[Zoo-discuss] About ZOO Project

[Venkatesh Raghavan]

Hi Soeren,

Soeren Gebbert wrote:

> thanks a lot for your very informative response.

Pleasure, your questions make me learn more about ZOO
(with capital O).
...

> I have additional questions about the grass support in zoo :)
> 
> In which way can grass be connected to the zoo platform?

Load all GRASS related libraries into the ZOO Kernel and
have all the GRASS functions in the command repository.
This way we will be able to run any GRASS command and
also code new command using GRASS libraries.

> Do you have a concrete concept?

Yes. But at the first instance we would like to have some
20 GRASS examples for the developer guide to be released
in March 2010. The concept could be concretized as we
go along. Trac should give you a better idea of the
concept.

> Using the grass libraries will enable direct write and read access to the grass
> database, but all the gis algorithms are implemented in grass as stand
> alone modules?

direct access to GRASS DB via gdal/ogr. Standalone algorithms as
service. You could also integrate algorithms in one service.
...
> Is there a way to connect the grass modules as shared objects to zoo to support
> i.e. the suspending of long running wps processes (without the
> modification of the modules)?

Sure, you only have to create a shared library which use GRASS module
which you want to use as a service. Suspend is already implemented
if you use the storeExecuteResponse already in WPS specification.
If you use this parameter this will imply that the ZOO kernel will
fork to spawn new process which can run your function without
having to wait for response which was already provided by the
parent process.

> This would be a huge advantage over the existing WPS implementations.

Yes, that would be the aim and we need support from developers like
you.
...
> I am very interested. It would be great if you can give me trac access.

Done.
...
> Is the support of WSDL/SOAP planed for the future? I can imaging that
> companies would like to integrate a WPS server in there existing SOA
> infrastructure using WSDL/SOAP protocols.

Surely, ZOO Tribe is not so clever in this domain.But looking for better 
ways for service chaining and web service orchestration.
...
> Additional features like authorization, so that only authorized clients are
> able to consume services.
> A fine grain role support, so that different clients have access to
> different services.

Looking into GeoSheild to provide the above services,
developed by our colleague Maxi in Swiss.

> Secure connections across several server (not https) like WS-S.
> DRM support for geodata.
> Handling of electronic payment for geodata if requested.

What is WS-S?

Yes, we will need to look into these things. https should not
be difficult. GeoPrisma presented at FOSS4G-Sydney could provide
an interesting way to provide https support. Technologies
used for any shopping cart application  should suffice for e-payment
interface. e-payment not only for data but for WPS too, depending on
CPU load, volume of data output urgency of request.

> I hope i am not offensive in my questioning.

Please feel free to question. We learn more this way.

> Maybe i sound a bit naive in my questions and all this is already
> solved by using existing
> software in the zoo software pool?

Einstein said, computer were stupid because they can give answers but
not ask questions. Very true, I think. So let the questions keep
coming.

Best regards

Venka