This document discusses spatially enabled open source business intelligence (GeoBI) tools including GeoKettle, GeoMondrian, and SOLAPLayers. GeoKettle adds spatial capabilities to Pentaho Data Integration. GeoMondrian does the same for Pentaho Analysis Services (Mondrian) by integrating spatial objects into OLAP data cubes. SOLAPLayers provides a lightweight framework for building interactive geospatial dashboards using these tools. The document demonstrates the capabilities and architecture of these projects.

1. Spatially enabled open source BI
(GeoBI) with GeoKettle,
GeoMondrian & SOLAPLayers
Dr. Thierry Badard, CTO
Spatialytics Solutions Inc.
Quebec, Canada
tbadard@spatialytics.com

2. Injecting “GEOSPATIAL” in BI
OSBI leader
Open Source (CE & EE)
Dashboard
ETL OLAP Reports
R&D leader
- Faculté de foresterie, de géographie et de géomatique
- Département des sciences géomatiques
- Équipe de recherche GeoSOA
Geomatics/GIS/Geospatial - Dr. Thierry Badard

3. Why merge BI and geospatial software?
●
Because “About 80% of all data stored in corporate databases has a
spatial component” [Franklin 1992]
● Enable the exploration of spatial relations between data
− To definitely take into account all aspects (spatial, temporal, desc.) of data
− And then take more informed decisions
●
Some phenomena can only be effectively observed and interpreted
by representing them on a map!
− Spatial distribution,
− Spatiotemporal evolution,
− etc.
●
But we need to go beyond simple push-pins on a Google Maps!
– Need for complex spatial analysis and transformations
– Advanced and cool thematic map representations
– Extend the query language with geospatial capabilities
– Easy navigation via drill-down and roll-up operators applied to maps

4. Open Source Projects
Spatial Spatial Geo-analytical
Dashboard
ETL OLAP Reports

5. GeoKettle
●
GeoKettle is a "spatially-enabled" version of Pentaho Data
Integration (Kettle)
●
GeoKettle provides a true and consistent integration of the
spatial component
− All steps provided by Kettle are able to deal with geospatial data types
− Some geospatial dedicated steps have been added
●
First release in May 2008: 2.5.2-20080531
●
Current stable version: 3.2.0-r188-20090706
●
To be released very shortly: GeoKettle 2.0 with many new
features!
●
Released under LGPL at http://www.geokettle.org
●
Used in different organizations and countries
●
A growing community of users and developers

6. GeoKettle
●
Version 2.0 provides support for:
− Handling geometry data types (based on JTS)
− Accessing Geometry objects in JavaScript
−
Definition of custom transformation steps by the user (“Modified
JavaScript Value” step)
−
Spatial analysis through topological predicates (intersects, crosses,
etc.) and aggregation operators (envelope, union, geometry collection, ...)
− SRS definition and transformations
− Input / Output with some spatial DBMS
- Native support for Oracle, PostGIS and MySQL
- MS SQL Server 2008 and IBM DB2 (requires some tricks)
− GIS file Input / Output: Shapefile, GML 3, KML 2.2 and OGR
support (~33 vector data formats and spatial DBMS)
− Cartographic preview
− Sensor Observation Service (OGC)
− Advanced vector geo-processing (Sextante plugin)

7. GeoKettle - Spoon

8. GeoMondrian
●
GeoMondrian is a "spatially-enabled" version of
Pentaho Analysis Services (Mondrian)
●
GeoMondrian brings to the Mondrian OLAP
server what PostGIS brings to the PostgreSQL
DBMS
– i.e. a consistent and powerful support for geospatial
data.
●
Licensed under the EPL
●
http://www.geo-mondrian.org

9. GeoMondrian
●
As far as we know, it is the first implementation of a true
Spatial OLAP (SOLAP) Server
− And it is an open source project! ;-)
●
Provides a consistent integration of spatial objects into the
OLAP data cube structure
− Instead of fetching them from an external spatial DBMS, web
service or a GIS file
●
Implements a native Geometry data type
●
Provides first spatial extensions to the MDX language
− Add spatial analysis capabilities to the analytical queries
●
At present, it only supports PostGIS datawarehouses
− But other DBMS will be supported in the next version!

10. SOLAPLayers
●
SOLAPLayers is a lightweight cartographic component
(framework) which enables navigation in geospatial (Spatial
OLAP or SOLAP) data cubes, such as those handled by
GeoMondrian.
●
It aims to be integrated into existing dashboard frameworks
in order to produce interactive geo-analytical dashboards.
●
But could be used standalone to produce geo-enabled
dashboards and reports
●
Version 2.0 (to be released in Feb./March 2011) will be
based on the ExtJS/GeoExt frameworks
●
Licensed under BSD (client part) and EPL (server part).
●
http://www.solaplayers.org

11. SOLAPLayers 2.0 – Architecture
1 Built-in or LDAP
Server
SOLAP Server Authentication
Native or XML/A
OLAP4J
MDX
OLAP Server
Client
Native or XML/A Server
SOLAPJSON
2
3
Geospatial data source
(WFS, DBMS, ...) Geospatial data source
(WFS, DBMS, ...)

12. SOLAPLayers 2.0

13. SOLAPLayers 2.0

14. SOLAPLayers 2.0

15. Questions?
● Thanks for your attention and do not hesitate to ask for demos
and to contact us for possible collaborations!
● Contact:
Dr. Thierry Badard, CTO
Spatialytics inc.
Quebec, Canada
Email: tbadard@spatialytics.com
Web: http://www.spatialytics.org
http://www.spatialytics.com
Twitter: tbadard & spatialytics
http://www.geokettle.org Twitter : geokettle
http://www.geo-mondrian.org Twitter : geomondrian
http://www.solaplayers.org Twitter : solaplayers

16. Spatially enabled MDX
●
Goal: bring to Mondrian and MDX what SQL spatial
extensions do for relational DBMS (i.e. Simple Features for
SQL and implementations such as PostGIS).
●
Example query: filter spatial dimension members based on
distance from a feature
− SELECT
{[Measures].[Population]} on columns,
Filter(
{[Unite geographique].[Region economique].members},
ST_Distance([Unitegeographique].CurrentMember.Properties("geom"),
[Unite geographique].[Province].[Ontario].Properties("geom")) < 2.0
) on rows
FROM [Recensements]
WHERE [Temps].[Rencensement 2001 (2001-2003)].[2001]

17. SOLAPLayers 2.0 – Geo-dashboard made easy!
1 Define the template of the dashboard in a HTML file

18. SOLAPLayers 2.0 – Geo-dashboard made easy!
1 Define the template of the dashboard in a HTML file
Define your dashboard components in a JS
2 file and map it to the div in the HTML file

19. SOLAPLayers 2.0 – Geo-dashboard made easy!
3
Enjoy! ;-)

20. SOLAPLayers
● As GeoExt which provides Geospatial extensions to ExtJS,
SOLAPLayers provides GeoBI extensions to ExtJS
● So, to make it simple: SOLAPLayers = GeoBIExt!
● At present, it provides the main components for creating
geo-analytical dashboards
– Map, crosstab, column chart, line chart, ...
– But, many more to come and to develop!
● Cube explorer, query builder, time slider/navigator, gauges, score cards, social graphs, ...
– Advanced interaction capabilities and settings will be added to each components!
– Additional thematic mapping capabilities are also required: multi-maps, ...
● We anticipate to have a first stable of version 2.0 in
February/March 2011