Peer-To-Peer GIS

Peer-to-Peer GIS (P2PGIS)

Advanced Technology Solutions Inc. and Penn State University have developed “OPUS” (OPen Use Server) for Mifflin County, Pennsylvania with a grant from the FGDC. OPUS is the first implementation of a P2PGIS file sharing architecture called RoMap.net (Rapid Online Mapping Network). OPUS is implemented using a combination of Java, Apache, PHP, and MapServer.

RoMap is a set of peer-to-peer protocols and network infrastructure to allow compliant GIS applications to work together over a network.

Key features of the OPUS implementation:  A system that allows any peer to browse and download data from any other peer  GIS-based capability graphical display information  Easy software installation and operation, even for non-technical users  Support for multiple data formats  Basic data documentation tools  Ability to perform keyword and spatial searches of any data set on the network  Software that can be easily and widely distributed among users

Peer-to-peer Geographic Information System (P2PGIS) is the sharing of computer-based geographic resources and services by direct exchange between systems. These resources and services include the exchange of geographic information, processes, cache storage, and disk storage for files. P2PGIS takes advantage of existing desktop computing power and networking connectivity, allowing economical clients to leverage their collective data resources and computing power to benefit the entire enterprise. In a peer-to-peer architecture, computers that have traditionally been used as clients also serve as a server to communicate directly among themselves and can act as a “clerver” or a combination of a client and server, assuming whatever role is most efficient or needed at the time. This P2PGIS performs specialized services (such as sharing map graphics and files) more effectively. At the same time, P2PGIS can greatly expand the ability of an organization to support certain services, such as serving maps over the web while at the same time reduce the need for the organization to increase it central GIS infrastructure. Peer-to-peer computing has been around for almost 30 years ago. But today, several factors have created the environment for P2PGIS. The first factor is the incredible advancement of GIS technology. Secondly, peer-to-peer technology has come into the forefront because of inexpensive computing power, bandwidth, and storage. In the enterprise, P2PGIS is about more than just Napster-like file- sharing. GIS applications for peer-to-peer computing fall into a few categories. 1. Spatially enabled collaboration. P2PGIS empowers individuals and teams to create and administer real-time and off-line collaboration areas that are spatially enabled, across the Internet, or behind the firewall. P2PGIS also mean that workgroups have access to the freshest data. Spatially enabled collaboration increases productivity leverages all the advantages of GIS with the inherent advantages of peer-to-peer computing that decreasing the time for multiple reviews by project participants and allows teams in different geographic areas to work together. 2. Spatial edge services. As web-based GIS delivery pathways between the server and the user become more congested, problems such as sites that load slowly, are only partially delivered, or crash during delivery will increase. The P2PGIS architecture solves these problems while reducing infrastructure costs. Users requesting heavily used web-based GIS content may well have those requests served from a location much closer (in network terms) to them, rather than the original Web server. This can reduce the likelihood of overloaded GIS servers and provides system redundancy. Peer-to-peer technologies offers a distributed architecture for GIS applications that can leverage network intelligence and economies of scale to deliver the type of reliability, scalability, performance, and availability required for mission-critical systems. P2PGIS can help the geospatial marketplace deliver services and capabilities more efficiently. In essence, spatial edge services move spatial data closer to the point at which it is actually consumed acting as a network caching mechanism. For example, a critical spatial data source needs to provide the same geospatial services across multiple states or municipalities using the Web. Instead of serving the database from one server located at a central site, the origination can store the data on local clients, which act essentially as local database servers. This speeds up access and improves reliability because the access happens over the local LAN instead of the WAN. It also utilizes existing web resources, thereby saving money by eliminating the need for additional local servers. 3. Distributed computing and resources. P2PGIS in the long run may help users with very large spatial processing needs. Using a network of computers, peer-to- peer technology can use idle CPU cycles, allowing applications to distribute large computational jobs across multiple computers. In addition, results can be shared directly between participating peers. The results are faster completion times and lower cost because the technology takes advantage of power available on client systems. 4. Intelligent agents. P2PGIS potentially allows spatial networks to work together using intelligent agents. Agents reside on peer computers and communicate various kinds of information back and forth. Agents may also initiate tasks on behalf of other peer systems. For instance, Intelligent agents can be used to spatially search for files locally or recommend the most suitable data.

A proposed cooperative initiative between the Regional Health-Environment Alliance (HEA) and the GeoData Alliance is the development and implementation of a P2PGIS capability as part of an integrated, comprehensive regional information architecture. This set of peer-to-peer and place-based information- handling protocols will be build on ROMap technology and allow HEA participants to collaboratively improve health-related forecasts.

Contacts:

Todd S. Bacastow Penn State University 814-863-0049 [email protected]

Ben Lewis ATS, Inc 717-399-7007 [email protected]