José M. Santana

An open source virtual globe framework for iOS, Android and WebGL compliant browser

The present article introduces the Glob3 Mobile, an efficient virtual globe framework, testable and freely accessible from the web and providing a real 3D navigation experience with smooth flying. We discuss the software design and the native code implementation for the family of iOS and Android mobile devices. In addition, a novel web experience is facilitated by supporting the globe through a WebGL compliant browser. Glob3 mobile enjoys a user friendly API that allows for testing and scripting new features on the globe. The paper discusses the software design, the technical rollout options and provides a comparison with other similar existing solutions.

An efficient terrain Level of Detail implementation for mobile devices and performance study

Abstract On the basis of traditional Terrain Quadtree algorithms this paper introduces a new Level Of Detail (LoD) criteria which allows the visualization of a virtual earth on many kinds of mobile devices with a suitable accuracy. The earth rendering system is intended to run beneath the threshold that resources of current devices impose, regarding especially the graphics hardware capabilities and the memory usage. At the same time, the system deals flawless with typical screen-based user interaction allowing smooth flying and rapid orientation changes of the camera. The present work analyses the memory and graphics requirements from a theoretical perspective. Finally, we give a useful performance study that compares the globe on some mobile and desktop devices, focusing on LoD techniques, visibility test, creation of texture tiles, uploading tiles to GPU, and rendering.

SmartPort: A Platform for Sensor Data Monitoring in a Seaport Based on FIWARE

Seaport monitoring and management is a significant research area, in which infrastructure automatically collects big data sets that lead the organization in its multiple activities. Thus, this problem is heavily related to the fields of data acquisition, transfer, storage, big data analysis and information visualization. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria port is a good example of how a seaport generates big data volumes through a network of sensors. They are placed on meteorological stations and maritime buoys, registering environmental parameters. Likewise, the Automatic Identification System (AIS) registers several dynamic parameters about the tracked vessels. However, such an amount of data is useless without a system that enables a meaningful visualization and helps make decisions. In this work, we present SmartPort, a platform that offers a distributed architecture for the collection of the port sensors’ data and a rich Internet application that allows the user to explore the geolocated data. The presented SmartPort tool is a representative, promising and inspiring approach to manage and develop a smart system. It covers a demanding need for big data analysis and visualization utilities for managing complex infrastructures, such as a seaport.

Multimodal Location Based Services—Semantic 3D City Data as Virtual and Augmented Reality

The visualization of cross-domain spatial data sets has become an important task within the analysis of energy models. The representation of these models is especially important in urban areas, in which the under-standing of patterns of energy production and demand is key for an efficient city planning. Location Based Services (LBS) provide a valuable addition towards the analysis and visualization of those data sets as the user can explore the output of different models and simulations in the real environment at the location of interest. Towards this aim, the present research explores mobile alternatives to the visual analysis of temporal data series and 3D building models. Based on the fields of numerical simulation, GIS and computer graphics, this work presents a novel mobile service that allows exploring urban models at different Level of Details (LoDs) using well-known standards such as CityGML. Ultimately, the project enables researchers, city planners and technicians to explore urban energy datasets in an interactive and immersive manner as Virtual Globes, Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality. Using models of the city of Karlsruhe, the final service has been implemented and tested on the iOS platform providing an empirical insight on the performance of the system. In addition, this research provides a holistic approach by developing one application that is capable of seamlessly change the visualization mode.

Glob3 Mobile: An Open Source Framework for Designing Virtual Globes on iOS and Android Mobile Devices

The widely development of mobile devices is contributing to a high demand in 3D graphics, as they have also become a very important requirement of modern applications. Virtual Globes integrating environmental data at any time or place, remain a challenge within the technical constraints imposed by mobile devices. We present Glob3 Mobile, an open source framework for the development of virtual globes on familiar iOS and Android mobile devices. The paper discusses the design and development choices for each platform. The aim of this work is twofold. First, to provide an efficient Virtual Globe application, testable and freely accessible from the web and providing a truly 3D navigation experience with smooth flying. Second, to provide the main software components to easily design and implement 3D Virtual Globes based applications, on both iOS and Android platforms.

A physical model for screen space distribution of 3D marks on geographical information systems

In this paper, a novel approach to the on-screen reordering of geolocated marks for geographical information system is proposed. This self-organizing set of marks, called Non-Overlapping Marks, relies on a real-time simulation of a physical model of point masses. This work presents the challenges of displaying a high number of such georeferenced features on 2D and 3D maps, and the goals that the final mark distribution should achieve. It is described how the proposed model uses electrostatic and elastic forces, among others, to improve the marks readability. Moreover, the proposed system has been fully implemented on a virtual globe framework. The final part of this work addresses experimentally the margins of usability of the proposed system.

Rendering large datasets of georeferenced markers in mobile devices

As the volume of data that can be shown in a virtual globe increases, it becomes necessary to develop techniques which provides an unambiguous and meaningful visualization. In this paper, we propose a server-client architecture which allows the transmission of large datasets to be shown in a mobile virtual globe. A variation of the quadtree structure is used to generate a multilevel of detail model, according to two different strategies: sorting and clustering. A client implementation of a level of detail scheme have been also developed to retrieve the proper information according to the point of view of the user. Moreover, an efficient rendering pipeline has been developed in order to render these features as billboard markers. Finally, several experiments have been conducted to find the proper adjustments of the proposed visualizing system.

3D-Monitoring Big Geo Data on a seaport infrastructure based on FIWARE

AbstractMany organizations of all kinds are using new technologies to assist the acquisition and analysis of data. Seaports are a good example of this trend. Seaports generate data regarding the management of marine traffic and other elements, as well as environmental conditions given by meteorological sensors and buoys. However, this enormous amount of data, also known as Big Data, is useless without a proper system to organize, analyze and visualize it. SmartPort is an online platform for the visualization and management of a seaport data that has been built as a GIS application. This work offers a Rich Internet Application that allows the user to visualize and manage the different sources of information produced in a port environment. The Big Data management is based on the FIWARE platform, as well as “The Internet of Things” solutions for the data acquisition. At the same time, Glob3 Mobile (G3M) framework has been used for the development of map requirements. In this way, SmartPort supports 3D visualization of the ports scenery and its data sources.

Web-Based GIS Through a Big Data Open Source Computer Architecture for Real Time Monitoring Sensors of a Seaport

Numerous activities and processes of a wide nature occur in a modern seaport. To name a few, goods, travelers transportation, fishing, rescue and protection agents and increasing demanding human habits around tourism. In the paradigm of “The Internet of Things” we present “Puerto de la Luz” SmartPort a solution for real time monitoring of sensor data in a seaport infrastructure. We describe the computer architecture and the enriched Internet application that allows the user to visualize and manage real-time information produced in the seaport environment. The Big Data management is based on the FIWARE platform. The entire system is implemented in the “Puerto de La Luz” seaport, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain. We remark the architecture for processing and visualizing the streaming data coming from two sensors physically deployed on the neighborhood of the seaport and underline new features to truly manage Big Data.

Managing and 3D visualization of real-time big geo-referenced data from Las Palmas port through a flexible open source computer architecture

Nowadays, new technologies assist the capture and analysis of data for all kinds of organizations. A good example of this trend are the seaports that generate data regarding the management of marine traffic and other elements, as well as environmental conditions given by meteorological sensors and buoys. However, this enormous amount of data, also known as “Big Data”, is useless without a proper system to visualize and organize them. Governments are fully aware of this and promote the creation of visualization and control systems that are useful to port authorities. In the line of management systems based on GIS, the SmartPort project has been developed. SmartPort offers a rich-internet application that allows the user to visualize and manage the different sources of information of a port environment. The “Big Data” management is based on the FI-WARE tools and architecture, as well as “The Internet of Things” solutions for the data acquisition. At the same time, the Glob3 Mobile SDK for the development of map apps will support the 3D visualization of the ports scenery and its data sources.