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GeoSync manual – preliminary version.
GeoSync utility – setup manual
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Intro
GeoSync is a part of the GIS4Mobile system – the part that connects the office GIS to the
GIS4Mobile data storage, enabling you to syncronize GIS data with the field data.
GeoSync is available in several different implementations.
For specific instructions look at chapters in the end of this book.
This is the guide that will explain how to do the following:
•
•
•
•
Install GeoSync
Configure GeoSync
Run GeoSync
Automatically run GeoSync
A brief overview of the GIS4Mobile is given here:
About GIS4Mobiles 3 parts
GIS4Mobile har 3 parts:
• The mobile devices (mobile phones with apps).
• The communication service (GeoDropBox).
• The office GIS (GeoSync)
Mobile devices
The mobile devices are handheld computer or mobile phones, with builtin GPS and internet
connection ability.
On the mobile device the GIS4Mobile app should be installed. The following are currently
supported:
• IPhone
get the GIS4Mobile app in the app-store.
• IPad
get the GIS4Mobile app in the app-store.
• Android
get the GIS4Mobile app in google play.
• WM 6.x
get the software from www.gis4mobile.com
The app requires the user to enter a username and password, thereby allowing access to the
organisations data.
After the login, the user will be able to edit existing registrations, and add new registrations
(depending on the current configuration).
Registration contains coordinates, attributes and an optional image.
Data that is captured is immidiately transferred to the GeoDropBox.
The GIS4Mobile Cloud Service (GeoDropBox)
The GeoDropBox is an online storage facility, that holds the geographical data.
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Also the GeoDropBox holds tables with user and organisation configurations, allowing you to
assign specific credentials to every user.
Basically the GeoDropBox is a spatial database and a set of web services.
The office GIS (Geosync)
Data, that is collected by mobile workers, can be transferred to the office GIS using GeoSync
applications. And furthermore data that is maintained in the GIS can be published to be visible and
editable for the mobile workers using GeoSync..
WMS and WFS is also an option I GIS4Mobile, but these are only useful for transferring data from
the GIS4Mobile service to GIS.
All communications from the GIS goes through the GIS4Mobile service.
GeoSync utility – setup manual
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GeoSync utility
The GeoSync applications comes in different flavors, but all look and operate much the same.
The different part is the top of the applications dialog – where we connects to a specific data source.
Here is a list of some variations:
GeoSync version
GeoSyncDivGIS
GeoSync(GM)
GIS systems
PostGIS
MS Sql Server spatial
ESRI shape,
Oracle 10 spatial,
Spatial lite
MS Access
GeoMedia
GeoSync(Arc)
ArcGIS
GeoSync utility – setup manual
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Description
This version runs directly in windows,
allowing the user to connect to a folder
with *.shp or *.tab files, or to an oracle via
a UDL file.
Runs as a custom command in GeoMedia
or GeoMedia Pro.
Allows to connect to any read/write
datasource.
Runs as a custom command in ArcGIS –
connects to currently open data, via the
4
TOC in ArcGIS
GeoSync(MI)
MicroStation
MapInfo
Runs as a tool under MapInfo
Getting started
When the application is installed and launched you first have to make some configurations.
The Configure button gives this dialog:
All the user settings are stored in a settings file, you can see the settings filename in the title bar of
this dialog.
The settings are explained:
Title
Folder for GeoSync checksum files
Download images to folder
Min and Max Coordinates
GeoSync utility – setup manual
Description
GeoSync maintains a file with checksums for every feature.
These files are stored in a folder on your system. You might
never need to look at these files.
Images captured with GIS4Mobile app are stored in the
GIS4Mobile cloud service, and with this option it is
possible to choose to download theese files.
See below
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Setting coodinates range
With this dialog it is possible to set the coordinate range that GeoSync operates on.
It is important to set coordinate range for your area, specially if working with the world wide
themes, like the demo project.
The GeoSync dialog
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The GeoSync dialog contains a list of the configured syncronization pairs.
A syncronization pair defines which field data are stored in which GIS features.
You use this button:
- to define syncronization pairs. This will be covered later.
For every pair there is a checkbox – where you select which pairs you want to operate on.
When a pair is selected you can choose:
Option
Described
Import
Downloads data from GIS4Mobile and inserts into your GIS.
Normally incremental is used, which causes it to fetch only new and modified
objects.
Export
Select this on to export data from your GIS to the GIS4Mobile Cloud Service
Deletes
Select this option to make sure that deleted records are removed on both sides.
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Add syncronization
To add syncronization means to define matching pairs of field data-themes and GIS featureclasses.
In the different sorts of geosync this operates a little different.
In ArcGIS and MapInfo and GeoMedia you need to open the relevant featureclasses / tables in the
GIS before you try to configure syncronizations.
This is the dialog you will see:
This is the workflow:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Enter your username and pasword and hit List Themes
Select theme in the left dropdownbox
Select matching GIS feature (this is a bit different in the different versions of the program)
Accept and verify
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You see a list displaying attributes on the theme and the featureclass.
The Verify button will check if you have the valid attributes on the GIS featureclass.
Please OBS that the attribute G4MID is not optional. It should be of type text, size 40. The Verify
button will try to add this attribute. In GeoMedia the verify button will also add an index to this
column.
Specially the Shape/PostGIS/SQL version has this option to select or create a feature.
The select button:
Will open this dialog:
In the top you choose what datasource you are using.
The different datasources has different connect specifications.
You can either select from existing features or create new features.
If the server is SQL-server the list contains only features listet in the geometry_columns table.
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How to syncronize GIS with GeoDropBox
Tha synchronisation between GIS and GeoDropBox can be done as often as you like.
In the list we see the currently configured pairs – and the date/time of last update, and a checkbox to
select which themes we want to synchronize.
The Increment / Complete option relates only to the Import utility – first Import should be a
Complete one.
Her we explain the operations done by the application:
Import
Export
New and modified data are fetched from the GeoDropBox. As every object has a
unique ID (the G4MID) the application is able to make sure every object is only
added once to the GIS database, and also the application can locate the exact record
in the GIS database, if it has been modified by the field workers.
The import utility maintains a datafile with datetime(timestamps) and checksums
for every object.
The export utility depends on the datafile with timestamps and checksums –
comparing every GIS objects and thereby deciding if it has been modified – or if it
is a total new object – and therefore should be published to the GeoDropBox.
Also the datafile is updated with timestamp and checksum for every object that is
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Delete
published.
The delete utility checks if any objects is deleted by the mobile workers, and then
deletes the same objects in the GIS.
Also it compares the datafile content with the GIS featureclass content, and deletes
objects in the GeoDropBox, that once was in the GIS but has been removed, based
on the G4MID identifier.
A normal day to day syncronisation should be done based on where the editing is mainly done.
If no edits are done locally in the GIS, you do not need to do exports.
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Appendix
Different connect procedures
Oracle connection
The Oracle connection is done using a UDL file.
The easy way to to this is to use windows explorer to create a file named ora.udl.
Then double click this file, and specify the connection.
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MicroStation Connection
The MicroStation implementation has several special instructions covered here:
•
•
•
Installing
Launching
Data structure / testdata
Installing
Installations is done using the provided msi module setupGeoSync(MS).msi
The installation requires MicroStation V8 or later.
Launching in MicroStation
First of all, MicroStation must be started and its database configuration should be loaded. This can
be forced by using this command line argument to ustation.exe:
Ustation.exe -wdOLEDB
The GeoSynk installation contains a MicroStation mvba project file, which must be loaded in
MicroStation.
This keyin loads the project file:
vba load C:\Program files\GIS4Mobile\GeoSyncMS\gis4mobile.mvba
And this keyin load the application:
vba run start.gis4mobile
Data structure / testdata
GeoSync uses the original GeoGraphics data structure which is still valid for bentley map.
The data structure consists of a dgn-file, and a database.
In the batabase is tables:
Table
Mscatalog
Feature
Category
Purpose
Lists all tables MicroStation can access
Lists level names and numbers, and cellnames, and tablenames
Lists categories for the features
Other tables…
Attributes for specific features
All tables must contain mslink column and all tables must be in the mscatalog list.
Apart from this GIS4Mobile has these requirements to features:
• Must have a cellname – and cell must exist in attached cell library.
• Must have a tablename – and table must exist in database
• Must have level name in features fname column
• Must have level code in features mslink column.
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Along with the installation there is a test dataset provides.
In the testdata there are a dgn-file, a cell library, and a database.
Please unzip the testdata to the folder:
C:\GIS4Mobile\MicroStation\
If you choose another folder configurations must be modified.
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