[SoC] SoC Report: Geo-BI dashboards

[Etienne Dube]

Hi everybody,

1. What did I do this week:

- Implemented an MDX query control on the client side. MDX queries are 
now "ajaxfully" submitted to the server, and the layer is updated 
dynamically. This allows for a very fast and seamless refresh of the 
map, and will be the basis for the way Spatial OLAP operators 
(drill-down, roll-up, ...) interact with the map on the client side.

- Learned JavaScript properly, thanks to JavaScript - The Definitive 
Guide (5th ed.) by David Flanagan. Very recommended for anyone already 
knowing an OO language and getting into more serious JavaScript.

- Cleaned and refactored my client code (following what I learned in the 
previous point :) )

- Discussed with my mentor on various points, more importantly on the 
implementation of OLAP operators (drill-down & al.). Since the olap4j 
API doesn't implement these operators directly, I will have to do it 
myself, so this will take more time than expected. Fortunately olap4j 
has a few classes to manipulate MDX expressions programmatically, which 
should prove helpful. We decided to put the priority on OLAP operators 
before implementing more thematic mapping styles (i.e. proportional 
symbols and pie charts).

- Began implementing server-side serialization of OLAP CellSets (and 
members) to a JSON format, so the client will be able to work with the 
multidimensional data returned by an MDX query (i.e. for displaying 
crosstabs and graphics, other than the map itself).

- Submitted the midterm survey.

2. What do I plan on doing next week:

- Continue the work on JSON OLAP CellSets (1st priority)
- Continue the work on OLAP operators (2nd priority)

3. Am I blocked on anything:

No, everything is gravy. I'm hoping to be able to create an online demo 
before the end of the project, so all of you folks who are new to 
business intelligence can see what I'm talking about.


Etienne