No abstract

(2018) Geospatial web services pave new ways for server-based on-demand access and processing of

With the unprecedented increase of orbital sensor, in situ measurement, and simulation data there is a rich, yet not leveraged potential for obtaining insights from dissecting datasets and rejoining them with other datasets. Obviously, goal is to allow users to "ask any question, any time, on any size", thereby enabling them to "build their own product on the go".One of the most influential initiatives in EO is EarthServer which has demonstrated new directions for flexible, scalable EO services based on innovative NoSQL

The lack of open-source tools for hyperspectral data visualization and analysis creates a demand for new tools. In this paper we present the new PlanetServer, a set of tools comprising a web Geographic Information System (GIS) and a recently developed Python Application Programming Interface (API) capable of visualizing and analyzing a wide variety of hyperspectral data from different planetary bodies. Current WebGIS open-source tools are evaluated in order to give an overview and contextualize how PlanetServer can help in this matters. The web client is thoroughly described as well as the datasets available in PlanetServer. Also, the Python API is described and exposed the reason of its development. Two different examples of mineral characterization of different hydrosilicates such as chlorites, prehnites and kaolinites in the Nili Fossae area on Mars are presented. As the obtained results show positive outcome in hyperspectral analysis and visualization compared to previous literature, we suggest using the PlanetServer approach for such investigations.

Virtual Observatory tools are specifically designed for astronomical data, but they can be adapted to work with geospatial data by providing existing Geographical Information System tools with Simple Application Messaging Protocol interface. Open source QGIS package was chosen as a platform for this. The Simple Application Messaging Protocol interface was made with Python plug‐ins. Geospatial data were exposed to Virtual European Solar and Planetary Access via a dedicated German Astronomical Virtual Observatory Data Center Helper Suite server and several tables exposing existing Open Geospatial Consortium—compliant planetary services were published to Virtual European Solar and Planetary Access providing a variety of geospatial data types: vector data and spectral cube rasters, as well as Open Geospatial Consortium Web Map Service of planetary maps.

Illumination simulation codes for the Moon's surface have been thoroughly developed during the last years. Despite works done for the Moon, no studies have investigated the relation between sunlight illumination and the Martian surface applying those codes done for the Moon to Mars. The objective of this work is to describe the development of a surface illumination simulation code, called MarsLux, which allows users to make a detailed investigation of the illumination conditions on Mars, based on its topography and the relative position of the Sun. Our code can derive accurate illumination maps, form topographic data, showing areas that are fully illuminated, areas in total shadow, and areas with partial shade, in short computational times. Although the code does not take into account any atmospheric effect, the results proved to be of high accuracy. The maps generated are useful for geomorphological studies, to study gullies, thermal weathering, or mass wasting processes as well as for producing energy budget maps for future exploration missions.

In this paper, we present a study comparing the depth to diameter (d/D) ratio of small simple craters (200–1000 m) of an area between -88.5 to -90 latitude at the lunar south pole containing Permanent Shadowed Regions (PSRs) versus craters without PSRs. As PSRs can reach temperatures of 110 K and are capable of harboring volatiles, especially water ice, we analyzed the relationship of depth versus diameter ratios and its possible implications for harboring water ice. Variations in the d/D ratios can also be caused by other processes such as degradation, isostatic adjustment, or differences in surface properties. The conducted d/D ratio analysis suggests that a differentiation between craters containing PSRs versus craters without PSRs occurs. Thus, a possible direct relation between d/D ratio, PSRs, and water ice harboring might exist. Our results suggest that differences in the target’s surface properties may explain the obtained results. The resulting d/D ratios of craters with PSRs can help to select target areas for future In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) missions.

<p>The concept of ‘Digital Earth’ (DE), as outlined in 1999 by the former US Vice-President Al Gore, foresees a “multi-resolution, three-dimensional representation of the planet that would make it possible to find, visualise and make sense of vast amounts of geo-referenced information on physical and social environments”. The DE concept is quickly becoming reality, with a strong dynamic component provided by real time data, forecast and projections. The Copernicus programme provides a fundamental contribution to this concept. The challenge is to access and extract information from distributed data centres containing decades of global and local environmental data generated by in-situ sensors, numerical models, satellites, and individuals.</p><p>The Advanced geospatial Data Management platform (ADAM, https://adamplatform.eu/) implements the DE concept: ADAM allows accessing a large variety of multi-year global geospatial collections from satellites (Sentinels, Landsat, MODIS) model analysis and predictions (CAMS, C3S), enabling data discovery, visualization, combination, processing and download. ADAM provides datacubeless access and processing services, namely it exposes multi-dimensional (spatial, temporal, spectral …) subsetting capabilities as well as on-the-fly processing functions, so that the consumer (human or machine) gets only the piece of data wherever and whenever needed, avoiding transferring large amounts of useless bytes or massive local processing. Key feature of the ADAM concept is the standardization of the interfaces: each layer (discovery, access, processing, visualization) exposes OGC (https://www.ogc.org/)-compliant interfaces to foster federation and interoperability.</p><p>ADAM is an horizontal (generic) layer to support different vertical domains such as Agriculture, Cultural and natural heritage, marine applications, critical infrastructure monitoring, public health, education and media. This contribution focuses on two main operational applications for atmospheric sciences and climate change assessment and mitigation.</p><p>TOP (http://top-platform.eu/) is a web-based platform build on top of the ADAM data exploitation layer offering users from the atmospheric sciences domain a Virtual Research Environment (VRE) to exploit Copernicus atmospheric and climate data products, such as Sentinel-5 P data, CAMS products, European Environmental Agency in-situ measurements. Deployed on the Mund Dias, it is the first operational platform implementing the data triangle (EO, model and in-situ data) and hence creates an atmospheric multi-source data cube, stimulating a multidisciplinary scientific approach due to the availability of various collections.</p><p>One of the main effects of evolving climate is change precipitation and temperature regimes: EO provides a fundamental contribution for high resolution monitoring these variables. ADAM offers access to global datasets from Copernicus Climate Change services (C3S), ESA Climate Change initiative (ESA CCI) and the GPM program. In the framework of the ESA EO4SD Climate Resilience cluster (https://eo4sd-climate.gmv.com/), more than 30 climate variables and indicators were computed for climate screening, climate risk assessment and climate adaptation. Indicators are provided to various entities such as the World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal (CCKP, https://climateknowledgeportal.worldbank.org/). Another relevant example is the STRENCH project (https://www.interreg-central.eu/Content.Node/STRENCH.html) that allows managers of natural and cultural heritage sites to assess climate risk and define mitigation actions through the use of a dedicated webGIS tool fed by a large pool of climate indicators computed from models and satellite data via ADAM.</p>