Developing A Secure Geospatial Visualization and Collaboration System Using Software Engineering Technology

Abstract Developing secure web applications is a difficult task because the original purpose of the World Wide Web (WWW) was to freely share information. This paper presents a prototype for a platform-independent secure geospatial visualization and collaboration web application. This system is developed using object-oriented system design methodology. It integrates software engineering, web security, visualization and Java technologies with the WWW to enable production, dissemination, and use of imagery and geospatial information on a hierarchical level through the WWW. Several visualization modules on the client side are developed using the Model-View-Controller design pattern technology. These modules are plug-in and reusable components for other similar applications. A Visualization Web Bridge and Data Providers on the server side are designed and implemented to bridge the gap between the Internet users and the remote geospatial databases. Several Internet security mechanisms are implemented to secure system configuration, to authenticate and authorize data access, and to secure information sharing. The system is an open and extensible source. The application results demonstrate that this system provides a certain level of security, and that users have flexibility to query, visualize, manipulate, and analyze real-time remote geospatial data. It exhibits that multiple users in geographically dispersed organizations can conveniently collaborate and share information as well as 3D images through this system. It also demonstrates that using object-oriented system design and design pattern provides a great chance for software reuse and increases the system flexibility.