THE RESEARCH OF FAST PROCESSING AND DISTRIBUTION REMOTE SENSING

IMAGE BASED ON THE GRID TECHNIQUE

Liang zhong
a,
*, Hongchao ma
a
J ie sun
a
, xun zen
a


a
School of Remote Sensing Information Engineering,Wuhan University
Luoyu Street 129, Wuhan city, Hubei Province, P.R.China
bluewind20000@163.com

Commission WG IV/5


KEY WORDS: Distributed Computing, Image Processing, Networking, Systems, Remote Sensing, Compression


ABSTRACT:

In this paper, a brand new method utilizing the service-oriented software architecture and the rising technology of Grid computing
with available software Globus Toolkit 4 is introduced. The traditional centralized remote sensing image processing model under
stand-alone computer environment is changed into a model in Grid environment by decomposing the system into different services
which enables the users to process the remotely sensed images, perceive quickly and obtain the result image using the service in Grid
bases on their given demands. In this way the whole processing from raw data to product generation is completed rapidly.



* Corresponding author. - bluewind@163.com; phone 0086-1347 6140 343
1. INTRODUCTION
Currently, geo-spatial information has been applied widely to
every field and industry that related to Geo-spatial position.
A paper titled the opportunities of mapping published on
the famousNaturein J anuary, 2004 pointed out that: "from
the very beginning of this year, along with the Nanotechnology
and Biotechnology the geo-information technology is
accepted by the labour ministry of the US as one of these there
most important developing technologies. And the expression of
its value in every area will increase the employment
opportunities and makes it be diversity."

Remote sensing one of the Earth Observation technologies- as
a critical supporting technique of the GIS is developing rapidly.
Newly designed sensors with high multiphase, high optical
resolution and high spectral resolution can provide us with
plenty of geo-spatial information. But it also brings some
problems: how to timely process and distribute these large
numbers of data for human comprehension, application and for
computer interpretation and generalization analysis, especially
transform to requisite information in real-time, there are all
difficult tasks ahead of us. The current problem is that, the
contradiction between the rapid development of data acquisition
with relatively lagging of data processing and distribution has
becoming increasingly prominent and sharp. So, the huge
image data of the observed objects gets from high multiphase,
high optical resolution, high spectral resolution and high
overlapping also bring us new challenges. Traditional remote
sensing image processing system always completes the
production of spatial information in stand-alone, centralized
processing mode, which lacks the technique of sharing and
distribution information real-time or quasi-real-time. Another
reason is that the demand of the processing of raw data in
different fields varied widely makes the centralized processing
mode cannot meet the requirement of providing the data
networked, distributed, allocated according to need, and the
requirement to release or share the information resources real-
timely or quasi-real-timely. So the image processing,
information extraction and distribution or sharing of the mass
remote sensing data rapidly, effectively and intelligentized
becomes an urgent scientific problem.

The construction of the new generational network, the raising
of the Grid technology (I. Foster, Kesselman C,1998) and the
emergence of the advanced compression techniques have
formed a good theoretical base for the new generational
network oriented remote sensing data processing system.


2. THE STRUCTURE AND CHARACTER OF SYSTEM
BASED ON GRID
2.1 The overall architecture of the system
Grid computing has emerged as an important new field,
distinguished from conventional distributed computing by its
focus on large-scale resource sharing, innovative applications,
and, in some cases, high-performance orientation (I. Foster, C.
Kesselman, S. Tuecke., 2001). In this paper, the overall
architecture of remote sensing processing system based on Grid
and service is composed of a structure which includes the
following four layers: as shown in Figure 1

1:.Data layer it can offer various raw products to processing-
service unified system upon users request for further and
deeper processing results.

2: processing layer is formed by various services for remote
sensing processing whose package mode are Grid services
based on high-performance environment or web service
conforms international norm of OGC.

3: Grid layer, the main role it plays is managing both the data
and service resources so that to achieve the goal of sharing the
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resources, providing a unified system operating environment of
remote sensing application and coordinating the tasks of remote
sensing processing. Due to that the Grid technology develops
very quickly, the GT4 that has been widely used in the world is
the core of the network environment layer when considering the
scalability of the operating environment and compatibility and
the conforming to the current trends of technology to
interconnect and interwork with other Grid system.

4: Application support layer is a virtual logical layer. Its role is
the connectivity between the remote sensing systems facing
end-users and various sources of remote sensing processing in
Grid. It is formed by middleware supporting Grid, API and
tools such as automatic generation tools of remote sensing
application, user interfaces, application deployment tools, etc.


Application layer
Process layer
Grid layer
Data layer
API
tools
RS image Grid or Web service


Figure 1. The layered system architecture and its relationship

2.2 The fundamental characteristics of the system
1: Rich and practical processing algorithms system of remote
sensing based primarily on the common and stable algorithms
formed by summarizing the universal methods and technologies
on them and absorbing the forefront research results. The
remote sensing platform based on Grid and high-performance
computing technology can ensure the running of designed
algorithms of parallel processing and high-performance
computing capabilities, according to the designing and
developing specifications of Grid environments, the algorithms
become a sort of standard treatment services providing users
good abilities of secondary development and customizing.

2:The system can meet requests of producing and processing
raw data, realize the geometric correction, fusion, classification
and post-processing of large remote sensing images, it can
achieve automatically data manufacturing and provide a good
basis for advanced processing and application based on its
standards and norms of remote sensing data and general
processing algorithms.

3: As the middle layer with processing algorithms and Grid
environment offers an efficient capability of data accessing,
supports the accessing of local data and their special formats,
thus ensures the efficient processing found on Grid.

4: These processes can be flexibly customized depending on the
module of resource management and service on Grid platform.
For instance, task wizard, multi-tasking schedule, Grid service
whose algorithms can be customized, multi-user supported
working environment and visually realized work flow creating
based on the algorithm service component. All together make it
easy to use.

5: The system with a human-machine interactive interface
supports data editing operation, quick browsing to high-fidelity
data, quickly displaying of 2D/3D data and the overlaying of
data with their spatial information.


3. THE DESIGN FEATURES
3.1 Application of the tool GT4
Globus software is designed to enable applications that federate
distributed resources, whether computers, storage, data,
services, networks, or sensors. Globus Toolkit (GT)
development has tracked this trend, which is Grid computing
moving from legacy computing-intensive applications to
service-oriented computing based on open standards. With GT4
(M. Humphrey, G. Wasson, J . Gawor, et al., 2005, I. Foster,
2005)].It contains many functions such as monitoring and
discovering resources, security, management and distribution of
data, etc. The way to integrate Grid computing services with
remote sensing data processing depending on various tools
offered by GT is as following:

And the GT4 core can be deployed in different system
platforms like Linux, windows. It can be used in processing
service including the creation and destruction of service, the
life-cycle of service, the notification and subscription of service,
and the registration and release of that. The above function can
be accomplished through manipulating, which is from GT4 core,
the generated service: the package of mature remote sensing
process algorithms.

The GRAM, sites at the bottom of the structure of Globus
resources management system mainly deals with resource
request about remote task resource distribution of remote
tasks, management of the activation of remote task, at the same
time the availability and situation of the computing resources
are dynamically updated and passed to the registration centre.
The user in Grid can directly access resource based on a
standard interface provided by GRAM for local resource
scheduling system, without noticing local resource interface. In
the system, the main function is the distribution and
management of data resource and processing algorithm service
resource of remote sensing.

GridFTP(Grid File Transfer Protocol)GridFTP based on
the FTP protocol norms, extends them all-round and supports
high speed data transmission. GridFTP supports GSI and
Kerberos security mechanism, and therefore ensures the data
integrity in different levels depending on flexible identification,
reliable security and integrity check. It is used in remote
sensing data transmission on network and can improve
performance and efficiency of data transmission..

GT4 MDS: the registration service does play a crucial role. It
can resolve the registering, publishing and searching of
resource through networks, thus it is the most important part
while designing the architecture based on service-oriented
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framework. It plays a vital role for improving the capability of
quick and stable transmission of the mass remote sensing data
and therefore promotes the performance of the platform.

3.2 Packaged service
Web service technology is a standard mechanism for
application releasing through internet and utilizing the software
service. Web service can easily exchange and integrate the data
between different systems (Cheng Yongxing, Chen Ping, 2003).
Its models provide scalable, loosely coupled capability to
exchange information under non-specific platforms (Zheng
Xiaodong Wang Zhijian Zhou Xiaofeng Fei Yukui Xu
Feng ,2004, Zheng Xiaodong Wang Zhijian Zhou Xiaofeng Fei
Yukui Xu Feng ,2004). The information exchange depends on a
series of technology standards such as XML (Extensible
Markup Language), SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol)
and WSDL (Web Services Description Language). Its major
advantage is to actualize the interoperability between
heterogeneous platforms. Users need no concerning on the
structure and functions in the Web service because its
communication interface has been predefined and therefore the
complex processing function is made to be transparent to the
them.

In GT4, it provides some registered default services and makes
extensive use of Web Service (Booth D,Haas H, McCabe F et
al.,2003), so many extension models in the form of service are
in its containers. Therefore, the traditional methods of remote
sensing data processing can be used in GT environment if it
exists in the form of service. So when considering the algorithm
of processing realized under stand-alone version of remote
sensing processing platform and that in platform of Grid-
oriented one whose main idea is distributed, thus to decompose
remotes sensing processing as a series serviceseach algorithm
correspondences to a service and can be packaged and
translated. The algorithms included in these services are the
integration of that for geometry processing, multi-spectral
classification and multi-source integration.

WS J ava Core as part of Globus Toolkit V4 is the J ava
implementation of WSRF. A web service container placing
service is needed for using the WS J ava Core. It provides a
number of API and tools for building web service (WS-
Resources) with state. The java class packaged with containers
and various scripts can be used to deal with WS-Resources.
Only J ava WS Core is concerned when developing remote
sensing processing based on Grid.

The Grid service is described as five simple steps: as shown in
Figure 2

1: Define service interface, and then write WSDL files to
describe external exposure operation of remote sensing image
processing.

2: Realization service: Implementation service by using java
language or J NI technology to transfer the processing
algorithms developed via other languages such as c, c++.

3: The Definition and deployment of files: These files of remote
sensing processing service can be implemented by writing
J NDI and WSDD file.

4: Compile and generate the GAR file.

5: Deploy service to the container.


D e p l o y s e r v i c e t o t h e c o n t a i n e r
D e f i n e s e r v i c e
i n t e r f a c e
R e a l i z a t i o n s e r v i c e
T h e D e f i n i t i o n a n d d e p l o y m e n t
o f f i l e s
C o m p i l e a n d g e n e r a t e
t h e G A R f i l e


Figure 2. The step of packaged service

3.3 Strategy on fast distribution
Several problems of remote sensing data processing will face in
Grid environment are as follows: first of all, the global remote
sensing images contain not only different kind of the scales,
bands, types and many other dimensions but also different the
time, space, spectrum, multiple-resolution and different formats.
Different images need different way to process, thus when users
need to get detailed information of the earth observation image
before processing it. The result of many algorithms of remote
sensing processing is related with parameters chosen based on
image status, therefore the users use different parameters to
treat image for optimal ones. So, to sum up, users need to have
a detailed understanding about the image in the whole process.
The traditional browser such as Internet Explorer or Netscape
Navigator fail to support the display and ramble of large raster
image from different sensors and various formats, and the
transmission rate of current internet is limited, so we must get
some way for the rapid cognition of images information and
comparisons between them.

Therefore, in accordance with the above difficulties and
purposes of fast transferring data on current internet
environment and showing image information in client browsers
which are resolved, here by not only J PEG coding technology
is used to recode the image but also extracting and interpreting
the spatial information from the remote sensing image. A
professional module of compressing images and extracting
spatial information is devised for rapidly generating the
publication information which can be sent to the pre-designated
cache database when the user calls this module after the
processing of image data. Users can browse quickly the data
from the cache database in IE browsers and know images better
such as simple measurement in recoding image without
downloading the result of large data, thus it is more effective
for users to process images.

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The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences. Vol. XXXVII. Part B4. Beijing 2008
Image information is released from the cache database through
building web service and J SP pages developed by dynamic
technologies, so that remote users on the internet will be able to
access the compressed image quickly with its spatial encoding
information.

The compressed image will be loaded into the same size of
image-layer automatically generated by client browsers, and
then data from analytical XML file will also be loaded to these
pages. Affine transformation coefficient can be gained when the
image information contains these defined as padfTransform [5],
and it must be pointed out that the image will be resampled to
the restricted size before being compressed if the image size is
bigger than the maximum size IE browsers supported, and the
sampling interval value m_changrate will be sent to the
coordinate conversion equation. The flow of real coordinate
conversion as is shown in figure 3;


Corresponding coordinates after resampling
(Px,Py)
affine transformation functions
(Xp,Yp)
Xp=padfTransform[0]+P'x*padfTransform[1]+P'y*padfTransform[2]
Yp=padfTransform[3]+P'x*padfTransform[4]+P'y*padfTransform[5]
raw image coordinate
(P'x, P'y)
P'x =Px*m_changrate+Px;
P'y =Py*m_changrate+Py;
Export real coordinate to compressing
image
Collection coordinate from compressing
image


Figure 3. The flow of coordinate conversion

And the real coordinates of points specified by the users in
compression images in client browsers: Xp and Yp can be got
through this equation. Then it is measuring distances and
computing area based on real coordinates that can be realized,
therefore the user can understand images in more detail and can
compare them.


4. THE WORKFLOW OF PROCESSING PLATFORM
The prototype platform structure, as is shown in Figure4, First
of all, the user accesses the index of raw images in registration
centre established by GT tools, and then calls the module of
processing and extracting to compress the raw image and
extract its spatial information, the results are sent to the
information cache database designated on internet. The remote
user can decide whether to deal with the image after seeing the
information of an image, which is queried from the cache
database, in IE browser. Appropriate services such as geometry
processing, classification or multi-source integration services
can be chosen by the registration centre when the user decides
to processing the image referred through Gridftp part of GT
tools to the computer which is deployed service needed. After
completing the processing by module of compression and
extraction information, the user can see the data information
through the IE browsers, and then decides whether to re-adjust
the processing parameters for renewedly processing the image
or download the result to the client computer by Gridftp.




Figure 4. Prototype system structure


5. CONCLUSIONS
This paper introduces the structure of mass remote sensing
processing platform based on the Grid technology considering
the characteristics of remote sensing data, it studies the way to
design the related services and the strategy for rapidly
recognizing the remote sensing images in current internet
environment, finally, a highly professional platform which
promotes greatly the application effectiveness of researches in
remote sensing field was created. Therefore the traditional
development and designate of various quantitative applications
based on single sensor could be changed by the Grid platform.
It realizes the resource communication and information
complementary; it changes the status that more satellites were
launched and more data were received but the current
application request is still not meet. The existing sensor
potential will be fully exploited; the quantitative remote sensing
product with high-precision, high-quality and long time
sequence will become possible. Through a large number of
remote sensing data continuously become useful information
resources, the Global Change Research and Geo-related
disciplines will be provided with solid support; the
development of Earth System Science will be promoted.


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The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences. Vol. XXXVII. Part B4. Beijing 2008
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Support by the ministry of education Foundation of China
(A1420060213)


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Foster, 2005, Globus Toolkit Version 4: Software for Service-
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