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iDelveConnect update - Version 1.1 to be released

2011-08-23T06:39:54Z

Update

iDelveConnect is a fully-automated WFS caching application, built on iDelve technology, that obtains spatial data from remote WFS data sources, and stores it locally for access by GIS applications and business systems. Take a look at the iDelveConnect product page and our earlier blog post previewing the technology for more detailed information.

You may be aware that we announced iDelveConnect some time ago, but unfortunately have not made a public release of the software to date. We have, however, been extremely busy developing and beta-testing the iDelveConnect with a number of clients within Western Australia as well as adding a number of new features (see below).

We can now announce that following our extended beta-testing phase, we will be releasing the version 1.1 progressively during September. Please sign up to receive iDelveConnect on the iDelveConnect product page.

New Features

You will be pleased to know that during our extended beta-testing period product development has not been standing still! Over the period, we've added a number of new features into the iDelveConnect product. Some of these are iDelveConnect-specific, others are benefits that have been incorporated as part of improvements to the underlying iDelve technology.

Some of the new features include:

Oracle 10g+ and ESRI ArcSDE support
We've added support for Oracle and ArcSDE spatial database back-ends. This means that iDelveConnect may be used to cache remote WFS sources into these local spatial databases, increasing the flexibilty with which you can access the cached data locally.
Local database index configuration
Once the spatial data has been cached locally it can be useful to add database indexes to selected columns within the cached tables. This is now trivially possibly using iDelveConnect's GUI web interface.
Post download SQL scripting
In order to utilise the cached data effectively within your local environment, it is often extremely helpful to be able to update the cached data according to your specific needs. This function allows you to use iDelveConnect's web interface to specify SQL, Beanshell or other JSR 223 scripts that operate over the data once caching of a layer has been completed.
Region Restrictions
Heavy data layers can place increased load on the target WFS server, and in particular may result in multiple requests that reach the feature limit (WFS "maxFeatures"). For example, land parcel boundary data is particularly "heavy" (features densely packed) within the metropolitan area as compared with rural areas. iDelveConnect's new Region Restrictions feature enables hints to be provided to iDelveConnect regarding the density of heavy data layers, enabling the WFS requests that are made to be optimised.
Incremental update improvements (when using checksums)
Checksum colums within database tables are used for data consistency checks and for determining when changes have been made to the data within particular database rows. When using checksum columns for a spatial data layer, iDelveConnect is able to more efficient download incremental updates (rather than needing to download all of the data again). This incremental update process has been further optimised to save on download bandwidth for layers which are configured to use checksums.

Coming soon

We thought to give you a preview of upcoming features as well!

ArcGIS Server support
The next version of iDelveConnect will be able to connect with ESRI's ArcGIS Server using the REST APIs. This will enable caching of remote ArcGIS Server layers as well as utilising a local ArcGIS Server to cache remote data (either WFS or ArcGIS Server data).
Pre-configured for SLIP Enabler
Additionally, we will shortly release a version of iDelveConnect that is pre-configured by our SLIP Developer partner Amristar Solutions for caching WFS data supplied by the Landgate's SLIP Enabler. All that will be required to start caching SLIP is to enter your personal/oranisation's SLIP credentials!

Please subscribe to our email newsletter here or follow us on Twitter to keep informed.

iDelveConnect coming soon

2010-03-09T15:07:04Z

Following our announcement of iDelveConnect, we have been working hard to complete version 1.0 of the application. We are a little behind where we hoped to be, but will be calling for beta testers in the next few weeks. Keep an eye out for the announcement on our web site! Alternately, please sign up for our email newletter here to be kept informed regarding all things iDelve.

iDelveConnect will be made available free as a VMWare appliance or Java web application from www.idelve.com.

iDelveConnect preview

2010-01-03T23:01:34Z

iDelveConnect is our latest innovation, built on the proven caching technology used by the iDelve web-mapping system. iDelveConnect is a fully-automated WFS caching application that obtains spatial data from remote WFS data sources, and stores it locally for access by GIS applications and business systems. The result is that WFS data sources can now be used in solutions where to this point bandwidth and latency might have been show-stoppers.

iDelveConnect is nearly finished, but before we release it we will give you a little preview of what you will be able to do with it. iDelveConnect will let you replicate a remote WFS layer locally in a completely effortless way, without impacting other applications that use your Internet connection. Any layers that are on a remote WFS server can be brought in as a local layer, which means you can finally take advantage of them in a “normal” way, without constant timeouts and delays. You can include them as part of your data catalogues without having to worry about when you need to get an updated extract, because iDelveConnect takes care of that for you.

You can set up a layer quickly to “just cache”, or you can fine-tune it to be just the way you like it, by choosing extents, attributes, specifying post-processing options, or creating indexes on attributes. Layers can be configured with automated back-ups, which can be saved to permanent snapshots.

The number of WFS services is vastly increasing. You can set up an unlimited number of WFS servers to cache layers from, such as Landgate’s SLIP WFS service, NASA, GeoScience Australia, etc.

With full control over when layers are cached, any impact on the Internet bandwidth available to other applications can be controlled, for example by allowing caching to take place at night or during weekends. You can also control how many layers are cached concurrently, and cap the total bandwidth iDelveConnect is allowed to consume.

Now that iDelveConnect has downloaded the data, let's consider your GIS application. If your application is currently able to connect to a WFS data source, then it is compatible with iDelveConnect. In addition to allowing connections directly to its spatial database cache, iDelveConnect provides a high-speed WFS interface, combining Open Standards Accessibility with local performance.

iDelveConnect will no-doubt form a central part of many organisations’ spatial data management. Once set up, it looks after itself, sending notifications by email of any events that have happened, such as cache completions, or potential issues.

iDelve announces iDelveConnect - a revolutionary OGC proxy

2009-12-16T15:18:18Z

iDelve has announced introduction of a new product, iDelveConnect.

iDelveConnect obtains spatial data from remote WFS services and caches it locally, providing users access to near-live data with the performance of a local network.

Benefits and features include:

WFS data sources at local database speeds
Increased service uptime and reliability
Automatic scheduled cache version control
Simple Web administration
Database support includes PostGIS, Microsoft SQL Server 2008, MySQL 5.0+, Oracle 10g+
Dataset snapshots
Proven iDelve technology

"iDelveConnect aims to make WFS sources fit for use in production systems through controlled local caching."

iDelveConnect will be made available free as a VMWare appliance or Java web application from www.idelve.com in December 2009.

iDelve connects at the WALIS Forum 2009

2009-11-26T08:19:47Z

The WALIS Forum is run in iDelve's home town of Perth, Western Australia, and iDelve traditionally has a strong presence. This year was no exception!

iDelve worked with our platinum reseller Amristar Solutions in the running of our trade exhibit at the forum. Our display focused on showing off the latest suite of applications built on our vector-based web-mapping technology, and demonstrating the latest new features, including:

Map mark-up and feature digitisation direct from the interactive map straight into any supported spatial database e.g. PostGIS or Microsoft SQL Server 2008
iDelveConnect, an advanced WFS caching methodology that allows near-live WFS data to be used with the performance of a local spatial database, without the overheads of having to re-download datasets and the risk of using outdated data. iDelveConnect is announced here.

We were also showing off applications built by Amristar using iDelve for a number of our Western Australian clients, including Landgate and the Department of Housing to name a few.

During the forum itself, we presented during two sessions: I presented a technology overview iDelveConnect - Overcoming the WFS Bottleneck, and our chairman Steve Lieblich presented a paper Challenges of protecting IP in a web mapping technology.

We also ran a give-away of a HP Mini netbook for visitors to our exhibit. Congratulations go to our winner Roger - well done!

Thanks to everyone attended both the WALIS Forum and the iDelve exhibit. See you again in 2011!