WebGD Framework and WebGD-Gen Application Generator.pdfVIP

WebGD Framework and WebGD-Gen Application Generator Toshimi Minoura, Surya Halim, and Bader Albader School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Oregon State University Corvallis, Oregon, 97331-4602 minoura@ Abstract A typical Internet map-server application allows only retrieval of maps and map- related data. We have been developing web-based GIS/database (WebGD) applications that allow users to insert, query, update, and delete geographical features and the data associated with them from standard Web browsers. The code shared by these applications is organized as the WebGD framework. We have also built a WebGD application generator (WebGD-Gen) that automatically produces a WebGD application from a database schema. This application generator greatly simplifies the process of creating a complex Web-based GIS/database application and significantly reduces the development time and maintenance cost. The WebGD framework and WebGD-GEN currently support such advanced features as tight integration of a Web- based map interface with a database, automatic selection of the spatial reference and map layers for the current region, and automatic generation of Web forms. The forms generated can be used to insert, search, update, and delete geographical features and the data associated with them. 1. Introduction The Internet is emerging as the major venue for sharing biodiversity information since it supports globalization and broad-scale interoperability (Bisby 2000). Dynamic web-based mapping a