Improving community safety through Wildfire Mitigation… An Open Source Case Study

ATGIS is part of Tablelands Regional Council

Improving community safety through Wildfire Mitigation…

An Open Source Case Study

FOSS4G 2009

Alistair Hart, Coordinator GISAtherton Tablelands Geographic Information Services

Presentation Content

• Website functionality

• Website architecture

• Why select Open Source?

• What issues did we run into?

• How did we solve them?

http://wildfire.atgis.com.au

Login: [email protected]

Password: foss4g

Where is ATGIS located?

Sydney

Atherton

Two rules of this web project

1. This is not a GIS

2. The rule of least astonishment

Why? Target audience…

Wildfire hazard management stakeholders• Almost entirely non-spatial professionals• Rural firefighting volunteers (often farmers)

Website Features

• User admin console• Create maps online

• Layer control (inc. labelling)• Custom layer creation• PHP forms to attribute custom objects• PDF map creation• Custom URL link tool

• Download facility• GIS data• Pre-constructed PDF maps• Documents (reports, presentations, etc)

• File Exchange• FEEDBACK FORM








PDF Map Creation

Online digitizing function

• Capacity to add fire trails, water access points, hazards, prescribed burns etc.

• Can add attributes to each of these objects

• http://wildfire.atgis.com.au/maps/?k=45,8,48,101,6,5,7,1,12,14,104,16,U411&l=48,101,1,27,28,12,16&x=145.38619&y=-17.37095&z=15

Managing submitted data

Architecture - summary

Classical vendor profile

OS community creativity

Why Free & Open Source?

• Startup and ongoing maintenance costs (licensing vs development)

• Capital focussed project funding base ($$ for startup but not maintenance)

• Reinforcing our ethos of ‘code once, not licence annually’

Why Free & Open Source?

• Access to developer skills => Recruit/Contract OS technology skills base generally more abundant than closed source

• Capacity to increase scalability across multiple processors and locations at no additional cost

• Eg. portable wifi-webmapping service for disaster response

Re-use for low-cost community projects

Re-use for low-cost community projects

What issues did we encounterand how did we solve them?

• User support• self-help animated GIF files• online feedback tool• face to face training and telephone support

• Speed of information deliveryMany users still on dialup internet (~20%)• Performance tuning tile server• OS products – small footprint

• Dependency on vendor goodwill (ie. Google)• License terms are dynamic but have shifted in our favour (so

far)• Interested in alternatives (eg. Open Layers)

Issues and resolution 2.0 (iR 2.0?)

• ‘Deep’ technology stack requires a broad skills base to support

• Funding for maintenance (like there is none…)

• Commercialisation - converting offering from service based solution, to a solution able to be maintained by end-users (NQWMP 3.0?)

• OS acceptance in the public sector

Where to from here?

• Functionality enhancements scheduled• Tighter integration with smartphones

• Sourcing of appropriate technology stack to manage ongoing maintenance liability (any feedback?)

• Review code to ensure sustainable development resource

• Another great project… presented at Barcelona!

Questions?