ArcGIS server and 1GEConnector/EXOWS - Preliminary test results

The purpose of this document is to refer to the potencial problems using 1GEConnector together with the newest versions of ArcGIS servers – 10.0 and 10.1. 1GE Connector was a main technical output of the One Geology Europe Project and it is a crucial part of the technical solution of publishing the participants maps using 1GE Geoportal viewer.

Despite the fact that the connector itself has been improved continously under the name EXOWS, its latest version does not refer to the highest versions of ArcGIS servers software (10.0, 10.1) as a recommended infrasturcture.

Currently Czech Geological Survey uses two instances of the ArcGIS Server 10.0 and one instance of the ArcGIS server 9.3.1 in production (=official public) environment. Technology ArcGIS Server 9.3.1 is already out of date. There are only 6 running services on ArcGIS Server version 9.3.1 , four of which are intended for OneGeology Portal. The OneGeology Europe Portal doesn’t consume these services directly, it uses them through 1GE-Connector. Our goal is to end the use of outdated technology that is blocking our one license of ArcGIS Server and transfer services for Server version 10 or 10.1

In the following paragraphs we summarize the current state of testing:

ArcGIS Server 9.3.1 + 1GEConnector

Standard - model solution, performance tested on OneGeology Europe-everything works.
Test URL:


ArcGIS Server 10.0 SP5 + 1GEConnector

In testing, we came across a few problems. The combination of SDE + ArcGIS Server 10.0 and PostgreSQL has a bug that causes the request GetFeatureInfo in XML format to return an error. This error can be handled in the following ways:

  • Data for WMS should not be stored in store the SDE + Postgres (using file geodatabase or SDE other than Oracle, MSSQL server, etc.)
  • The Editing of the Template generating XML output. The problem is caused by brackets in st_length attribute name (shape) and st_area (shape) Original template modified by ArcData company (Czech provider of ESRI product, our bussiness partner) employees causes that attributes in XML responses are processed. The same figure as in st_length (shape) and st_area (shape) is contained in the attributes st_area_shape_ and st_length_shape_. This error has been registered as official error NIM071673 by ESRI: WMS (Web Map Service) GetFeatureInfo request does not work with PostgreSQL data INFO_FORMAT when values ​​are set to text / xml and application / vnd.ogc.wms_xml. The error has been corrected for the server version 10.1 . For version 10.0 will not be corrected. In version 9.3.1 there isa different generation system of GetFeatureInfo responses and the described problem is irrelevant.

We had also a problem with incorrect display of the original test site, but the problem occurs also in a combination of ArcGIS Server 9.3.1 + 1GEConnector, but the functioning of the portal has not been affected.Diacritics are displayed correctly.

We created a test page that contains the basic service inquiries.
Test url:

All questions that generate requirements for WMS and WFS work at the test site. Unfortunately, in reality after the connection to the portal OneGeology Europe is different. We came across the following:
Works:

  • Get ​​capabilities WMS / WFS - basic information about the service
  • GetMap - display WMS maps, zoom

Does not work:

  • GetFeatureInfo - information about objects on clicks. (So ​​far we could not find a reason why it does not work despite the test query that returns answers)
  • Coloring - based on SLD – updated on24th, April: The request, which is generated by the 1GE connector dosn't contain any styles in parameter STYLES= and thus according to the OGC specification the default style should be applied. This works correct by AgS 9.3.1, for example:

When the ArcGIS server 10.0 is used, the parameter STYLES should contain at least one comma (STYLES=, ) in case when the number of layers in the service is at least two. Both of terms STYLES= or STYLES=, are valid according to the OGC specification, unfortunately, only the second one works in ArcGIS server 10.0 . Number of commas equals number of layers minus one, for example:

Next problem occurs when the service has only one layer. In that case, the STYLES parameter is empty and the ArcGIS server uses default style (it works correct in version 9.3.1 .) This seems to be a bug and we are solving it with our software provider.

In version 10.1. unfortunately doesn't work anything above mentioned. We are solving it with our software provider.


  • ArcGIS Server 10.1 + 1GEConnector

We created a test URL for the service based on ArcGIS Server 10.1
Test url:

Testing is not yet complete.
Meanwhile tested:

  • GetCapabilities
  • GetMap
  • GetFeatureInfo

Untested:

  • WFS
  • Operation of the portal OneGeology

Does not work:

  • SLD - Fix it with ArcData.

  • If we finish testing without solving the above problems, we'll have to contact the authors of the 1GEConnectoru advice.

  • ArcGIS server and EXOWS connector (an improved version of 1GEConnector)

Exows connector has been installed, but not tested yet. We hope that this improved connector could replace older 1GEConnector and solve some of the problems described above. This theory stilllacks verification. We are continually testing the functionality during the publication of services for the Pangeo project.

Vaclav Pospisil, Czech Geological Survey

translated /with technical help/ and slightly modified by Petr Coupek , Czech Geological Survey

ArcData company is a Czech ESRI provider, see