Application of GIS and Web technologies for Danube waterway data management in Croatia

Application of GIS and Web technologies for Danube waterway data management in Croatia

Jadranka Pecar-Ilic^{, a,} and Ivica Ruzic^a

^aDivision for Marine & Environmental Research of the Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Bijenicka 54, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia

Received 3 May 2006;

accepted 3 May 2006.

Available online 15 June 2006.

Abstract

The paper gives a general description of the Danube waterway data management in Croatia at both national and Pan-European levels. For these purposes, we initiated the development of a specialized geographic information system (GIS), the so-called River IS, which provides efficient waterway related data management for the Croatian part of the Danube River. In addition, Croatian activities in the Pan-European programme Consortium Operational Management Platform River Information Services (COMPRIS) and INTERREG project data warehouse for the Danube waterway (D4D) are described. Focusing on how to solve the major problems identified by “GIS Forum Danube” expert groups, we present our solutions for two important D4D project objectives. The first project objective concerns preparation of national GIS data of the participating countries in the world geodetic WGS84 coordinates as well as checking the transnational compatibility of GIS data. The second important project objective concerns the development of a commonly agreed catalogue of object types and their attributes necessary to describe waterway related data. For example, the conversion of the Croatian national geographic data into Inland ECDIS digital navigation maps is described.

Keywords: Danube waterway; Croatian part of the Danube River; Enviromatics; Environmental informatics; Geographic information system; GIS Forum Danube; COMPRIS; D4D project; Inland ECDIS; Object catalogue

Software availability

Name of software:

River IS; Croatian Inland ECDIS maps

Developer:

Division for Marine and Environmental Research

Contact address:

Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Bijenicka 54, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia

Tel.:

+ 385 1 4561140

Fax:

+ 385 1 4680117

E-mail:

pecar@irb.hr; ruzic@irb.hr

Hardware required (for users):

Intel Pentium IV with running Microsoft IE (>6.0)

Software required (for users):

Autodesk MapGuide Viewer (>6.0); Seven Cs AG & Co. KG Inland ECDIS Viewer

Program language:

Java and ASP

Availability and cost:

River IS – restricted (CRORIS project); Croatian Inland ECDIS maps – free from CRUP Web (http://www.crup.hr/eng/index.php)

Article Outline

Nomenclature

1. Introduction

1.1. Inland navigation and environmental protection

1.2. River information services

2. Danube waterway data management in Croatia

2.1. CRORIS project

2.2. Main functionalities of the River Information System (River IS)

3. Data warehouse for the Danube waterway – D4D project

4. Results of our activities in the D4D expert groups

4.1. Development of the inland ECDIS digital navigation map

4.2. Development of the object catalogue

5. Summary and conclusions

Acknowledgements

Glossary

References