A straightforward approach to field data collection with real world examples
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FOSS4G Europe 2024 Tartu10 / 156
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Information technology consultingMappingTexture mappingComputing platformServer (computing)Point cloudInformation technology consultingSoftware developerMobile WebLecture/Conference
00:29
UsabilitySynchronizationRow (database)Mobile WebRevision controlCartesian coordinate systemMobile appPoint cloudArchaeological field surveyProjective planeTransformation (genetics)
00:58
UsabilitySynchronizationRow (database)Mobile WebUsabilityWave packetTexture mappingWebsiteReal numberCASE <Informatik>Observational studyBitPresentation of a groupComa BerenicesMappingComputer animation
01:29
Office suitePhysical systemWritingError messageLaptopDigital photographyMobile WebForm (programming)GUI widgetConstraint (mathematics)Point (geometry)Line (geometry)Row (database)Active contour modelLatin squareData miningArchaeological field surveyField (computer science)Attribute grammarAdditionMeasurementPoint cloudMobile WebProjective planeAreaDigital photographyGraph (mathematics)Texture mappingType theoryDrill commandsCASE <Informatik>Observational studyOffice suitePoint (geometry)MappingMatching (graph theory)Multiplication signServer (computing)LaptopResultantRevision controlError messageData miningArchaeological field surveyPhysical systemLine (geometry)System administratorOpen sourceVector spaceActive contour modelComputer animationLecture/Conference
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Channel capacityType theoryCategory of beingWater vaporPoint (geometry)Observational studyCASE <Informatik>Water vaporMappingCategory of beingChannel capacityAreaParticle systemGroup actionPoint (geometry)Local ringGraph coloringTrailVector spaceField (computer science)Projective planeCondition numberPlastikkarteMarginal distributionLecture/ConferenceComputer animation
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Thread (computing)SimulationData modelComputer simulationSimulationComputer animation
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Data modelThread (computing)SimulationSimulationAreaComputer animation
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Service (economics)Continuous trackMobile WebWhiteboardSystem callPoint (geometry)Water vaporType theoryCategory of beingWhiteboardMappingTrailVideo projectorProjective planeDevice driverComputer animationLecture/Conference
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Type theoryCategory of beingPoint (geometry)Water vaporService (economics)Continuous trackWhiteboardMobile WebSystem callComputer networkPrototypeLevel (video gaming)MappingCASE <Informatik>Fiber (mathematics)Projective planeComputer animation
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Operations researchAlgebraic closureField (computer science)PrototypeOpen sourceProjective planePoint (geometry)MappingFiber (mathematics)CASE <Informatik>Multiplication signIterationTexture mappingCurvatureComputer animation
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Operations researchAlgebraic closureNumberDrop (liquid)Distribution (mathematics)Computer networkPlanningSoftware maintenanceFiber (mathematics)CurvatureAlgebraic closureAreaComputer animation
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RoutingConnected space
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OpticsArchaeological field surveyDisintegrationMatroidConstraint (mathematics)Error messageData structureMaß <Mathematik>Finitary relationDigital photographyField (computer science)CurvatureFiber (mathematics)SoftwareFormal verificationConstraint (mathematics)Digital photographyMappingQuaternion groupBuildingTexture mappingAreaComplex (psychology)Computer animation
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Archaeological field surveyOpticsDisintegrationMatroidData structureError messageConstraint (mathematics)Maß <Mathematik>Digital photographyFinitary relationField (computer science)Right angleData qualityComputer animation
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SpreadsheetAddress spaceConstructor (object-oriented programming)Marginal distributionUniform resource locatorMappingBlack boxSpreadsheetPhysical systemOpen sourceField (computer science)Projective planeSoftware developerAddress spaceGame controllerRootInformation technology consultingPoint (geometry)Texture mappingComputer animationLecture/Conference
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MappingMaxima and minimaComputer animation
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Different (Kate Ryan album)Marginal distributionMappingType theoryComputer animationLecture/Conference
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Computing platformData managementMoistureField (computer science)State observerInformation technology consultingTexture mappingProduct (business)CASE <Informatik>Observational studyProjective planeSmartphoneMultiplication signComputing platformConnectivity (graph theory)MoistureLecture/ConferenceComputer animation
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MoistureData managementBlock (periodic table)GeometryDigital photographyProjective planeProduct (business)Digital photographyComputer animation
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Data managementMoistureDigital photographyGeometrySynchronizationMereologyTexture mappingDatabaseScripting languageComputing platformProjective planeDirection (geometry)MassMappingPoint cloudComputer animation
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Data managementPrice indexTraffic reportingWeb applicationWeb 2.0Scripting languagePoint (geometry)Archaeological field surveyMappingInformation technology consultingProjective planeComputing platformOnline helpSynchronizationComputer animation
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Information technology consultingMappingAreaCASE <Informatik>GeometryBitRow (database)Vector spaceObservational studyPosition operatorProjective planeMereologySynchronizationPresentation of a groupMathematicsRight angleSlide rulePoint cloudComputer fileDifferent (Kate Ryan album)Field (computer science)Front and back endsWeb pageComa BerenicesLecture/Conference
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Computer networkPlanningSoftware maintenanceArchaeological field surveyData miningForm (programming)GUI widgetConstraint (mathematics)Row (database)Point (geometry)Line (geometry)Active contour modelInformationType theoryCategory of beingWater vaporUniform resource locatorMappingWebsiteReal-time operating systemMultiplication signTrailInternetworkingPhysical systemConnected spaceLecture/ConferenceComputer animation
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Least squaresComputer-assisted translationComputer animation
Transcript: English(auto-generated)
00:00
Hello, I'm Peter. I will talk today about merging maps. Sabra is there, so if there is anything. So I work for Lutra Consulting. I'm a partner, and I'm based in Czech Republic. We are doing everything around QGs, mainly development of QGs, let's say point clouds and others,
00:24
and then merging maps. Merging maps is a platform, server, mobile application, and API and tools that allows you to version your data, put it on cloud, put it on mobile phones,
00:42
and then do some field surveys very easy. It's all based on QGs. It's basically putting your QGs project into your mobile directly as it is without any transformation. And the application is basically as you see here, it should be very user-friendly.
01:02
So we tend to say it's like no training. Today, I will go through five case studies that you can find on our website, mergingmaps.com, and we will dive into them a bit more closely and see what was done there and how these merging maps was
01:22
used in real-world examples. There is another presentation at 3 o'clock in this room that will be more technical. So let's see what is the conventional method if you want to gather some data in the field. So you may or may not have GPS handheld or mobile phones.
01:40
You have your notebook with pen, and you type down the coordinates and data you want to store. Maybe you have a camera, you take photos, and you try to mark down which photos are where. And then you come to the office, and you need to put it in your GIS or other system or Excel. Why it is not good?
02:01
It is very slow. There are many errors in transcribing, and you can lose the paper and everything. And there is no live results. And it's very difficult to match photos to the point. So something like this was before merging maps
02:21
was introduced in this case study in a company in Indonesia. They are doing mining. So how merging maps was used? So the administrator, he used QGIS to set up his project with background maps and layers,
02:42
vector layers to gather data. There was a point layer for drill holes and then line layer for trenches. And then this project was pushed to cloud. And merging maps was installed on four mobiles of people in the field, downloaded in the office.
03:02
And then they went in the field, gathered data all day with the mobile, come back, and push the data back to the cloud. So you can immediately update of your QGIS project without any transcription. So as I said, these guys,
03:21
they had vector layers for points and lines. They were storing various attributes for lithology and geological surveys. Most important, it's also, you have who beats the measurement. So you automatically get a username, when it was,
03:41
you have it geolocated, you can attach pictures. And you have additional background maps that were useful for them. So for example, they have the contours map and some aerial maps of the area. So this is a picture from the case study. So you see here, there is some drill hole.
04:02
And as I said, this Manjureka Copper Gold Company in Indonesia, they work on a new place where it should increase, I think by 15%. Let me get 30% Indonesia produce of copper.
04:22
And it should be for 30 years of mine time. So they are doing the geological exploration of the area with the merging maps. Also, they use merging maps community edition version, so they can deploy it on their server if they like. Everything is open source.
04:40
So you can deploy it yourself. So then the next case study is firefighters in Australia. And they are the Volcrief Volunteer Fire Service Brigade. They have five, six people in the field.
05:01
And they, if the fire area is below 50 hectares, usually the local volunteers groups are taking care of the fire. And also they need to take care of the prevention and readiness for the fire in the area they have assigned to.
05:23
So what these guys are doing is that they use merging maps and QGIS to do prevention. So they have vector layers where they have a drive tracks and they go to the area and monitor the tracks.
05:43
If it is possible to use this track with let's say bigger vehicle or just a smaller one, so the condition of the tracks, basically. So if there is some fire, then they can or cannot use the track. Then they monitor the water points and the hydrants.
06:00
So they have some data from a government, obviously, but they go to the places and check before the season of the fires that if the hydrant is okay, or if the water point like small lake, if what is the capacity of water in the lake and so on, they put it down in the merging maps. And also they map a fauna and flora in the area
06:21
because some areas they have more vivid fauna and flora. And sometimes what they do is they burn some area before the season. So when there is some fire, the burned area is not burning again, obviously. So it's kind of like prevention of the fire spread in case of some problem.
06:40
But if they have the map of the important areas for fauna flora in the area, they can omit them from the burning places. So this is a map. This is their map from their project. So you see here some water points. Then here you see the tracks and the color somehow represents like
07:02
which type of vehicle can drive on the track. And then this is some other points. So also they map these areas and properties and so on, which is not shown on this particle chart of the map. What they also do is the fire spreading.
07:25
So they have some numerical simulation. So for example, here, there is a parking lot and they model that, okay, if someone throws a cigarette and the fire starts here, they have a simulation where it is in which minute,
07:45
when this is in QGs, and they can like simulate how their brigade will handle the fire in the area. So they can do some simulation. And then there is a fire. So what you can do without some advanced technology
08:02
is that you can project or some map over whiteboard and then use the marker to, as the tracks are in the field and they're calling you, they can mark on the whiteboard over the map, like what's going on and then call them back. With the merging maps and QGIS,
08:20
you can use a projector to map a QGIS project there and also push it back to the tracks. So for example, first of all, the truck drivers, they have this map already before the fire. And then during the fire, this is the prototyping during the fire. What they're doing is you can push them live updates.
08:41
But this was a prototyping stage. But at least they have a map before the fire. So this is the second case. Then let's go to the third one. This one is a fiber. What is nice on designing the project with QGIS
09:02
and merging maps is that you can start for very simple prototype. Like everyone can start, like download these open source tools. And you can start with just simple background map, one point layer. You can try something and then you can easily, easily improve over time. So many of these use cases, for example,
09:21
also this one, they started with a simple project after some conference and then they improve because you can very easily add a new field, add new layer. You don't need to tell someone else, some other company, please, we want different field. You can like do it yourself and do iteration. So you can try very simple project
09:42
and build up a complex project. So for this fiber companies, they want to connect to your house or flat with the fiber. And it's kind of complicated with all these closures and fibers connected and splicing. But what you need to start with effectively
10:03
is that you need to get a picture or go to the area and find out which houses needs to be connected to the, so then you need, you can design the connection routes,
10:21
where to dig the trenches, how to put the cables, that's there, and then you can connect the houses. But it all starts that you get some data from government. So like, okay, these are the houses you want to connect. And these Jacobs guys in Belgium, what they did is that they use merging maps and QGs.
10:41
So they go to government data and they have people in a field that go to each address and verify with merging maps that, okay, this is a building, where is the mailbox, how we can get to the building, where is the port, where we will connect to the building, how many inhabitants there are, how many flats and so on.
11:03
So they have some big, they take the photos. So this, and then this comes to designers and they are very much able to then design a nice fiber network for that area or city. What I really appreciate there is that, as I said, it's from simplicity to complexity.
11:22
So you can start from small and then add new layers, add new fields very easily. Also, what is nice that you can use in QGs and merging maps constraints. So your surveyors, they don't need, you can force them to fill some fields.
11:41
So you can force the data quality, right? And then eliminate errors and improve the quality of the data. So then there is the construction and engineering. So this, again, Belgian company, Belgian Roads Research Center, they have 100 people in the company
12:03
and then doing a lot of things in the Belgian roads and pavements and infrastructure. So historically, they used Excel spreadsheets and they had like one S3 license for desktop. And because the field collection is quite expensive with S3,
12:23
so they just use handwritten notes and they store data in Excel and they use just the address from, I know, as a location point, the address of the closest flat or house. So this is obviously not ideal solution
12:41
because you have vendor lock-in, you have expensive licenses, you cannot afford the license or download license for every desktop user and field user and it's all the black box. So you don't know what's going on there. You don't have a control. This is where the open source comes. So we did a small development project with them
13:00
as a Lutra consulting, developed them some custom feature they needed for their work in the system. And now they have QGs and this is margin maps going on and a lot of stuff in the car. They also use, they also, for example, here they do pedestrian pavements quality and accessibility.
13:23
So they have this nice map where something is broken on the pavement. And most importantly, they also use the MaxArt GNSS devices and they have this crazy looking wheelchair with the GNSS device inside,
13:41
which they use for measuring the accessibility of the pavement. So it is possible for handicapped people to nicely go to the pavements. So they have a different one, but I have this Amlet GNSS here with me, but you can use many different device types
14:02
with margin maps. So that's this one. And here comes the one of the last case study I want to present you today. It's agriculture. And this is in South Africa.
14:20
This is in South Africa. So this company is helping local farmers to improve the productivity and efficiency of their farms. So these people are very much non-GIS people
14:41
and they do not have many times any technical education at all, but they have smartphones and they want to get the better efficiency, better farm. So these guys are doing a consultancy for them and they developed MP platform, which has many components.
15:04
It all begins with QGIS, of course, and Merging Maps. So they have a Merging Maps project for each farmer and the farmers can, during their work on the fields
15:22
and farms, they can store data about their farms like moisture, pest observation. There's plenty of things they are noting down. Let me, soil nutrition, irrigation and also the production, the fruit size and so on.
15:42
So they have a project to store a lot of data like photos and so on. And these data are pushed to the Merging Maps cloud, which is branded as MPI platform. The platform uses some advanced API scripts
16:08
that we developed. One is called the work packages. So all these 200 farm data is merged to one massive QGIS project with all the data, which is used from them for the company.
16:22
So they have it in one project and also it's a bold direction. So if you do something in the master project, it will be propagated to sub-projects. And then from this master project, they use another tool, which is called DBSYNC, another part of the Merging Maps ecosystem.
16:41
And DBSYNC, what it does is takes your project and push it to Postgres database. Again, like live. So you have data on the Merging Maps platform and with this synchronization script, you have the same data replicated in your database. And from there, it is not far to,
17:03
from the Postgres, if you have a data in Postgres, they have the web application built on top of it, where you can log in, you can like see your farm data. You can see all the reports for your data. And also this is used for consultants. So when they come to the place physically, they have the report,
17:21
they have everything from the platform before. So in a few hours, they can effectively help the farmers with their help. So yeah, what, how these farmers did it before? Some of them was that they have a QGIS project
17:41
from these consultants. The QGIS project was exported to the point layer, imported to fulcrum. Then there was a survey in a fulcrum. Then it was exported from fulcrum to Excel. Then it was fixed in Excel. Then you have piped QGIS script to put it in QGIS. And then you produce the map and then you have the report.
18:03
So now it's just a merging maps project where you sync button, feed your data, sync it back and that's it. So as you can imagine, it's way better. So that's all I wanted to show you on this presentation. There will be another one at three o'clock
18:20
that you can join for more technical bits and also new features that was developed last year. And we have a stand with Sabr in a sponsor area. So if you have any questions, feel free to come. And if you want to read more about these five case studies
18:40
I go to the merging maps com case studies webpage. There are these five case studies from last year and then maybe 10, 15 more from previous years. Thank you very much for your attention and open to questions.
19:02
Any question? I wanted to ask if, George from Cyprus.
19:22
I wanted to ask if you maintain roles in how the data is being captured and who has the right to update or delete or? If I understand right.
19:40
So this is what I will talk in a afternoon presentation but on the cloud part, you have the project and you can assign the roles. So you can invite 10 users for your project and then each user can have different roles. So you can have readers, writers, you can have people that can only modify data in the field
20:03
and you can have other people that can also change the project in the QGs. So you can define for everyone like what is the role for the particular project. And then based on that, you can or cannot do a changes.
20:20
And the first part with the roles, I don't know if I get correctly that but generally the data is stored as a geo package. The vector data you store is internally stored as a geo package both on your phone and on the cloud. So the synchronization is transferring the difference files between geo packages
20:42
pretty much as a synchronization backend. Is it working? Yeah. Sultan from Saudi Arabia. Would you please go to the slide that you show us the project in Malaysia with the trucks position? Sorry, which one? The one in Malaysia.
21:02
You show the trucks, go back, go back. More. Yeah, with the fire I think there. No, after that, the trucks location, yes. There is a truck location.
21:22
You mentioned, yes. Would you please, can you do real-time monitoring like system of system, you know? You can, did you develop like real-time monitoring if you like to monitor on time? Any phenomena like for trucks and the site, you know?
21:45
If you do, do you do that before? Yes, hi, this is Sabar. Yes, you can do live tracking of users. So if they have internet connection, there is another button, it's not clear here.
22:02
But if they enable it, it's like Google Map live track and they can see other users live where they are. Night also? Sorry? During the day and in the night? As long as they don't turn it off, yes. Thank you. It's like a shared location on Google Map.
22:21
Ah yeah, because in night, the darkness, you know, so how can you manage the trucks? Is it by lighting or by radar or optical sensor or? No, we just use GPS. I see, thank you.
22:46
Yeah, thank you very much.