Active Web GIS Service launched

The Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management, Kerala, here, an institute under the State government, has announced the launch of the State’s first Active Web Geographical Information System (GIS) service in public domain using free and open source software technology.

Announcing the launch here on Saturday, K.R. Srivathsan, Director of the institute, said publication and distribution of spatial data were becoming increasingly important for scientific and business organisations to make smart decisions.

Active Web GIS had a significant role in e-governance applications, which used a large volume of geographical information. The main objective of Active Web GIS, he said, is to make dynamic geographical information available in a simplified, open Web interface. He was addressing the concluding session of the three-day Free Map workshop held at the institute.

Free Map is a voluntary group of experts aimed at empowering communities across India and the world to lead the growth of free and open mapping in India. A group of 43 professionals and students attended the workshop.

Participants mapped the Technopark campus by using the Global Positioning System (GPS) and Open Stret Map technology.

The site, hyperlink “ http://www.edugrid.ac.in/webgis,” helps the visitor access State-wide dynamic weather information and one-week forecast updated every three hours. It provides thematic maps of Kerala and advanced fly-through of 3D topography.

In an active Web GIS, the geographic objects or attributes are powered by dynamic database systems that represent the changes in the real world. It allows the visualisation of dynamic data in a natural geographic setting.

Source : http://www.hindu.com