GSoC 2017 | GRASS GIS Locations Created from Public Data

Student Name:	​Zechariah Krautwurst
Student Institution:	​North Carolina State University
GSoC Organization:	​OSGeo - Open Source Geospatial Foundation
GSoC Mentors:	​Anna Petrasova
	​Vaclav Petras
Project Title:	GRASS GIS Locations Created from Public Data
Project Proposal:	​view proposal
Project Repository:	​GitHub

Abstract

This project will focus on creating scripts that convert widely-used open data sets into standardized formats for a given location or projection. The scripts, modules, project documentation, and data sets generated from the project would be made available as a service and development framework to GRASS GIS users.

Goal

Novice GRASS users often have difficulty with the complexities of re-formatting data, solving map projection issues, and working with centralized data organization. Many existing solutions require users to create their own custom scripts geared towards a specific use-case, which can be difficult for some users to adapt to other data sources or coordinate projection systems.

With the scripts created for this project, users will be able to download multiple data sets and appropriately format the data according to a user-defined location. Automated data-formatting will allow users to more efficiently utilize information and create automatically formatted data sets. Furthermore, the underlying framework generated by my project will allow users to develop their own scripts for a given service and/or location.

Timeline

Community Bonding Period		Status
MAY 4 - MAY 26	Complete preliminary GSoC, OSGeo, mentor, and proposal requirements
Phase 01
MAY 30 - JUNE 2	Explore existing efforts, primary community needs, and potential project difficulties
JUNE 5 - JUNE 9	Identify data sources and formatting conventions
JUNE 12 - 16	Psuedocode scripts
JUNE 19 - 23	Draft python scripts
JUNE 26 - 30	Phase 1 formatting scripts completed
JULY 30	PHASE 01 EVALUATION DEADLINE
Phase 02
JULY 3 - 7	Integrate existing APIs into scripts
JULY 10 - 14	Unavailable
JULY 17 - 21	Develop data storage, web services, and cross-platform compatibility
JULY 24 - 28	Create use-case documentation and GUI mock-up (wxPython)
JULY 28	PHASE 02 EVALUATION DEADLINE
Phase 03
JULY 31 - AUGUST 4	Develop formatting scripts that format multiple data-types and coordinate systems
AUGUST 7 - 11	Further develop data storage, web services, and cross-platform compatibility
AUGUST 14 - 18	Finalize each of the data formatting pipelines, GUI, services, and processes
AUGUST 21 - 25	Finalize each of the data formatting pipelines, GUI, services, and processes
AUGUST 28 - 29	FINAL WEEK
	Create documentation and submit completed work
SEPTEMBER 5	FINAL EVALUATION SUBMITTED

Requirements

​GRASS 7.3

Development

Weekly reports

COMMUNITY BONDING: MAY 04 - MAY 29
ACCOMPLISHED	Meetings with Anna and Vashek OSGeo Wiki and Trac pages GSoC Weekly reports GRASS Development pipeline GRASS, Linux, Python resources Compile and install GRASS SVN on Linux virtual machine. Review tutorials and resources Create Trac and Wiki pages. Review coordinate systems and projection issues Research existing data sources and download methods

WEEK 01: MAY 30 - JUNE 02
ACCOMPLISHED	05/30 Meeting with Anna, Vashek, and Paul Refined project scope Selected target data sources and scale Discussed coordinate projection issues and solutions Research USGS NED data download process and web services Review GRASS Location Wizard functionality Create user scenarios for various software possibilities Set up local development tools and coding environment Review existing methods and Python scripts for data download into GIS formats
NEXT WEEK	Create initial data download script for NED data Establish user defined boundaries for import data Reconcile coordinate projection difficulties Review wxPython Reach out to GRASS community for thoughts and resources
BLOCKS	None