Importance of GIS platform for GIS-INTERNET applications.
Our strategy for implementation GIS in INTERNET.
Real realizations.
Principles of design.
Installation.
Advantages.

Importance of GIS platform for GIS-INTERNET applications.

GeoCosntructor Web is the tool based on the GIS platform GeoDraw/GeoGraph/GeoConstructor, existing for 1992-2002, having about 3000 users, all basic capabilities to implement digital maps, raster images and related attribute databases from many sources.
The GIS platform facilitates for you:

• putting existing digital maps, GIS databases from different formats (GeoDraw/GeoGraph, ArcView, MapInfo, DXF) INTERNET/INTRANET server with minimal time/financial expenses;
• design your own GIS application for INTERNET/INTRANET from any functions available for modern desktop GIS.

Our strategy for implementation GIS in INTERNET

Basic proposals:

• implementation of GIS in INTERNET must be available for the wide range of users (minimal financial expenses, minimal requirements to the quality of telecommunication networks and "think" clients etc.)
• for creation of GIS-servers in INTERNET/INTRANET it is necessary to make some programming work, depending on requirements of concrete users
• GIS-web-server must be reliable under high press of visitors in INTERNET (millions visitors per day)
• law rights for maps publishing in INTERNET (different depending on countries)
• GIS-server must be opened for functional development.

Real realizations

GIS and interactive maps in INTERNET powered by GeoConstructor Web have been realized at:

• INTERNET-holding rambler - the largest Russian INTERNET server (more than 3 millions visitors per day) - www.rambler.ru/maps, www.nakarte.ru
• Official server of Moscow city administration - the most popular server among administrations in Russian INTERNET - www.mos.ru, part Atlas of Moscow
• Rossbusinessconsulting - the largest business consulting server in Russian INTERNET - www.rbc.ru
• Management of oil pipelines from Russia to the Europe through Belorussia "Druzshba"
• All Russian institute of economy of mineral resources and geology - www.viems.ru
• Fund of effective policy - one of the leading political consulting centers in Russia - www.fep.ru
• Rosenergo - http://www.np-ats.ru/map/

Principles of design.

Now there are 2 solutions to realize GIS-servers for INTERNET. In the both solutions it is necessary to have 2 logical servers to realize the required security. It is shown on the simplest schemes (each logical server is a separate hardware):

1. The first server is an UNIX server, looking to the world, with a firewall. Inside the firewall there is a server with Microsoft Windows NT/2000 with installed Internet Information Server (IIS) and Active Server Pages (ASP). Our software (GeoConstructorWeb, which is ActiveX component) works in the environment of ASP. So there is no any straight interaction from the external world with NT/2000 GIS server. It helps to solve a set of problems (make the costs lower, including lower cost of development tools for NT/2000, data protection, security etc.). For the example, RAMBLER INTERNET holding has tested security, speed, reliability etc. of this solutions and has been satisfied.
2. The server (UNIX or not) has output to INTERNET Server and installed interpreter of Perl language. Perl interpreter processes our Perl-scripts, which transmit the users GIS-related queries to the internal network to the second server (MS Windows NT/2000), where our service module (based on GeoConstructor-web) works. The connections is based on TCP-protocol. In this solution it is not required to install on Windows server IIS � ASP, and the security depends only on your security on your external server.

Maps (vector, raster) and attribute data for both solutions can be prepared by use of GIS GeoDraw/GeoGraph (cost US$250), including straight reading of data from ArcView shape files/raster world files via drivers, reading MapInfo files, conversion of DXF files from AutoCAD, Microstation etc.

The basic approach - as an output for the user , the raster map image is generated from the source GIS database and regenerated depending on users action. This approach gives the technology which does not require loading any software on clients computers besides standard INTERNET browser.

Multi-user work with attribute data bases.

Because in the solution (1) the single client is MSIIS, it is not necessary to install powerful database management servers for multi-user access to the attribute data (or to the spatial data saving in the relational database). In this case the technology itself will support the multi-user access. In case if database management servers (for example Oracle) are already used besides INTERNET scheme, the access to them is also supported by existing components.

Installation.

In the solution (1).
It is required to have MS Windows NT/2000 server with installed Microsoft Internet Information Server (MSIIS).

Then on this server have to be installed:

• GeoConstructor Web
• Map compositions, including digital vector map layers, raster images, attribute databases, previously prepared in GeoGraph (there is not necessary to make any changes in hem, usually installation and update take a minutes)
• The active pages are created and adopted to the users goals, using provided in GeoConstructor Web samples of such pages.

It is possible to address to these active pages from :
- HTML-pages from Java-scripts (for simple applications, for "think" clients, maximal security)
Java-applets (when it is required to have rather complicated client, for example multi-user editing of topological layers in INTERNET).

Advantages.

• Saving cost proposal (many time lesser cost then from foreign companies)
• GIS platform with the developed service as a background for GIS Internet applications
• Capability to realize a wide range of applications from very simple to implement to the complicated ones
• Reliability, speed and security in real intensive use in INTERNET on sites of popular INTERNET-companies.