Raster Serving with ArcGIS

Agenda

• Introduction to server technology• Workflow considerations• ESRI raster serving technology

– ArcGIS Server Basic (ArcSDE)– ArcGIS Server Standard/Advanced Web Services– ArcGIS Server Image Extension– File Server– Other sources of raster imagery

• Software demonstration• Implementation scenarios• Steps to success• Resources

Server Technology

• Enables storage and serving of data from central servers• Supports fast and efficient visualization and analytics

– increases network efficiency– enables simultaneous multiuser access

• Enables sharing of data, maps, models throughout organizations

ArcGIS Server

What Does “Raster Serving” Mean To Me?

• Making rasters available to GIS Analysts in ArcMap– As background imagery– For analytical purposes (i.e., feature extraction)

• Serving elevation data to replace default layers in ArcGIS Explorer• Making rasters available to many different client applications

– AutoCAD, third-party GIS software• Serving rasters as background imagery on intranet/internet sites

Choosing Appropriate SoftwareConsiderations

• Based on business workflows…– Do I need to serve just raster data? Maps? Tools and models?– What client applications should the solution support?– How often do my rasters get updated?

• …and IT capabilities:– What is my network bandwidth?– Does staff know IIS (Tomcat, Apache, etc.)? Do I have a DBA?– Will I need any custom development? Do I have programmers? – Will I do implementation in-house or will I hire a consultant?

Choosing Appropriate SoftwareArcGIS Server licensing

• Three editions of ArcGIS Server functionality– Basic, standard, advanced

• Scaled by capacity– Workgroup or enterprise

• ArcSDE technology bundled with all editions

Advanced(extensions)

Standard(extensions)

Basic

Spatial analysisand editing

Data management

Visualizationand mapping

WorkgroupEnterprise

Functionality scaled by capacity

ArcGIS Server Basic Edition (ArcSDE)

Network

Client Application ArcSDE

Some Characteristics

• LAN/WAN RDBMS Gateway• Data server (vector and raster)• Mosaics, Catalogs, Raster

Attributes• Clients are Desktop and Internet

Servers

5x5 pixelblock

ArcGIS Server Basic (ArcSDE)Considerations

• Loading rasters into database takes time• Duplicating data (original tiles and database)• Using ArcSDE just for raster serving not recommended

– Significant investment into infrastructure, software, and staff training• Provides exceptional security/scalability options

– Options depend on specific RDBMS

ArcGIS Server Standard/Advanced Edition

• Complete server-based GIS• Out-of-the-box applications

and services • Rich developer

opportunitiesArcGIS Desktop

Browsers

ArcGIS Mobile

ArcGISExplorer

Enterprise RDBMS

ArcGIS Server

Some Characteristics

• Internet server• Maps & GIS functionality• Dynamic & Cached content• Integrate rasters and vectors• Desktop, browser, AutoCAD, and

mobile clients

1:500,000

1:250,000

More On Cached Versus Dynamic Services

• Maps can include both dynamic and static layers

• Dynamic Layers contain rapidly changing data– Roads symbolized by current snow depth– Electrical network showing the latest posted work order

• Cached Layers contain more slowly changing data– Landuse / Landcover– Road Network– Basemap data

• The classification is subjective / application specific

ArcGIS Server Standard/EnterpriseConsiderations

• Caching data highly recommended for raster data– Caching takes time and disk space– In a web application, zoom limited to predetermined scale levels– In desktop applications, resampling occurs

• Can be used to overlay vector and raster data• Web services can be consumed by variety of applications

– Out-of-the-box web application– Flex/JavaScript API allows integration with other web services– ArcMap

• Image processing and distribution• Variety of LAN clients• Ability to expose service as WMS

ArcMap

Image Server

ServiceEditor

ServiceDefinition

ServiceDefinition

ServiceDefinition

Raster Data

ArcGIS Server Image Extension

• LAN/WAN raster server– Enabling WMS capabilities

makes it an Internet server • Serve and process raster data• Serve unprocessed rasters, or

create multiple “virtual” processed raster products

• Desktop (ESRI & 3rd party) and Internet Servers

Service

Process(es)

Derived

Images

Output

Rasters

ArcGIS Server Image Extension

ArcGIS Server Image ExtensionConsiderations

• No loading or preprocessing required– Reduces delay from acquisition to dissemination– On-the-fly processing puts additional load on the server

• Ability to create “virtual products” on the fly– Visualize elevation– NDVI– Pan-sharpening– Many others

• Support for many client applications• Ability to expose service as WMS for web applications

– Viewable at any scale level• Not currently supported with REST API

– Workaround: publish definition file as dynamic map service

File Server

• Highly compressed data (.sid, .ecw, etc.)

• Commonly used in raster catalogs

MyImage

.sid

MyImage

MyImage

MyImage

MyImage

Network

Some Characteristics

• LAN/WAN server• Serve tiled or highly compressed data• Desktop (ESRI & 3rd party)• Wide range of format choices• Limited small scale viewing options

File ServerConsiderations

• No additional server side software required• Limited small scale viewing options• No web access

– LAN/WAN solution only

ArcGIS Online

• Ready-to-use Maps and Globes– Standard and Premium content

• Use in Desktop and Server• Online capabilities

– Tasks in ArcGIS Explorer– Tools in Desktop and Server

• Content also available offline– Data Appliance

Some Characteristics

• Raster imagery is 1-meter or better for United States– Eliminates the need for some organizations to store data in-house

• ArcGIS Online Content Sharing Program– ArcGIS users contribute data content to be hosted and published by

ESRI for access by them and other users for free

Existing ESRI World Imagery New User Provided Imagery

ArcGIS OnlineConsiderations

• No need to maintain imagery in-house• Services include maps, globes, and tasks• Available to Desktop, Server, and JavaScript clients

– Licensing costs associated with commercial/internet use• Available as web service or offline via Data Appliance

– For facilities without internet access• May not have most up-to-date imagery

– Unless you provide it to us!

Demonstration Dataset

• Aerial imagery for part of San Bernardino County, California• Total size about 90 GB (more than 700 TIFF files)• Size of sample area about 15 GB (140 TIFF files)

Full extent (90 GB) Sample extent (15 GB)

Network TrafficSample Demonstration Dataset

• Compare amount of data transferred over network for:– Raw rasters, ArcSDE, ArcGIS Server Image and cached ArcGIS Server

map service

Size of rasters on disk: 15.40 GBRaw raster: 58.50 MBArcSDE: 892.50 KBArcGIS Server Image: 30.10 KBArcGIS Server cached map service: 94.60 KB

Demonstration

~90 GB of imagery data for an area in Southern California served using:

• ArcGIS Server Image service• ArcGIS Server cached service• ArcGIS Server dynamic service• File Server - Raster Catalog• ArcGIS Online

Training

• Training is Mission-Critical• By investing in GIS staff training, you speed up the time it takes to

implement a GIS solution…saving time means saving money• People ultimately bring life to GIS and insure a successful

implementation• Well trained staff can overcome obstacles• The untrained or under-trained desktop user will cost five times

more to support than a well-trained worker (Gartner, March 2006)

Use

Serve

Author

OpenAPIs

ArcGISMobile

WebMapping

Application

ArcGISExplorer

ArcGISDesktop

Desktop

ArcGISServer

Enterprise GIS Solution

ESRI Training

• ESRI offers a variety of training options– Free or low cost Virtual Campus Training– Instructor-led (classroom) training– Client-site training– Custom training

• Multiple options for developing a training plan– Work with your Education Sales Consultant (Kerri Manorek) and

account manager

Example: Instructor-Led Classes

• Introduction to ArcGIS Server (2 days)• Introduction to ArcGIS Server Image Extension (2 days)• Introduction to Multiuser Geodatabase (2 days)

• Developing Applications with ArcGIS Server, MS .NET or for Java (3 days each)

• ArcGIS Server Web Administration for Microsoft .NET (3 days)

• Data Management in the Multiuser Geodatabase (3 days)• ArcGIS Server Enterprise Configuration and Tuning, for SQL Server

or for Oracle (2 days each)

Implementation Scenario

• Organization:– Small Port Authority– About 10 square miles of area (800 MB of data)

• Business Needs: – Enable non-GIS users to make a map of work area

• Data Needs: – One raster layer (does not change)– Several background vector layers ( change quarterly)– One layer with dynamic data (permitting)

• IT Capabilities:– GIS staff of one; no DBA– One server

Implementation Suggestion

• Web application for non-GIS users with minimal functionality• Cached raster data (background)• Dynamic vector data (background and permitting layer)• Vector data stored and edited in ArcSDE

• Software Solution: ArcGIS Server Standard Workgroup– Does not require DBA for data management– Best performance over the network with cached rasters– Easy-to-use web application interface for non-GIS professionals

• Training: ArcGIS Server Web AdministrationData Management in Multiuser Geodatabases

Implementation Scenario

• Organization:– Engineering firm– Many projects over a large area

• Business Needs: – Create derivatives from DEM data (aspect, slope, hillshade, etc.)

• Data Needs: – DEM data from several sources– Constantly looking for new, better data

• Capabilities:– Robust knowledge of servers– Existing user of ESRI server technology

Implementation Suggestion

• Need to create multiple elevation derivatives• Potentially large number of outputs is hard to store and manage

• Software Solution: ArcGIS Server Image Extension– Virtual products created “on-the-fly”– No duplication of data

• Training: Introduction to ArcGIS Server Image Extension

Implementation Scenario

• Organization: – Conservation Organization– Large service area, small project areas

• Business Needs:– Deploy raster data fast with minimal administration

• Data:– Image tiles of service area

• IT Capabilities:– Limited IT support

Implementation Suggestion

• Implementation Suggestion 1: ArcGIS Online– Cached web services for USA include imagery, street, political maps– Very good data available for free– Prime data available with paid subscription

• Implementation Suggestion 2: File Server– Raster catalog requires almost no processing time– Raster tiles can be “turned off” until zoomed to small area– Use highly compressed tiles (like MrSID) for best performance– ESRI & 3rd party clients can access data

Implementation Scenario

• Organization:– Large Utility in “Hurricane Alley”

• Business Needs:– Large amounts of imagery need to be deployed enterprise-wide

monthly and more often during emergencies– Imagery needs to be accessible to variety of client applications,

including web applications, CAD, and GIS clients• IT Capabilities:

– Robust network infrastructure

Implementation Suggestion

• Avoid loading imagery into database or caching– Too much data (takes too long to load)– Changes too fast (short lifespan once loaded)

• Expose imagery to non-ESRI clients

• Implementation Suggestion: ArcGIS Server Image Extension– No data loading (still need to build service overviews)– No data pre-processing– Accessible by multiple client applications

• ArcIMS, ArcGIS Server, AutoCAD, Microstation, Desktop

• Training: Introduction to ArcGIS Server Image Extension

Implementation Scenario

• Organization– County Government

• Business Needs– Access to “better” (more detailed) elevation data via ArcGIS Explorer

• IT Capabilities– Existing ArcGIS Server Standard Enterprise implementation– ArcGIS Server web services currently used in internal and external

web applications– Knowledgeable DBA, web administrator

Implementation Suggestion

• Leverage existing technology• Elevation data does not change often

• Implementation Suggestion: ArcGIS Server Globe Service– Leverage existing software– Improve performance of elevation service by caching

• Training: ArcGIS Server Web Administration for Microsoft .NET frameworkLearning ArcGIS 3D Analyst (virtual campus class)

Steps to SuccessTest, Test, Test

• Begin with needs assessment– ESRI offers Professional Services to help get started

• Whatever solution you choose, test it• Testing includes

– Functionality testing– Performance testing

• Functionality testing– Is web browser app really going to meet my business needs?

• Performance testing– Shapefiles were slow, but is ArcSDE really any faster for me?

• ESRI offers special (=cheaper) licenses for development and testing environments

– Talk to your account manager

System Architecture Design

• Many Resources Available–System Design Strategies white paper–System Architecture Design

instructor-led class–Building a GIS book with On-line

Resource center

Steps to SuccessPlan for Success

• Have a plan for urgent situations– Identify support channels for new workflows

• Internal Help Desk? External tech support?• Services Available from ESRI

– Help Desk Setup Assistance– Premium Support Services (PSS)– Professional Services– EEAP (ESRI Enterprise Advantage Program)

• Remember, Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail

ESRI Enterprise Advantage Program

• Subscription program designed to provide ongoing advisory– Great for ongoing project and software support– Pre-paid subscription to be used throughout the year as needs arise

• Includes – Technical Advisor– GIS environment review– Credits to be used for Professional Services or Training– Annual account and GIS strategy review– Exclusive enterprise GIS webcasts

Summary

• Many Server Technologies to Serve Many Needs• Choose one based on business needs and staff skills• Ensure implementation success through testing• Ensure continued success through staff training• Many resources available from ESRI to assist in planning and

implementation

Resources

• Resource Centers http://resources.esri.com• ESRI Professional Services

http://www.esri.com/consulting/index.html• Online Help http://webhelp.esri.com