Ad-hoc combination and analysis of heterogeneous and distributed spatial data for environmental monitoring – design and prototype of a web-based solution

ABSTRACTWith regard to a multi-dimensional and multi-facetted implementation of the vision of a Digital Earth, capabilities to combine and analyze heterogeneous spatial data sources on the web are becoming increasingly important. In this article, an online system is conceptualized and implemented to facilitate spatial data analysis and decision making specifically for environmental applications. It supports a dynamic search and binding of suitable geoprocessing functionality with respect to the given input data and target description. Geoprocessing patterns are used to create an application-oriented abstraction layer on top of generic geoprocessing services available on the web. As an application scenario the determination and quality assessment for water body structures is taken. For this use case authoritative data, remote sensing imagery and citizen science data gets combined to gain a comprehensive picture of the various spatial, temporal and thematic aspects influencing the quality of inland waters. ...