On Integrating Robotic Data with GIS Tools in a Cloud Environment (Application Paper)

Overview & Synopsis

Merging robotic technologies, sensor networks, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) offers significant potential across various domains, including agriculture and urban planning. However, a critical challenge lies in the lack of interoperability between data generated by these technologies and existing GIS tools. The EU-funded GIS4IoRT project addresses this gap by developing a plug-and-play and cloud-based middleware. This middleware facilitates seamless integration and visualization of multi-dimensional and multi-modal data within GIS environments. Key GIS4IoRT components include: a middleware architecture, a scalable cloud-based infrastructure, real-time robot querying capabilities, data quality assurance, spatiotemporal query support within the cloud, integration with GIS tools, and adherence to relevant standards. The middleware supports diverse data types, including LiDaR, imagery, and sensor data. This paper (1) presents an initial data integration architecture specifically designed for the sustainable architecture domain, (2) outlines the challenges encountered in designing such an architecture, and (3) explores novel data processing paradigms enabled by the architecture.