A Study on Data Processing Services for the Operation of Geo‐Analysis Models in the Open Web Environment

Abstract

With the development of network technology, integrated modeling frameworks based on web services are becoming a key topic with regard to solving complex geographic problems. Currently, large numbers of geo‐analysis models and massive data resources are available on the open web. Accessing, acquiring or invoking individual resources transparently is relatively straightforward; but combining these models and data resources for comprehensive simulations remains challenging due to their heterogeneity and diversity. Data resources are the driving force of model execution and can serve as an intermediate linkage medium for model integration, yet in most cases, the data resources cannot be directly used to drive or link models. Data processing services that can prepare and process data are urgently needed in the web environment to enable the convenient coupling of models and data resources through the web, thus reducing the difficulty of preparing data and avoiding repetitive data processing work. Three types of data processing methods that can achieve mapping, refactoring, and visualization are designed in this article based on the proposed Universal Data eXchange (UDX) model. These methods can be published as data processing services to facilitate the operation of geo‐analysis models through the web environment. The applicability of the proposed data processing services is examined through two cases: the processing service is applied in model integration through the web in the first case, and data preparation with processing services for the Taihu Water Pollution Diffusion Model (TWPDM) is carried out in the second case. The results demonstrate that the proposed processing services can bridge the gap between geo‐analysis models and data resources hosted on networks.

Effects of Free-Floating Shared Bicycles on Urban Public Transportation

“…Shared bicycles play an important role in connecting bicycles to urban public transportation systems, such as subways and buses. Model is important tool for geographic analysis [35][36][37][38][39][40], as well as urban dynamic analysis. The maximum coverage location problem (MCLP) model was used to calculate the number of shared bicycle OD points that could be covered as much as possible by subway and bus stations within a given road network distance.…”

A Web‐Based Integrated Modeling and Simulation Method for Forest Growth Research

“…Specifically, a data service container offers functions that include data mapping, data refactoring, and data visualization (Wang et al, 2018). Because different forest growth models generally require dissimilar data formats for input and output, these data service containers can help prepare appropriate model data by providing format-conversion-related web services for integrated modeling and simulation.…”

“…Because different forest growth models generally require dissimilar data formats for input and output, these data service containers can help prepare appropriate model data by providing format-conversion-related web services for integrated modeling and simulation. The data service container used in this article was also developed by the OpenGMS team (Wang et al, 2018;Yue et al, 2015;Yue et al, 2018). 4.…”

“…The Universal Data eXchange (UDX) model can be used in the universal and reusable data preprocessing method for integrated forest growth modeling and simulation. The UDX model designed for the flexible description of heterogeneous model data was proposed by the OpenGMS team (Yue et al, 2015), and can help prepare proper data format for an integrated model by decreasing the cost of understanding the model data (Wang et al, 2018). For example, there are two forest models that require different data formats respectively (e.g., NetCDF and shapefile) need to be integrated.…”

“…In this approach, a data preprocessing method based on the model data description in UDX model needs to be bundled into a package. After uploading the package into a data service container, a data preprocessing service used for data format conversion can be published and shared on the web (Wang et al, 2018). Then, within the integrated modeling tool, users can select proper data preprocessing services to integrate with model services.…”