GeoLib™

Geospatial technologies have evolved over the last 25 years from command-line, disconnected software applications with peculiar data ontologies to connected (via Internet/Intranet), network centric, database-driven applications providing computational analysis of spatial relationships. Generally, the spatial attributes associated with points, lines, and polygons provide critical metadata regarding spatial features, and increasingly GIS applications have evolved to manage spatial raster (pixel-based) data formats.

As software architectures evolve, more and more individuals are attempting to interact across networks for near real-time integrated situational awareness of spatially-driven events. This, of course, has prompted the need for a better understanding of temporality (handled by SimLib™) and how this important dimension can be successfully integrated in spatial analysis (GeoLib™).

Moreover, the computational power necessary to manage increasing amounts of data inputs, combined with the temporal domain, has placed limitations on traditional modes of computing, visualization, simulation, and models of complex, dynamic objects interacting across spatial-temporal domains.

To more successfully manage spatial-temporal calculations, and move beyond the limitations of existing hardware constraints, geospatial information technologies are evolving toward a service-centric approach (based on SOA) for achieving and solving existing business applications and functional requirements. Before Simudyne, the integration with sensor-based messaging and the temporal domain was in a primitive form. Traditional GIS applications are challenged to manage successfully the total number of inputs and resolve meaningful visualization across networks for multiple users, interactions, and analysis.

Thus, the GeoLib™ services within the overarching Simudyne Simulation Platform™ provides the necessary advanced software solution for next-generation computational environments. Static, web-based interactions of .gif, .tifs, .jpegs, and .pngs are no longer meeting the needs of customers. Customers are demanding a new level of interactivity that simulation provides.

GeoLib™ services enable programmers to build systems that allow users to view and navigate through geospatial information. The services are used for displaying maps and satellite images of the geospatial areas your users need to monitor, and offers live display of alerts based on information gathered from systems such as intelligent video and radio frequency identification (RFID). GeoLib™ is used in simulations for logistics, security and tracking assets.
 
You can configure the area of the map you want to display using several tools. You can zoom in, zoom out by increments, or zoom out to the full extent of the map. You can pan the map to a different area at the same zoom level. You can select a specific zone, set up in your data during system setup, and zoom and pan the display to that pre-defined area of the map. 
 
You can change what data is displayed on the map to suit your current needs. You can toggle on and off map layers, which often includes schematics like floor plans and fence lines. Sensor systems such as intelligent video cameras are a specialized type of map layer supported by the platform.These can also be shown or hidden depending on what you are monitoring. 
 
The sensor systems send information to the simulation and when certain data is received, alerts appear on the map display. For example, your site may be configured with intelligent video to determine when two persons enter a building secured with RFID at a time when only one RFID pass was used. This could be an unauthorized entry, or it may be an authorized person who merely neglected to swipe his pass card. The system alerts users to potential security breaches so that the situations may be investigated. 

Assets such as humans can be visualised on the map display as moving dots, simplistic avatars or even photo-realistic avatars navigating through 3-D space. Users can track the asset, assign other sensor systems to follow it, and can stop tracking assets once the situation is resolved.

Alerts are also logged and visualised within the simulation environment. Information on each triggered alert is saved, including log information of the event and geospatial placement. Alerts may be updated and the threat level increased or decreased when subsequent alert data is received. In addition to real-time alerts, users can query on historical alerts and replay
them on the map display, to review previous events