Remote geobrowser control for collaborative decision making

摘要

A system for collaborative decision-making and more efficient disaster management, in which multiple geobrowsers can communicate over local networks and/or the Internet to create a real collaborative experience when dealing with geospatial information, distributed using Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) compliant KML/KMZ formats, WMS (Web Mapping Service), or and geospatial data files. All manipulation functions (dataset loading, layer stacking, layer visibility changes, Point of View (POV) changes, map extent changes, looping and animation settings, geospatial file creation and annotation drawing, and other functions) are replicated across all connected geobrowsers to create a true collaborative geospatial Common Operating Picture (COP). The leadership role can be handed over to other users if desired to build upon all the datasets and annotations sent by previous leads. Additionally the designated lead user can record the current state of the map and reproduce this on demand or automatically on other geobrowsers.

主权项

1. A collaboration system for allowing multiple geobrowsers to communicate over local networks and the Internet to create a real collaborative experience over a plurality of computer devices, comprising:
a web-enabled Host computer; a plurality of remote client computer stations in communication with said Host, each of said plurality of remote client stations running a native geobrowser application for displaying a user-interface comprising a virtual globe or two-dimensional map; a communication management module running locally or as a web plug-in on each of said plurality of remote client stations and capable of controlling the respective geobrowser application for providing a local collaboration user interface on said client stations, said communication management module communicating geobrowser commands entered at each of said remote client stations to said Host, receiving geobrowser commands from said Host, and executing geobrowser commands received from said Host on said native geobrowser application; software resident on said web-enabled Host computer for designating any one of said plurality of remote client stations as a lead collaborator, recording a command stack consisting of all geobrowser control commands executed by designated lead collaborators, and for communicating said recorded command stack out to the other of said plurality of remote client stations for execution on their said native geobrowser applications.