SEDRIS™ Technology Conference 2004
Tutorials
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The tutorials described below provided complete coverage of the core SEDRIS technologies, SEDRIS-based tools and utilities, and were intended for those interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the technical details and how-to techniques.

These tutorials were designed to impart working knowledge of the key SEDRIS technologies. The tutorials covered the practical aspects of these technologies such that environmental modelers and software engineers could gain a full appreciation for their depth and breadth.


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Introduction to SEDRIS for Managers

Environmental data is an integral part of many of today's information technology applications. The use of environmental data will grow substantially as availability and access to such data increases, and as tools for manipulation of environmental data become less expensive and more sophisticated. This tutorial provides an overview of the fundamental issues in environmental data representation, generation, and interchange. Topics include: background on how environmental databases are created; why database creation is expensive; how environmental databases affect interoperability; the critical issues in interchange; the SEDRIS approach; what SEDRIS is and is not; SEDRIS-based products and activities; an overview of the SEDRIS technology components; and more. Demonstrations of selected SEDRIS technology tools and applications are included.

This tutorial is for those interested in gaining a better appreciation of environmental data generation and consumption issues, interested in better understanding the SEDRIS concepts, or those new to SEDRIS. Project managers, policy and decision makers, systems engineers, and technology managers impacted by environmental data should attend.

The tutorial provides the attendee with a foundation to understand the critical issues in environmental data representation, database creation, interchange, and SEDRIS capabilities and technology components.


SEDRIS - The Technology Components

This tutorial introduces the five SEDRIS technology components (DRM, EDCS, SRM, API, STF) with an emphasis on the DRM. The role that each component plays within the environmental data domain is explored to provide a springboard for understanding the other tutorials and presentations in the conference. This tutorial highlights the most commonly used areas of the DRM, the key DRM classes, and how the EDCS and the SRM components are utilized within the DRM. An overview of the API's powerful capabilities, including its most commonly used functions, is also provided.

This tutorial is for software engineers, systems engineers, and environmental modelers new to SEDRIS technologies.

The tutorial provides an understanding of the five SEDRIS technology components, the basic elements provided within the DRM and API, and is better prepared to take advantage of the remaining conference tutorials and presentations.


Synthetic Environment Evaluation - Inspection Tool (SEE-IT)

SEE-IT is a powerful tool that provides two primary utilities for dealing with terrain databases: it checks for conditions that may be inaccurate descriptions of the physical environment, and it finds conditions that can lead to anomalous behaviors by entities operating in the simulated world. SEE-IT also provides data query and filtering mechanisms for identification, detection, and further diagnosis of environmental data. This tutorial includes examples of finding conditions such as: improper road junctions, misaligned boundaries between features, cracks in the terrain, narrow or sliver polygons, and a variety of other anomalies commonly found in terrain databases.

This tutorial is for environmental modelers and software engineers interested in the verification and analysis of SEDRIS transmittals, and those interested in improving their SEDRIS transmittal production capabilities.

At completion, the attendee has an understanding of the power of SEE-IT, and how it is used to identify and interpret various anomalies that may occur in environmental databases.


Fundamentals of the DRM

The Data Representation Model (DRM) allows you to describe and articulate your environmental data clearly, while at the same time using the same representation model to understand other's data unambiguously. The DRM includes the logical relationships or associations between data classes. It also ensures the syntax and the structural semantics of the data are fully expressed and correctly understood by users. This tutorial provides a complete introduction to the SEDRIS DRM. It includes: a review of the notation used; the DRM organization and usage with sample applications; how the DRM utilizes the Environmental Data Coding Specification (EDCS) and the Spatial Reference Model (SRM); and a description of the key DRM classes such as metadata, libraries, topology, point-sampled and grid data, organizational schemes, attributes, features, and geometry.

This tutorial is for environmental modelers interested in using SEDRIS, software engineers who plan to implement applications based on SEDRIS technologies, and those interested in gaining a better appreciation for the most fundamental SEDRIS technology, the DRM.

At completion, the attendee is able to read and understand the DRM, the rules defined and imposed by the DRM, the use of the EDCS and SRM, and the use and organization of the data classes in the DRM.


Fundamentals for Accessing Transmittals

This tutorial covers the fundamentals of accessing SEDRIS transmittals through the use of the SEDRIS transmittal access C and C++ APIs. Traversal strategies, object management, and API behaviors are discussed applicable to both the C and C++ APIs. Pseudo code and algorithms for performing common actions across a range of applications are provided. The mechanics of the APIs are provided with an introduction to the C functions and data structures, as well as the C++ classes and methods. Coding samples in both languages are provided.

This tutorial is for software engineers who intend to design and implement SEDRIS-based applications, or those interested in learning the basic functionality of the SEDRIS APIs.

Attendees gain a fundamental understanding of the issues to access SEDRIS transmittals. The attendee also gains basic insight into the functionality and mechanics of the SEDRIS APIs.


Spatial Reference Model (SRM)

Designed as a standalone technology, the SRM is a unified approach for the representation and use of spatial location information. The SRM provides a complete and concise treatment of the different descriptions of spatial location, and precisely defines the relationship between various spatial reference frames. This tutorial provides a detailed review of the SRM framework and concepts with an emphasis on the modeling implications of different ways of representing spatial location. Challenges and issues in implementing precise and efficient coordinate operations are also discussed.

This tutorial is for those interested in gaining a more complete understanding of the SRM and the theory of accurately representing spatial locations in modeling.

At completion, the attendee has an appreciation for the complexities involved in accurately representing spatial location. Topics such as object reference models, spatial reference frames, ellipsoids and geoids are covered, among others.


SRM for Programmers

Performing the operations described in the Spatial Reference Model (SRM) can be accomplished by user applications through the use of the SRM Application Program Interface (API). The SRM API provides a unified mechanism for interconverting spatial locations between representations. This tutorial presents an overview of the SRM API design and what to expect from it, as well as providing several examples on how to use the API to accomplish typical tasks in coordinate conversion.

This tutorial is for those interested in using the SRM API to perform operations on spatial data, including coordinate conversions and datum shifts.

At completion, the attendee has an understanding of how to use the SRM API to convert coordinates from one Spatial Reference Frame to another. The attendee also gains an understanding of other operations available in the SRM API.


Environmental Data Coding Specification (EDCS)

Designed as a standalone technology, the EDCS is the means for identifying the classification and characteristics of environmental objects. The EDCS unifies the characterization of environmental "things" regardless of the method by which such "things" are represented (e.g., as surfaces, features, etc.), or whether they are cast as individual primitives or structured collections. The EDCS tutorial introduces the concept of a coding specification, how it is applied to environmental data, and the major environmental coding systems currently in use. It reviews how the structure and function of the EDCS standard covers all domains of the environment, and how EDCS relates to other coding systems. Examples from various environmental domains are provided. Use of EDCS within the SEDRIS Data Representation Model is described, and mappings between the EDCS and external environmental coding specifications is described.

This tutorial is for those desiring to define the semantics of environmental data (the environmental "things" and what they "mean"), either as data providers, data consumers, or both. Both project managers and technical implementers will benefit from this tutorial.

The attendee learns about both the current implementation, and the target standardization, of the EDCS. Related standards and coding conventions are discussed as a starting point for the attendee developing mappings to/from coding systems they may be currently using. Planned developments of the EDCS are addressed in order to assist attendees in preparing to use the EDCS within their domain and ensuring that ongoing EDCS developments can be taken into account in project planning. Mechanisms for elaborating the EDCS are defined, and attendees are encouraged to get involved in extending the EDCS to meet their project requirements.


Advanced Application of the DRM

This tutorial covers the effective application of the SEDRIS Data Representation Model (DRM) for modeling of domain-specific environmental data, such as terrain, atmosphere, ocean and space. Advanced topics in handling tabular data, gridded data, ocean features, air/atmosphere features, hierarchy and classification, attribution of effects, raster and vector data, terrain features, along with examples are covered.

This tutorial is for environmental modelers and software engineers who are experienced users of SEDRIS, interested in the newest developments as well as future advancements.

Attendees gain a working understanding of the various techniques for use of the DRM in modeling or converting domain-specific data sets into SEDRIS.


Advanced Use of the SEDRIS SDK

This tutorial covers the more advanced aspects of the SEDRIS APIs, such as the many traversal techniques, creating and accessing images and data tables, sharing of objects, object IDs, and Inter Transmittal Referencing. The attendee participates in taking easy to understand environmental data and mapping it to the DRM, as well as constructing the software to produce a transmittal from it.

This tutorial is for experienced SEDRIS developers, developers dealing with large environmental data sets, and developers looking for an understanding of advanced traversal techniques for accessing SEDRIS transmittals.

At completion, the attendee has an understanding of the various how-to techniques for use of the SEDRIS API in the creation and extraction of transmittals, and an understanding of the role of a TCRS for both producers and consumers of environmental data.


How to Produce and Consume Transmittals

This tutorial is conducted in two consecutive parts. Part 1 covers creation and writing of SEDRIS transmittals. Part 2 focuses on accessing or extracting data from SEDRIS transmittals. Common application development techniques and strategies utilized in the production and consumption of SEDRIS transmittals are covered. The steps in development of mapping documents and the effective use of the SEDRIS API is discussed. A number of examples based on actual use cases are reviewed.

This tutorial is for software engineers who intend to develop tools, utilities, or conversion applications either to operate on or produce SEDRIS transmittals.

At completion, the attendee has an understanding of the various techniques for using the SEDRIS technology components for the creation and extraction of SEDRIS data.


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