TOWARDS THEMATIC WEB SERVICES for GENERIC DATA VISUALIZATION and ANALYSIS

Abstract

Spatial analysis packages and thematic mapping are available in a number of traditional desktop GIS. However, visualizing thematic maps through the Internet is still limited to fix contents and restrict changes of the input data. The users with limited GIS knowledge or people who do not own digital map data are normally having difficulties to create output thematic maps from generic data. In this study, we developed thematic mapping services that can be applied to non-spatial data format served through powerful map services solutions. Novice users who have no GIS software experience or have no digital base map can simply input a plain text file with location identifier field such as place name or gazetteer to generate thematic maps online. We implemented a prototype by using web service standards recommended by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) such as Web Map Service (WMS), Web Feature Service (WFS) and Styled Layer Descriptor (SLD) to provide a principle for communication and allow users to visualize spatial information as thematic maps. The system dedicates a great deal of effort to the initial study of geospatial analysis and visualization for novice users including those with no past experience using Geographic Information Systems.