Summary of test results
Five themes within the INSPIRE specifications in Annex 1 (addresses, place-name, hydrography, transport network and property areas) have been tested at Future Position X, FPX in Gävle at the request of the National Land Survey of Sweden. The Joint Research Centre, JRC, of the European Commission invited all member countries to test themes that are expected to become subject to implementation provisions during the autumn of 2009.
Undertaker has been a test team consisting of data specialists from FPX, the GIS Institute at the University of Gävle as well as experts within data specifications and data models and project management from the National Land Survey of Sweden.
In connection with the INSPIRE conference in Rotterdam 15-19 June, the project results from the tests will be presented. (GeoTest: A testing environment for Swedish geodata; Östman, Abugessaisa, et al.)
Below, a summary of this paper is found.
The transformation method validated
The method, Transformation Testing, that has been used in the INSPIRE test is developed at the GIS Institute. The method has been verified and validated during the testing process, which gives GeoTest the possibility of using the method as a support for other authorities' or companies' need for testing data sets, specifications.
The result shows that the test method is reliable and appropriate for carrying out transformation tests. The accomplishment of the method could also identify the gap between what is possible to deliver according to INSPIRE's requirements and what yet is not fully possible.
During the whole implementation process, the test team has, together with experts from the National Land Survey of Sweden, answered questions according to JRC report template, whether or not the data of the National Land Survey of Sweden can be mapped to INSPIRE's schemes.
Results and experiences
Thirteen INSPIRE schemes have been tested and investigated. Upon the transformation, we found that data of ten of these schemes can be delivered to the INSPIRE portal.
The results from the metadata examination show that there are metadata that meet (although not completely) INSPIRE's requirements of metadata for the themes having been tested.
Sampling of test population was determined to 5 % of all occurrences of data sets. Randomized sampling of map sheets determined which areas that were to be included. By this randomized sampling, the results can be used as basic data for estimating the total costs for the adaptation of the National Land Survey of Sweden to INSPIRE implementation requirements.
For each INSPIRE theme and its object types, we found that a) they are covered by the data of the National Land Survey of Sweden and possible to transform, b) they are covered by the data of the National Land Survey of Sweden but require special transformation rules to be transformable, and c) no counterpart in the databases of the National Land Survey of Sweden.
By these experiences, the test results could be used as an input value and suggestions of amendments in the circulation process at the National Land Survey of Sweden of the proposal to INSPIRE specifications in Annex 1.
During the transformation from shape format into GML, the file size has been increased and data types have been converted into text files so as to be appropriate for XML encoding. When testing for correspondence, we found that the actual data values did not change.
Current XML editors have limited capacity to handle GML files of normal size, and therefore carry out single operations for these files. It is desirable that this problem be taken into consideration in order to meet future needs.
Several organizations and parties have participated in the INSPIRE tests, i.e., authorities, interest groups, research environments and business firms. The GeoTest organization is based on co-operation and co-ordination widely across these borders, the so-called Triple Helix model. The model makes it possible for everybody to contribute with inspiration and knowledge and to share results for mutual beneficial effects. The model also allows to share resources and knowledge for facilitating INSPIRE implementation.
Conclusions
The accomplished tests demonstrate experiences from a Swedish testing environment for geodata.
The method used is based on ETL - Extract, Transform, Load approach, and process implementation, organization and co-ordination with external parties are based on the Triple Helix model.
The method used has revealed successful results and can be used for testing other themes of other levels.
Continued work should be focused on methods development for application testing and web services that INSPIRE requires should be available in a near future.
For securing GeoTest support to the SDI society, a business model has to be elaborated and possibilities of support and services investigated. This should naturally be carried out in collaboration with networks within the SDI society regionally and nationally.
Contacts and collaboration
If you want to know more and discuss technical details:
contact Professor Anders Östman anders.ostman@hig.se
Testing Manager Dr Imad Abugessaisa imad.abugessaisa@fpx.se
For other information about the project, please contact
Project Manager Solgerd Tanzilli solgerd.tanzilli@fpx.se
E-learning course
EuroSDR course: Schema matching, mapping and transformation for INSPIRE
EduServ7, the seventh round of the annual EuroSDR short distance e-learning courses, has begun with a 2-days pre-course seminar in Ås, Norway from May 18th to May 19th hosted by The Norwegian University of Life Sciences in Ås. In the two-day seminar in Ås the participants have received guidance and background in the topic areas prior to commencing the courses.
The courses are of two-week duration each and require approximately thirty hours of on-line participation. From the 9th of August till the 21st of August, the course is up and running with around 20 participants from Europe.
The participants are students from universities and professional government authority and private companies.
The objective of this course is to provide a basic understanding of XML-based technologies for schema matching, mapping and transformation in the context of the INSPIRE implementation rules. Click to read more about the course.
Instructors: Anders Östman (University of Gävle) www.hig.se and
Imad Abugessaisa (Future Position X, Gävle) www.fpx.se
Download
Summary INSPIRE tester (SWEDISH, Microsoft Word 97 dokument, 85kb)
Method completed
Methodology for the testing of INSPIRE specifications
(081021 Powerpoint 1997-2003, document, 832kb)
Methodology INSPIRE testing v 0-1
(Microsoft Word 97 dokument, 154kb)