The D-Map System

General Information:

Lack of a viable and easy to use geographical reference system on today's Internet served as an inspiration for seeking a way to deploy a system with data-enabled, logically definable points on earth's surface. Approach described in this paper uses the main concept behind HTTP protocol, which allows for definition of one document to be composed from bits of information stored in different locations.

Today web documents can be, and often are, built with information derived from various data-providers, such as news print, photos, advertisements, etc. The Image Data Matrix Mapping System, henceforth D-Map, uses the above HTTP protocol concept to compose images, or matrixes, on Internet users' computer screens where every pixel of the image represents an independent object within the collection of the matrix's pixels.

The composed matrix looks like any regular Gif or Jpeg image to the end user. However, with the inherent ability for every single pixel of the matrix to behave as an independent data- and programming-logic enabled Object it becomes possible to compose those image matrixes from information derived from virtually unlimited in numbers and complexity content and programming logic providers.

It is the author's sole opinion that, being one of the most interesting and the most real-world-adaptable, the geographical mapping should become the first practical application of the D-Map system. Thus part the document describing general principles of operation and real-world examples of this system will use geographical mapping as an example.

Usage Examples:

The D-Map matrix, like any other image or map, consists of pixels with coordinates x and y. With traditional mapping techniques, using city map as an example, objects representing flat structures (buildings, malls, parks, lakes, fields, etc) and communication links (roads, administrative borders, rivers, communication lines, water and sewage systems, etc) are mapped, or physically drawn, onto a pre-prepared city map (main low-level map). Every structure is then assigned a coordinate x,y (communication links are usually given vectors). The fundamental difference of the D-Map system is that the map is represented by an aggregation of the objects, without the necessity to be tied in to the main low-level map.

Besides providing a greater technological flexibility for web deployment, the D-Map system also enables for data feed of any type from any content provider to be supplied to an unlimited number of objects on the map.

A live news report, for example, may contain local or world map with live events taking place in one spot or another on the map. Every type of news event may is categorized by type (celebrations, public gatherings, accidents, crime reports, etc.) and presented by different color on the map. With every object being an independent part of the matrix, a user may then select and click the spot on the map he/she is most interested in. This would in turn direct him/her to a specific provider for more event-related information.

Any and all events that have taken, are taking, or will take place on the map are stored in a special database for instant lookup and cross-reference. Please refer to two possible scenarios below:

Scenario 1:

You are looking for a place to stay in an unknown to you area. An apartment on ABC St. suits your needs and is within your price-range. As you are looking at the location of this apartment building on city map, the D-Map system would allow you to instantly look up the following information:

• Shopping and Services Database: where and what are the nearest supermarkets, dry-cleaners, sport clubs, restaurants, bars, etc.
• Traffic Database: statistics on traffic jams, road construction work, parking, motorists' opinions of the area, available public transportation.
• News Database: crime rate (for your building and the vicinity), special events (past, present or planned), public gatherings.
• Telephone Directory Database: who would be your neighbors.
• Municipality Database: what development and construction projects are planned for the immediate vicinity.

Scenario 2:

Financial figures for a hotel chain X show decline in profits during summer months in resort complex A, but a sharp raise during fall season in complex B. By referring to those locations on the D-Map system, it may be determined that a manufacturing plant near resort A was shut down in late spring leading to high unemployment and unrest in local population creating unfavorable travel conditions, whereas in the area of resort B, in accordance with Local History Database, the local population was having a folk festival celebration of an anniversary of a certain medieval event creating an attractive tourist destination.

Conclusion:

Since there is no technologically imposed limit on the quantity and quality of data indexed onto the D-Map system, the list of possible application usages of this system may be expanded into an unlimited number of activities; such as market forecasts, area satisfaction ratings, weather conditions, geographical sales and corporate profits reporting, improvement of distribution systems, traffic rerouting, city planning, communication links development, optimization of cargo shipping, etc.

Other possible usages:

• Mathematical Modeling: Coupled with existing mathematical models (e.g. of chemical reactions, physical events, biological growth cycles, etc), the D-Map system would provide for visual broadcast of those modeling processes via the Internet and enable scientists from locations around the world to facilitate the modeling process by way of correcting the central model processor with the feedback of newly discovered phenomena.
• Games and VR: The D-Map system should be able to provide a robust platform for game and VR engine developers.
• Digital interactive video on demand: In the future, the D-Map system may be used for broadcasting live video in digital format over the Internet, as bandwidth becomes more readily available.
• Graphical User Interface: The same concept of synthesizing images from objects, whose attributes are stored in relational tables, may be applied to creating computer operating systems' GUI, enabling software manufacturers to easily create custom program controls for their products.

System Architecture Overview:

The D-Map system would be built in accordance with the Distributed Application Architecture concept, which provides for the main application engine to be hosted on one server cluster and have one or multiple Internet addresses for end-user access. Application developers and data-providers are in turn given facilities to conduct independent application development and live data-feed for the application databases.

With inherent scalability of distributed application structure as the quantity of applications and size of application databases grows, replication of the main D-Map system engine over several strategically placed server hosts may be easily implemented. A high level of redundancy with procurement of additional servers may be easily achieved as well.

The centralization of the main system engine, while being technologically necessary, also serves a business-related need requiring any commercial, non-profit, or government organization to achieve one sort of agreement or another with the owner of the D-Map engine system prior to commencement of any application development project.

Open Architecture Concept:

Given the nature of the system in question, the author believes that it would be in the best interests of successful system deployment to initiate the development process in a non-profit oriented, academic environment, such as a University or a Research Institute.

The initial development stage in a strictly R&D environment should take anywhere from three to six months after which the system should be able to show viable results. At that point, future R&D process and real-world business application usage of the D-Map system may be revised.

With potentially wide-ranging application field of the D-Map system, author believes that a premature commercialization of this project would have a negative effect on its future and would impede diversification of this system into various fields of activity that may benefit from technological advantages of the D-Map system over traditional approaches used today.

Therefore, the author believes that after the D-Map system becomes technically feasible, a non-profit organization or company should be created and charged with administrative and business development of the system whose main tasks would be finding new data-providers for the system database, expanding application usages, furthering technical capabilities, and finding new real-world and business applications for the system.

Licensing fees from companies willing to utilize the D-Map system engine for commercial purposes may be collected. However, advertising, partnering and promotional offers should be considered very carefully, as they may have a negative effect on the Open Architecture Concept.

Virtual Earth Model:

The D-Map system would consist mainly of an application engine with capabilities to support wide-ranging business, non-profit and government applications.

It is solely the author's opinion that the greatest benefit for Internet users everywhere provided by this system would be a world map with continuously updated data on the scale from local community-related information (local businesses, news events, specific building information, traffic updates, etc) to world-map view (global climate update, world news, political map, economic and demographic situations, etc.).

It is obvious that creating a database with continuously updated information of this scale would require involvement of a large number of businesses, non-profit organizations, governments, research institutes and other data-providers. Therefore, as a practical approach, development of the D-Map system should not and would not be centered around creation of a Virtual Earth Model, as it is clear that such a model would not become a reality in the near foreseeable future even under the best of circumstances.

System Development Requirements:

Development of the D-Map system, as with most Internet-deployed systems, would involve the following steps:
* Data-Model development and creation of Database Structure

• Application Engine
• Client-Side Browser Plug-In and/or Java applet

As it is usually the case with virtually all database supported systems, development of the Data-Model will be the first crucial step in development of a flexible and adaptable architecture of the D-Map system. Creation of a solid Database Structure will insure successful future development process and adaptability to changing real-world and business application needs.

As author's previous experience in system architecture development shows, once a unified system Database Structure is defined, developers with various backgrounds may proceed with development of facilities for data population and retrieval. Those facilities usually consist of interfaces for manual data input, automated data-feed and other utilities for populating the main system database. In parallel with development of Data-Population Facilities, development of the Main Application Engine for serving client-side, or end-user, applications will commence.

Although modern Internet browser model (IE, Netscape, etc.) contains the necessary object model for implementation of a workable solution for the D-Map system, the author deems it necessary to create a custom-made Client-Side Browser Plug-In and/or Java Applet utilities for running on client machines solely for performance reasons.

PS: Direct all your feedback to astrftc_nospam_at_yahoo.co.uk Received on Wed Nov 19 2003 - 16:46:56 CET