A Web Services API for Fundamental Niche Modelling
Tim Sutton, Renato De Giovanni
Abstract
The openModeller project aims to provide a flexible, user friendly, cross-platform environment where the entire process of conducting a fundamental niche modeling experiment can be carried out. The software includes facilities for reading species occurrence and environmental data, selection of environmental layers on which the model should be based, creating a fundamental niche model and projecting the model into an environmental scenario. A number of fundamental niche modeling algorithms are provided as plug-ins, including GARP, Climate Space Model and Bioclimatic Envelopes. Additional algorithms are planned for the future. The submission of alternative algorithms is always welcome.
The basis of openModeller is a software library that provides all of the processing logic associated with niche modeling. Programmatic, command line and graphical user interfaces provide access to the functionality available in the library.
The openModeller graphical user interface (OMGUI) is written in Qt4/C++. It is designed to be re-usable by making use of a component-based architecture. This re-usability allows the software to be, for example, embedded into other applications such as Quantum GIS and in the future, TerraView. We are extending the OMGUI to include the facility for conducting experiments for multiple species, multiple modeling algorithms and multiple environmental layer sets into which the models should be projected. We plan to offer tools in OMGUI for pre-modeling activities for example searching for species occurrence data on speciesLink and GBIF and importing esoteric environmental data formats. We also plan to offer tools in OMGUI for post-processing the model outputs such as computing probability 'hotspots', comparing model outputs and presenting a detailed report of the experiment once it has been completed.
In its simplest form, the OMGUI software performs all of its computation and data management locally on the user’s workstation. Through the use of 'modeler adapter plug-ins' we are also enabling the OMGUI to act as a controller for carrying out experiments distributed across one or more remote systems, for example using Web Services and Condor.
We will describe the openModeller project and propose a standard Web Services Application Programming Interface (API) for interoperation with other environmental niche modeling applications. This Web Services API defines a minimal set of operations that need to be implemented in order to provide remote invocation capability for a modeling application. This API is designed to promote interoperability between different modeling applications, even if they have been developed in different programming languages and with different application architectures.
The openModeller project is an Open Source project (published under the GNU General Public License), currently being funded by FAPESP. For more information please visit http://openmodeller.sf.net.
The basis of openModeller is a software library that provides all of the processing logic associated with niche modeling. Programmatic, command line and graphical user interfaces provide access to the functionality available in the library.
The openModeller graphical user interface (OMGUI) is written in Qt4/C++. It is designed to be re-usable by making use of a component-based architecture. This re-usability allows the software to be, for example, embedded into other applications such as Quantum GIS and in the future, TerraView. We are extending the OMGUI to include the facility for conducting experiments for multiple species, multiple modeling algorithms and multiple environmental layer sets into which the models should be projected. We plan to offer tools in OMGUI for pre-modeling activities for example searching for species occurrence data on speciesLink and GBIF and importing esoteric environmental data formats. We also plan to offer tools in OMGUI for post-processing the model outputs such as computing probability 'hotspots', comparing model outputs and presenting a detailed report of the experiment once it has been completed.
In its simplest form, the OMGUI software performs all of its computation and data management locally on the user’s workstation. Through the use of 'modeler adapter plug-ins' we are also enabling the OMGUI to act as a controller for carrying out experiments distributed across one or more remote systems, for example using Web Services and Condor.
We will describe the openModeller project and propose a standard Web Services Application Programming Interface (API) for interoperation with other environmental niche modeling applications. This Web Services API defines a minimal set of operations that need to be implemented in order to provide remote invocation capability for a modeling application. This API is designed to promote interoperability between different modeling applications, even if they have been developed in different programming languages and with different application architectures.
The openModeller project is an Open Source project (published under the GNU General Public License), currently being funded by FAPESP. For more information please visit http://openmodeller.sf.net.