FOCUS ON:
Renewed GeoConnections
The 2010 Federal Budget announced renewed funding for the GeoConnections program. The Budget provides $11 million in funding over the next two years to continue development of the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) and to provide consolidated geographic-related information to Canadians via the Internet.
News Flash
June 15 2010 Results of Data Needs Assessment for Integrated Landscape Management Decision-Making Processes Now AvailableUpcoming Events
Resources & Tools
Real-time Collaboration Service for Geospatial Information
"Geodata conferencing"-a number of participants sharing and working with a map over the web in real time-will be the end result of this project. Building on the idea of data conferencing, this new service will allow participants in a teleconference to share an on-line georeferenced map workspace that they all control. Individuals will be able to point to something on the map, and the other conference participants will see the gesture. Participants will also be able to make georeferenced annotations on the view, and see and edit others' annotations. Because these actions will happen in real time, they will be synchronized with the participants' conversation. And because everyone will be looking at the same map, discussions and decisions will be based on precise geospatial information.
The project will make all this possible by developing a geodata conferencing server that can work with web services currently available in the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI). As a result, conference participants will be able to collectively view and analyze the wealth of geospatial information the CGDI offers, using an interactive system that is so simple it does not detract from their discussion.
By reducing the need to travel, geodata conferencing will make it faster and less expensive for distributed teams to work together. It can make it easier to plan and coordinate large infrastructure projects, including building roads and pipelines. It can assist with activities, such as mineral prospecting and land management, that rely heavily on fieldwork. It can even help meteorologists disseminate and update weather forecasts. Geodata conferencing will be particularly beneficial in emergency situations, creating a "virtual situation room" in which users from different regions can assess important geographical variables and arrive at quick and accurate decisions. To show how the service can help with managing emergencies, the project will demonstrate geodata conferencing with its partners at the Ministère du Sécurité publique du Québec and Natural Resources Canada (Natural Hazards Information System).
Primary Partner:
Consultants TGIS Inc.
Chelsea,
Quebec;
Partners: CubeWerx Inc., Ministère de la Sécurité publique du Québec, Ministère des Ressources naturelles du Québec, Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Space Agency
Funding From GeoConnections: $250,000.00 ( 33.7 %)
Estimated Inception Date: April, 2003
Estimated Completion Date: September, 2004
Deliverables from this project benefitted the following provinces: All provinces
Read the Success Story