Here I cover some progress with the database and my trip to China to see a friend from GIS master's.

DATABASE

The database is coming along well. We now have most data entry complete, including a relation of 1000+ records containing all Mapping, Infrastructure and Titling project demographic information. This has been table joined to a shapefile of all house footprints made during the MIT project, such that users can use the identify tool on a footprint and retrieve from the database the demographic information collected for that house. The Mapping Team took over a month to prepare this dataset so it was a significant moment to put it all in the database finally and link it up on the map. There are some issues, however, with quality. The code linking the database records with footprints only appears to have worked for 50% of house footprints. This may be because the field containing the code in the database does not always contain the relevant value for its particular footprint. At least, however, staff know the process to link the two, and can resolve this issue through checking.

We also have in place a method of tracking additions and changes of records to the database. The standard table has at least five fields, tracking the name of the staff member that added the record, a field with a default value of Date() to get the date the record was added, a field tracking the name of the staff member that last modified the record and two fields updated by a macro when using a form which input the date and time a record was changed. Using these fields, date range queries can be executed to project records for a monthly report, for example. We are still formatting our monthly report and other types of reports, such as one returning all records from all tables which relate to a particular location. This will involve many sub reports, one for each table, in one report. We can make a similar form as well, such that someone doing data entry can find a particular location and then, through having many subforms, easily update records sharing that location value in other tables using just the one form.

ARCREADER

We have created an ArcReader deployment to view data from the database. ArcReader is a simple GIS program for viewing spatial data, not editing it. It's useful to roll out across an organisation so all staff can view data, reducing the number of simple job requests they make of a mapping team. The program can also be used to make simple maps using one of the organisation's templates.

Our deployment contains dynamic links (using the 'display XY' function on a table imported through an OLEDB connection) to tables in the database, along with a number of reference layers such as roads from OpenStreetMap, districts, communes, village chief locations and other significant landmarks of Phnom Penh. The method I've used to display points from the database is to add to the map the community locations table, the only one in the database with coordinates. Then I do a table join on that table to the other table that I want to show on the map, for example eviction events. I restrict the output to show only records with matching IDs between the two tables. Then when I want to make a layer about something else, I simply copy this layer and change the table join to another table, for example relocation site surveys. We now have an ArcReader file with all tables displayed like this.

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Update - this method has been improved by creating a query in Access which includes fields from a demographic data table plus only the coordinate fields from the community locations table. This query can then be converted to an events layer in ArcMap for display in ArcReader. It's a much neater way to do things as it means the user won't get all the irrelevant fields from the Community Locations table when they use the identify tool.
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There are the usual issues with UNC vs. mapped drive file paths causing broken links in layers. My usual technique of breaking all mapped drive links by disconnecting the relevant mapped drive, however, is stymied by the latest version of ArcMap (10.1). This appears to automatically recreate a mapped drive that is specified by a layer's source if it does not exist in one's settings. If it did not do this, I could then easily switch all layer sources to the equivalent UNC path by hooking up one layer to a UNC path folder connection. As regular users of ArcMap know, this setting will then propagate through all layers. Now I have to find a way to disable this function of automatically setting up missing mapped drives or else have to laboriously set up the source for each layer individually.

GOOGLE EARTH NETWORK LINKS

As described here, network links are a great way to increase your efficiency when using Google Earth. We have made a model in our ArcReader setup .MXD to create .KMZ files of all database layers so that we can view them in Google Earth. Having a model makes it very easy to update the files to the latest version from the database, one just has to click a button. The network link feature of Google Earth makes this all even better though. Usually one just opens a file in Google Earth, which one saves to My Places.kml, a very large file of all layers one has saved in Google Earth. As you get more and more data, it takes longer and longer to start up Google Earth as it has to read that file. Also, it is a manual process to update to the latest version of a layer, you have to delete it then save the new layer to My Places. A better way is to point Google Earth to the file using a network link, it will get the latest version of the data at that file path location every time you start the program or refresh the layer. This means administrators can just run the model to convert the database layers to .KMZ (with geoprocessing settings set to overwrite same named files) and all users with Google Earth network links to those files will then get the latest data.

I'm thinking this might become a more popular way to view our spatial data as ArcReader can be quite slow over our network. We can also make .KMZ files of all reference datasets so that one can see all of the administrative boundaries, for example, in Google Earth.

CHINA TRIP REPORT

This was a fantastic experience, the third wedding I have attended during this placement. It was interesting to compare it to the two Khmer wedding's I've been to here and the Australian weddings back home. It was in Qinghuangdao, a port city 3+hrs drive east from Beijing. Wedding proceedings started off at 6:30am (part panoramic view from our hotel room) with us meeting at the groom's parents' house for a farewell/good luck ceremony. There was a MC, videographer and photographer, who accompanied the groom throughout the day, including at the big lunch later on for the main group of guests. Of course I did not understand exactly what was said although the point of this ceremony appeared to be to wish their son good luck and issue a farewell. There were some speeches, although these were brief and the MC said the most. The groom's friends and family then left the apartment for what can only be described as a motorcade. There were 12 Audi A6s and the groom was in a BMW 7 series, bedecked in roses. Because I was a best man (there were 3, his cousin, myself and a friend of his that I met last time who interpreted my speech later on), the groom told me to always get in the first car behind him although later on when we picked up the bride he invited her parents to take this position and we were demoted to the second car ;-)

So next we motorcaded a short distance around to the hotel where the bride and her family stayed. There was a funny little ceremony where the groom had to convince the bride, her bridesmaids and close family members to open the door. He said that this would be quite hard and he was right! It took about 5-10 minutes of 'convincing', he said he had to promise to treat her well and had to say many sweet things to her. It was all rather funny, with the door being cracked open a couple of times but in the end it actually appeared that a woman family member of the bride came to the door from outside (she was staying in another room) and said something, which meant that he could be let in... During this exercise many small red envelopes containing money were slipped under the door and also given to children of the bride's extended family who were running up and down the corridor. I was entrusted with dolling some of these out as well. When we went in there were further rituals to complete, such as finding one of the bride's shoes. It took the groom and I a while to search the room although he ended up discovering it when he opened the man hole. This was then fitted to her foot then the bride and groom pinned flowers to each other's breast. I and, I presume, the first bridesmade, then did the same. We then left the room, having successfully for the last time convinced the girl.

Now we really had a motorcade. Family and close friends of the bride and groom filled the cars and off we went around Qinghuangdao adding significant extra mayhem to what is actually fairly well behaved traffic. Part of the drive involved creating an extra lane going in our direction, i.e. taking up the closest lane for incoming traffic. I guess this was done simply by presenting the significant oncoming force of a BMW 7 series followed by 12 Audi A6s and then barging down to the intersection which took us to the beach. Only thing is this intersection was attended by police, who for a short time confiscated the license of our driver, who had to park on the other side of the intersection and walk back through traffic to beg for it back. Then off we went for another photo shoot of the bride and groom on the sea shore, followed by a few more about the place for group shots of family of both.

Next we proceeded to the couple's new apartment, bought by the groom's parents. They are quite rich, already owning I think 6 apartments and houses including having bought a new apartment for the groom in Beijing. The benefits of being a party member... The apartment was in a new complex which had beautiful landscape architecture, fountains, sculptures and massive LED screens in the entranceway (panorama)! One of these was playing a video of the bride and groom posing in beautiful clothing in nice nature scenes or by the beach. It was all rather overwhelming. The next bit though was a bit embarrassing. There were two lifts up to the apartment, and about 15 people including the groom's mother, packed into one. It then got stuck for half an hour between 1st and 2nd floor! This put a dampner on seeing the nice new apartment, but all was well in the end when they were let out in time for lunch.

Many of these rituals were accompanied by firecrackers. For example, before we set off in the cars from his parent's house, a bunch of bangers went off in front of the first car. The same thing happened when we arrived at the apartment complex and then at the restaurant. All up I think they were used on five separate occasions, including once during the ceremonies in the restaurant, although of course they went off outside.

The lunch was for about 250 people and we took up the whole second floor. There was a raised walkway the whole length of the hall, running down the middle to a stage at the front. The stage had a round platform which they stood on at one point and it raised them up a couple of feet. The MC came into his own here, with the lights dimmed and dramatic music playing a few bars to start proceedings as he swept down the walkway with a short welcoming speech for guests. He also did a good job of keeping the groom calm and collected before things began, I also checked on him given I was supposed to be a best man although I wasn't quite sure if that was what I was supposed to do in this culture. Before long the guests had all arrived and the toasts began. There was a speech by the boss of the groom's company which ended with him giving them both small passport sized booklets, their marriage documents. After that the rings were presented. There were other speeches as well, such as by the groom's father and then the bride's father said a few words. During all of this I also gave a speech about the groom, although it ended up being about twice as long as it should have been, I hadn't made enough allowances for interpreting time. Nevertheless, the groom was very pleased with it afterward and there was a good round of applause. It was kind of weird giving the presentation as the lights were so bright and I couldn't see anyone. Also I was nervous and having to wait for it to be interpreted as well made it very hard to feel like I was saying something coherent. Nevertheless I got a few laughs and claps for the groom during the speech which was nice.

Then we ate A LOT of food. The tables were literally piled high. We ate maybe 40% of the food on our table. This is part of the ritual, if one ate it all this would be a sign not enough was provided. It was all delicious.

The next day we went to the Great Wall of China, which starts in Qinghuangdao. I was hoping we'd go to the beach where you can see it coming out of the sea, and perhaps climb the wall at a spot the groom showed me (map) in 2010. Instead we were taken to a more touristy section, Shanhai Pass (some panoramas). This was fine for me as I had only been to the beach part, and it was quite nice seeing all the period houses created for the tourists. We posed for some silly photos dressed as old nationalist Guamingdang soldiers before heading back to Beijing. Here we stayed at a very plush hotel at the groom's old university, China University of Geosciences Beijing (map). There was a new conference centre there which included a hotel. The next morning we did the Forbidden City (panoramas here) and Tiananmen Square (panoramas are here), the latter of which you should now be able to find in OpenStreetMap now that I've added an English name for it. I won't describe either, there are plenty of documentaries about both. It was an exhausting day though walking around everywhere. One of the most impressive parts of the Forbidden City was the 16m stone carving with 9 dragons behind the Hall of Preserving Harmony. It weighs 200 tons and the story is that it cos 20,000+ ounces of silver to transport it there as they had to slide it on an iced path during winter (including digging many wells along the way to supply water). Another resource states that this had another scene originally carved into it, with a later emperor ordering that scraped, to be replaced with the 9 dragons.

ការប្រជុំពីការគូសផែនទីនៅភ្នំពេញលើកទី ៩ / PHNOM PENH MAPPING MEETUP 9

This promises to be the biggest meetup yet! We have 5 presenters booked, four of which will speak in Khmer. There will also be one announcement about the Cambodia Google Map Maker Competition. Facebook event here and speakers at bottom of page.

STATE OF THE MAP

I'm going to State of the Map 2012 in Tokyo! I'll be doing a lightning talk about the Cambodia OSM mapping parties we've had.

PPMM 9 presenters

ការប្រជុំពីការគូសផែនទីនៅភ្នំពេញលើកទី ៩
ទីកន្លែងៈ Equinox ផ្លូវ ២៧៨, ជាន់លើ
គេហទំព័រៈ http://map.project-osrm.org/1aN
កាលបរិច្ឆេទៈ ថ្ងៃ អង្គារ ទី 28 ខែ សីហា
ម៉ោងៈ ចាប់ពីម៉ោង ៥កន្លៈល្ងាចទៅ
(សូមមកចូលរួមអោយទាន់ពេលព្រោះអ្នកធ្វើបទបង្ហាញទីមួយនឹងចាប់ផ្តើមនៅម៉ោង៥:៣០នាទី)

បទបង្ហាញទាំងអស់នឹងជាភាសាខ្មែរ :
នួន ចំណាប់
និស្សិតសកលវិទ្យាល័យភូមិន្ទកសិកម្ម
ការផលិតវិមានឯករាជ្យជាលក្ខណនេត្រាទស្សន៍

អូន វណ្ណារិទ្ធ
អនុបណ្ឌិតមកពីសាលាKDI ផែ្នកគ្រប់គ្រង និងនយោបាយសាធារណៈ
គមនាគមន៍ក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជា

លីម ចាន់ម៉ាន់
InSTEDD
ឧបករណ៍ប្រមូលទិន្នន័យដោយប្រើប្រាស់សារ ជាមួយនឹងផែនទី

ចាន់តុង បូរមី
Golden Gecko
ទិន្នន័យហេដ្ឋារចនាសម្ព័ននៃប្រទេសកម្ពុជា

Mathieu Pellerin
LICADHO
លទ្ធផលនៃការធ្វើបច្ចុប្បន្នភាពផែនទីប្រទេសកម្ពុជា ក្នុងOpenStreetMap

ចុងបញ្ចប់នឹងមានការប្រកាសមួយអំពី ការប្រកួតប្រជែងរបស់ Google Map Maker

ការប្រជុំពីការគូសផែនទីនៅភ្នំពេញជាការប្រជុំប្រចាំខែសំរាប់អ្នកជំនាញការនិងអ្នកដែលមានចំណាប់អារម្មណ៍ទាក់ទងនឹងផែនទី។


Where: Equinox on St 278 (upstairs)
Webmap: http://map.project-osrm.org/1aN
Day: TUESDAY 28th August
Time: 5:30pm sharp (please be on time as the first presenter wants to start at 5:30)

All presentations will be in Khmer except Mathieu's:

Noun Chamnab
Class of 2009 RUA Land Management student
A 3D model of the Independence Monument

Vantharith Oum
Master's student at KDI School of Public Policy and Management
Transport in Cambodia

Chanmann Lim
InSTEDD
SMS data collection tool with real time map

Mathieu Pellerin
LICADHO
Results of 3 Cambodia OpenStreetMap Parties

Bormy Chantong
Golden Gecko
National Spatial Data Infrastructure for Cambodia


+an announcement by Lonh Samdy about the Google Map Maker
Competition...