Maps and Apps

Maps and Apps

Addy PopeResearch and geodata service

EDINA

Photo: Addy Pope

EDINA

What do we do?

Flicker – Panda Evans http://www.flickr.com/photos/98216330@N00/239423934/

Digimap – a mini-revolution

Mocpages: http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/135070

Digimap – the beginning

Digimap Carto Beta circa 1999

Digimap – Evolution

Digimap Roam – VectorMap Local

Know your users

Geoscience is in the minority. What does this tell you?

What do users actually want to do, or rather what do they want to avoid doing?

Digimap – Alternative representations

Alternative representations – 4 images of the same area with different styles applied.

Digimap – add your own data

Digimap Roam – 1:50 000 + Hillshade + GPX tracklog uploaded as annotation

So how do you improve interfaces?

Usability led interface design

USeD - JISC Research infrastructure programme - Usability/Learnability

Identify the problem

Select 1 data product from a choice of 16

Define area

Pick data tiles

Define delivery format

21

4

3

Stats: • 48,000+ Digimap users• 74,000 data requests*• 1,000,000 data tiles served*

* Based on Jan 2010 – Jan 2011

Know your users

http://used.blogs.edina.ac.uk/files/2011/09/USeD_Persona.pdf

Define the requirements

Iterative test cycle

Start

Persona

Tech/UserRec’s

Testing

Release

0

6

User Testing

Prototype Review

Revise

Implement

Be prepared to failNot everything will work. Part of experimenting with an interface is

working out what doesn’t work

Pic courtesy of Volvo Cars

Be prepared to failBut remember, you will still find users who simply just don’t get it.

Pic courtesy of Volvo Cars

Test it, test it, test it

http://used.blogs.edina.ac.uk/files/2011/09/USeD_Persona.pdf

Launch

Data Download beats the old version hands down as far as I‘m concerned. The rapidity with which you can select a map extent and download all of the relevant mapping data in one go is by far much better than the slow and more manual way things used to work. Top notch stuff.”

Lecturer at Northumbria University

But what about mobile?

Location based everything

Data collection has changed

Technology has made data capture easier, more affordable and quicker.

Beyond the classroom

Pic courtesy of Richard Allaway: http://www.flickr.com/photos/geographyalltheway_photos/5186209019/in/set-72157625415772442

Know your users….. again.

WHO?

Geographers?

Geoscience?

Everyone?

WHAT?

Navigate?

View maps?

Collect data?

WHERE?

UK or Abroad?

Rural or urban

3G network?

HOW?

Easy to use?

Platform?

Mapping – ok, but not great

OpenStreet Map

OS Opendata

Google

Mapping for mobiles

80 cm

80 cm

135 screens

Scale Vs Screen

1:10k on A4

1:50k @ 1:20kon A4

Custom Mapping

StrategiVMD

PanoramaOSM

Natural England

We added another zoom level and the stack increased from 26Gb to 84Gb

Example Maps

Some example maps from Fieldtrip GB

Mapping Issues : Urban vs. Rural

MapServer Masking

Urban and rural areas have different needs,

rural areas would benefit from a wider

view / urban area might benefit from larger scale views.

How do you satisfy both from one

mapping stack?

Maps anywhere

Why save maps to the phone?

Data connection not always

available in rural areas

Streaming maps uses data

allowance

Maps load faster

http://ukmobilecoverage.co.uk/map/ee

Maps anywhere

Why save maps to the phone?

Fieldwork in rural areas

Streaming maps uses data allowance

Maps load faster

http://ukmobilecoverage.co.uk/map/ee

But now we have to consider:

Select an area

Prevent user mistaking selection map for

the actual map

Select zoom levels?

Communicate the size of the download

Integrate : Prevent the app streaming

maps to device that have been

downloaded

Maps anywhere

Preview Map: shows the detail of the mapping you will download

Zoom Levels: define the number of zoom levels you want to download

Capture the data you want

http://fieldtripgb.edina.ac.uk/authoring/

Create your own data collection form and deploy it to your phone

Understand the users

Promotes good research data management through consistent capture and helps reduce blunders

Post Capture

Easy Data Sharing: Sync to upload data Filter data by form name Visualise your data on a

basemap Edit collected data Export to kml, GeoJson,

csv, wms* Share maps through

Dropbox

PCAPI – How it works

PCAPIPersonal Cloud API

DropBox Flickr Google

Drive?Secure HE/FE?

Your Cloud Space

EDINA Services

Custom FormsRecord ViewerPublish RecordsAu

thor

ing

Tool

Fiel

dTrip

GB

What platforms?

Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_operating_system

Hybrid app

EDINA App – Fieldtrip GB

http://fieldtripgb.blogs.edina.ac.uk/

Download maps and formsUpload captured data

Capture Data: basic capture forms and GPS tracking

Maps: View maps or save them for use offline

Citizen Science

• Get a new Dropbox account to share with your team• Download Fieldtrip GB to your devices1.Before you start• Log into the Authoring Tool• Create a custom form and save it2. Design your form• Get the team to log into the Dropbox account • Use Sync to get the form on their devices3. Share the form• Collect data using the form• Manually correct remote points or in urban canyons4. In the field• Connect to WiFi• Get the team Sync to upload the data5. Back indoors• Log into Authoring Tool• Filter by form name and edit points if needed6. Manage your data• Export to a KML file, GeoJSON, CSV or WMS• Map the points in Google Earth, OpenLayers or a GIS 7. View the results

Architecture

Service Architecture:• Apache web server • MapCache (Tile cache)• Python WSGI (PC API)• Citrix Netscaler load balancer• VSphere VMWare (SUN X4150

cluster)

Map Generation Architecture:• OpenStack private cloud • Apache Web Server• MapServer 6.2 • MapCache seeder• PostGIS

App Architecture:• Data storage outsourced• PhoneGap• OpenLayers

Why PhoneGap?• OpenLayers library more versatile• Easier to implement custom forms• Lower costs

Beginning, not the end

http://fieldtripgb.blogs.edina.ac.uk/