Geospatial Cloud

Data semantics play an extremely significant role in spatial data infrastructures by providing semantic specifications to geospatial data and enabling in this way data sharing and interoperability. By applying, on the fly, composite geospatial processes on the above data it is possible to produce valuable geoinformation over the web directly available and applicable to a wide range of geo-activities of significant importance for the research and industry community.

Cloud computing may enable geospatial processing since it refers to, among other things, efficient computing resources providing on demand processing services. In this context, we attempt to provide a design and architectural framework for web applications based on open geospatial standards.

Our approach includes, in addition to geospatial processing, data acquisition services that are essential especially when dealing with satellite images and applications in the area of remote sensing and similar fields. As a result, by putting in a common framework all data and geoprocesses available in the Cloud, it is possible to combine the appropriate services in order to produce a solution for a specific need.

Benefits

Regardless of the industry there are strengths to using a cloud-based service. This may particularly be the case for GIS because of the potentially complex software tools and large datasets.

Hardware cost efficiencies - This is perhaps the largest cost-savings. There is no need to procure the hardware infrastructure required to run the enterprise GIS. Also there are no maintenance costs.
Scalability - The cloud infrastructure can be scaled to meet demand. This is a benefit if the consumption of the GIS maps, data, and web services fluctuate.
Ease of use - Administering a cloud GIS is often very easy, giving the operator a simple-tounderstand user experience/interface.
Disaster recovery and availability - The cloud provider should meet certain up-time requirements and should have various physical locations for infrastructure in the event of a calamity.

Limitations

While there are numerous benefits to using a cloud-based GIS, one should also be aware of the potential limits.

Lack of customization/enhancements - The tools, applications, and functionality of the cloud-based GIS is by-and-large determined by the service provider. Think of it as “GIS for the masses.”
Data formats - The format of the data available through the cloud GIS is limited to what the provider delivers.
Privacy concerns - Sensitive data or PII (Personally Identifiable Information) may prohibit the information from being stored off-premise (i.e. in the cloud).

Functionality

Evmolpos online applications is a cloud-based mapping platform designed for geosciences. It includes functionality to accomplish tasks in the cloud. These functions can be grouped into “mapping”, “analysis”, and “applications.”

Basic mapping functionality is presented when opening the map – zoom in/out, pan, travel directions, measure, bookmarks, and find an address or place, are included. Popups can be configured to display feature attributes.
Analyzing data added to the map is performed by clicking on the menu button for that data set. With quarterly is building a useful set of analysis tools that users have at their disposal.
Once a web map is authored and shared it can be used to create a web application. This application can reside within Evmolpos online or on the user’s own server.