Use case scenarios were developed to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed extended architecture.
In the first scenario, end-users of post-disaster maps have the possibility to spatially annote these maps. Using a simple thin client (web browser), they can add notes or remarks that are geo-tagged, i.e. linked to a fixed point in the map. These spatial annotations are made available in the web portal, and therefore can be viewed by others users. They could also be used by the mapping agency to further approve their maps. Likewise, the agency can use these annotations to actively seek help, for instance by posing questions such as „does anybody know if this building is still standing?“ or „is this road passable?“. The content of the spatial annotations is not limited to text, as we can employ links to existing photo-sharing services \or other geo-webservices (e.g. Google Maps).
For the second scenario, we envisage a more limited user group, such as stakeholders and collaborators that are asked to actively collaborate on the production of post-disaster maps. These users would have a thick client, such as QGS, uDig and ESRIs ArcGIS system, and would use that to help with data processing, in our use case delineation of damaged areas and upload it via a secure web page. These inputs are used to process the data for the final damage maps, hence a secure access and validation mechanism needs to be in place.
last change: 02-Mar-2009