Optimizing Geospatial Data Workflows for Cloud Storage and Distribution
- Anvita Shrivastava
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
With the increase in volume of geospatial data, organizations must find new methods to effectively store, manage and distribute large amounts of data. High-resolution satellite imagery, aerial photography, LiDAR point clouds (3D representations of the Earth's surface), and raster maps all play important parts in modern GIS workflows. However, these types of data can quickly surpass the capabilities of conventional infrastructure.
As a result, the emergence of cloud computing has changed how geospatial data is stored and accessed. Nevertheless, the utilization of cloud drives for geospatial data still has limits without properly optimizing functionality; cloud-based geospatial data optimization strategies, MrSID® and other advanced compression technologies help maximize the benefits of cloud use.
The Challenge of Large Geospatial Datasets in the Cloud
The demands associated with geospatial datasets are special in nature:
Gernerally have very large file sizes, often measuring in the gigabytes to terabaytes
High resolution imagery must retain visual and analytic integrity
Distributed users will access the geospatial datasets frequently (e.g. web, desktop and mobile platforms)
Real time streaming requirements for visualizations and analysis
Even though organizations may be moving geospatial datasets to the cloud object storage, their challenges will not automatically be resolved; optimization is paramount. In sum, organizations that do not optimize may encounter:
Increased storage and egress expenses
Slower data transfer and rendering rates
Inability to conduct workflows efficiently for data analysis/visualization
Key Principles for Optimizing Cloud-Based Geospatial Workflows
In order to take advantage of all the benefits that the cloud has to offer, geospatial workflows need to be created with an eye toward performance, scalability, and cost savings.
Cloud-Optimized Raster Formats
When you use cloud-optimized raster formats, they allow you to access only the amount of data necessary for the particular view or for analysis and thus save bandwidth when using web services or distributed users.
Use of Advanced Compression Techniques
By using advanced types of compression techniques, organizations will be able to lower their overall storage costs and provide quicker access to data. The challenge with compression is to achieve higher compress ratios without degrading the data quality or analytical integrity.
For compressing geospatial images, MrSID compression (by Lizardtech) has been developed specifically for geospatial data and provides the following benefits:
Reduction of file size by a significant amount
Quality of images is maintained for both visualization & analysis
Rapid zoom and pan capabilities are available through multi-resolution access methods
Ability to stream the imagery over the web/cloud
The ability to use MrSID to compress images for organizations allows them to store more data at a lower cost while still providing fast and responsive access to their users.
Use Multiple Resolutions / Progressive Access to Data
Using an optimized workflow, a user can view low-resolution preview images immediately; however, the higher resolution images will only load as needed, giving a user the ability to get quick response times for cloud-hosted imagery services.
MrSID’s multi-resolution architecture supports this model naturally through its architecture, enabling efficient distribution in cloud-based environments or through web-based GIS Users' environments.
Integration with Modern GIS and Cloud Platforms
The optimized geospatial data should integrate nicely with cloud-native tools and GIS ecosystems; including:
Web mapping and tiling services
Cloud-based analytical platforms
PC-based GIS applications
AI / machine-learning based workflows.
Efficient formats and compression reduce processing overhead and improve interoperability among the various systems.
Benefits of Optimized Cloud Geospatial Workflows
The implementation of optimised storage and distribution strategies enables your organisation to take advantage of the following very tangible benefits:
Cloud storage and transfer costs are reduced
Global users can access data much more rapidly
Worldwide datasets can be scaled more effectively
User experience in web and desktop GIS is enhanced
Infrastructure prepared for advanced analytics in the future
Why MrSID Compression Matters in the Cloud Era
As geospatial information moves more and more into the cloud, compression is becoming a necessity rather than a choice. The MrSID technology continues to be an industry standard solution for any organisation that requires efficient management of large quantities of imagery that must be stored and accessed at very high levels of quality.
Through the combination of high compression ratios, immediate access times, and multi-resolution capability, MrSID enables companies to optimise their cloud storage strategies and realise greater productivity from distributing geospatial data on a large scale.
To maximize the efficiency of the geospatial data workflow with regards to cloud distribution and storage, it’s essential to do more than simply move files from one location to another (from an on-premise server to Amazon Web Services). A plan for how the data will be formatted, compressed and processed for optimal performance and scalability must also be created.
Organizations can use cloud-optimized methods and established technologies such as MrSID compression to help save money by lowering the costs associated with accessing their geospatial data as well as allowing them to realize the full benefit of their geospatial data today and into the future.
For more information or any questions regarding the LizardTech suite of products, please don't hesitate to contact us at:
Email: info@geowgs84.com
USA (HQ): (720) 702–4849
(A GeoWGS84 Corp Company)
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