaction charge using the
credit
card payment system. If the client is a registered as a subscription customer,
they can
opt for either immediate transactional billing or periodic billing. Periodic
billing is
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billed at its appropriate service level billing rate and billed at the end of
the monthly
billing cycle based on an account billing cycle date.
[0864] Subscription account periodic billing include, for example, using a
batch
process to generate account billing statements. The batch process may run
daily at
one or more specific run times that are adjustable through the Administration
user
interface. The Administration Services user interface shall also support
suspension
and resumption of the billing batch process, status review of past, current
and daily
pending accounts, and manual removal or addition of accounts for billing. In
certain
implementations, the batch process would be run at the least busy time of the
day.
[0865] All accounts with a periodic billing cycle date matching the batch run
date is
processed by the Billing System and a bill submitted to the customer. Billing
cycle
dates are randomly assigned from 1 to 2~ during customer registration to
assure an
even statistical spread of the number of accounts processed by the Billing
System each
day of the month. The initial task of the batch Billing Process is to query
all accounts
to process for that day and add them to a processing queue. Then the Billing
Process
generates and submits the bill for each subscription account in the order they
occur in
the Billing queue. When generating the statement for each account, the Billing
System
is able to automatically charge the bill amount to the customer's credit card
account
through an on-line credit card processing system. If the customer has selected
this
options, the billing system shall proceed with the automatic charge and update
the
account status according to the response from the credit card processing
system.
[0866] The Billing System submits the account billing data to the Report
Service for
merging with the appropriate billing document template. The specific billing
document template used shall depend upon an nmnber of factors including: the
method the customer requested to receive their billing statements when they
registered; their account status; and their subscription mode and level.
[0867] The Billing System submits all billing statements out of the Web Center
via
email. The customer is able to elect to receive their billing statement
directly by email
and in on of three formats: text email; HTML email, or PDF attachment email.
PDF
attachment emails may optionally be secured using a password pre-established
by the
customer as part of their account registration process.
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[0868] The Report Service merges billing data with delivery document
templates,
optionally generates PDF attachments, and then submits the email to the Email
Service for routing out of the Web Center. If the customer did not elect to
receive
automated email delivery of their billing statement, the Billing System shall
direct the
Report Service to generate a PDF format statement and PDF format mailing
label.
The generated email with its PDF attachments shall then be directed to the
Order
Fulfillment desk for printing and regular mail service delivery.
[0869] Transactional usage data is collected on all customer operations
regardless of
the clients registration status or billing mode. The e-commerce shopping cart
user
experience shall omit the price column and total transactional charge lines
when
transactions are processed on subscription accounts.
[0870] The Web Center Email System provides an asynchronous notification
system
used to deliver information and content to both the enterprise spatial system
customers
and operational staff. The Email System is primarily used to deliver automated
billing
statements, user experience notifications, customer fulfillment requests and
health &
welfare notifications. The Email System receives content and addressing
criteria from
the Business Application Services using a standard email API. The Email
Servers do
not perform any manipulation of the content prepared by the Report Servers
except
where required to support email delivery.
[0871] The Email System delivers all email using, for example, the standard
Internet
STMP protocol. Email directed to the customer base is delivered over the
public
Internet. Email directed to operations or customer fulfillment is delivered
over a
private intranet with the public Internet serving as an backup. However, an
alternate,
loosely coupled messaging system could be used to deliver fulfillment requests
given
it does not require a tightly bound interface that could inadvertently
interfere with web
center operations. Email receipt notices may be provided in certain
implementations.
[0872] Bulle or batch Email deliveries are supported, and the email servers
are
provisioned to support potential volume scaling. Fax support is supported
using an
E-Mail driven fax server hosted in the Operations Center. Use of Fax services
is
directed based on user account registration options.
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[0873] The Data Services are comprised of a set of data stores and files
systems with
their associated data access servers containing all live production datasets
required for
continuous operations. Each Data Service is implemented as a separate data
store or
file system with cross-references stored where necessary to correlate
activities and
transactions. FIG. 172 illustrates data services 17210 in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention.
[0874] In certain implementations, the data services are dynamic data stores.
All
dynamic data stores are hosted, for example, on a centralized file system or
Storage
Area Network (SAN) system, such as an EMC or RAID device. The SAN device may
be used to centralize the administration of all dynamic data stores. In
certain
implementations, the optimal design for the implementation of the SAN devices
is a
direct connection to each server in the Web Center on an alternate physical
interface
(such as Fibre Channel) separate from the LAN used for server-to-server
communications. The storage on the SAN device is partitioned to ensure
security
between servers.
[0875] Access to the functionality provided by the Web Center is controlled
through
the E-Commerce / Membership Data store. The E-Commerce Data store is
integrated
together with the access control service and e-commerce system by the Business
Application Services to control the administration, provisioning and usage
billing for
all system services.
[0876] The E-Commerce / Membership Data store contains support for user data
components, such as: Access Control Management (a system level data store of
Access Roles and their associated rights to access Business Functions and
Functional
Attributes); SITU / Billing Plan Management (a system level data store of
billable
operations with descriptions, pricing data and any applicable business rules);
Account
Registration Information (account details including name, address information,
billing
information, account options, account status and access rights for both
operational and
customer accounts and access to any Web Center functionality requires and
active
account in the E-Commerce Data store); Activity History (a history of all
transactional
operations performed or requested by each individual account); Order
StatuslHistory
(a history and current status of all pending and processed customer orders
both manual
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and automatically fulfilled); Billing Status/History (a history, or ledger, of
all service
charges and associated payments against made against an individual account);
Payment Status/History (a history and current status of all pending and
processed
automated credit card transactions); and, Correspondence History (a history of
all
communications sent to and/or received from the account holder, which may be
integrated with a customer service system).
[0877] The E-Commerce Data store is implemented as a directory oriented data
store
and, in certain implementations, is intended to leverage industry standard
components.
For example, the E-Commerce Data store may be an LDAP compliant data store
engine with a programmable transaction interface and support for customizable
data
objects and schema structure required for the above datasets. In certain
implementations, Microsoft~ Site Server may be used.
[0878] An important Web Center component of the enterprise spatial system
service is
the Spatial Datamart. The datamart is an integrated dataset containing all
geographical imagery and related data layers required to support the full
client user
experience. The Spatial Datamart is designed and/or selected based on support
of
various criteria, such as: Multiple/simultaneous spatially oriented index
method
including Latitude/Longitude and UTM, and the final index types to be used are
driven by, for example, empirical testing; Granularity and dataset size
limitations on
queries with broad coordinate ranges, and this is accomplished through
pre-configured index layers and associated images that merge a volume of data
points
at a lower layer into a single, summary image containing a data point overlay
of those
points as part of the image, and the exact number of layers and summary images
shall
depend upon, for example, empirical analysis, and may vary between various
dataset
sections of the datamart; VLDB dataset partition management organized based on
spatial coordinate distribution, and one primary index is chosen to spatial
data
partitioning around; Top tier industry standard raster and vector data
formats. Initially
this is expected to be GeoTIFF and Shape files; Spatial index links to
supporting
tabular datasets for cross-referencing and alternate query orientations; Data
access of
cropped raster images based on vector polygon query coordinates, which assures
that
no more data is retrieved from the data services than is required; and,
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Compression/decompression services to reduce storage size requirements and
access
time, which may have negative impact on both processor and RAM resource
requirements but is worth while based on the data access speed improvement.
[0879] The Spatial Datamart is architected in close concert with the client
user
experience to maximize the performance of on-demand, ad-hoc query and image
access. Significant architectural attention is given during the special data
store design
phase to assure maximum client performance without causing individual client
requests to place excessive resource demands on the various application tiers
in the
Web Center.
[0880] FIG. 173 illustrates a spatial datamart 17310 in accordance certain
implementations of the invention. In certain implementations, the spatial
datamart is
implemented using the ESRI Arc/SDE system on OracleC~ 8i data store, although
any
software or data store may be used.
[0881] The various systems hosted in the Web Center generate different sets of
health
& welfare data intended to help monitor the system's operation and to provide
a
source of data that can be used for statistical analysis and facility planning
by any part
of the enterprise spatial system organization.
[0882] The suite of health & welfare data collected include, for example, raw
transactional data from various system sources. The data sources are collected
in
either data store form or log files that are periodically archived and purged.
There are
several categories of systems that'generate health & welfare data including,
for
example: OEM networking and server components that host the enterprise spatial
system service; OEM supplied service components integrated into the enterprise
spatial system service software; and the enterprise spatial system developed
software.
[0883] Both the OEM component procurement process and the enterprise spatial
system development process that provision Web Center systems include, for
example,
health & welfare data collection and maintenance a key criteria in their
selection or
design. When evaluating or designing these systems, an emphasis is placed on
the
collection and storage of monitored data points. The health & welfare data
points
collected are configurable based of the number and nature of data points that
each
system component requires to be monitored monitor. Additionally, each
component
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has the ability to be configured to generate and source metric data directly
as an
optional feature. All collected data points are stored in a uniform data store
format to
facilitate centralized data management and leverage of common analysis and
administration tools. Choosing an industry standard data format, such as SNMP
based MIBs, allows the procurement and use of OEM supplied analysis and
administration tools.
[0884] Up front attention to component health & welfare ensures a sufficient
and
appropriate level of visibility for operational maintenance and performance
analysis
when components are integrated together.
[0885] Both the enterprise spatial system developed software and OEM purchased
application software that are to be hosted in the Web Center may have life-
cycle
maintenance requirements that include, for example, updates on a periodic
basis.
Periodic updates of application software are best facilitated by storage on a
central
data store and loading once during each server's startup sequence.
Installations of
software updates then only requires the update loaded in a single location in
the Web
Center and each of the affected server's restarted in order to load the new
application
software.
[0886] All Web Center applications are stored on a centralized storage device,
such as
a SAN system, and then downloaded to each server upon that server's request.
Deployment of all Web Center application software is accomplished by the
replication
server using a "pull" model file transfer from the Operations Center's
systems. All
replication server "pull" requests are initiated through the administrative
functions of
the Business Application Services. To assure secure data transfer, all
administrative
functions are only allowed through the access control system and networlc
interfaces
configured to only allow file transfers initiated from the replication servers
in the Web
Center.
[0887] During system operations, the need for server-to-server and server-to-
client
exchange of images files and other large datasets may be required. As part of
the
system architecture, provisions are made to support both a direct network file
transfer
from source server to requesting server and also passing of files through a
central
storage service connected through an alternate physical interface (or other
local area
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network) to both servers. To exchange files using centralized storage, the
sending
server shall place a file on the central storage service and then send a
message
containing the file location to the requesting server process. A similar
technique is
used for client-to-server exchanges except transmission shall always be over
an
Internet network connection and accomplished using, for example, FTP instead
of
NFS or SAN mounted drives. A benefit of supporting an alternate file transfer
method
is to either eliminate or limit the duration of time and number of servers
that are
required to handle large datasets directly in RAM and removes the transfer
from the
peer-to-peer network. This helps assure system scalability by limiting
important
resource utilization to only absolutely necessary fiznctions. It is especially
effective
when interfaces between requesting and sourcing servers are implemented using
a
message queuing format.
[0888] The Temporary File Sharing technique is most effective when the network
and
file system access is done over different physical topologies (e.g., Ethernet
vs. Fiber
Channel SAN). However, it is still effective in limiting RAM usage when file
systems are NFS mounted over the LAN.
[0889] An additional requirement satisfied by implementation of a centralized
file
system is to support centralized administration and maintenance of temporary
file
stores. Areas designated on the SAN devices for temporary file storage is
periodically
purged to clear any stray files not purged automatically by the requesting
services
when finished.
[0890] The Maintenance Services are comprised of a set of Web Center
applications
with their own servers and consoles that can be remotely operated through the
Application Services using a Web Services user interface. The Maintenance
Services
are used to schedule and/or execute operational functions required to maintain
and
monitor the Web Center operations. FIG. 174 illustrates maintenance services
17410
in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
[0891] When triggered, either on-demand or scheduled, each service performs
its
function either through the Application Services interface or directly against
its
applicable dataset. The Application Services interface is used when access to
content
services is required as part of the Administration Services function. A
standardized
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administration framework, such as SMS or other SNMP MIB based administration
system, may be used if it is capable of being extended to integrate all
required
administrative services.
[0892] An aspect of the health & welfare of an un-staffed Web Center facility
is the
ability to remotely monitor and administer all systems and processes. A
uniform and
centrally managed health & welfare technology standard is chosen for the
collection,
storage and administration of all data sources. All systems procured or
developed for
the Web Center is compliant to the chosen standard. All health & welfare
system
administration is accessed via web browser through the Web Services interface.
The
health & welfare component of the Administrative services user interface
supports the
following functions: the enabling and disabling of all available data sources
(both
discrete data sources and log files); the addition and removal of metric
calculation
criteria (discrete data sources only); the adjustment of existing metric
calculation
criteria (discrete data sources only); the archival and purging of one, or any
group of,
data sources (both discrete data sources and log files); timestamp range
limited
selection and viewing of raw data in either tabular or log file form (both
discrete data
sources and log files); a query and reporting function that allows the
selection and
graphing of any number of compatible data sources (discrete data sources
only); the
addition, enabling, disabling and removal criteria for triggering asynchronous
operational alert messages (discrete data sources only); and, at least three
levels of
alert messages including: Informational, Warning, and Alarm. (discrete data
sources
only).
[0893] An application hosted by the Operations facility receives and displays
all alert
messages received from the Web Center. In certain implementations, this alert
system
may be implemented using email and later enhanced.
[0894] All data of interest is able to be collected as either discrete data
elements or as
calculated metric based on preset criteria or both. All systems that are
identified as
requiring metric data generation support dynamic, remote administration of
metric
calculation criteria.
[0895] Raw and metric data collected is used by operations to isolate system
performance bottlenecks and analyze future production capacity changes.
Application
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usage data is used by the development and marketing groups to focus and
prioritize
resources on areas functionality that are servicing higher customer demand.
[0896] In certain implementations, since there are many uses of the health &
welfare
data, all possible data sources that can be identified are collected. The
systems are
not required to provide additional, unpredicted data points without the
potential for
restarting the server or component intended as the source of the data.
However, the
system is able to disable, or turn off, any existing data source without the
need for
either a system level or component level restart. A uniform technology
standard, such
as SNMP compliant agents and MIB data repositories, may be used for the
collection
and storage of discrete data elements. Additional support for the management
of
server log files is provided. A centralized archival and purging system is
defined to
support both SNMP and log file data.
[0897] Existing remote console systems, such as OpenView~, may service some
portion of the Health and Welfare system functionality.
[0898] A Replication System is implemented in the Web Center with the primary
function of transferring data in bulk between the Web Center and the
Operations
Center. The Replication System is operated only be operated through the
Administration system of the Web Services and support both on-demand and timed
batch job submissions. The Replication System initiates all exchanges of data
between
the Web Center and the Operations Center. The Replication System does not
accept
any external connections or requests except from the Web Services.
[0899) A primary function of the Replication system is to handle data
transfers for
archival and retrieval. All deployment of application software and GIS
datasets is
accomplished as if it were an archive restore. Deploying software and data
into the
production system in this manner may impose an additional requirement on both
the
application and GIS dataset development environments to be able to generate
their
deployable images in the Replication System's archive format.
[0900] The Replication System supports an additional feature to allow the
transfer of
selected data in their exact form without any conversion or compression. This
may
not be the most efficient means of transport between the two facilities and
may be
restricted to specific datasets such as data hosted on standard file systems.
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[0901] The Replication System includes, for example, a tape system to support
Web
Center local loading and archiving of components as a backup precaution.
[0902] An Archival System is implemented to support both the archival and
retrieval
of any set of dynamic data housed on the centralized data store in the Web
Center. In
certain implementations, the archival system is a tape based storage system
housed in
Operations Center.
[0903] Since the Web Center is un-staffed in certain implementations, a two-
step
archival/retrieval process may be implemented to eliminate the need for
Operations
personnel to enter the Web Center to perform the process.
[0904] Requests to initiate an archival are made using the Administration
system
hosted by the Web Services. Once the archival criteria is specified (including
when,
what and where to archive), a job is submitted to the Replication Service to
perform
the archival. At the designated time, the Replication Service shall perform
the
archival of the specified data and "push" it, in a compressed archival form,
either
directly on to a tape device or to a disk storage area both hosted in the
Operations
Center.
[0905] Requests to initiate an archive restore are performed in the same
manner as
archiving except in reverse. Restore request made through the Administration
system
shall configure the required Replication Service job. When initiated, the
Replication
Service shall "pull" the archive from the Operation Center source location and
load it
into place in the Web Center Data Services. An additional process to bring the
restored archive on-line is required and accomplished through the
Administration
system.
[0906] All archival and restore processes are executed non-intrusively having
no
impact on availability of any of the system's operational components. The
performance impact of the archival and restore processes is limited to the
minimal
system resource usage required to perform the operation again without impact
system
availability. It is expected that the final restore process shall impact
resource system
availability as the restored archive is brought back on-line. The level of
impact a
restore shall impose is dependant upon what component of the system is being
restored.
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[0907] The Replication Service archival/restore system supports optional
encryption
of the requested dataset. The Replication Service shall use best practice
industry
accepted archival cryptography standards to perform any encryption functions
required. Not all types of archives are restorable into the production
environment.
The need to restore health & welfare data is not expected to be a requirement
at
launch or in the future. Current and historical operational status of the
archival system
is available through the Administration system. The operational status and
history of
the archival system is logged as part of the health & welfare system.
[0908] The Web Center functionality is reliant upon supporting systems,
interfaces
and business processes operated in the Operations Center and other external
entities.
Both the on-going production operations and the life-cycle system deployment
process
are tied to these supporting peer systems.
[0909] As indicated in the Business Process/Dataflow (FIG. 167), the Web
Center
operates with integrated support from the Operations Center, and other
external
entities in order to maintain operations on a continual, high availability
basis. Each of
these support processes is implemented as remote managed, automated systems,
where possible, to ensure minimal direct interaction with the Web Center by
operations personnel. FIG. 175 illustrates operational dataflow for the Web
Center
17510 in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
[0910] Operationally, the Web Center is highly integrated with the Operations
Center
and relies on the interfaces with the Operations Center to function. There are
several
categories of data and interfaces addressed, including: Production GIS Data,
which is
transmitted to the Web Center and loaded into production use under a strict
Quality
Control process; Production Applications, which are transmitted to the Web
Center
and loaded into production use under a strict Quality Control process; Order
Fulfillment Data, which is transmitted from the Web Center to be processed by
systems and personnel in the Operations Center for delivery to the customer
base; and,
Operational Monitoring/Usage Data, including both web center health & welfare
status information and operational maintenance controls passed between the Web
Center and the Operations Center.
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[0911] As for production GIS Data, a primary function performed in the
Operations
Center is to transform all disparate data sources into a unified, production
ready
dataset that can be validated and loaded into the Web Center for production
use. A
newly developed dataset follows a strict, two-step Quality Control process to
be
deployed and brought on-line. The first step is to load the data into its
final production
location in the Web Center (e.g., via a direct, dedicated, high-volume network
link
controlled by, for example, a Replication System). The production enabling
second
step is accomplished through the Administration Services. The health & welfare
section of the Administration Services allow operations to set the state of
the new
dataset to on-line and to take off line any old dataset that it may be
replacing. As part
of its business rules, the core Business Application Services always accesses
datasets
using a version control flag that identifies which dataset to use. Therefore,
the next
client activity that accesses the affected dataset shall vector to the newly
enabled
dataset instead of its now obsolete predecessor. The Web Center only maintains
only
current datasets to maximize use of limited production resources. Obsolete
datasets
are purged from the Web Center after they are no longer being accessed. This
process
ensures that any in-process client activities are completed on the same
dataset version
they were initiated upon and eliminates any potential for termination or other
adverse
affect on the client experience. The Operations Center maintains all past
versions of
GIS Data as a historical library.
[0912] As for production applications, the deployment of production
applications to
the Web Center is accomplished in a similar manner to that used to deploy GIS
datasets. A newly developed application component also follows a strict, two-
step
Quality Control process to be deployed and brought on-line. The first step is
to load
the new component into its final production location in the Web Center (e.g.,
via a
direct, dedicated, high-volume network link controlled by, for example, a
Replication
System). The production enabling second step is accomplished through the
Administration Services. The health & welfare section of the Administration
Services
allow operations to set the state of the new component to on-line and to take
off line
any old component that it may be replacing.
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[0913] However, deploying application components differs from datasets in that
to
bring the newly enabled component into use usually requires restarting that
component. In most cases there is a pool of components of the same type
running and
available in the Web Center at any time. To initiate the use of the newly
deployed
component, each of the components is gracefully shut down and restarted using
the
Administration Services. The restart of the down pool component is initiated
using
the newly installed component instead of the original one. This technique
shall limit
the impact of software deployment to a small reduction in the pool population.
[0914] Slightly different techniques are used to support interdependent data
store
schema and application component upgrades that are done in concert. This
process is
conducted by first applying a data store upgrade on a live data store that
only added
data store components (any deletions of data store components that are
actively in use
could bring down the service). Then the new application software is deployed
and
brought on-line as normal. The new software supports two operation modes:
backward compatible to the previous version of software; and also in the new
form
that utilizes the additional data store services. The new software's
operational mode is
based on an active data store version business rule that forces the new
application to
write data in the mode compatible with the previous software. Once all
instances of
the application component have been replaced and restarted, the Administration
services are used to set the data store version business rule to the new
version.
Initially it may be required to restart each application component a second
time to
force it to accept the new business rule. Implementing business rule refresh
command
for all affected components would be an optimal solution to the problem of
cached
business rules.
[0915] This data storelapplication upgrade technique prevents old application
components from encountering new, unknown and invalid data during the period
of
time the new application is transitioned in. It also prevents the need for any
bulk data
migration process since each data record is converted the first time it is
encountered
by the new application software in the course of processing normal, client
requests.
To accomplish the automatic data migration feature, every data record in every
table
in the data store is stamped with a version stamp and the new application
software
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reads data either an old or new form and also writes out in either an old or
new form.
The input form used is directed by which version of data the new application
encounters when it reads the data store. The output form used is directed by
the data
store version business rule setting.
[0916] The Web Center maintains only current application components to
maximize
use of limited production resources. Obsolete application components are
purged
from the Web Center after they are no longer being accessed. This process
ensures
that any in-process client activities are completed using the same application
version
they were initiated with and eliminates any potential for termination or other
adverse
affect on the client experience. The Operations Center maintains all past
application
versions in an archive library.
[0917] During a user session, any user can request a dataset delivered to the
user.
This dataset could be any size or format that the system is capable of
generating. The
Web Center takes all order transactions and generates a request containing the
details
of the consumer's order. This request is sent to a queue at the Order
Fulfillment desk
in the Operations Center, or Order Fulfillment Center, for completion and
delivery. In
certain implementations, the order processing queue implemented via an email
infrastructure.
[0918] The Order Fulfillment desk generates the requested imageldata order as
per the
customer request and delivers it to the customer. The delivery method may be,
for
example, through email with attachments or regular terrestrial shipping
process,
depending upon the nature of the customer's request and the amount or format
of the
data requested.
[0919] Some orders are capable of being automatically processed and delivered
by
either the Web Center or the Order Fulfillment desk. All automated delivery is
accomplished through email containing attachments and an additional
notification of
the completed delivery being copied to the Order Fulfillment desk. A limiting
factor
for the automatic delivery of data is the end size of the data image
requested. Email
attachment size limits are gathered from each user as part of the registration
process.
Additionally, a system default attachment size limit is employed.
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[0920] The Web Center delivers email with attachments directly to the consumer
when the requested image meets the limit criteria and the requested format is
the same
a as the format in which the images are stored in the Web Center data store.
All
systems required to process images into alternate formats and onto requested
delivery
media is resident in the Operations Center due to the high reliance on
Operations
personnel involvement.
[0921] As for operational monitoring/usage data, sustaining the Web Center
containing a high-availability, scalable web service environment requires the
implementation of a comprehensive health & welfare monitor/control system. The
health & welfare system covers all components and layers that comprise the Web
Center's systems. The three primary monitor groups that is addressed include:
Networking Infrastructure (all networking components status, usage and control
provisions natively available is supported); OEM Software Services (all
software
component resource footprints, status and control provisions are supported
even if not
natively available); and, Business Applications Services (all client usage
information
is tracked and logged with controls implemented through business rules
evaluated
during client functionality execution).
[0922] All health & welfare data is collected, monitored and archived for
future
analysis. Active monitoring of available data is accomplished through review
of raw
logs, exception events, and programmed statistical limit controls.
Implementations
depend upon constraints of each specific component or system being monitored
or
controlled. Remote operations are limited to controls that have limited or no
impact
of service availability.
[0923] In terms of Web Center to financial institutions processing, a primary
interface
to support fully electronic customer experience is to support billing charges
on-line.
As part of customer registration, a consumer can elect to be billed by credit
card either
on a one-time or on-going basis. Support for standard interfaces to on-line
credit card
processing facilities, such as CyberSource~, is supported. These interactions
are done
over a private, leased line and not over the public Internet for increased
security.
Additional provisions are provided to support address verification services.
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[0924] In terms of Web Center to Internet, the Web Center, as an ASP model
managed service, is connected to its customer base via the Internet. This
interconnection takes on two forms: direct web browser based interactive
access and
asynchronous email services to support the user experience.
[0925] Both browser and email based connectivity may be standard Internet
protocol
based, including, for example, SMTP, HTTP and HTTPS, or may be other
protocols.
[0926] As for the production deployment process, maintaining a stable, high
availability web service requires the enforcement of a strict Quality Control
process
for the introduction of new production application software and business data
into the
production environment. This Quality Control process is important to isolate
the
production environment from the introduction of a non-validated system
component
with unpredictable behavior that could jeopardize the web service. The Web
Center's
Quality Control process is implemented using a mufti-stage deployment cycle
that
provides this key level of isolation required. FIG. 176 illustrates a
deployment
process workflow 17610 in accordance with certain implementations of the
invention.
[0927] The Web Center's mufti-stage deployment cycle is implemented using
three
environments and a controlled process to move components between the
environments.
[0928] As for development, all software and production data is developed,
integrated
and prepared for production deployment in a development environment where
source
code, tools and data are very fluid and have limited controls. The production
data is
prepared using the GIS Processing System housed in the GIS Processing Center.
The
various Web Center production software components is developed and unit tested
with their own individual development environments either housed in the
Operations
Center.
[0929] All production software and data components are prepared for production
deployment in a specific deployment format and media. Once ready for
production,
the candidate software/data releases are delivered to a Quality Assurance team
for
validation in a Staging enviromnent.
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[0930] As for staging, each production candidate component (both application
and
data) is validated in a Staging environment by a Quality Assurance team to
ensure a
high degree of candidate integrity prior to introduction into the production
environment. The Staging environment is and an exact representation of the
Production environment but housed in the Operations Center. The production
candidate component is installed into the Staging environment by the Quality
Assurance team from the exact media to use for installation into the
production
environment.
[0931] The Quality Assurance team executes a pre-written validation test plan
designed to verify all aspects of both the operational and functional
integrity of the
candidate software/data component. If any disqualifying failure occurs during
the
validation test execution, the release candidate component is rejected and
returned to
development or GIS Processing for correction and re-submission to the Staging
validation process. Once the release candidate component has been passed
through
the Staging environment validation process by the Quality Assurance team, it
is
approved as a production release and delivered to the production environment
for
installation and made available for use.
[0932] As for production, the Web Center production environment is comprised
of all
the system components required to provide a high-availability web based
managed
service facility. The production environment is implemented with provisions
for zero
or limited down-time impact for on-going software, hardware and data upgrades
throughout its life-cycle maintenance.
[0933] A two step deployment technique is implemented for installing and
bringing
components on-line in the production environment. All components are able to
be
fully installed in their final production form in the production environment
without
any impact to existing operation. Once installed and fully operational, each
component is explicitly on-line and put into production use. Client components
or
systems that utilize each component being deployed shall employ a service
director or
dispatcher that monitors the on/off line state of each of the components in
order to
assure the use of the proper, on-line component intended.
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[0934] As for centralized data storage, the Web Center is designed to be a
secure,
un-staffed operational facility housed in a larger facility staffed by non-the
enterprise
spatial system employees. A limited amount of operational support, such as
server
power cycling, can be provided by the hosting facility staff. Overall, the
system is
designed as a remotely accessed, monitored and administered facility.
[0935] To achieve a fully un-staffed facility, all dynamic data is centrally
stored and
administered. Dynamic data is defined as any operational or business data that
changes over the life-cycle of the systems maintenance. This includes, for
example,
all core data store services, file systems hosting temporary or application
level data
files, or any logging/health & welfare data generated by the system. All data
of this
nature is hosted, for example, on a central SAN systems) that can be loaded,
backed
up, and managed from a central console/maintenance system. All application
software
and business data is loaded from and accessed on the central data store. All
output for
health & welfare is directed to the central data store in either for form of a
data store
storage record or system logging files.
[0936] All server operating systems are considered to be static data stores
and shall
reside on the local hard drives of their respective servers within the Web
Servers.
When no dynamically created data will reside on the local hard drive, no
archiving of
server local hard drives are required. Installation or restoration of local
server
operating system installations is serviced using an image server that connects
to the
target server and downloads an operating system image over the LAN. Data
archival
is therefore implemented for the SAN system. In certain implementations, the
image
installer system in the Web Center is a CD based juke-box system.
[0937] As for security considerations, the Web Services interface is the Web
Center's
only interface exposed on an externally connected network that supports
incoming
connection requests. All other incoming connections are disallowed. Other
systems
such as the email system shall either be used for outgoing communications only
or
request external data using a "pull" model like the Replication System. All
"pull"
model service requests are initiated from inside the Web Center through
administrative functions provided by the Business Application Services. All
"pull"
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model requests are implemented over private network connections between the
vault
and external, trusted sites.
[0938] The Web Services exists in a network isolated DMZ to assure
comprehensive
isolation between the public Internet and the Web Center's middle-tier
systems. The
Administration system component of the Web Services is hosted on a separate
Web
Servers) from the client user experience and the network tuned to limit access
to
those servers. This shall assure both improve security for important
administration
systems but also a high level of on-demand access isolated from the public
Internet
network traffic. The Business Application Services are the Web Center's only
system
that processes incoming connection requests from the Web Services. No Data
Services are connected directly to an externally connected network and only
servers
housed within the Web Center have read and write access to the Data Services.
R. System Architecture
[0939] In certain implementations, the enterprise spatial system provides
application
services that integrate and offer on-demand superior quality data (e.g.,
geographical
imagery and associated industry specific data) and analysis tools to
government,
industry and the general public. The enterprise spatial system' accurate and
continually updated data is offered as both one-time use and periodic
subscription
based models.
[0940] This section describes a high level system architecture for the
enterprise spatial
system. The description contains the functional, component, and deployment
architecture for the enterprise spatial system Web Center environment. The
specifications for hardware and software systems required to develop, build
and run
the enterprise spatial system are described.
[0941] The Web Center loads the latest available processed data (e.g., imagery
and its
supporting data) from the Operations Center; delivers the data to the
enterprise spatial
system customer base upon demand; and then processes and bills the related
usage
charges for each customer.
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[0942] FIG. 177 illustrates data flow 17710 in accordance with certain
implementations of the invention. The data flow(FIG. 177) unifies separate
architectural pieces into an enterprise spatial system overview.
[0943] In certain implementations, the enterprise spatial system consists of
six distinct
functional environments. They are the ADS40 Processing Center, the GIS
Processing
Center, the Operations Center, the Web Center, the Fulfillment Center and the
Customer Service Center. All the primary processing of the GIS data for client
consumption is performed between the ADS40 Center and the GIS Processing
Center.
The Operations Center is the hub of all activities in the enterprise spatial
system
enterprise.
[0944] In addition to directing all the enterprise spatial system activities,
the
Operations Center also hosts the enterprise spatial system software
development,
software QA, GIS data QA, GIS data archival, Web Center staging, order
fulfillment
processing and second tier customer support. First tier customer support is
performed
at the Customer Support Center, which may be outsourced to a third party. The
Order
Fulfillment Center provides the logistics for actual media creation, packaging
and
shipping of the orders. The Web Center System is a pure hosting environment
that can
be managed remotely by the enterprise spatial system personnel from the
Operations
Center.
[0945] A high level description of the ADS40 Center design is provided for
overall
system reference, but the actual architecture and system configurations may
vary.
The ADS40 Center is an image collection and processing facility that is built
around
the ADS40 camera imagery and the LH Systems Geo Vault System. The ADS40
Center does not have any direct involvement in the business processing, such
as order
fulfillment done by the enterprise spatial system. The ADS40 Center generates
deployment neutral aerial imagery. FIG. 178 illustrates an ADS40 center
architecture
17810 in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
(0946] The ADS40 Center archives raw image data recorded by the ADS40 cameras.
The raw imagery recorded by the ADS40 cameras needs to be preserved as "film"
in
order to resolve possible disputes over the authenticity of the data provided
to the end
users. The raw imagery from the ADS40 cameras will be archived to a tape
library.
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In certain implementations, digital signatures may need to be attached to the
imagery
after acquisition to ensure the authenticity of the image data.
[0947] Beyond the archival of the raw data from the cameras, all processed
image data
is passed to the Operations Center. The data flow from the ADS40 Center to the
Operations Center is one-way. In a stable operating environment, data will
arrive
intact and will be processed without any further corruption or loss at the
Operations
Center. When it is not cost effective to design an automated process for
re-transmitting data from the ADS40 Center to the Operations Center,
initiation of
retransmission will be done manually.
[0948] The ADS40 Center performs data preprocessing. The raw image data
recorded
by the camera may not be usable as such by other GIS processing applications.
Several levels of processing are required before the data is in a form usable
by third
party GIS processors, including the GIS processing applications used at the
Operations Center. The ADS40 Center performs this initial processing of the
raw
imagery, such as ortho-rectification to make the image data usable by the
Operations
Center and the Order Fulfillment System at the Operations Center.
[0949] Software components include LH Systems Ground Processing System and Geo
Vault System and LH Systems Client Software. The LH Systems Ground Processing
System provides the preprocessing functionality required for the ADS40
imagery. The
Geo Vault System provides the archiving functionality of the ADS40 data. The
LH
Systems client software installed at the workstations will be used to work
with ADS40
data coming off the camera. The client software also provides integrated
access to the
Geo Vault catalog stored in the Oracle data store and the actual image data
stored in
the archive tapes.
[0950] External Software APIs include an ADS40 Data retrieval API. In certain
implementations, the ADS40 Center will not provide any GIS data specific
external
APIs for automatic retrieval or retransmission of data from the ADS40 Center.
Retransmission of ADS40 data us initiated through a manual process, such as
through
e-mails. All aerial image data usable by applications in the GIS processing
arena is
archived at the datamart in the Operations Center.
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[0951] The hardware requirements at the ADS40 Center are defined by for
example,
how the Geo Vault System is purchased. The Geo Vault System defines the
hardware
configuration if it is purchased as a turnkey solution. Otherwise another
hardware
configuration may be used. FIG. 179 illustrates a GIS processing center 17910
in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
[0952] A high level description of the GIS Processing Center design is
provided for
overall system reference, but actual architecture and system configurations
may vary.
. The GIS Processing Center acquires, processes and prepares the data coming
from
various third party data sources to the point where the data is ready for
uploading to
the operations Center. This center may be an outsourced GIS processing center
and
may not be involved in the enterprise spatial system operational functions
such as
order fulfillment.
[0953] A function of the GIS Processing Center is to collect GIS data from
enterprise
and third party sources. The GIS Processing Center also performs value-added
post
processing of the ADS40 imagery and collected GIS data.
[0954] The GIS processing facility does not archive or maintain storage of any
of the
data it processes. The GIS Processing Center compiles and processes the
various
input data and then passes it on to the Operations Center for archiving, QA
and
deployment.
[0955] FIG. 180 illustrates a GIS processing component architecture 18010 in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention. The GIS Processing
Center
uses various software tools (e.g., from ESRI and other vendors) for all data
manipulation. FIG. 181 illustrates a GIS processing network 18110 in
accordance
with certain implementations of the invention.
[0956] In certain implementations, an ArcSDETM data access protocol provides
access
to input GIS data for the GIS Processing Center. The ArcSDETM data access
protocol's ability to simultaneously work with multiple sources for GIS data
is
leveraged to interface with multiple disparate data sources. The ArcSDETM data
access protocol directly accesses ADS40 data from the Operations Center. The
processed data is moved to the Operations Center datamart using a loader, such
as
ArcToolboxTM loader.
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[0957] The server software used for GIS processing is ArcIMSTM software with
the
ArcSDETM data access protocol providing the data access. In certain
implementations, one instance of ArcIMSTM software and one or two instances of
ArcSDETM software are run on the GIS Processor machine in FIG. 181, and can be
scaled up when higher throughput of data is desired.
[0958] The input to the GIS processing system is the ortho-rectified image
data from
the Operations Center Datamart, publicly available GIS data, GIS data acquired
from
third parties, and other data. In certain implementations, the desktop
software used by
the GIS processing personnel is ESRI's ArcGISTM Desktop. The GIS data
processed
with desktop software is saved in the GIS Datamart at the Operations Center.
[0959] FIG. 182 illustrates an Operations Center 18210 in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention.
[0960] The Operations Center is responsible for the archival and management of
GIS
data made available to the enterprise spatial system clients and all the
software
deployed in the enterprise spatial system enterprise. The Web Center may be
operated
remotely from the Operations Center.
[0961] The Operations Center archives and maintains all the processed image
data and
the associated GIS layers in the GIS Datamart. In certain implementations, at
any
instance, the GIS Datamart in the Operations Center has an exact copy of the
data
deployed at the Web Center. In addition, the GIS Datamart also contains
previous
versions of the data deployed at the Web Center. In effect, the GIS Datamart
is a data
warehouse for all data ever deployed at the Web Center.
[0962] A subcomponent of the GIS Data Storage/Delivery component at the
Operations Center is the Versioning/Replication Server that replicates
production data
from the GIS Datamart to the Web Center Datamart. The Replication Server
allows
the Web Center to pull the data from the Operations Center. The Replication
Server
does not push the data to the Web Center. The data deployed to the Web Center
datamart is automatically versioned by this server. This allows easy roll back
of Web
Center data when unexpected problems are encountered at the Web Center that
require restoring to previous stable versions of the data.
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[0963] In certain implementations, software development for the enterprise
spatial
system organization is performed at the Operations Center. Software
integration with
third party software may also performed in the Operations Center. The
development
data store hosts the Configuration Management data and all other data required
for the
operation of the development center. The software developed by the development
center is, in certain implementations, portable Java code, and the environment
is a
Windows~ environment.
[0964] The Operations Center will host the staging cluster, which will be used
to QA
the software developed by the development gxoup. Software QA is done on a
staging
cluster that is architecturally the same as the Web Center environment. The
staging
cluster will access the GIS Datamart for GIS data. Since the GIS Datamart
contains
exactly the same data as in the Web Center, the QA is in effect done against
the
equivalent of live data.
[0965] Staging is the final QA of the software deployed at the Web Center and
the
GIS data deployed at the Web Center. Staging is also used to QA any new GIS
data
that will be pushed to the Web center. Preferably, staging requires an exact
replica of
the Web Center software/hardware environment to identify software and data
issues.
This approach may not be cost effective when the cost of the software/hardware
system deployed at the Web Center is of the order of millions of dollars.
Therefore,
for any scaled layer in the Web Center architecture that has a cluster/farm of
two or
more hardware boxes/software instances, the staging cluster has at least two
of the
hardware machines/software instances. This allows staging to test out fail-
over and
identify software race conditions and deadlocks. If the Web Center has three
or more
hardware boxes/software instances, it is preferable to have at least three
hardware
boxes/software instances in the staging cluster. Many deadlock issues and load
management issues don not surface until there are more than two
machines/software
instances in a cluster or server farm.
[0966] Orders that cannot be fulfilled directly by the Web Center will be sent
to the
Operations Center for fulfillment. Typically, orders that require special GIS
processing at the Operations Center or those that require the transfer of
large amounts
of data are sent from the Web Center to the Operations Center. Since the GIS
archive
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at the Operations Center contains all previous versions of GIS data, the order
fulfillment process will be used to retrieve and fulfill orders for earlier
versions of GIS
data. A catalog of previous versions of the GIS data will be kept at the Web
Center
and the users will be given the option to pick among the versions listed from
the
catalog. The Order Fulfillment Server will work with the GIS Datamart at the
Operations Center and does not require any interfaces with the GIS Processing
Center
or the ADS40 Center.
[0967] The Operations Group working out of the Operations Center will perform
all
functions relevant to running the Web center and the Operations Center. This
includes, for example, monitoring the Web Center using the Health & Welfare
System installed at the Web Center. The Health and Welfare System used, such
as
OpenView~, will be accessible from the Web Center and accessible remotely from
the Operations Center. There will be dedicated Health & Welfare user consoles
both
at the Web Center and at the Operations Center for this pw-pose. The systems
in the
Web Center will be instrumented with SNMP compliant Agents/MIBs to allow these
systems to be monitored and controlled remotely.
[0968] In certain implementations, maintenance of all the software/hardware
systems
deployed at the Operations Center will be the responsibility of the Operations
Group.
The Operations Group will do all system maintenance functions not supported by
the
staff at the web-hosting environment. The Operations staff will also be
responsible
for the uploading and deploying of data, imagery and application releases to
the Web
Center.
[0969] In certain implementations, the Operations Center will provide second
tier
customer support for the enterprise spatial system clients, and a first tier
customer
support will be outsourced to a third party. A third party customer
relationship
management (CRM) tool may be used as the primary customer data access tool at
the
Operations Center. The CRM product may be integrated with the in-house
bug-tracker software to track customer reported problems.
[0970] The Operations Center will also provide the software/hardware required
for the
enterprise spatial system corporate infrastructure such as e-mail services,
payroll
systems and ERP systems.
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[0971] FIG. 183 illustrates GIS storage components 18310 in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention. The GIS Datamart may be, for example, an
Oracle~ 8i data store running on a SAN solution for data storage. Another
option for
the storage device may be, for example, a NetApp 840 RAID storage solution.
[0972] The GIS Datamart is partitioned into at least five separate data store
instances.
The five instances will be used for GIS Processing, Staging Data Storage,
Development Testing Data Storage, Temporary Fulfillment Data and the GIS
Archive
Catalog. The GIS Data data store is used to storeanew image data coming in
from the
GIS Processing Center and the ADS40 Center. The lifespan of the data in this
data
store extends from the time it arrives from the GIS Processing Center or ADS40
Center to the time the validated data is loaded to the Web Center. The data
will be
archived before it is pushed to the Web Center.
[0973] The GIS data for the staging cluster is stored in the Staging Data data
store.
Typically the data in this data store will reflect the data in the Web Center
data store
plus the new data that is being validated. Upon successful validation, the new
data
will be replicated to the Web Center data store and at that point the data in
the Staging
Data data store will match the data in the Web Center data store exactly. The
Staging
Data data store is then ready to receive the next batch of new GIS data.
[0974] The Development Data data store is a scaled down version of the data in
the
Staging Data data store. The data in this data store may be populated based on
developer requests. This data is used for unit testing of software components
being
developed or integrated by the development team.
[0975] The Fulfillment Data data store holds the GIS data retrieved from the
tape
archive for order fulfillment. Further processing of data may need to be done
such as
clipping, reformatting or reprojecting layers depending on customer requests
and
access rights. The GIS data will be held in this area while processing is
performed.
The lifespan of the data in this data store extends from the time the data is
retrieved to
the time the processed data is sent to the Order Fulfillment Center.
[0976] The GIS Archive Catalog is a catalog of all the data stored in the tape
archives.
All data is retrieved from the tape archive using the GIS Archive. The
Versioning
Server will update the catalog as it stores new data and updates old data with
new
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versions. The Order Fulfillment Server will use the catalog to retrieve the
data
required to fulfill the order.
[0977] The GIS Data store Server can also host other data store instances to
be used
by systems such as Configuration Management, E-mail Servers, Message Queue
Servers etc. The decisions to use or not use the GIS Data store Server for
these
functions will be done on a case by case basis depending on the needs of these
software systems.
[0978] The software development environment may be, for example, a Windows~
based environment. Software development and unit testing is done on the
individual
developer machines. The software packages installed on the user machines will
vary
depending on individual development roles. FIG. 184 illustrates development
components 18410 in accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
[0979] The Web Servers and Application Server instances needed for integration
testing will be run on the Development Test Server machine. Multiple instances
of
Web Servers and Application Servers will be run on this machine to allow
multiple
developers to perform integration testing simultaneously without collisions.
[0980] The Configuration Management System and development file servers will
run
on the DevelopmentlCorporate Server. This machine will also host e-mail
services,
for example, the Microsoft~ Exchange~ Server for e-mail services for an entire
corporation. Tle production GIS Data will also be versioned using the
Configuration
Management System.
[0981] Since the enterprise spatial system is developing an online system that
supports
many (e.g., thousands of) simultaneous users, the QA process uses automated
tools to
perform load testing. Additional software may be used for problem tracking
between
QA and the Development Group. Software QA will be performed with the GIS data
in the Staging Data data store that mimics the data in the Web Center data
store. In
certain implementations, Software QA is not done with new GIS data from the
GIS
Processing System in the Staging Data data store unless the new software being
validated requires new data that is not yet in the Web Center.
[0982] Staging is done for both new software and new GIS data. Staging is the
primary environment where new GIS data is tested and validated. Staging is
done for
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data and new software separately. When GIS data is being staged, the software
running on the staging cluster matches the software running in the Web Center.
When
software is being staged, the data in the Staging Data data store matches the
data in
the Web Center. The only exception to this mode of operation is when the new
software being tested requires new GIS data or new GIS data format that has
not yet
been deployed to the Web Center.
[0983] The protocol for initiating the Replication Server to replicate GIS
data to the
Web Center after successful staging is defined using the Configuration
Management
system. A placeholder will represent each batch of new GIS data in the
Configuration
Management System in a similar manner as the software pieces are handled. The
QA
of the GIS data can then proceed the same way as normal software QA. In this
way,
the handover of production GIS data to the Replication Server can be
automated.
With this approach, the Configuration Management Systems versioning
capabilities
will be used to version the GIS data. This avoids the cost of developing and
managing a new versioning system for the GIS data. Because versioning of
production GIS data is handled through the Configuration Management System,
the
CM System has to be robust and top-tier in the configuration management arena.
[0984] The Replication Server triggers the replication of QA'd production data
from
the Operations Center to the Web Center. From a Web Center security point of
view
it is against 'best practice' to allow an external entity such as the
Replication Server
residing in the Operations Center to push production data into the Web Center.
Attacking or'hacking' this interface may allow someone to load inappropriate
material
into the Web Center data store. Therefore, the data will be pulled from the
Web
Center. A data loader running in the Web Center will pull the data from the
GIS
Datamart in the Operations Center when new data is available. The data loader
can
either poll the Operations Center on a fixed time interval for new data or it
can be
notified about new data through a messaging system. The notification mechanism
using a messaging system will be used since loading of data into the Web
Center
comes in bursts and there is no need for the loader to poll the Operations
Center
constantly.
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[0985] The Replication Server in the Operations Center therefore has several
roles,
including, for example: version the data, trigger the archival of the data to
tape, and
then notify the data loader in the Web Center.
[0986] There is no need to package the new GIS data for replication since the
data is
already sitting as a uniquely identifiable package in the GIS Data data store.
This also
makes versioning and archiving easier since the new data is all in one place.
This will
also be less error prone since the new data is isolated from other data and it
can be
locked until the archiving system and the Web Center data loader are
available.
[0987]Versioning will be done through the Configuration Management System as
described earlier. In that scenario the only action required of the
Replication Server is
to link the versioned placeholder for the data in the Configuration Management
System with the index for the new data in the archive catalog data store.
[0988] Triggering the data loader in the Web Center to load the new data will
be done
through an XML message sent through a messaging interface. The enterprise
spatial
system environment involves very complex interplays between various
individually
operating software systems and components in different locations. It is
therefore
required to have a full-featured messaging solution deployed to facilitate
automated
communication between the software entities.
[0989] Order fulfillment, that cannot be performed directly between the Web
Center
and the client, can be performed in one of two ways. The order information can
be
transmitted from the Web Center to the Operations Center using e-mail. The
person
at the Operations Center receiving the e-mail can initiate the order
fulfillment process.
[0990] Another solution is to use a messaging interface between the Web Center
and
the Operations Center for Order Fulfillment. The Web Center sends asynchronous
X1VIL messages to the Order Fulfillment Server as soon as an order is
received. The
Order Fulfillment Server interprets the XML message and retrieves all the
required
data and processes the data. The processed request is sent to the Order
Fulfillment
Center for the final physical packaging of the data for physical delivery. For
online
delivery methods such as FTP, the processed data will be sent to the
designated FTP
server. This automated solution is cost effective and scalable since any human
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interaction is at the very end of the fulfillment process, if needed at all.
In certain
implementations, the final stage of the Order Fulfillment process may be
outsourced
to a third party Fulfillment Center.
[0991] All the software tools required to administer and maintain networks
(e.g., of
Windows~ and Sun~ Solaris~ machines) are available to Operations personnel.
The
enterprise spatial system environment does not require any special software
tools
beyond the tools needed in a mixed network of, for example, Windows~ and Sun~
Solaris~ machines. The only exception are the tools) required to remotely
monitor
and manage the Web Center. Personnel who are authorized to administer the Web
Center will have access to monitoring consoles at the Web Center and at the
Operations Center. Deployment of new software to the Web Center can be
automated
or performed manually.
[0992) Second tier customer support will be handled at the Operations Center.
CRM
e-business solutions may be used as software for the call center. The CRM
system
may be tied to a problem tracking system to facilitate seamless problem
tracking from
the call center, to QA, to the development group.
[0993] The Operations Center hosts a myriad of activities ranging from
development,
to corporate TT, to handling production data. As a result, it is important to
segregate
the network so that network problems, congestion and operational errors in one
area
of the Operations Center do not adversely affect other functional areas of the
Operations Center. The Operations Center network is segregated into three LAN
segments; the GIS Production LAN, the Development/Corporate LAN and the
Staging
LAN. FIG. 185 illustrates an Operations Center network 18510 in accordance
with
certain implementations of the invention.
[0994] The GIS Production LAN hosts all the machines that deal with production
GIS
data that pass through the Operations Center. This LAN segment is in effect a
logical
extension of the LAN segments in the Web Center. It is important to ensure
that
Production GIS data processing is not affected by traffic and activities on
the other
networks in the Operations Center.
[0995] The Staging LAN is segregated in to its own LAN segment so that stress
testing done in this segment does not affect the performance of the other
services in
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the Operations Center. Segregation of the staging clusters also ensures that
the QA
and performance tests that are done are not colored by the LAN activity caused
by
other processes in the Operations Center.
[0996] The Development/Corporate LAN hosts everything that is not directly
related
to GIS Production data and the staging activities. All corporate workstations,
file
servers, e-mail servers, payroll systems etc. reside on this LAN. All
development
servers and workstations also reside on this LAN segment.
[0997] The Staging Cluster is a self contained cluster of machines that
replicate the
machines and the deployment architecture of the Web Center. FIG. 186
illustrates a
Staging Cluster architecture 18610 in accordance with certain implementations
of the
invention.
[0998] In certain implementations, the machines deployed in the Staging
Cluster are
the same type of machines as the ones deployed in the Web Center in terms of
manufacturer, processors and memory configurations. The Staging System,
however,
does not have as many machines as in the Web Center at each level in the
architecture
hierarchy. Wherever there are two or more machines in a server farm or a
cluster in
the Web Center, there will be at least two in the corresponding server farm or
cluster
in the Staging Cluster. Three of each is preferable.
[0999] In certain implementations, the Staging Cluster includes, for example,
the
Health & Welfare Monitoring Server and the Replication Server. It is
preferable to
have these servers in the Staging Cluster to flush out any interference to
normal Web
Center operation caused by the Health & Welfare System or by the Replication
Service.
[1000] As for external communication links, the Operations Center is connected
to the
Web Center with two independent communication links: a low volume link such as
a
fractional Tl and a high volume link such as a T3. Both links terminate into
firewalls
at both ends of the link.
[1001] The low volume link between the Operations Center and the Web Center is
used for application administration, e-mail and order traffic. The high volume
link
between the two is used for back end data (e.g., spatial data and application
software)
deployment to the Web Center and Operations monitoring data back from the Web
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Center. Even though the high bandwidth line can be used for all traffic
between the
Web Center and the Operations Center from a bandwidth point of view, there are
other reasons for keeping them as two separate lines. One is that they have
different
security requirements. The other is that it provides some level of redundancy.
In
certain implementations, the lines are leased from two different telecom
providers,
and a protocol is available for routing the different datasets over either one
of the
lines, if the occasion arose to do so.
[1002] The T3 link may have a QoS controller that guarantees priority
bandwidth for
Administration functions during high volume data loads. This allows the T3
line to
be used as a backup to the Tl line and prevent negative impact to Operations
during
data loading. The Operations Center may also provision a VPN over the Internet
to be
used as a tertiary backup measure.
[1003] There is a high volume communication link between the Operations Center
and the ADS40 Center. All ADS40 data will pass through this link. The same
link
1 S will also be used for administrative traffic between the Centers such as e-
mails.
[1004] There is a high volume communication link between the GIS Processing
Center to the Operations Center. This same link is used for all administrative
traffic
between the Operations Center and the GIS Processing Center.
[1005] The Web Center provides a highly scalable, high throughput and high
availability online system to deploy the enterprise spatial system software
service.
The system is architected to run in a third party hosted environment that is
monitored
and managed remotely from the Operations Center.
[1006] The enterprise spatial system is architected to achieve several design
goals.
The enterprise spatial system is scalable at each tier in the architecture.
The enterprise
spatial system scales seamlessly from a prototype system deployed on a single
machine for development testing at the Operations Center to a large-scale web
deployment at the Web Center. Each layer is tunable independently based on the
traffic at that layer and the software deployed at that layer.
[1007] The enterprise spatial system server software is platform neutral. The
enterprise spatial system software is not dependent on any single third party
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application provider, although the enterprise spatial system may use third
party
applications.
[1008] The enterprise spatial system is available 24/7/365. The enterprise
spatial
system has no or few single points of failure. The preferable solution has "no
single
point of failure". A system that has no single point of failure is also a
system that can
be maintained easily by hot swapping in and out redundant hardware/software
systems
with minimal impact on system up time.
[1009] The enterprise spatial system (hardware and software) is upgradeable
and
maintainable without bringing the enterprise spatial system service down. Many
software components and hardware are hot swappable.
[1010] Since the enterprise spatial system service is hosted by a web-hosting
center,
physical access to the live system is limited, the enterprise spatial system
personnel
are able to monitor and control the system from a remote location. All
hardware
systems and software systems are enabled for monitoring by a full-featured
health and
maintenance system.
[1011] FIG. 187 illustrates a Web Center Functional Architecture 18710 in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention. FIG. 187 illustrates
an
architecture 1870 that uses ArcSDETM as the data access layer between the core
Map
Service components and the GIS data store.
[1012] From a functional perspective this is a basic three-tier architecture
with the
presentation tier, business logic middle tier, and the back end data storage
tier. The
actual deployment of this functional system is an n-tier system.
[1013] A typical web front end is proposed with, in certain implementations,
no
business logic present. The web front end acts as a dispatcher to route the
incoming
client requests to the appropriate middle tier business logic server. The
responses
from the middle tier business logic servers are formatted and returned to the
clients.
[1014] Much of the processing done in the Web Center is done at the Core GIS
Service/Application Server layer. The services at this layer are deployed
behind an
Application Server. The Application Server acts as a workflow engine that
coordinates the sequence of actions performed by the various business entities
at this
tier.
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[1015] In terms of the Data Access Application Server, ArcSDETM servers
provide
access to the GIS data in the GIS data store. The data in the account/billing
data store
is accessed directly through native data store access methods.
[1016] The Customer Care/Billing servers provide all the business services for
the
enterprise spatial system enterprise. Functions such as billing, credit card
processing,
e-mail services and order fulfillment processes are either performed by these
servers
or are triggered by these servers.
[1017] FIG. 188 illustrates an alternative architecture 18810 in accordance
with
certain implementations of the invention. FIG. 188 contrasts the architecture
18710
with an architecture 18810 that leverages the spatial data access
functionality provided
by Oracle~ 8i Spatial, thus eliminating the need to use ArcSDETM servers.
Thus,
various architectures are encompassed by implementations of the invention.
[1018] FIG. 189 illustrates a Web Center Component Architecture 18910 in
accordance with certain implementations of the invention.
[1019] The Web Server can be any mainstream Web Server (e.g., with J2EE
support).
The servlet engine can be any mainstream (e.g., J2EE) compliant servlet engine
that
works with other components.
[1020] FIG. 190 illustrates a servlet architecture 19010 in accordance with
certain
implementations of the invention. The servlet engines follow the model2
servlet
architecture. A dispatcher servlet receives all incoming IiTTP requests. It
forwards
the request to the appropriate servlet depending on the incoming request. The
incoming requests can be broadly categorized as page requests, map service
requests
and account requests. The page request servlet will forward the incoming
request to
the appropriate JSP. The map service servlet will call the EJB that can
provide the
service requested by the client, gather the response from the EJB and forward
it on to
the JSP to format the response. The account servlet will call the appropriate
account
management EJB, gather the response from the EJB and forward it on to the JSP
to
format the response to the client. The JSPs will include, for example, other
JSP pages
from the JSP library. The JSP library contains JSPs for page artifacts
commonly used
across multiple pages such as company logos, license agreements and commonly
displayed tables.
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