INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR GEOMETRIC AND GEOGRAPHIC DATA IN DEVELOPPING APPS FOR AGRI-FOOD PRODUCTION

The aim of this work was to present the possibilities of usage spatial data gathered in the data bases as geometric data and geographic data. Storaging spatial data independently in chosen data base without any GIS system is one of the latest solution which gives new opportunities. In order to use these opportunities, it means to get spatial data directly from the data base, to manipulate and visualize them, the suitable technologies are needed. Technologies like Microsoft SQL Server, Visual Studio with ADO.NET Entity Framework, HTML5 with SVG and Google and Bing Maps platform with lots of API fullfill the requirements. These technologies were used and tested in the process of developping internet application for managing the warehouses' areas. The application was developped according the software engineering rules. The domain knowledge was analised and the UML diagrams were prepared to represent the structural model of the domain. The functionalities of the application are typical, like display warehouse or search it by geographic localisation, but more interesting are functionalities based on the geometric data. Visualisation of warehouse interior (i.e. arrangement of europallets), counting the area for the europallets and delineating the paths to europallets are among others. Applying geometric data in the warehouse gives the possibilities to manage the area without GPS access. Visualisation of spatial data depends on the type of data: geometric or geographic and needs different technologies. Usage of geometric data requires HTML5 and SVG, geographic data needs API, Google or Bing Maps API. Processing of geometric and geographic data can be realized at the level of data base or application. Geographic and geometric data as a type of data to be stored in data base gives an opportunity to develop application beyond the GIS environment and to enhance the spatial functionalities in any application and information system. Applying all needed technology to manage this kind of data is not easy but can be very useful. It is especially important in agri-food sector where nearly all information are spatial, more over there is still huge diversification and fragmentation of applied IT solutions.