COSIMA A network based architecture for GIS

Abstract

Spatial Data Management and Spatial Data Processing often requires technology of many different computer science disciplines like Data Management, Computational Geometry, Statistics, and Data Visualisation. Todays GIS try to integrate this technology into one single, large, software package.

We propose a new flexible solution for keeping the specialised software packages independent and autonomous and linking them together via loose communication links. This open network of highly specialised services is called the Cooperative Spatial Information Management Architecture (COSIMA). It allows the integration of different types of services in a distributed computing environment.

We describe a basic cooperation protocol that allows to dynamically link the independent components for any specific complex task. We define the minimum protocol elements all partners have to agree on and give examples for extensions of this basic protocol.

This work has partially been sponsored by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) under grant no. NF 21-32801.91 as part of the ESPRIT Basic Research Activity “Amusing” (EP 6881).

Parts of this work have been presented at the SI-DBTA Workshop on Interoperability of Database Systems and Database Applications, Fribourg, Switzerland, 1993