Architecture
The GLOBALBASE architecure is an autonomous distributed architecture without any central servers. Just like the WWW, this architecture allows viewers to access multiple servers directly and view the maps stored on the servers. The major difference from the WWW is that the GLOBALBASE architecture contains a mechanim that allows servers to mutually exchange information and identify conditions of overlap and connection of local map information, in order to make it possible to superimpose and connect individual maps.
First, a user enters map search criteria and information of the map to be accessed from the start in the viewer. The map search criteria can be keywords such as information of "restaurants" in the "current map" or more abstract information such as "from 1800 to 1900." The information of the first map to be accessed would typically quite simply be one's own home map location, i.e. the map information representing the user's house.
When the user connects to a server with this information, the viewer first accesses the home map information and then searches for "lumps" in the vicinity of the connected map information. It then searches through the lumps it finds with the given search criteria to find map information in the vicinity matching the search criteria on maps other than the home map. The viewer superimposes these pieces of information on the map and displays it.
At all times, the viewer keeps track of the map information of a slightly larger area than the displayed area in preparation for movement of the user's point of observation. Moreover, it keeps track of lumps in the vicinity of the map information and performs regular searches. The map information it searches through changes according to the movement of the user's point of observation, and the lumps in the vicinity change accordingly as well. Correspondingly, the map information accessed by the viewer changes as the lumps change. In this way, the viewer gradually moves through the map information in a smooth manner.
If the viewer continues this operation, it can move across map information covering the entire world, as far as the individual pieces of map information are connected by links called mappings.
Since mappings are connected with perfect freedom, an ancient map may be connected to its corresponding current map, or even to a corresponding map in an entirely different time period. Furthermore, the maps matching the search criteria and searched through may not be directly connected. Nonetheless, even in that case, the viewer can determine mappings that connect the necessary maps using network routing technology.
Such series of operations work not only for horizontal movement of the point of observation, but also for zooming up and down. There are two types of maps, rough maps representing large areas, and detailed maps representing smaller areas on a finer scale. When the viewer zooms up or down, it moves between maps with different LOD (Level of Detail). Different lumps are allocated according to different LOD as well. By moving from one lump to another, the viewer can zoom from a rough map to a detailed map while maintaining the map features displayed acoording to the satisfied criteria, or conversely from a detailed map to a rough map.
The communication protocol used for communication between servers, as well as between viewers and servers, is called the GLOBALBASE protocol.
Even though such complex distribution mechanims are working underneath, neither the people who provide the map information nor the users who operate the viewers ever notice the mechanisms. The map information providers only need to prepare map information using appropriate graphics software, put it up on a server, connect the mapping to one or more other maps, and execute one make command. All other tasks are automatically performed by the server, including registration to lumps.
On the other hand, users operating the viewers simply enter information of their home map locations and search criteria and continue to move in any horizontal direction, or zooming up and down; that way, they can go anywhere in the world.
First, a user enters map search criteria and information of the map to be accessed from the start in the viewer. The map search criteria can be keywords such as information of "restaurants" in the "current map" or more abstract information such as "from 1800 to 1900." The information of the first map to be accessed would typically quite simply be one's own home map location, i.e. the map information representing the user's house.
When the user connects to a server with this information, the viewer first accesses the home map information and then searches for "lumps" in the vicinity of the connected map information. It then searches through the lumps it finds with the given search criteria to find map information in the vicinity matching the search criteria on maps other than the home map. The viewer superimposes these pieces of information on the map and displays it.
At all times, the viewer keeps track of the map information of a slightly larger area than the displayed area in preparation for movement of the user's point of observation. Moreover, it keeps track of lumps in the vicinity of the map information and performs regular searches. The map information it searches through changes according to the movement of the user's point of observation, and the lumps in the vicinity change accordingly as well. Correspondingly, the map information accessed by the viewer changes as the lumps change. In this way, the viewer gradually moves through the map information in a smooth manner.
If the viewer continues this operation, it can move across map information covering the entire world, as far as the individual pieces of map information are connected by links called mappings.
Since mappings are connected with perfect freedom, an ancient map may be connected to its corresponding current map, or even to a corresponding map in an entirely different time period. Furthermore, the maps matching the search criteria and searched through may not be directly connected. Nonetheless, even in that case, the viewer can determine mappings that connect the necessary maps using network routing technology.
Such series of operations work not only for horizontal movement of the point of observation, but also for zooming up and down. There are two types of maps, rough maps representing large areas, and detailed maps representing smaller areas on a finer scale. When the viewer zooms up or down, it moves between maps with different LOD (Level of Detail). Different lumps are allocated according to different LOD as well. By moving from one lump to another, the viewer can zoom from a rough map to a detailed map while maintaining the map features displayed acoording to the satisfied criteria, or conversely from a detailed map to a rough map.
The communication protocol used for communication between servers, as well as between viewers and servers, is called the GLOBALBASE protocol.
Even though such complex distribution mechanims are working underneath, neither the people who provide the map information nor the users who operate the viewers ever notice the mechanisms. The map information providers only need to prepare map information using appropriate graphics software, put it up on a server, connect the mapping to one or more other maps, and execute one make command. All other tasks are automatically performed by the server, including registration to lumps.
On the other hand, users operating the viewers simply enter information of their home map locations and search criteria and continue to move in any horizontal direction, or zooming up and down; that way, they can go anywhere in the world.
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