Cloud and Server GIS: Introducing the CobSiter Mapping Application
Rapid Development of a Mapping Application using ArcGIS Server and an Amazon EC2 Instance
Image ©nytimes(2009)
Gary Zuker built his own cob and stone house in Austin, TX. Here's the story.
Building the CobSiter
The original model for building the application used ArcGIS Viewer for Flex.
Objective: Build a useful web mapping application using my own data with Amazon's EC2 as a hosting service
High Memory On-Demand Extra Large Instance (Windows, $0.57/hr)
What: A resource for siting an earthen home
Users: Natural building community
Overview
Natural building as an alternative to modern construction is gaining enthusiasts, not least because of the cost. Where a new home can be $100,000 or more, using locally harvested resources is both affordable and environmentally sound. Cob (a mix of sand, straw, and clay) is one of the better known. An expanding network of companies operate an apprentice/workshop model teaching people "how to build very low cost, personalized houses that an owner can pay for in a year." Knowing how to build is not the same as knowing where. Since part of cob's affordability relies on resourcing locally, it's useful to know soil types, geology, and especially where others have already successfully built cob houses. Building regulations have yet to catch up with natural building principles and you can't yet build just anywhere.
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1: Exploring the options
Initially I planned to use ArcGIS Viewer for Flex and Javascript.
Once I discovered the Soil Survey mapping service, I started experimenting with ArcGIS Explorer Online and realized the best use of my time would be in rapidly building a richly-layered application as proof-of-concept, instead of investing in code before I knew what I really wanted. Why not use the Flex Builder? Much of its interface is more intuitive to the end user, but it has one serious limitation for my many-layered application--no control over transparency. Explorer Online has its limitations, too, and it's important to distinguish between the ready-to-use framework and the API. Viewer for Flex is very customizable in code; the Application Builder much less so. Explorer Desktop is not the same as Explorer Online. Breaking it down:
High Memory On-Demand Extra Large Instance (Windows, $0.57/hr)
What: A resource for siting an earthen home
Users: Natural building community
Overview
Natural building as an alternative to modern construction is gaining enthusiasts, not least because of the cost. Where a new home can be $100,000 or more, using locally harvested resources is both affordable and environmentally sound. Cob (a mix of sand, straw, and clay) is one of the better known. An expanding network of companies operate an apprentice/workshop model teaching people "how to build very low cost, personalized houses that an owner can pay for in a year." Knowing how to build is not the same as knowing where. Since part of cob's affordability relies on resourcing locally, it's useful to know soil types, geology, and especially where others have already successfully built cob houses. Building regulations have yet to catch up with natural building principles and you can't yet build just anywhere.
KEEP READING or GO STRAIGHT TO THE VID
1: Exploring the options
Initially I planned to use ArcGIS Viewer for Flex and Javascript.
Once I discovered the Soil Survey mapping service, I started experimenting with ArcGIS Explorer Online and realized the best use of my time would be in rapidly building a richly-layered application as proof-of-concept, instead of investing in code before I knew what I really wanted. Why not use the Flex Builder? Much of its interface is more intuitive to the end user, but it has one serious limitation for my many-layered application--no control over transparency. Explorer Online has its limitations, too, and it's important to distinguish between the ready-to-use framework and the API. Viewer for Flex is very customizable in code; the Application Builder much less so. Explorer Desktop is not the same as Explorer Online. Breaking it down:
- Flex Application Builder has a configurable geoprocessing widget but no control over transparency.
- ArcGIS Explorer Online has transparency control; and if you import a published service as "feature", you can control scale issues. But simple queries only: no geoprocessing.