Subject: Participation in "ISIS" Experimental Image Data Server

From: Neil Corlett <corlett@aisws3.>
Date: Fri, 03 May 1996 14:53:11 +0200

Dear Colleagues,

We are making this announcement on the Internet in order to get some
early feedback on the image data server our Consortium is in the
early stages of building. If you want to make comments, or are interested
in participating in our evaluations, please read on... contact information
is at the bottom of this message. Please send your input directly to us via
email.

Apologies for the size of the cross-posting but we are trying to cover a
good cross-section of the EO and related communities.

Thanks!

ISIS EXPERIMENTAL IMAGE DATA SERVER
===================================

General Description
===================

The ISIS (Interactive Satellite Image Server) Project is a consortium
of major European Satellite Remote Sensing Data suppliers, Software
companies and Users. The goal of the consortium is to build a
demonstration networked Satellite Image Data server system that will
use wide-area data communication networks to provide users with:

 * user-friendly, interactive access to images;
 * the ability to retrieve image scenes tailored to the users needs.

The combination will allow users to obtain data more cost effectively,
and in a more timely fashion than at present.

The consortium will build three systems over the lifetime of the project:

 * a World Wide Web server (third quarter 1996)
 * two releases of the prototype (early 1997 and late 1997)

During the third quarter of this year, we will release a World Wide
Web server that illustrates some of our early ideas. It will not have
the full function of the prototype servers but will serve as a public
demonstration of the concepts. It will contain some sample image sets
that are already in the public domain.

The ISIS prototypes will differ from the WWW server by using a full
networked client/server architecture.  We are currently in a
specification phase for our first prototype, due early 1997. In order
to tailor the development to real-world issues, we would like to
receive early feedback from organisations on our intentions.

Opportunities
=============

Organisations with specific projects who would like to be involved in
the evaluation of the prototypes ('97-'98) are encouraged to respond.
The contact addresses are at the end of this message. To use the full
prototypes will require registration.

In the meantime, we would be interested in receiving *your* input on
the following topics:

   - user interface; current catalogue browse systems are quite limited in
     scope, e.g. search on sensor, platform, acquisition date, and region
     of interest. There is often a simple map interface where the user can
     draw a polygonal region. From the returns the user can select quick
     looks and then (possibly) order scenes. We would be interested
     to learn what features users would like to see in a next generation
     interface. For example, as available data sets grow in number, size
     and complexity what improvements need to be made? If the EO industry
     is to address less technical users, how can ISIS improve the
     interfaces to the data sets?

   - thematic searches; ISIS will support thematic searches. It will be
     possible to look for, say, images containing forestry/crop/urban cover in
     a region of interest. We would like user views of exactly what kinds of
     query and themes will be useful for particular applications.

   - images returned only over region of interest; The system will have the
     capability to return part scenes (see the description of IDSC below)
     cropped to a defined region of interest. We would like to receive
     comments on the usefulness of this type of data to users.

Project Aims
============

The aims of the prototype ISIS (Interactive Satellite Image Server) system
are to *demonstrate* the following technologies:

1. Intelligent Data Selection and Compression (IDSC)

   * Extended searches of image databases. ISIS will allow users to
     make queries based on "themes", rather than the simple time frame
     and latitude longitude regions used now. A theme might be vegetation
     index, urban areas, sea temperature etc.;

   * Ability to define polygonal regions of interest (ROI) and
     multiple time frames in a search;

   * Data compression of image browse products based on a ROI. The
     intention is to selectively crop and compress browse products to
     reduce the volume of data that has to be transferred to the user;

   * Reduction and compression of the image data products returned to the
     user. Only the data in the ROI will be transferred with its complete
     pixel information. The rest will be simplified and highly compressed.
     The system will have the capability of reducing the data further by
     band selection and fusion.

2. Interactive Client

   * The ISIS client software will provide support for thematic searches,
     ROI selection, spatial and temporal searches. It will allow a user to
     view browse products and select the images to be returned. The software
     will be designed to allow a user to have a high level of interaction
     with an ISIS server;

   * A World Wide Web version will be provided;

   * The ISIS client software may be customisable for individual
     applications.
     
3. Support of multiple image data types.

   * The consortium hope to implement support for the following types of
     image data products:
       . SPOT
       . Landsat
       . NOAA AVHRR
       . ERS SAR
       . GIS-ready data

   * It will be possible  to build support for additional image products into
     the ISIS prototype servers.

4. Processing on Demand

   * ISIS will allow application-specific image processing software to
     be built into the server. In many applications the processed product
     is smaller than the image data used to generate it. This will reduce
     the amount of data that has to be transported across a network to the
     user.
     
5. Parallel Computing

   * The full scale ISIS prototype server will utilise a Video on
     Demand (VOD) parallel computer system as the IDSC system will place
     heavy loads on computer equipment.

   * The ISIS prototype servers will also run on standard UNIX
     equipment. Many organisations will not be able to afford the cost
     of a VOD system.

6. High Performance Networking

   * ISIS will be demonstrated running over existing European wide area
     network infrastructure. We hope to operate the prototype using a mix
     of bandwidths, including basic rate ISDN (64-128Kbps). The system will
     use the Internet Protocol (IP) to give flexible choice of private and
     public (Internet) network access to users.

During the evaluation phases, the partners will make demonstration image data
sets and software available to registered evaluators. The majority of the
data will be historic, and cover a standard set of European locations (both
land and marine). We hope to allow registered evaluators to place their
data in the system to give the tests more relevance.

ISIS Consortium
===============

The ISIS Consortium is composed of the following organisations:

MATRA CAP Systemes (F)             : Co-ordinator
Dasa Dornier (D)                   : Partner
Advanced Computer Systems (I)      : Partner
JRC/SAI (EU)                       : Partner
ESA-ESRIN                          : Partner
ITC (NL)                           : Partner
VITEC (F)                          : Partner
SPOT Image (F)                     : Partner
CSA (IRL)                          : Associated Partner
RS Consult (DK)                    : Associated Partner
CRAY Systems (UK)                  : Associated Partner
Cap Gemini Italy (I)               : Associated Partner

ISIS is funded under the High Performance Networking and Computing
segment of the ESPRIT Research and Technology Development (RTD)
programme of DG III. On-line information about ESPRIT can be found on
the WWW at these locations

 * http://www2.cordis.lu/esprit/home.html
 * http://www.newcastle.research.ec.org/

ISIS is registered as ESPRIT Project 20255.

Relationship to other Programs
==============================

ISIS is not an initiative of the Centre for Earth Observation (CEO),
but is actively co-operating with it. The ISIS system is focused on
improving the delivery of Remote Sensing data to user organisations by
utilising wide area network links, data compression and improved
search techniques.

Contacts
========

If you wish to comment on ISIS, provide feedback, or if you require
information on taking part in the '97/'98 prototype evaluations then
please contact us by any of the following means:

Email:       [email-masked] or [email-masked]
Fax:         +39 332 789074
Post:        Corinne Hinlopen
             TP440
             AIS Unit
             I-21020 Ispra (VA)
             Italy

Thanks for your time,

Neil Corlett
Corinne Hinlopen

.....................................
Agricultural Information Systems Unit
Space Applications Institute
DG Joint Research Center
European Commission

---

From: Neil Corlett <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 03 May 1996 15:01:10 +0200

Hi again,

Returns to my last posting by email will break. During an upgrade of 
our mail service, my reply addresses got broken... messages to
'corlett@aisws3.' will not get very far!

My correct address is  [email-masked]'

Cheers,

Neil Corlett