Geo Plugins tutorial

This tutorial is a stub.

Prerequisites

The following prerequisites should be met before starting this tutorial:

• Parts of this tutorial are a continuation of the Template Project Tutorial. If possible, and if you have not already done so, please complete that tutorial first. If you have not yet followed the tutorials related to those subjects please do so first.
• This tutorial can best be started with a Project in the city of The Hague in the Netherlands, due to one of the used data sources being specific to that city. Note that multiple new Projects will be created during this tutorial.
• To work with Project templating functionality fully (specifically, to assign Template status to a Project), either Domain Admin access rights are required, or the assistance of a Domain Admin for your organisation is required. 

Preparations

Take the following steps as preparation for following this tutorial:

• Start the Tygron Platform application, and if necessary log in so you are in the main menu.

Introduction to Geo Plugins

The Tygron Platform allows for the importing of geo data to enrich a Project. This can serve to both amend data which the Tygron Platform already supplies, but also to add types of data which are unique to the use-case at hand. When importing data, almost all of the related operations are to determine precisely how the imported data relates to the potential data types and subtypes available in a Tygron Platform Project.

Geo Plugins offer a way to store such a mapping, so that import operations can be easily repeated. In them, information is stored about which data can be found in the relevant data source, and how that data should be interpreted or modified when it is imported. They can then be used when manually importing data, but can also be called upon when a new Project is created to automatically obtain data relevant for the use-case and models the Template Project entails.

Preparing for the tutorial

Any Project may contain any number of Geo Plugins. However, for the purpose of this tutorial a Project in a specific location is required, due to some of the steps relying on a datasource which has data only in a specific region.

Find an open spot in the Project's 3D world.

In this spot, data can be created which can then be set up to import.

Draw 3 Areas. They can be any shape or orientation. However, ensure they do not overlap.

Give one of the Areas an "OFFICES" Attribute, with value 1.

Give another of the Areas an "RESIDENCES" Attribute, with value 1.

In the editor, go to:

Editor → Current Situation (Ribbon tab) → Areas (Ribbon bar) → Export Geo Data (Dropdown)

Open the window for exporting the Areas' geo data.

Opt to export the created Areas as a GeoJSON to the Geo Share. This will create a small file in your Domain's Geo Share space, which can be used as a source for geo data.

Geo Plugin for Buildings

One of the most important benefits of Geo Plugins is the ability to define a mapping between data in a data source, and the various Functions available in the Tygron Platform. Such a Geo Plugin can then be used while importing data, such as the dataset created earlier, and saved to the Geo Share.

In the editor, go to:

Editor → Tools (Ribbon tab) → Geo Plugins (Ribbon bar)

At the bottom of the left panel, set the type selection to BUILDINGS, and then opt to add a Geo Plugin of that type. It will appear in the list.

In the right panel, set the name of the Geo Plugin to "Buildings Geo Plugin".

In the right panel, select the GeoLinks tab, and at the bottom of the right panel click on Add to create a Geo Link.

Select the Geo Link. The bottom panel will appear with details for the Geo Link.

A Geo Link is a specific connection which can be applied to any feature. Based on the configuration of the Geo Link, a feature will either be processed and imported, or it will not be processed by this Geo Link. With multiple Geo Links in a Geo Plugin, every feature is checked for whichever Geo Link has the best match (if any) and then that Geo Link will dictate how the feature is imported.

This first Geo Link will be a linkage for data to interpret features in geo data as offices.

Change the name of the Geo Link to "Offices link".

Click on "Select Function", and select any office Function.

Switch to the bottom panel's "Matching Attributes" tab. This allows configuring which attributes (and if desired, which values for those attributes) should be found in a feature for it to be processed by this specific Geo Link.

Add an Attribute.

Double-click to edit it, and change the Attribute to "OFFICES".

This completes the configuration of this Geo Link.

In the right panel, add another Geo Link.

Set the Geo Link's name to "Residences link", and set the Function to any residential Function, such as "Affordable Housing".

Under "Matching Attributes", add an Attribute, and change that Attribute to "RESIDENCES"

Using the Geo Plugin

Now that the Geo Plugin is set up, it can be used while importing geo data.

In the editor, go to:

Editor → Current Situation (Ribbon tab) → Buildings (Ribbon bar) → Import Geo Data (Dropdown)

As data source to import data from, opt to import a GeoJSON.

Select the file which was created earlier and stored on the Geo Share. It should be easily parsed and recognize 3 features.

Continue to the step regarding names, and opt to create names based on your own prefix. Enter a name along the lines of "Geo Plugin Building".

Continue to the step regarding Function Mapping. In that step, opt to use a Geo Plugin, and select the Geo Plugin created earlier.

Continue through the rest of the steps of the import wizard, and finish it. The Buildings will now appear in the 3D world.

Assignment

Assignment pending

Geo Plugin for WFS

Geo Plugins are best used as connectors to live data sources with coverage for all potentially relevant areas a Project or Template may apply to. Setting up a Geo Plugin for a WFS is similar to setting one up for GeoJSON data, but with a few more details related to the specific service.

Tutorial completed

Congratulations. You have now completed this tutorial. In it, you have learned how to create Geo Plugins and use them to automatically map geo data, and use them to automatically retrieve data when using your Project as a Template to create a new Project.