Ph.D. Alumni: Michel de Lorenzi
Reference:
Michel de Lorenzi
Extending a Library for Geometric Computation to Provide Network Services: A Case Study
Ph.D. Thesis, Department Informatik, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH), Zurich, Switzerland, 1995.
Primary supervisor: Prof. Jurg Nievergelt
Supervisor(s):
Jurg Nievergelt (primary)
Michael Stumm
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Abstract:
In today's world of inter-computer communication across high-speed links it is often more efficient to make program libraries available by remote access than by porting to other systems. The main reason is that both, libraries and systems, evolve and require continued maintenance, and this is best done in one place to avoid divergence.
Geometric computation has wide-ranging applications in many fields that process spatial data, such as computer-aided design (CAD) or geographic information systems (GIS). The implementation of efficient and robust algorithms to process spatial data cannot be left to application programmers, it requires experts in computational geometry. Yet there are only a few program libraries for geometric computation available, and none is accessible as a geometry server.
We have extended our XYZ GeoBench and program library to provide network services and make it accessible as a GeoServer. We investigate how a library for geometric computation can be accessed by spatial data applications, in particular GIS, and we analyze the server requirements. In order to identify the demands specific to spatial data applications, we primarily analyze the data storage component of a GIS. The GeoServer, a software module that extends the XYZ GeoBench to provide network services, is presented as an example. Its usability is demonstrated by testing it with a client GIS application.
This case study is intended as a guide to help others identify the key issues, concepts and techniques needed to extend their own libraries so that software investments can be shared more easily.
Keywords:
Computational geometry, geometric computations, sofware libraries
Reference Info:
BibTeX:
@phdthesis(deLorenzi-PhD95,
author = {Michel de Lorenzi},
title = {Extending a Library for Geometric Computation to Provide Network Services: A Case Study},
school = {Department Informatik, Eidgen{\"o}ssische Technische Hochschule (ETH)},
address = {Zurich, Switzerland},
supervisors = {Jurg Nievergelt (primary), Michael Stumm},
year = {1995},
doi = {10.3929/ethz-a-001507786},
keywords = {Computational geometry, geometric computations, sofware libraries}
)